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Well well well, look who came back in the city of love / light. Paris was once again calling me to its lusty gates. For one, I was scheduled to meet my dear Olivia, Poppy and Ariane there for a week of mischief. And as a bonus, I had the magic key in my hand, from Mathilde from Normandie, to her little apartment in the heart of Paris.

Poppy and I stayed in the apartment which was in the 19th arrondissement, just south-east of Montmartre and near the metro station 'Pyrenees' (it was a studio, so cute but so tiny! It was crammed even just for the two of us) and Liv and Ariane stayed with Liv's family friends just out of central Paris, Marcelle and Victor, who were adorable and so lovely. So we would meet up every day and eat baguettes and cheese and go to the cemetery (Pierre Lachaise, so awesome, especially Jim Morrisson and Oscar Wilde's graves, as well as Edith Piaf, Chopin and Modigliani) or the Luxembourg gardens or the many other beautiful things to see in the city.

One of my favourite days was when we went to The Musee d'Orsay. What an incredible museum, the scope of its collection completely blew my mind, the art in that place completely trumped on the Louvre, I was so impressed and enjoyed it much more that the Louvre actually. I think we all did really. Art Nouveau stuff was incredible, as was the James Ensor exhibit; Pissaro, Rodin, Monet, Matisse, Van Gogh, Manet, Regas, Klimpt, the Chat Noir Gallery, Renoir, Toulouse Lautrec (Liv especially likes him, me being my non arty self was pleased to again be with people who knew what they were talking about in the art world! I seem to be wise in my choice of company whilst travelling in these art enriched places…) So much to see. And it was the first Sunday of the month (the best month of the year may I just add, my November-loving friends) so it (along with every museum in Paris) was freeeeeeeee!

It was so cool actually living in Paris, I really feel like we were Parisiens for that week, buying our baguettes in the morning, putting on our warm coats and scarves and trotting around the poo smeared streets like we owned the place. It really is the most diverse city. So many different kinds of people, such contrasting scenes and wonderfully interesting circumstances to find oneself lost in, blissfully so. Saying this, I don't know if I would actually want to LIVE in Paris for a long period of time. And I really have surprised myself in this admission, for I have always romanticized the idea of one day living in Paris and believing it would be the one city I would live in if I could. But now I am not so sure…There is something about it that I cannot put my finger on, something unlivable, it is more of a place I wish to visit for shorter periods, for fear of becoming irrationally resentful of its fetishes. I think if I were to live in a city in France it would be Lyon, I really saw it as a more livable place for me. But if I could choose one place to move to from this entire trip it would be New York…Closely followed by Montreal or Berlin. Or Vancouver or Tokyo.

But enough about my future homes, and back to my darling Paris.

Revisiting the things I did not see on my first visit to Paris all those months ago. Moulin Rouge, Montmartre, Sacre Coeur, the rest of the Louvre, Sunday flea markets (marche aux puces de Montreuil in the 20th arrondissement, cimetiere du Pierre Lachaise, Rue Oberkampft,

Oh. I almost forgot. THE FOOD. Oh, the fattening times we had…By this stage I (and I think I can safely say WE) were at the point where we wanted to just let go completely, in that it was our last week in the capital of eating well and pleasurably and we were going to go all out. Therefore, the pants became stretched, the belts were neglected and bootys grew and grew. But it was so worth it. We feasted on 90 cent pain au chocolat, baguettes coming out our ears, the occasional fruit or vegetable, goats cheese and camembert, the odd quiche, and the mother of all meals, cooked by the lovely Marcelle and Victor on our last night in Paris at a dinner party to remember so fondly: RACLETTE! Also known as death/ecstasy by cheese. "One for ze smell, one for ze melt, one for ze taste!" as Olivia so aptly imitated their Servas host with whom she first tried this sacred meal. So basically you have your own individual frypan and you put the cheesy goodness in and put it into the little cooker at the table and wait for it to melt into perfection, then pour it over potatoes and eat it with ham and salad! But the salad came later. One thing I have noticed about the French is that they like their courses. Everything always comes separately which I find interesting. Anyway, it was probably one of the best things I have ever eaten. Oh and there was flourless chocolate cake afterwards that was heavenly. Would we ever walk again after such a meal?

On Halloween, we forgot it was Halloween so when we went out we felt like right losers not in costume, oblivious to the free entry to clubs if your dressed up. I fell over on the way home from the shops, smashed a bottle of wine on the pavement; an old man looked down at me and laughed pityingly. When I walked outside in the mornings the cold wind slapped my face and I felt alive again. Poppy made mushrooms one morning, we had jam all of the others. Olivia and Poppy are good little chefs, I was spoiled by not cooking at all during that week (bad Sophie!) It was surreal to be writing from Paris again, I sat in a café on Rue Mouffetard, sipping an espresso and watching an adorable English busker about my age, singing so sweetly, the hustle and bustle of the food market surrounded us and for a moment it seemed like a dream. That area of Paris was by far one of my faves. No stress or fuss, just beautifully lined streets of quiet acquaintances, rich tastes, cheap crepes, delicious sights, beautiful boys with perfect noses and tailored jackets, girls on their toes with pretty little heeled boots, trotting on the cobblestones with their teeny waists that are so enfuriatingly teeny when they eat so much goddamn cheese and bread. It is a quiet kind of happiness that fills the crisp air.

It was a pleasure to be back in this most enigmatic of locations. I was the perfect place to meet up with the girls again, I feel so happy to have gotten to know them properly on this trip. That is one of the most enriching things about my travels, just knowing people, some so different to how I perceived, some so delightful to get to know better, some so funny they could melt your laughing muscles.

So thankyou Paris. Je t'aime toujours.