My feet are cramped under a hefty backpack stuffed under the seat in front of me. Neither the man on my left nor the two women to my right speak English. A crackled voice comes over the intercom and welcomes the guests in a foreign tongue. I am lost but at the same time I know I am on the right path.
An infant two rows back sends a spine shuttering shriek through the cramped aisles as 300 people shuffle onto a massive plane, Paris bound. Excited mutterings and sleepy yawns fill the large metal tube as we approach take off. The plane taxis for several minutes and before I know it the winds are guiding us to our destiny; Paris, France, one of the oldest and grandest cities in the world. Me and 299 other people were about to be blessed with all the beauty this metropolis kingdom has to offer.
My first 72 hours in Paris have been nothing short of a dream. I’m talking baguettes, wine and cheese, ruling the Metro, breathtaking views around every corner. To step off the Metro and into the Arch de Triumph had my head spinning. Switch trains and suddenly the Eiffel tower is looming over you, sparkling in all it’s glory. All this elegance laced through the architecture, the fashion, the food, and the language make you reconsider an American lifestyle.
With less than 15 hours of sleep under my wings over the last three days, I felt increasingly energized by the buzz of the city. Everything was exciting: buying groceries, ordering lunch in French, getting lost in the maze of streets. Merely walking past so many famous historical monuments creates this clandestine sensation, not as though you’re a tiny person in a large world, but simply that you are part of something much bigger. You’re part of the story and as time passes, a part of history. Paris is a city where culture rules and commercialization is met with contempt. Coming from America, the land of chains and capitalism, it was refreshing to slip into a world where the benefits of socialism meet the corporate principles we see so often in the states creating a balanced economic diet.
Pairs: the city of lights, the city of romance, fashion capital of the world. This place is easily one of the most awe inspiring destinations to get lost in. I never felt more at home being over 3,000 miles away from family and friends. I hope to draw the same inspiration from this magical city just as our most famous writers have over the centuries, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Thomas Wolfe, and Waldo Ralph Emerson to name a few who were transformed by the phenomena that is Paris. There’s a reason why this city is one of the top tourist destinations around the world. But to me, it's more than tourism. It’s a place to enhance your passions as the rich culture guides your heart through a world of transformative mysticism.
Moral of the story, visit Paris at least once in your life. It’s worth the time and money to make it happen. And truly, you will never be the same.
