spontaneous
[spon-tey-nee-uh s]
adjective
- coming or resulting from a natural impulse or tendency; without effort or premeditation; natural and unconstrained; unplanned: a spontaneous burst of applause.
- (of a person) given to acting upon sudden impulses.
- (of natural phenomena) arising from internal forces or causes; independent of external agencies; self-acting.
- growing naturally or without cultivation, as plants and fruits; indigenous.
- produced by natural process.
Spontaneous is not an adjective often used to describe me. No, it tends to be words like absent-minded, predictable and average that I am more use to hearing. This is however, something I am planning on changing this year. Yes, 2017 will be the year I decide not to opt for my ever reliable Pepperoni Passion to explore the unknown realms of the Ham and Pineapple or (god forbid) the Vegi Supreme! I may even shock everyone by taking the stairs at Kings Cross station instead of the escalator and maybe, just maybe I will at some point this year ask the blonde goddess who makes my flat whites nearly every morning out for a drink.
This is easier said than done. Yes I did order something different from the generic pizza delivery shop and I have taken the stairs a few times but I still haven’t achieved the exciting persona that I crave. It was probably because of this that lying in bed last Saturday I decided to go to Paris. And not in a few days time or once I had everything planned out (because that wouldn’t be spontaneous) but at that precise point. Right there and then I decided that I wanted to watch the sunrise in Paris… So that is exactly what I did.
Now you can’t just go 0-100 like that. I mean taking the stairs was a huge deal for me so going to another country on the spur of the moment and at midnight was going to require help. I needed help from someone with that spontaneous streak, someone with a taste for adventure, excitement and more importantly someone who had a car and a valid Passport. There really was only one person for the job. 30 minutes later and with a mind full of positivity, myself and my good friend and business partner Paul had loaded the up the car and set off on the M20… destination: Paris.
I had not been to Paris for a very long time. I think my last visit was to see an old family friend who lived in one of the most beautiful apartments I had ever seen. However, I had been about 10 at the time and was not too concerned with the beautiful architecture or the food found in the capital. The original Gameboy had not too recently been released and I, of course, spent most of the trip buried in it as I tried to beat my high score on Tetris.
Fast forward 22 years or so and boy have my interests changed. Paris is without doubt one of the most beautiful cities I have ever been to. It is of course a city that inspired Hemingway and Balzac along with impressionist paintings and love songs galore. Its cobblestoned streets of Saint-Germain and the backlit silhouette of Notre Dame gives it a charm which transcends cliche and the iconic Eiffel Tower offers one of the most recognised man made objects in the world.
We had three days to explore and I was starting to enjoy this new ‘spontaneous’ me.
We decided on our 7 hour night drive to Paris that first things first we would visit the Eiffel Tower. After arriving in the Latin Quarter, a stone’s throw from the Jardin De Luxembourg, we checked in, showered and once our camera and Gopro were sorted, headed out to one of the most well known structures in the world.
I was wearing my classic navy single breasted two buttoned suit. It has a slim fit which works really well for me. As a skinny guy I find that this shape of suit helps to make my shoulders look wider whilst still keeping my waist slim and encouraging that ‘V’ shape we all look for. It is and is also one of the most versatile suits anyone can own. Indeed a plain navy suit works exceptionally well with most if not all colours resulting in an garment easy to change into a number of different looks. Simply changing the tie and pocket square can give a completely different look which is why I always insist a navy suit to be one of the first and most important additions to a gentleman’s wardrobe.
Although fantastic with any Me My Suit & Tie Style Box, I had on this particular occasion, opted for The Kingsman. Simple and understated it is one of my favorites. A navy polka dot knitted tie, a blue lined white linen pocket square and blue polka dot socks are the big hitters in this box. A silver tie bar and teddy lapel pin supply the more intimate details of the look which remains clean and uncomplicated.
Paul wore his beautiful burgundy coat which he teamed with a grey waistcoat and The Tobacco tie. Khaki trousers and a pair of dark brown suede shoes resulted in an unusual combination which although reminiscent of the character Newt in the latest Harry Potter film, was similar to the awesome combinations spotted at this years Pitti Uomo, striking and bold.
So we played tourists for the day. It is indeed a very impressive structure and I can see why it is the most visited paid monument in the world. The weather was pretty bleak however and the view from the top fairly limited due to fog. After a few hours we decided to return to our accommodation as the clouds above our heads were starting to look angry and grey. With two days left of our trip there was plenty of time to get through the rest of my hastily arranged itinerary. As you can see though we did manage a few nice photos to document the day and as visual evidence of my new found spontaneous nature. A few more of those and I will have a decent collection to show my blonde angel over my flat white on Wednesday morning….
To be continued next week…
