One of the largest terrorist attacks carried out on Western soil since 9/11 occurred in Paris, France on November 13. Hundreds of innocent people were injured during the series of organized attacks across the city, and 129 people were killed, including a 23-year-old American student named Nohemi Gonzalez who was studying in Paris for the semester.

I was in Paris last summer. It was the middle of June and I was a bright-eyed high school graduate accompanying a good friend and her family on a European adventure to France and Italy. I had never flown out of U.S. territory before. I had to get my passport for the trip. It was the first time I had ever been away from home for so long.

We arrived in Paris in the midst of a taxi strike and it took well over an hour to get into the city from the Paris Charles de Gaulle airport. The fields were yellow and the trees were tall and green. On the horizon, a grey forest of buildings and a well-hidden Eiffel Tower came to greet us. It felt surreal to be looking at the City of Lights and realize it was a real place. You always hear about it and it is always romanticized so extremely that it was hard to believe we were suddenly driving into it.

I loved Paris. For all its odd quirks like the unkempt streets and tourist-flooded Champs Elysees, it was a place that I appreciated. It was alive. Of course, it is a city, and like any other city, it isn't perfect. It has problems and ugly things. As a visitor, though, I was continuously in awe of the city. The architecture and beautiful people are complemented with lush gardens and good food. Markets were tucked away between tall buildings and high fashion stores lined streets as if they were casual drugstores.

We went to the Lourve. We went to Musee d'Orsay. We were given a tour by local Parisians in the St. Germain neighborhood. We saw the Eiffel Tower. We rode down the Siene river. On the slower days, I was able to sneak off to the Tuileries Gardens and sit by the fountain in a big rotunda and draw. I don't think I've ever felt more peace than sitting in a little chair and joining the masses of people just enjoying the day. People were napping. Some were taking pictures of the scenery.

I was only in Paris for a moment, but the city holds a special place in my heart. It is a place that wakes late in the morning and enjoys slow dinners. Whoever is responsible for upsetting the city is harming a quiet corner of the world that is now tainted with yet another terrorist attack.

I give my condolences and support to those who lost their loved ones in Paris and all parts of the world this Friday 13th.