Ooo la la
Friday, January 28, 2011 at 12:55AM 
I turned 35 in Paris.
...which means I freaked out in Paris.
>As a television producer, I am the consummate multi-tasker. How do I fold a complete thrombosis over the number 35 into a heavy workload before leaving for Sydney again? Hire a super internet-sale nerd to find a cheap, perfect, 5-day vacation for no more than 500 bucks. Luckily, my best friend Andrew is at the top of his game. "That is all the time I can take off and all the money I can spend. Make it work."
Non-stop round trip airfare from New York to Paris plus 5 nights accommodation... 500 American bucks including taxes.
I only work with the best.
So there we were in Europe at my new and advanced age, doing as the Parisians do; drinking our chocolat chaud...
...supporting struggling artists in Montmartre...
...saying prayers in churches big enough to contain them...
...and taking time to stop and see the Water Lilies.
The night I turned 35 we ate smoked trout and sweetbreads and chocolate tarts with lardons sprinkled on top...
And every day and night there was cheese and more cheese..followed by cheese.
We met my friend Cecile for dinner, who was looking more French than any character you have ever seen in drawn a French high school text book...
...and who insisted we sample Les Escargots for the first time.
It was all tres elegant and very becoming of a 35 year old woman.
What wasn't quite as refined was Andrew's ecstatic discovery of the ferris wheel at the Place de la Concorde and his exclamation, "ughhh, finally... A ride!!" Nor was his replacing key nouns in every other sentence with the made up word jemappelles, after the real french phrase "Je m'appelle.." meaning, "I am." As in, "Sarah, once I find my jemappelles we can leave." or "Mmmmm...this jemappelle is quite good."
Nor was it super classy for poor Andrew to find me doing one of my signature dances in the middle of our hotel room in nothing but a matching animal-print bra and underwear set I picked up at Victoria's Secret. There was a sale a few weeks back, and I thought they might be perfect for an emergency sexy situation. Instead, I looked so ridiculous- like an ethnic adult version of Pebbles- that the only situation they were perfect for was getting a good surprised laugh out of Andrew... like a child disrupting their parents' important dinner party completely naked. So I packed these especially for this moment just to say this...
"Bonjour Andrew! Je m'appelle Josephine Baker!"
After this many years of our close and very platonic relationship all I got was an exasperated, "Sarah... What animal is that even supposed to be?"
There are far bigger and better Francophiles than me out there if you're looking for information on Paris. Call Nichole if you're on the hunt for the best macarons. Holla at me if you're looking for details on locations farther Down and Under.
However, anyone who has visited Paris is required by law to contribute their restaurant pick along with an additional two cents. Frenchie is the only place to eat bacon with chocolate, and this is how I feel about my life after France.
Everything is incredibly old and unbelievably beautiful.
Unlike other places I've been, you do not have to work hard at all to discover that. You can see the Arc de Triomphe and a real-live Egyptian obelisk just turning your head to cross a traffic circle. Avenues and boulevards are so symmetrical that the friends and families who stroll along look like they were landscaped right along with the shrubbery. People end up being just as admired as any of the landmarks. No wonder the Parisians always look so good. They know we are all on display!
It's all about the view and perspective in Paris, which is what I'm most grateful for personally as I get older. Time to put these 35 years of life experience to good use. I should appreciate the big moments of my life as much as the landmarks in France, and continue to be fascinated by all the great people who walk around, through, and in between them.
Less freaking out about my age and more living my life, I think.
And definitely more dancing in underwear from "George of the Jungle".
No doubt.
France, Paris, birthday, l'orangerie in travel
Reader Comments (9)
What beautiful pictures of you! Who took those?
Happy Birthday!! I love it. What a great city to celebrate your 35th. You look great!
I love the pictures! Also, I can't believe you did all of that for 500 dollars! maybe your friend should make it his career. Budget vacations for big dreamers :-)
I love when your name pops up in my Reader--that doesn't happen nearly enough these days!
Fabulous photos. You're making me really nostalgic for Paris. And a happy happy 35th! You don't look a day over 25 =)
Wait, so you didn't order an entire tray of cheese? WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH SARAH JACKSON, PLEASE.
Happy birthday, love.
Happy Birthday Pebbles!
Sarah,
New reader here. Love the photos, love the writing. Thanks for helping us keep our lives in perspective. I look forward to more.
Life is all about the adventures (the big and the small). Embrace it darling. Cause otherwise you could be living a nine to five and bored on the weekends. Wish our damn paths would cross again already.
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