Nikki and I arrived and were greeted by Jose, Jeremie (a Frenchman from Leon in town for the New Year) and 4 Germans from Hamburg. We threw our bags in a room, and Nikki and I, along with our newfound friend and translator Jeremie, went off to explore. Jose lives near the Catedral de Sacré Coeur de Montmartre, a beautiful old cathedral that sits atop a hill overlooking all of Paris. Unfortunately, it was a bit rainy and foggy at the time, so while still amazing, the view was a bit limited. We wandered around, seeing the Moulin Rouge (nestled snugly within the city's red-light district), and just enjoying the Parisian sights. We returned to Jose's later that evening to eat and enjoy some time with the other travelers there. Jose had invited other friends over too, so the total for the evening (before we went to the New Years party) was around 20 people. Nikki and I were the only Americans (that night), along with the Germans, some French people, a couple from the Netherlands, some English, a girl from Pakistan, and even more Germans! We all ate, drank, shared stories. Before long, it was time to greet the night head-on.
Most of us (about 15 in total) decided to go to "The Biggest New Years Eve Party in the World" (or so it was billed). When we arrived, there a few people inside, but I doubt there would be enough people to even be considered the biggest New Years Eve party in Paris. But no matter, we had 15 other friends and decided that we could turn the tide. And we did. I met people from Japan, Turkey, the US, Senegal, and all over Europe. It was a pretty great party. We danced in the New Year to the 60's and 70's funk and motown. We left when a band took stage. It's not that they were bad, they just weren't right for the moment. It was sufficiently late to where we felt that we had put our New Years Eve to good use, so we went home to sleep. Sleeping was an ordeal too (with 10 people in one 4 person apartment). But, it was fine: Nikki and another girl got the two couches, I slept curled up on a beanbag chair, and the others slept on air mattresses or on the floor.
The next day could possibly be the most Parisian day ever in the history of the country. At least in my mind. We arose at about noon and just lounged around for awhile, each of us attempting to being (semi)functional. One thing the really impressed me about Paris was the quality of some of its radio stations. The one we listened to the most was a jazz station, so we had excellent jazz going as we all greeted each other, and the new day. Then, when we were all more or less alive, Jeremie taught us how to make homemade French crepes! His grandfather was a baker and crepe maker, so his recipe was excellent. So, we spent our first day of the New Year in an apartment overlooking a bustling Parisian street, all the while making genuine French crepes and listening to jazz. Tres chic, non? Hon hon hon (French laugh)!! After the meal, we went to places like Notre Dame, the Seine, and Le Chat Noir Cafe. That evening we went to Pere Lechaise Cemetery and spent hours there. Among the old, overgrown tombstones, we saw the graves of: George Melies (one of the "founding fathers" of film), Oscar Wilde (his grave was covered in lipstick from where women kiss), Marcel Proust, Edith Piaf, Moliere (a great French playwright), Champollion (the man who discovered the Rosetta Stone), and Jim Morrison. We then met Jeremie's friend, William, for dinner. We had Mexican food (though not nearly as good Los Hermanos or Agua Linda). Then, we went to the Eiffel Tower. It was gorgeous! all lit up and majestic.
The next day we just wandered around with the Germans, Daniel and Vikki. Jose's party was that night, so we would need to help him get ready. Before we did though, we all bought silly hats (it was a wine and cheese party, but everyone needed silly hats). We also decided that instead of eating dinner at a restaurant, we'd buy food at the grocery store and have a picnic. So I piled some sandwich fixins in a bag with a bottle of wine, good cheese, and some chocolate, and we ate on the steps of Sacré Coeur, overlooking the city, with a street musician playing to a crowd right next to us. It was great.
We went back to Jose's place to help him prepare for the party. His roommates had returned (3 days earlier than he had thought) and they were fine, though not thrilled, to see a handful of strangers in their flat. They agreed that we could stay, so long as we slept in Jose's room, which was fine because the bulk of the guests had left. All that were left were Nikki and I, Jeremie, and two Germans. Jose had decided to go ahead with his party since his roommates were going out that night. He did not tell them how many people were coming, so when he brought up the baguettes, he left half of them downstairs so they wouldn't think twice. There ended up being easily a hundred people there. So many, in fact, that when more would arrive, the door would be answered by whoever was closest, not by Jose. At one point, Jose's neighbors came to the door to say we were too loud, but since there were so many people there, Jose could not make it to the door, which angered the neighbors even more. Finally, Jose was able to get the crowd's attention. They took the party elsewhere, but Nikki, the Germans and I decided to stay behind. We grabbed a bottle of wine and chatted the rest of the night, periodically answering the door to latecomers, telling them the party had moved on. As we were getting ready for bed, another knock on the door. Nikki opens it to see four police officers standing there. Vikki, the German, spoke French, so she spoke to the police. But about the same time, Jose's roommates come home to see four policemen talking to strangers (who the probably didn't want there in the first place) and Jose is nowhere to be found. I haven't heard if Jose is still living there or not.
The next day (our last) Nikki and I went to the Cinemateque, an entire museum devoted to the history of cinema! Nikki wasn't feeling too well, so she sat at the screens most of the time, but I was able to wander around, seeing first hand all the things I had learned about in college; the very first cameras, costumes and props, old posters, etc. It was quite moving for me. The next day Nikki and I boarded a plane for Frankfurt, where we had a six hour layover. But we were too tired/sick to venture out. We got back to Palma (which was surprisingly comforting; oh! to be able to understand what people are saying again!) and rested.
