Excerpt Twenty Three

“Sing the song that only you can sing, write the book that only you can write, build the product that only you can build… live the life that only you can live.” Naval Ravikant

I undoubtedly responded YES! I was truly so excited to learn more about my classmates. Sebastian was from Hong Kong, and always so poshe and impeccably dressed. I also found his energy positive and up lifting. He seemed funny and just a joy to be around. Pearl and Sarah accepted this invitation as well, and I was so thrilled to get to know them on a more personal level. Sebastian lived about ten minutes from me, closer down on the river but still in the 5th arrondissement. Pearl lived in the same district on a famous street called Rue Monge. Sarah lived about fifteen minutes (walk) from us in the classic Saint Germain Des Pres or 6th arrondissement. This was equivalent to the Upper East Side in Manhattan. The buildings were beautiful, and it was classic, postcard Paris. The wonderful and fateful thing was, that all of us without knowing each other first, had chosen to reside in flats near one another. I instantly started to picture weekly brunches, fun happy hours sipping Aperol Spritz, and extravagant dinner parties. 

I used to watch Sex and the City and envy Carrie Bradshaw and her life in the city with her friends. I always pictured how exciting that would be to live in a big city with great friends, and have everything at your fingertips. To have a plethora of activities and people who shared the same commonalities. I anticipated living a life close to Carrie Bradshaw this year. Eager at the thought and the night to proceed I picked up the pace and rushed home to get ready. 

We met at the wine bar at 7:30 pm. It was a tiny little spot tucked away on Rue Cardinale Limoine a famous street that Ernest Hemingway used to live on back in the day. The large windows from the street were lined in wood moldings that were painted forest green. I opened the door to the entrance, and immediately spotted my friends. They were seated at a “barrel” table. This place was so darn cute. Each table was a slab of wood on top of a wine barrel. There were only six tables in the whole place. The walls were stone made to make you feel like you were in a wine cave. Little did I know upon that first meeting at 5eme Cru Wine Bar, that it would become a very regular meeting place throughout the school year.  With an assortment of French wines it was the perfect little spot to test our knowledge. They also had the best Quiche Lorraine in the city in my opinion, as well as the most delicious pear caramel crumble dessert that was euphoria every time I tasted a bite. 

That night we drank a bottle of Hermitage, which we found delicious and it was a brief introduction into the Rhone Valley and famous Syrah grape varietal. I snapped a picture of the bottle and recorded it. Nicholas Perrin 2011. We not only shared a lovely bottle of wine that evening but also shared our life stories. We talked about everything from dating, to travel, to our past and even our childhoods. That night back at the start of my journey living in Paris. It was a very memorable night and I will never forget the deep conversation and delicious wine in our new found favorite neighborhood spot. I had made friends almost instantly, which was something I had been warned about in coming to Paris. Paris could feel very lonely if you did not have an active social life and friends to meet out in the city. I had only hoped to make a friend or two and I had now made three friends. After that night, I knew that we would be meeting weekly outside of class out in the city. I had partners in crime to explore my favorite place on earth with. Blissful!