NOT a Prenuptial Crisis: Sleepless over Paris

 

2:00AM - Wide awake.  Moments ago I was watching a music video by one of my favorite bands - Snow Patrol. It's for their song - Open Your Eyes.  I played it three times in a row.  Tears filled my eyes.  Two weeks into my wedding, I've become vulnerable to the idea of being single and the joy of traveling.  I've always wanted to see the world.  I really miss it.  It's more of exploring places and culture by myself - it's one afternoon of coffee, al fresco...watching people and the world go by.  I'm so at peace with it. 

This feeling suddenly hits me.  It's scary to a certain degree.  I should be over this, right?  Am I having a deep recollection of the book, Eat. Pray. Love?  Or may be it's about some sort of influence from the independent women of Sex and the City?  I really don't know which is which, but I feel that I have to let it out as a pre-wedding jitter.  As I'm writing this, I'm feeding my mind with positive thoughts...though my 'single life' will soon be over, I shall look forward to wonderful travel photos that speak of love and togetherness.

For now, my contentment lies in posting my favorite photos of Paris - the City of Light from my Seine River night cruise.

April 2012, I was a dreamy lady gazing at the most romantic facade of the Eiffel Tower...Time flies really fast...Carpe diem.  


Spring 2012 - 11:45PM - Never mind the near zero temperature - appreciating the grandeur, that is the Eiffel Tower. 

Pont Neuf (English, New Bridge) - oldest standing bridge across the Seine River in Paris.  It is an stone arch bridge built from 1578 to 1607.



Notre Dame de Paris (English, Our Lady of Paris) - It showcases one of the finest examples of the French Gothic Architecture.  It is a Roman Catholic Cathedral, seat of the Archdiocese of Paris. 

Latin Quarter - Paris' University Belt, named with reference to the Latin language - it was once the language of learning in the Middle Ages.

A structural marvel, completed by contractor Sir Gustave Eiffel in 1889, in celebration of the French Revolution's centenary.  The 'Metal Lady' lights up at night until 1am (up to 2am during the 3 months of summer).  The splendid (bluish white in this photo) lights twinkle every 30 minutes. 



(Night stroll, back to Radisson Blu) Boulevard Haussmann - a wide tree-lined boulevard, host to (mostly) apartment buildings with regulated cornice height.  It's O.C...but it's grand! 



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Now, here's the music video that made both my eyes and mind opened until wee hours of the morning - the familiar route by the Seine River - Louvre - Opera Garnier - Galeries Lafayette - Eglise de la Sainte Trinite (my 'neighborhood' church for a few days) - Basilique du Sacre Coeur (serene, wonderful view of the Paris skyline minus the bustling city life)...the song that made me miss Paris and the sense of autonomy attributed to a collective state: single + traveling + learning + enjoying life.  It was a beautiful experience. 

Snow Patrol - Open Your Eyes (grabbed from SnowPatrolVEVO at YouTube)