Across the Universe VII
"paris is just as i envisioned it- full of culture, art, beauty, and love.""nothing is underestimated about france; it's decadence and pride are captivating . . . an afternoon at the louvre was not nearly enough to take in such works."
"i've never spent so much time with a man; i love rick, i really do. i don't mean in the way that i am hoping for a future after our return, because honestly, there isn't one. we have been practical and honest about the whole thing- our friendship has evolved very naturally into a romance that has an expiration date. he and i fulfill many roles that seem to be based on natural laws of survival and friendship. we are capturing the moment with romance. at times, the woman in me questions why i am giving myself in these ways, but the truth of the matter is that rick is my everything at the moment- my only friend as far as the world is concerned. he fills my every instant, because that is the reality that we created on this trip. the reliance upon one another is a beautiful thing, it truly is; we need each other, it's a wonderful feeling to trust and be trusted in this way. this trip is not only educating me about this beautiful world, but also how to work as a team and how to love."
"our hostel is right down the way from the moulin rouge, so we dedicated one night to checking the area out. we found a "deal"of a strip club- rick was charged 5 euro and i was let in for free (we'd be FOOLS to not go inside, right?!) but then we were forced into each purchasing a 20 euro beer and watching an obese black girl attempt to wiggle, it was one of the most awkward moments of my life.
we didn't go into the moulin rouge because it was 100 euro each; we settled on taking photos and wandering into bars and sex shops. we met a couple of girls from spain. rick really enjoyed conversing in spanish, while i once again relied on smiles and gestures- somehow it worked and the 4 of us had a lot of fun!
"after we got back to the hostel (at 4am ish), i came downstairs to wash up. my steps woke the man at the reception (he slept on a mattress behind the desk). when he saw me, he jumped up and frightened me as he lunged towards me, backing me into a corner. he was a darker man, definitely not french, more likely of middle eastern descent. he began to poke at my boobs and shouted, "dance! DANCE!" at me. i stood there for a few moments, extremely entertained by his absurdness, before slapping him and running back to my room.
"after a late night of partying, we had a slower start than usual. we took a train to versailles to see the palace. the palace was elaborate, to say the least.
"the sky is one of thee most magnificent creations that i have ever seen. i wish my words could do it justice. every encounter with it becomes more beautiful as it shifts with each blink. it's absolutely mesmerizing . . .
"for our last night in france, we decided to get dressed up and bid 'au revoir' to the city with a fancy meal and a trip to the eiffel tower. we were too late to go up the tower (which was ok by me because i would have surely froze in my tiny dress). our night was beautiful, nonetheless."