After spending the last few holidays alone, I couldn't sit still while waiting for my boyfriend, Ross, to arrive in Toulouse on the 26th of December. His visit to Toulouse and our trip to Italy were to be my Christmas presents and my opportunity to travel in Europe. We'd secured hotel rooms in our two chosen cities, Turin and Milan, and made all the necessary arrangements beforehand.
The day of Ross' arrival I traveled to the Toulouse airport way too early, but I was excited of course. I stood outside the baggage claim area (which is separated by a pair of colored, glass sliding doors) straining with all of the other individuals to catch a glimpse of those waiting for their bags on the other side of the doors. So many people came through the separation doors during the hour and a half I waited - the screen on the wall kept scrolling the words "Heathrow Arrival. Passengers Deboarding." the entire time I waited - then finally Ross walked through the doors. After a very long, breathless bear hug and a quick kiss greeting, we headed toward the airport shuttle hand in hand. With his hand in mine everything frustrating and difficult over the last semester seemed to melt away. I couldn't stop smiling and thanking the Lord for this gift.
As we rode the shuttle toward Compans Caffarelli I thought to myself, "What if I've gained weight? What if this trip sucks? What if I cling to him too much during our time together? What if we can't handle traveling together?" Basically I was worried that our college relationship which had now moved to the post-college adult world of real life would be damaged by his visit rather than strengthened...
Knowing that our options for dinner were slim since it was the 26th of December and most places would be closed, Ross and I picked a few options around the Captiol/Place Wilson area. Our picks for food were closed. I tried to walk us around the Place Wilson circle, looking at all the menus, but all the restaurants seemed to be serving the same inedible typical French things, tartare and foie-gras. Finally we stumbled into a Brasserie and somehow managed to dine on salad, steak with caramelized onions, and french fries. The meal was delicious! Ross was surprised by the medium rare cooking of our steaks...I wasn't because I'd heard about the French conception of cooking meat only one way for every customer (the medium rare way). However, I really wanted Ross to like the food, so his downcast, surprised face made me nervous. He ate his entire plate, despite the meat's preparation, and he even helped me finish my plate. The brasserie interior was beautiful and full of people! It was a lovely first night in Toulouse and a great start to our European vacation together!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment