paris

Dreams do come true

Where do I begin? I only dreamed of visiting Paris as a child, so actually stepping foot in the city was life changing. I can’t put into words the inspiration and joy I still feel after experiencing the city for myself.

The architecture, the food, the people, the scenery, the cafes. I loved it all.

I commuted to Paris via Eurostar from London. It was nice getting to see some of northern France’s countryside. The train ride itself was pretty romantic, considering I was arriving in Paris on Valentine’s Day. It was about 2 hours of me really taking in that I was doing it. I was in Europe, my most desired travel destination.

Upon arrival at Gare du Nord, it was drizzling, but nothing could rain on my parade at this point - literally. Taking a look at the distance from the train station to The Hoxton where I was staying, I decided to manage walking instead of catching an Uber. This allowed me to take in the city. At this point, you may have realized, I’m not afraid of walking in areas I’m not familiar with.

The Haussmann architecture in Paris was enough for me to fall in love with the city. I just don't see buildings like that in Texas, let alone Houston. When I checked in at The Hoxton, I was greeted with music in the room. Music upon entry in my hotel room in Paris? My main character syndrome was through the roof. After dancing around and putting away my luggage, I decided to get started with exploring.

I had this trip carefully planned and knew exactly what I wanted to see, such as the Eiffel Tower, Arch de Triomphe, The Louvre, and Palais Royale. On the flip side, I wanted to allow myself to freely walk around the arrondissements and just fall into whatever felt right.

Since I arrived on Valentine’s Day, I figured it would be nice to see the Eiffel Tower light up at night. I will forever remember gazing up at the beautiful lights sparkling among the city. It was so cute seeing all of the couples walking around with flowers, teddy bears and gifts in hand to commemorate the day of love.

It truly felt like something out of a movie.

My words to live by while visiting: Parlez-vous anglais? Fortunately, my semester of French in college didn’t go in vain. I understood simple greetings, a few cafe orders and how to apologize, which I think was just enough to get by. Of course, most Parisians speak English, so I didn’t feel as if I were completely limited by a language barrier.

Since Paris is known as a foodie city, I made it a priority to try ratatouille, escargot, and duck for the first time. Everything was amazing.

Obviously I had to try the famous Cafe de Flore, also known for their hot chocolate. Although I enjoyed Cafe de Flore, I believe Carette had the best hot chocolate. It was thick, sweet, and smooth. Just writing about it now is making me crave a cup (or two).

While in Paris, I attended my first opera called Beatrice di Tienda, at Opera Bastille. Luckily there were screens to translate the content, so I was able to fully immerse myself in the opera. It’s amazing how the performers are able to produce such a sound.

Wrapping up my trip, I was able to meet with a friend from college and walk around the city a bit more. While managing my Eurostar trip, I saw a message about train strikes and got concerned about whether or not I’d make it back to London to catch my flight. 

In short, I worried for nothing and ended up getting back to London just fine. It was interesting watching the train strikes occur and definitely something to be aware of for future trips to Europe.