Paris I Am a Francophile. Ever Since

¶ … Paris

I am a Francophile. Ever since I started studying French culture, I have not been able to get Paris out of my mind. Having had friends and family who have visited the city has only made me feel more strongly that I simply must go as well. When I began planning my trip to Paris, I thought I could see it all in one day, or at least the most important things. I made lists and read books and travel guides, and I thought I had finally planned my perfect day in Paris. I would start with the Eiffel Tower, then continue with The Louvre and Centre Pompidou, take a lunch break at a cafe, catch some tours around the city, especially through Le Marais, and finish it all off with a fancy dinner at an expensive restaurant at night. I never thought, however, that the perfect day in Paris would be ruined before it even began.

My flight out of New York was delayed for two hours. Because of this initial setback, I missed my connecting flight out of Frankfurt. I knew this would mean I would have no time to rest and, if I still wanted my perfect day to happen, I would have to start it as soon as I arrived in France. I finally got on a connecting flight and arrived in Paris at 9:00 A.M. local time. I hurried to get a taxi and get my luggage to the hotel, and then showered and changed, ready to go out. Because I was tired, I got completely lost and ended up on the wrong train. Before I knew it, I was outside of Paris, through the banlieues, on my way to Versailles. Disappointed and frustrated, I finally got the courage to go to a group a people sitting in the front of the train, whom I heard speaking English. When I told them what happened, they smiled and asked me to join their tour of Versailles, which is where the train was going, and return to Paris with them later in the day. I agreed, and began to calm down.

Versailles proved to be everything I had never heard about Paris, but something that truly defines French culture, and even the city, in some ways. Learning about French history was, furthermore, the perfect introduction to the city, and it was something I hadn't explored or ever thought I would enjoy. After seeing Versailles, the tour moved straight to the Eiffel Tower, and it seemed that my perfect day was finally beginning, though five hours later. I was very excited to see the monument that, in my eyes, defines Paris, and especially happy to have been seeing it with some newfound friends. Being in Paris and seeing the Eiffel Tower for the first time is an experience that I could never replicate, and seeing the panorama of the city from high up will also be, for me, an amazing experience. The group then moved on to a quick stop at the Arc de Triomphe and a snack at a cafe on the Champs-Elysees. After that, we went to the Louvre, and spent a good three hours browsing through.