" Reviving Past Glories"

It began somewhere in 2000. I had spent the weekend in London at a friends and overnight took it upon myself to venture out further deep. Something beckoned me to explore my minds eyes. London had to rest . The next morning i took the bus and landed at Dover Port . All my friends were still celebrating post St Patrick s Day, on Camden street.
I had Paris on my mind. Fascination Street. City that i never been to , streets i had not walked. It was magic on the air. I thought i ll ask everyone else but people were busy. Hence , I had decided well. Shall take the trip. Lonesome. But excited.
I took the ferry via Dover across the English Channel. The day gave us plenty. Magnificent blue seas, great food recipes , awesome photography and wonderful people. I looked for a familiar , someone who would smile back. In agreeable fashion. I found my first friend who was close by. After lunch, we managed to sit next to each other.She was traveling to Madrid via Paris later that week and had decided to take of from her job in Paris, to move back to family. Her demeanor was relaxing, welcoming and curious. It was perfect.
The hours flew. We talked about cultures, life, jobs and nightlife. I took notes of some important places in Paris and her input on travel guidelines as she had been to Paris many times. We reached Calais port in a few hours, then took off to Paris. Reached Paris by bus .
It was magnificent to say the least.
The things i learned over the next few days made me realize that vastness of this culture , the city and its offerings. Paris has over 500,000 homeless people out of which 200,000 re drug addicts. Parisians form around 5% of the entire french population and provide 45% of the total tax revenue. Over 53% used cars and the rest used public transportation. Manual workers comprised on over 15% , while 30% and above enjoy executive jobs or are intellectuals.It was amazing to know that 90% of french women and over 50% of french men used perfume religiously. And that 45% of people in Paris lived alone. Paris also attracted over 30 million people annually in tourism and is one of the top 5 destinations around the world. Refreshingly sweet in terms in terms of exterior , Paris remains the powerhouse of the nation where french socio cultural trends were born, political battles were fielded and national pride was polished.Staying in Paris was an abundantly exotic experience of fashion, cinema literature and the arts. A dream come true. Fascinating.