Vroom Vroom Vespa
“Shall we meet at around 5? Let’s say, by the main gate of Luxembourg Gardens?” I texted back.
The gardens were chosen only because they were at a convenient walking distance from where I was living with a minimal possibility of getting lost. This was going to be my second date in my first week of vacationing in Paris. I had settled on Nicolas, a funny easy-going lawyer, after having chatted with him a few times and having gone through the arduous task of sifting through 50+ requests on Bumble. The concept of virtual dating and the workings of a dating app were so new to me that 50+ likes in a matter of two days seemed like a glitch in Bumble’s algorithm. I just did not have that kind of popularity in the real world. So, this sudden influx of potential suitors was a little too much.
I kick- started my Paris/Bumble adventure with a guy called Pierre who I met at a café near Sorbonne University on a sunny afternoon. Like most Parisian cafés, we were sitting on the verandah, facing the road, he sipping on wine and I on coffee. Pierre worked in advertising and that afternoon’s conversation was all about La Révolution, Louis XIV, the Parisian accent and concluded with the city’s Haussmanian style of architecture. Though he had my attention, I found him a little opinionated for my liking and as a first-time visitor, I wanted to have my own opinion about Paris.
My second date, Nicolas, the lawyer, was sharply dressed in a black suit and a black tie. He was lanky, around 5ft 9” and had springy black curls falling over his ears. Now what makes me want to write about him is, not his sense of dressing or his gorgeous curls but his ride. A “red vespa” scooter. I was drawn to it like a moth to a flame. Nicolas handed over a cute little helmet to me and I, without any hesitation, hopped on.
I don’t know how he presumed that I would agree to go scooting with him. Was it pure coincidence or was it pure confidence? I never bothered to question. I wanted the experience; I saw the opportunity and I seized it.
You should know that I have a weakness for bikes especially if the bike turns out to be a red vespa scooter. Riding on super bikes vs. riding on a red scooter? I’d choose the latter.
Mom gets to know about all of this only when she reads this story after four years.
Nicolas asked “What have you still not seen in this vicinity?”
“Hmmm… I have not seen the Eiffel Tower up close. Too crowded with tourists.”
I don’t know why he smiled when I said that. Neither was I exhibiting any symptoms of being inflicted by the Paris syndrome nor was I trying to come across as a Parisian.
As a traveler, I just don’t like being surrounded by a lot of people sticking out their selfie sticks or me having to balance on my toes and push myself through a swarm of hungry photographers to just get a glimpse of the Mona Lisa. Alas, you are forced to live these experiences if you decide to visit places from the “Top 10 Places to Visit” list.
Nicolas said, “I am going to take two rounds around La Tour d’Eiffel before I stop for you to get down and marvel in the sight.” He delivered as promised and I had my fill of the Eiffel. When I got back to the scooter, he said gloatingly, “Seems to me that you enjoyed going around in circles.”
Well, it was simple. I certainly don’t suffer from motion sickness and he obviously required no formal training in the art of reading minds or faces. I had clearly made it obvious with the “Joker” like grin plastered all over my face throughout the ride. I swear in my case, it wasn’t scary.
After the tour of La Tour d’Eiffel, we googled a café nearby and sat outside in the crisp autumn evening with the overhead heaters on. He ordered a white and I stuck to an espresso. We discussed my time in Paris, his life growing up as a Jew and Bumble dating. He had a lot of funny anecdotes to share about his family. When we compared whose mom was over protective, his Jewish mom turned out to be the clear winner. My mom’s definitely going to demand an explanation.
It was an easy connect with Nicolas and he didn’t feel like a stranger from a dating app, although he was one. I guess there was a lot of ease in communication as there was no pressure to meet again for I was only visiting for a short while.
Over time I have realized that this dating app during travel works to one’s advantage if used judiciously. It not only becomes a hub for cultural exchange for both the parties involved, but you, as a visitor, end up getting a lot of insider information from a local and that can spare you the long hours of internet-based research.
Time flew and before I knew we were walking towards Nicolas’ Vespa. It was a few minutes before 8 in the evening. He casually leaned against the scooter and pointed towards the tower. I looked at it and I said, “Yes, it looks breathtaking when it’s lit up.” He glanced at his watch and said, “Look again, Shirley.” And so, I did. Everything about that moment seemed straight out of a movie scene.
October 2017 had a lot of firsts for me. First time on a dating app, first ever Vespa ride, first visit to Paris and my very first time watching a monument come to life. After sun down the Eiffel is a spectacular vision especially the very first minute of every hour when it glitters like a cluster of white diamonds in the sky. I have never gone on a date or met Nicolas on any of my subsequent visits to Paris. However, what I do end up doing every time I visit Paris is relive that one minute from that evening.
One would say, why be on a dating app when discovering a new city? One could also say, why not?
It’s Paris after all.
Image by Kunal Pahuja
