Bonjour!
A couple of weekends ago I had the opportunity to go to a city I’ve been dreaming about since I was 13.
Paris.
I’ve been to the south of France; cities like Montpelier, Nice, Carcassonne and Monte Carlo. But, I had never been to Paris. After I booked the tickets, I was immediately filled with emotion. It was really happening. I was going to go to the city I had learned so much about in my 8 years of french classes… the City of Love.
The morning had finally come. I was already packed and more than ready to be an hour early to the train station. I was traveling with 3 of my flatmates. We navigated the train station and made our way to the Eurostar. We boarded and we were on our way.
We arrived at le Gare du Nord. It was incredibly busy and everything was in a different languages…thank god, I know french. We soon made it to our hostel and immediately went on an excursion to see as much as we could in the two days we had.
We first went to the Pantheon. It was already closed so we couldn’t get inside but it was beautiful and it had a beautiful view of the Tour d’Eiffel. Then we walked, what felt like 10000 miles, to Notre Dame. It was spectacular. The sun had gone down by then so it was lit up in beautiful white lights than glistened in the moonlight. It was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.
We walked closer. My friends were taking pictures and selfies but all I could do was look up, stare and take it all in. I couldn’t believe I made it here. Maybe it was just the cold air, but I even teared up. I took my pictures and continued to stare in awe when two french men came up to me and began speaking to me in french. To my surprise, I could understand it perfectly. We all looked up at the most beautiful building and spoke about the history and significance of it.
I felt like I was in a dream. I never ever thought I would have the chance to stand where I was standing to speak to people who spoke a language I love and had been studying for years about what were in so awe of. It was one of the most memorable and meaningful experiences of my life.
The rest of the weekend was amazing. I made a friend I hope to keep for life, I saw the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, walked down the Champs Élysées, went inside of the Pantheon, and toured Versailles. It was everything I had ever hoped for and more.
À bientôt, Paris