We made it to Paris! I’m proud to say we only almost missed the train, and the only casualty this time was one of my luggage wheels, bringing me down to two out of four. Honestly, that’s not bad considering everything it went through when getting to Amsterdam.
Compared to how we started in the Netherlands, arriving in Paris is going a lot better. The train ride itself was peaceful and I spent most of it either napping or watching Netflix. Every now and then, however, I’d look out the window and catch views of the European countryside. It was like something out of a painting and it made transition from one city to the next very enjoyable.
As soon as we got to the hotel in Paris, we immediately started pointing at cafés and shops and saying things like, “Oh, this is like the Amsterdam version of ___.” I think that’s what I’m most looking forward to, seeing how this city will feel like “ours” the way Amsterdam eventually did. It didn’t take long to feel at home there, and I wonder how long it’ll take here. Paris is bigger and more spread out, so maybe it’ll take a bit more effort.
Something I really hope to feel while in Paris is peace. Like, that very specific kind of calm that comes from doing absolutely nothing. I can imagine myself sitting in the shade with a baguette and appreciating the stillness, even in a city as full of life as this one. And maybe also learn to enjoy the heat because right now there doesn’t seem to be any way around it.
Outside of class, I’m honestly most excited to take photos. I want to document the tourist sights, the small shops near the river, funny street signs, a quiet alley, or a random dinner with friends. I want to have something to look back on and remember not just what we did, but how it felt to be here. I also really want to go to the catacombs but I’ve heard finding tickets is pretty difficult, so hopefully one of the future blogposts has a picture of us lost in some random tunnels.
Back in a previous blog post, I talked about how I love to explore a city by just walking and seeing what I find. That worked perfectly in Amsterdam since it’s smaller and easier to navigate. Paris is definitely larger, so this time I want to mix that random exploring with some rough planning. I already know we’re renting bikes soon and heading toward the Eiffel Tower, but we’re leaving space to get distracted and see what we come across.
A memory I really hope to make while I’m here is just one of us getting lost, laughing too hard, and ending up somewhere unexpected. I want to look back and remember the feeling of not knowing exactly where we were going, but knowing it didn’t really matter because we were in a different country and were making the most of it.