Hollywood's Nice "Bad Boy"

There's nothing worse than to find out that someone you thought was nice, turns out to be a complete a#$%@%&. I have had several famous persons on my flights through the years. Singers, actors, politicians..., and before actually meeting them, you only have a vague idea of how they are in real life. Our perception from what we read in the papers and magazines or what we see on TV, is just that; a perception. Some celebrities are close to who they appear to be on TV, others are completely different.

Today I had Colin Farrell on my flight. He is as ruggedly handsome in real life as he is on TV or in the magazines. I do not get star stuck and I treat all my passengers the same, so although I acknowledged him when he boarded, I kept on doing my job like any other day.

He is actually the one who addressed me first. He asked me where I was from (because of my accent) and from that I realized that I did not really expect any interaction with him, except for the minimal contact in the scope of my duties. It was a short flight from Los Angeles to San Francisco. A long conversation with anybody was out of the question and I had 23 other customers to attend. However we were able to exchange a few more words before landing and I learned that he was on his way to Shanghai for vacations.

I guess I was surprised that he was such a normal guy. He did not fit the picture that the magazines give of him at all. He was polite, charming, easy to talk to. The bad boy image that we are used to have associated with him, was not there at all.

It is for sure better to expect the worse and be pleasantly surprised than the other way around. Or maybe I am just ruining the "Bad Boy" image he is working so hard to upheld...

17eme jour de vacances – 1 Septembre

Petit-dèj avec Polo. Il finit ensuite de se préparer et nous quittons l'hôtel vers 11h. We're both rather quiet probably feeling the same thing. I’m sad that our time together is coming to an end. I go with him to the train station and we wait a few minutes on the platform. The train arrives and he's off. I find myself alone here now. It's odd because the only time I was ever by myself since our vacations started, is when I went for a run on my own and that was merely 40mn. Otherwise we've been pretty much inseparable. I go back to the hotel and start packing my stuff so I don't put it off again like I did last night. After a short nap, I call Olivier who's been doing some work on his boyfriend's mom's apartment. She's arriving tomorrow and they had to make livable in a few short weeks, a place that had been empty for 5 years. I meet him over there and we have a cup of coffee together. We leave about 1 hour later.

This has been an awesome vacation. Everybody had such a wonderful time that we're talking already about next year. This time it will be, if we plan well, the whole family with spouses and kids. Also for her 65th birthday, my mom already said she wants to do another cruise. It's 3 years away but we'll start looking for options soon so everybody can plan accordingly.

I love the "family" that I have made for myself; all the people who have come into my life through the years. The icing on the cake is that my relationship with my family is as awesome as one can wish.

16eme jour de vacances – 31 Aout

We take breakfast for the last time together. Mom and sis are going back to Guadeloupe today. They finish getting ready and we all leave the hotel around 10. Polo and I are going to the airport with them. We reach Orly 1/2 hour later. Being there definitely confirms that vacations are over. After they check-in we say our good-byes. On one hand I feel like I've been gone forever and on the other, time with them seems to have gone by in the blink of an eye.

Back in Paris Paolo and I go to Montparnasse where we have lunch and then do some last minute shopping. We go to Pascal for a couple hours. Polo and him play a video game of "football" (soccer) while I play with my nephew Théo. Of my 5 nephews and niece, Théo is the youngest and also the one I know the least. When I go to Guadeloupe, I usually spend about 10 days so I get to see the kids much more. My time in Paris is usually very short, 2 or 3 days, when I tried to see as many family members and friends as possible.
Théo is at this phase when "non" is his favorite word and he wants to do everything the adults around him do. He is very funny and has a contagious laugh. Now he knows "mamie" (grandma), "tonton Polo" (uncle, my brother Paolo), "tatie Patou" (aunt, my sister Patricia), and "tonton Dany" (myself). He never gets tired of pointing out on the pictures who's who and if you try to trick him by telling him another name he tells you "mais non" with the "you're such an idiot" look on his face. He loves pictures and he LOVES looking at himself on photos. My brother says he got that from me. I have no idea what he's talking about!!!.

We leave them around 7 and we decide to go near the Opera house for dinner. We find a nice pizzeria where we have a great dinner while enjoying some Italian wine. Polo and I talk a lot. He has some issues with work and I wish I could help him sort it out, but I am in a very similar situation. Nothing is fundamentally wrong with our jobs and we enjoy what we do but we feel like we could be doing more. However I don't think he usually talks about that back home so it's good that we can discuss it.

We go back to the hotel for our last night together in Paris.

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15eme jour de vacances – 30 Aout

Breakfast at 9 today. Soon after mom and sis go to La Défence for some shopping.

Olivier comes to the hotel and around 11, Paolo, him and I, leave to go to a computer store.

At 1, Olivier goes to a doctor appointment and Polo and I go to meet mom and sis on the Champs Elysèe. After some window shopping and some walking around, we meet again with Olivier. We have lunch around Pont de l'Alma.

A cruise on the Seine River is next on the list. The weather is a little unstable and goes back and forth between nice and warm and overcast and chilly. It is however one of the best ways to see the famous left and right banks and the amazing architecture along the way. The Palais des Tuileries, the Louvre, Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, all the bridges... The cruise is very relaxing, informative and it's a great way to spend an hour.

After the cruise we all go back to take the subway. Olivier goes home and Pascal goes with us to Trocadéro where he has a connection to go home and us back to the hotel. As we were saying good-bye Pascal hugged my mom and I saw his eyes get teary. Mom and sis are leaving tomorrow so he won't see them again. It was great that we got to spend a few days together and I really wish he had been with us on the cruise. Well we'll try to plan better next time. I overheard Thierry say something yesterday that really made me happy. He said: it's really rare to see such connection and complicity among siblings and also as rare between children and parents. We truly are the "clan". We care for each other and are very protective of each other.

After we part, we go back to the hotel. At 7pm, mom and sis leave to go to visit a friend in the suburbs. I leave around 7:15 to go to Jérome and Lykke's for dinner. We have "sushi" (Lykke got some special treats for me since I don't eat fish) with Kiki, the Au Pair, and Alric (sorry, "King Alric", their son. We have a wonderful time and I stay with them until almost midnight.

14eme jour de vacances – 29 Aout

Reveil à 7h. Je vais courir avec Polo. Il fait encore très froid ce matin; seulement 13 degrés selon la Météo. De retour vers 7h45. Nous nous préparons et descendons prendre le petit-dèj.

A 10h nous partons pour l'Esthetic Center. Maman va à l'église alors que nous autres allons avoir une expérience spirituelle d'un autre genre: manicure et pédicure. Après 2h de petits soins nous allons Place d'Italie près du coiffeur où maman a rendez-vous à 14h30. Nous faisons quelques courses à Italie2 et déjeunons.

Nous marchons jusqu'au coiffeur ou nous passons 3h!!! mais la coupe de maman est très réussie. Nous prenons ensuite le Tram avec Pascal qui nous attendait et rentrons à l'hôtel. Vers 18h30 nous partons de nouveau. Nous dînons chez Olivier avec Thierry, Jean-Marc, et Christian. Thierry a fait une paella. Nous passons une soirèe super et ne rentrons à l'hôtel qu'après minuit.

13eme jour de vacances – 28 Aout

Debout à 7h30. Je vais courir seul dans le Parc Montsouris pendant 1/2 heure. Il fait froid. Après s'être préparé, petit-dèj tous ensembles. Maman et moi partons pour la laverie près de l'hôtel. Patou et Polo vont aller faire leurs achats. Pascal et Theo viennent nous rejoindre à la laverie.

On se retrouve tous aux Halles à 13h. Nous faisons quelques achats à la FNAC et Olivier se joint à nous vers 14h. Nous allons tous déjeuner à l'Amazonial.

Le temps s'est amélioré et il fait maintenant 25 degrés avec un ciel dégagé. On marche tous jusqu'à Notre Dame qui maintenant qu'elle est complètement propre est absolument magnifique. Nous prenons ensuite le bus à St Michel pour profiter du beau temps. A Porte d'Orléans nous prenons le tram pour Montsouris. Olivier continue pour rentrer chez lui. Ensuite Pascal et Théo nous laissent aussi et nous rentrons à l'hôtel.

Nous partons pour Montparnasse vers 21h pour aller manger dans une creperie. Nous rentrons ensuite à l'hôtel.

12eme jour de vacances – 27 Aout

Petit-dèj à l'hôtel ce matin. Vers 8h30 je vais avec Polo à la gare. Je reste avec lui jusqu'à l'embarquement puis retourne à l'hôtel pour finir mes bagages.
Maman, Patou et moi partons vers 9h45. Je vais avec elles au TGV, puis vais prendre la navette pour l'aéroport. Malheureusement ce n'était pas possible de remonter sur Paris tous ensembles.

Polo est le premier a arriver à l'hôtel. Je le rejoins vers 14h et maman et Patou arrivent vers 15h.

Nous nous installons et partons ensuite chez "ti-frère" (my brother Pascal) où nous passons quelques heures avant de retourner à l'hôtel.

11eme jour de vacances – fin de la croisiere – 26 Aout

Nous prenons le petit-déjeuner pour la dernière fois sur le bateau. Il est à peine 7h mais nous devons libérer la chambre avant 8h. This morning is very quiet. All the Italians got off yesterday in Genoa (the official start for the cruise) and although we got new ones board the ship, it looks like they're still sleeping.

Nous finissons de nous préparer et quittons enfin le navire vers 8h45. Nous prenons un taxi jusqu'à la gare et marchons jusqu'à l'hôtel Lutetia ou nous passerons la nuit. Il est à peine 9h30. Nous pouvons laisser nos bagages mais ne pouvons faire le check-in avant 14h. Nous partons pour une ballade autour de la ville.

Nous descendons La Canebière jusqu'au Vieux Port, et passant par le Fort St Jean et le Jardin du Pharo. Nous marchons jusqu'à La Corniche d'où nous prenons un bus pour aller au Rond Point du Prado. Paolo veut voir le stade de l'OM.

Nous prenons le métro et sommes de retour à l'hôtel vers 14h. Nous prenons possession des chambres et nous reposons l'après-midi.

Nous allons dîner dans un petit restaurant prôche et allons nous coucher de bonne heure.

10eme jour de vacances – 7eme jour de croisiere – 25 Aout

Patricia wakes us up so we can go to the gym. I have to go so I can keep on pigging out on the breakfast buffet.

An hour later mom joins us for breakfast. It's as crazy as usual maybe even more today. The cruise started in Genoa a week ago and all the passengers who boarded then, leave the boat today. Although we're not getting into port until noon, they have to vacate their cabins by 8am. So they're all lounging around (about 400 of them)and we have to literally "steal" a table from someone who's done with breakfast. We then go back to our cabins to get ready for our outing.

We are on the deck as the ship enters the port. The view is breathtaking. Beautiful buildings going way up the hills surrounding the bay. This is also the birth place of Christopher Columbus. We are finally given permission to disembark. Mom is tired today, so it's just the 3 of us.

Since we've been doing all of our visiting on our own, we wanted to do at least one organized tour with the ship. We signed up and then yesterday we were told that the excursion was canceled!!! Go figure. I'm guessing since this is the end of the cruise for all the Italians on board, they didn't have enough people left. Not to worry, we're resourceful. We'll take one of those double decker buses that take you around. You can hop on and off at your leisure. We've been seeing those everywhere we stopped over. As we get offshore, we ask in the terminal where we can buy tickets for those buses and are told that...they don't have them here. However they have smaller buses that give you a little tour of the most famous spots in the city. I guess that will do.

Following the instructions from the lady at the information desk we arrive near the aquarium in the "Porto Antico", and find the departure station of the tour bus. According to the schedule we have almost an hour until the next departure. We decide to go to a cafe near by for a quick lunch.

The tour starts and is actually quite enjoyable. You have a commentary in 6 languages telling you about the sights along the way. This city is absolutely amazing. Everywhere you look are incredible buildings and monuments. We are so thrilled that when we get back an hour later, it feels like we've only been gone for a few minutes. After the tour, we decide to walk and go back to some of the spots that we enjoyed the most. It is really hot and we are sweating, but we don't care. We walk all afternoon.

We get back on the boat around 6pm. The Italians who left this morning have been replaced with new ones, so the ship is full again. Tired from our visit we go take a little nap.

For our last dinner on board, we go to the dining room, where Dennis takes care of us one last time. Except for our table mates, we are surrounded by new faces tonight. After dinner, we go watch the show.

Mom goes to bed and the "kids" go to the disco. It is our last night on board and we want to enjoy it.