Travel Diaries No. 1
I’m here. I made it. Paris, France. I can’t even believe I’m in Europe, still. This is absolutely crazy!
There is just so much, so let us begin.
I took my very first (kinda) plane ride! It was a direct flight all the way from Cincinnati to Paris and the trip was only 7 hours and 40 minutes which actually went by very fast. I can’t even explain the feeling of being on a plane. All I wanted to do was look out the window and just taking off was an adventure. It felt like starting a roller coaster ride. Planes are very loud and I didn’t really realize that that would even be the case until I was on the plane.
MOVIES! They are such a gift during the ride. I watched “Love, Simon.” and I was trying not to cry in front of everyone. AND, of course, I got no homework done on the plane. The trip honestly went by so fast. I was either eating, watching a movie, or sleeping and that was pretty much it.
As soon as we got off of the plane, we had to get our luggage and we started towards the subway. AND LET ME TELL YOU… subways are rough. The hustle and bustle of the people and just trying to figure out where you are going while carrying a bunch of luggage is stressful. There were so many times when the door to the subway would start closing when we were only halfway through it and that is absolutely terrifying.
The language barrier is so odd. You always feel like people are talking about you or maybe judging you. It’s just so different. Also, it’s kind of funny to see the translations in English because a lot of the time they are off or don’t use words that we normally would. Trying to figure out the right meaning is difficult at times.
But! That was just the start. At first, I was just very overwhelmed by not being somewhere secure. I didn’t feel safe because I didn’t understand anything but once we got to the apartment, took a nap, and toured, I began to feel a lot better.
We are staying in a one-bedroom apartment in Paris for the four days that we will be here. It is so adorable and delightful. You really get a feel for the city life of Paris here because it is right in the middle of the market area. When I was starting my nap, I could hear the sound of bells and talk amongst the street.
After I woke up from my nap, I started getting ready for the dinner reservations that were made for 7:00. We had some time to kill before dinner so we decided to walk to the Eiffel Tower. The walk there was just beautiful. Paris really reminds me of Chicago because of its business. But there were so many people on scooters, bikes, and some on skateboards. The style of clothing that people wore was just grand. It was so unique but seemed so modern and new. Everyone dresses up here. You walk the streets and you see mothers wearing high heels pushing their baby in a stroller. HIGH HEELS! I don’t know how it’s done. There were simple things that I’ve never seen before like fruit stands and basketball cages. The architecture of the place is truly extraordinary, as well. Everything here seems so fancy and luxurious even though this isn’t even the most expensive area.
When we arrived at the Eiffel Tower I was just so amazed. This tower is always talked about in the United States and the fact that it just stands so casually near a park blows my mind. People were picnicking in the park and some were celebrating to their own music, waving flags. It just makes it more unreal that I was seeing the tower itself because it was so normal in Paris. We plan on going up in the tower on Monday and seeing it at night with its lights, which I am very excited about.
The weather throughout the park was perfect. It was slightly cold but the air felt fresh and not humid like it is in Ohio. It was just comfortable and the sun was out and I felt happy. Later on in the night, it did get colder but throughout the day it was great.
Guys, THEY HAVE COKE AND SPRITE…..and SUGAR CUBES! That’s just so cool. Moving on…
We had to start heading over to the restaurant by the time we went through the park a little. It was about a 25-minute walk from where we were and the restaurant was only a 5-minute walk from our apartment. We got there right as it opened and it was so neat. It was just a casual, little restaurant. The menus did have Spanish and English translations which were very, VERY helpful. We started off with appetizers of mushroom soup, tomatoes with cheese, and bread with butter. It was absolutely amazing, especially their bread! To drink, they brought out sparkling water and wine both in tall glass bottles. It was so fun to have a glass of wine with my meal. I felt very fancy. The red wine that we had was pretty bitter so I got a different glass of white wine that was very sweet. It was so delicious. It was almost like honey as far as the flavoring. My main course meal was steak with onions on it and that was so so so good. I couldn’t stop eating! They also had the best mashed potatoes I’ve ever tasted. We finished with Chocolate Mousse and Tiramisu for dessert. ahhhh… their deserts were just amazing. The most delicious sweet treat I’ve had. Dinner was a good two hours and then we headed back to our apartment through the streets of Paris, France.
So far, my traveling has been so fun and filled with excitement. I’m so excited to continue my experience and to learn more about the culture.
Bonne Nuit, Paris. ❤
Laurel D.
Laurel ☽ Blogs 
I love seeing Paris through your eyes. It is so much fun! We will have stressful moments but we will make memories that hopefully someday you can pass on to your children and your children’s children! You are a story teller, so adventures will be remembered!
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