Al-Mostly Romantic

In melo-dramatic slow motion, I climbed coach no. 17 of the Eurostar and (a little too quickly than it was meant to be) I reached my hand out to 'my' Simran running behind me on the platform... waiting for her hand to grab mine and complete the epic (& perhaps one of the most romantic) moment of Hindi cinema, just as Raj had done in 1995...


It was 'almost' the same, but a tad different... What I got in my hand was the handle of a pram and instead of the Jatin-Lalit background score, there was a rising crescendo of a bunch of Brits giving us the look of 'hurry up mate, will you'

This pretty much set the tone and nature of our first ever trip to Paris, indeed our first ever international holiday since he was born. One of the biggest jokes that life plays on us mortals (and I laugh my guts out every time I remember this) is this: when we are footloose and have the time & space to savour moments like 'taking in the grandeur of the Notre Dame Cathedral, feeling both small yet enriched', we have no money to be able to afford it. And the stage in our life when we do have the money to afford it, even against the backdrop of the Eiffel Tower rising magnificently against an enchanting Paris sunset, we are more concerned with trying to find the missing shoe that the toddler has yet again dropped somewhere.

'Paris with a Pram' is a book that is waiting to be written and if I'm not the first one who buys it, I will definitely be the first one to write it. A bus tour pass of the city for 2 days - 64 Euros, a lunch on a roadside cafe at the Champs Elysees (pronounced Shawnz-a-leezay) - 31 Euros, your 2 year old rejecting the Eiffel Tower in favour of the nearby merry go-round - priceless!

And yet there is something to be said about the impression Paris makes in our hearts. It is said that if anyone has been in Paris as a youngster or a student, they will remember their Paris life forever, wherever they may be... I add here, that it can just as easily be said of parents with a two year old in tow in Paris... will remember it forever.

Even after all the hullabulloo about the city, we were swept away. Even with the constant demand for sweeties & the acrobats of folding and unfolding the pram from one bus ride to another... even with the rude 'please don't ask or make me do anything more' attitude of the French service providers... even with the grime & the loudness of the roadside... we fell in love with Paris... and felt in love with each other. The most romantic city in the world, and we did have 'almost' a romantic time and 'mostly' a romantic time. Will be back again...