Bree in Paree
Place de la Concorde, Paris, France - La Roue
Like many, I dreamed of Paris.
I had no clue how I was going to get there or if I’d even like it, but it was a dream. I actively worked at implementing parts and pieces of that dream into everything within my daily life: I had Paris bedspreads, Paris lampposts, Paris posters! I went to sleep, woke up and wrote to Paris. An odd obsession really, but, an obsession nonetheless.
But, what was it about Paris that I fantisized about?
Stories of Paris told me that it was a source of culture, beauty, and love. Stories also told me that a visit to Paris could never be complete without a trip to monuments like: The Eiffel Tower, The Louvre, and the Notre Dame cathedral.
Either way, no matter where I go, I always make it a point to visit a couple places on a trip: museums, libraries, popular eateries, and a coffee shop.
While in Paris I visited places like:
The Military Musuem, Musee de l’Armee
Musee Rodin (See Here)
The Louvre Museum (See Here)
Roue de Paris (la Roue) on the Place de la Concorde in Paris, France
Musee d’Orsay (See Here)
I also traveled on and through:
The Champs-Élysées
La Tour Eiffel
The Seine River
Paris-Saint-Lazare
L’Arc de Triomphe
Paris was the place for a lot of firsts for me! My first boat ride under the stars on the Seine. My first time seeing the lock bridge. My first time having a crepe. And, my first time having Nutella all on top of being my first time across the pond (well, after Germany).
All of these small things truly shaped my experience while there and although I hadn’t mastered traveling at that point in my life, I was still able to just walk around and see the beauty of Paris.
There was even beauty in common things like roads, which were a mixture of textured, cobblestone, tiled, or paved materials. In addition to this, the posts, whether they were on buildings, lampposts or randomly placed on roads, they, along with so many other things, had beauty to be seen in it and it was truly breathtaking.
Another exciting example of the small things being great could be the McDonalds! Not only did they have chicken Big Macs but it looked like a 5-star restaurant in there and certainly not your average McDonalds. Paris just has a way of making everything look pristine, elegant and picturesque and maybe that’s the charm of Paris. Whether you’re rich or poor, a resident or visiting, old or young, the beauty and feel of Paris is not missed on you at all. It would truly be difficult to have a terrible day in Paris.
when i go back:
I’m going to do things completely different. I know how to search for the hotels that meet my needs now, so I’m going to start there and work my way to choosing convencience locations (closer to bullet trains, the metro, musuems, coffee shops and libraries). Since these are the things that I generally seek out while traveling, I’ve started to just stay closer to them to avoid any trouble.
I also want to go with a group of people: that’s a group of varying curiosities, personalities and nap times! I want to engage more with those local to the area and learn more about the beautiful architecture and history of the places that I visit. And, because working out (mainly jogging) makes me feel closer to the places that I travel, I want to take a long meditative jog around Paris to see more but also to be able to physically commit the place to my mind, body and heart.
Although I can’t find all of my pictures from my last trip to Paris, Paris is definitely still with me. I’ve since sets goals to:
Learn more of the language before returning
Meet friends (a writers group, or a tour host… someone with common interests who has the time and can make the experience grand)!
Visit Marne la Valle - Chessy to Disneyland Paris
Take the Eurostar to London
And, go with family.
