While there were a few things that fell in habitual line with a “regular day,” the majority of my twenty four hours was a little outa whack. What is a regular day after all? Frankly, I’m not sure I have really had one of those in awhile.
1. I nearly got stabbed by a French umbrella.
2. I nearly got run over by a horse in the rain (see above).
3. I was kicked out of a taxi along Grand Boulevard in the rain (see above).
4. It rained all day. ALL day. (see above).
5. I walked 20 miles in the rain sans un umbrella (see above).
6. My friend Denis is generous and insane. He left me a box of Sebahat Prestige Lokoum candy, Foie Gras De Canard Entier Du Sud-Ouest with half a bottle of a traditional accompaniment of Tokaji Aszu from Hungary. Evil on the body but soooooooooo good. Yeah, I’m sampling them all and I just had dinner, l’esgargots et le canard for the fourth night in a row. A great bordeaux and 80% dark chocolate from Les Printemps preceded dinner. It doesn’t stop there.
7. I bought something ridiculous to make up for the foreign tax rule (applies to most places in Europe). Maybe I’ll wear it sometime if only for the sanity of the purchase in the first place.
8. Cell phones seem to work in underground trains here. I haven’t a clue why or how and given how difficult other things have been, I probably won’t opt to ask questions about this one.
9. I forgot how many people kiss in public here. They hold hands,reach for each others (hands, arms, shoulders) and generally just kiss a lot. I saw an 18’ish year old girl blow a large bubble from her wad into her boyfriend’s ear today.
He did not budge, but I noticed a small smile approach as she blew another one and then another. Then a gentle kiss. He more than noticed, for when he turned to acknowledge her wonderful feminine frolicking and flirting, he played with her hat, noticed the color, paid her a compliment and then gave her the same kind of kiss back. She more than noticed too. It was a great thing to see.
Odd thing that when you used to live somewhere and return as a semi-tourist, okay, a tourist, part of you is SO familiar with it all, and part of you does everything you can to soak it up because of the familiarity. Meaning: I need it, I crave it, I want it, I must……..so the intensity exceeds normal levels by a lot. At least for me
I had dinner with a British journalist tonight in the Marais who talked about her dinner holiday party the previous night with her American CNN friend. We no doubt have mutual friends. Ever have one of those foreign conversations where you know the culture and lifestyle is so far fetched from your own but the way you think about the world could easily be a DNA double.
I seem to have those experiences a lot lately: not unlike ten years ago this time and before that ten years ago again, almost precisely at the same time. More than interesting. Once you start noticing former patterns in your life, it is amazing how many more you’ll notice.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
