I don’t know if I should hold on to my overall impression of Paris until the end or get it out the way now. You know what? I can’t hold it in, I LOVED PARIS! LOVED LOVED LOVED PARIS! I cannot tell you how much I loved this city! LOL I have to admit I was a little apprehensive about visiting Paris because two of my friends who had been were kind of “meh” on it. I was worried that this city I had romanticized in my head would be a disappointment but she did not let me down. Paris was everything I thought it would be and more.
Of all the cities I visited on my trip through Europe I took the least amount of pictures in Paris. Partly because it was raining and let me tell you who was NOT going to get her phone wet *raises hand*. But in all seriousness, the biggest reason was because I wanted to be present. As a travel blogger of course photographing my trips is a necessity, but at the time I had no plans for this blog. I wasn’t concerned with capturing images for later, I wanted to absorb it all then and there.
As I sit here writing this blog post, I can’t even put into words how I felt standing under the Eiffel Tower or outside of the Louvre and Notre Dame, or just walking alongside the Seine River in the rain. Without an umbrella. In flats. With only a light coat on and I did not mind one bit. It is a truly humbling experience to be in the presence of such grand and historical structures you’ve only read about. I felt immense joy in Paris.
I can tell you to go see the Louvre, to go to the top of the Eiffel tower, grab some macarons, drink some wine along the Seine, but you already know that. What I really want you to take from this post is to do everything, see everything, and be present every moment of the way! I mentioned in my Amsterdam post that I always look for these moments of peace while travelling where all is well and I haven’t a care in the world. I found that peace atop Sacré-Cœur and in that moment I knew this was my city and as long as Paris will have me, I’ll continue to return.
Stay tuned for the 4th and final part of my trip through Europe…London!!!
2 Comments
Tausha
November 4, 2015 at 4:18 PMThere are no words to describe Paris… The first time I went there was to study abroad for a summer and my first impression was a little underwhelming, not because Paris isn’t beautiful but because Paris initially met my expectations instead of exceeding them. I think I wanted an element of surprise but I wasn’t particularly open to it yet, if that makes sense. But then I spent six weeks there during a summer, drank wine along the Seine and by the Eiffel Tower, strolled down large boulevards and tiny streets, shopped and ate in nondescript places, embraced the Parisian way of life and quietly fell head over heels in love with Paris. It’s certainly not a perfect city but I do believe it can be a magical one. I’ve since been back a few times and that love never diminishes. Glad you loved Paris as well! Looking forward to your post on another one of my favorite cities, London!
Sanura
November 5, 2015 at 8:34 AMSix weeks? I’m so jealous! I plan to return next spring or summer and I don’t know if I should spend the length of my trip in Paris or Paris and one other location. Your mentioning embracing the Parisian way of life has me leaning toward spending my time in Paris because that’s what I want to do. I want to really get lost in the culture because I know the few things I got to experience are just the tip of the iceberg and I want to venture off the beaten path more next time.