Viki the Conqueror

Mel gave me instructions via text on how to  negotiate the Metro.

With my heart in my mouth I set out to conquer the beast. The Parisian statues of lions and strong men were representative of my determination in this situation. I only made one minor boo boo at the beginning. So I was delighted to meet Mel on the Metro platform after disembarking.

His boyish gait and youthful good looks were charming.

We relaxed into a synchronised strut as we walked towards his apartment. The busy 11th arrondissement district had a festive air as diners sat and socialised outside a ridiculous assortment of cafes.

Mel's apartment was only a few minutes from the Metro. 

There was no shortage of banter as we covered all sorts of topics as the evening progressed. Mel can speak english quite well, but most of the conversation was in french. Very good authentic learning, I suggest.

I explained to Mel about my disaster with the i phone battery running flat after only a few hours of usage since the start of the day. He politely took the i phone from my hand, confidently made a few changes to the settings, and before you could say Jack Robinson, he had created a very efficient i phone that can last for an entire day and evening. 

I also told Mel how I didn't understand the Metro system. He patiently explained the simple system to me and I instantly realised that all I needed was someone to explain it to me.

The simple chicken dinner was absolutely delicious. The mustard sauce on top of the rice was the piéce de résistance.

 No meal is complete unless we eat cheese.

The view from his apartment window was from quite a lofty height.

I love the way the open window frames such a pretty vista.

Apartment space in Paris is precious. Mel's apartment was very comfy and utilised every inch of space. I loved his awesome bean bag. What a coincidence that I had a couple of green bean bags. Bean bag in french is le poire, meaning pear.

We went halves in these delicious desert treats.

Mel escorted me back to the Metro. I was quite surprised that there were a large number of people out and about. I felt as though I had conquered the Metro. How silly of me to feel so ill at ease with a system that is useful and easy to use.