Meetings in Paris

My second work trip occurred a couple weeks after the Rome trip, and this time we were in Paris for  internal meetings because many people were already there for a conference and just stayed an extra day or two. From Switzerland we have the option of either flying to Paris or taking the train, and I always prefer the train. It's only about 4 hours, which is basically the same amount of time as flying when you count total travel time. On the train I have a beautiful view of the Suisse/French countryside, and I can take any number of bags and any size bottles of liquid I like.

As I dropped my bag off at the hotel and grabbed a taxi to go meet my team for dinner, I immediately noticed that my fashion, in which I usually feel pretty snazzy in Switzerland, just didn't cut it in Paris. The girl in jeans and a Tshirt walking by outside was more fashionable than my expensive suit. I made a mental note to try to do something about that. (shop every time I'm abroad?)

My hotel was located in the center of the city, just off of Boulevard Saint-Germain. From the website it sounded really fancy, but in actuality it was just sort of average. The price was super inflated because of the location, and was chosen because it was near where our meetings were being held. My favorite part of the hotel description was the gym, which said "The fitness area contains cardiovascular equipment and exercise bench. The focal point of this room is the mosaic wall complete with aquarium, where guests can watch the fish swimming while on the treadmill." I just had to see this, and sure enough, in the tiny room crammed with half a dozen exercise machines there was a giant fish tank that took up almost an entire wall, but you would have had to crain your neck a good 90 degrees to the left to actually watch the fish while jogging.

The weather during my stay was the best I've ever experienced in Paris. Normally when I'm there it's rainy and cold, or just cold. This time was warm, sunny, bright, and gave the city a totally different ambiance. I never seem to experience the French being mean the way other foreigners do - one evening after the meeting I decided to walk back to my hotel instead of hunt for a taxi, and when I asked the subway ticket counter guy for directions he spent a good 10 minutes on careful research, pulled up routes on his computer, printed out 5 pages of maps, numbered them, stapled them together, and drew me a line through the maze from one page to the next to show me where I should go. It was only about a 25 minute walk, so it really hadn't need 5 pages to get me there, but his effort was so sweet and sincere that I didn't care.

The beautiful few days in Paris really nailed home the feeling that I've had since I started working: this is the life I dreamed of and now I have it. Working outside the United States, in an industry that's really interesting, in a position that's stimulating, for a company that's growing rapidly, and traveling every other week. I'm still blown away that the pieces all landed this way, and I feel extremely lucky to be where I am professionally and personally.