Day 2- the Long Morning

I awoke bright and early, at about 5.30am, ready to explore this untapped, uncharted wonderland (except by the previous few people over the last 2000 years).  As I starred out the window at the city scape beyond and dreamed dreams,my lovely wife and son were competing in a snoring match to see who could scare the passers by the most.

As i scoured the internet for elusive non-porn related images, my parents logged on to Gmail from their hotel room.  After the usual banter about the well-being of Solomon, they wondered  if my flight was as terrible as theirs.  As it turns out, their flight was cancelled due to a strike at the Paris airport and they had to catch a bus from Dubai to Abu Dhabi (7 hours) and wait another 7 hours for the strike to end before they could fly to Paris.  As i tried as eloquently as possible to input empathy into my typed responses, i was humbled by the honesty in the phrase "it could always be worse".

By 8.30am i was starving and needed to get some breakfast.  the day is warm with a mild breeze, not unlike a spring day in sydney.  The one thing that instantly caught my attention, was the silence.  For 8.30am, in a street which was bustling packed with people the night before, there was barely a soul on the cobbles.  As i walked wandering what i should get for breakfast, i noticed most of the shops were either closed or just setting up.  There was a little fish market throwing down ice onto baskets, a little wine market laying out their wares on racks on the street and a butcher getting fresh meat delivered.  A quaint peace falls about the place, only quiet determined movement like an early backstage preparation.  A very eerie and strange sensation for a capital city so late in the morning.

I am very proud of the following achievements as all the below was ordered and spoken in French!  My first stop, a bakery, where i ordered two croissants, two chocolate croissants and a baguette for 5.35E.  Than a butcher where i bought 100 grams of french salami for 2.58E. A bar (which is a cafe at this time in the morning) where i ordered two cappuccinos for 5E.

Finally, a cheese shop which was incredibly overwhelming with the variety of cheese, so i asked the shop guy to recommend a breakfast cheese to which he angrily responded waving his arms like he was teaching me how to do breast stroke. I told him i dont understand and he should speak slower, to which he said the same thing, waving his arms a little slower.  I eventually realised, he was upset because i had walked into his shop and he had just mopped the floors (hmmm... that reminds me of something), i should have ordered from the street.  I proceeded to apologise and he became instantly overwhelmed with happiness and joy and brought out a world map so that i could point out where i was from.  After i pointed and said 'Australia' he rattled off something long, completely negating the lack of understanding exhibited as i walked in just a minute earlier.  While i nodded my head, not understanding a thing, i pronounced 'merci' and rushed off before he required a more intricate response.

Breakfast was very wholesome.  the croissants were crisp and fluffy, with a subtle flavour though it was the soft but firm texture that really left you longing for more.  The baguette was still warm with crunchy crust. The coffee was very nice, much better than New York, though not outstanding as you would expect from a european country.  Still, my hopes are not dashed yet.