MY EUROPE TRIP: PART ONE - PARIS

 MY EUROPE TRIP: PART ONE - PARIS

Dreams do come true.

When you work hard, pray hard, and give your best during your worst, dreams do come true.

I was just another face amongst the lakhs of students who gave competitive exams for engineering admissions after 12^th. And like most of them, I too had struggled with all the JEE PYQs and boards practicals. Somehow, I managed through all of it and did alright. But during that entire tedious process, I had convinced my parents that when all of it would end, they would send me on an international holiday, alone. Thankfully, they agreed.

And so, when the time came to decide upon a country for my vacation, I decided upon a continent. Europe. Obviously, my dear parents were shocked and asked me to pick another country like Singapore or Turkey. Something which is small and easy enough to navigate. But since childhood I’ve always wanted to visit two of my favourite cities – New York and Paris. Now, getting a USA visa in 2024 was a next to impossible task. So, the next best thing was Europe. i.e. a Schengen visa.

Surprisingly, my parents agreed after some convincing. And so, I was on my way merrily, alone, 18 years of age, my first time going outside Mumbai without any adult supervision. No pressure. 

Almost every other person who got to know about this little escapade of mine had warned me a dozen times about all the different difficulties and dangers a lone traveller would have to face. Friends, relatives, cousins, teachers, colleagues of my dad, colleagues of my mom, doctors, and many others. But I stuck to my gun. I never thought of backing out. I was determined to make this trip whatsoever!

Getting a visa was not a very arduous task. Neither were getting the tickets.

And so, on 3^rd June at 4 AM in the morning, I was sitting on a flight at the Mumbai International airport, waiting to take off. It felt…weird. Like something that I had never expected to happen. Something unusual. Since the past two years had I been awake at 4 AM, it was either to study or to workout. But this time, I was on an airplane and was about to head to Paris. You know that feeling, when something grand is about to happen in your life and all the days leading up to that event you felt giddy and excited? But on the day of the actual event, you feel…A feeling that is indescribable. That is what I felt. And there I was, buckling up my seat belt as the airplane took off. My first stop was Abu Dhabi, where I had to change my flights.

I reached Abu Dhabi in the morning at around 6 AM or so. The airport was empty. Not many people could be seen.

I soon found my gate and sat there in anticipation. My next flight would take me to one of the cities of my dreams. Paris. My first stop.

The moment when I landed in Paris, I checked my mobile phone to see whether my data was working or not. That was one of the most important highlights of my trip. I could never lose 3 things. My phone, my credit card and my passport. In fact, I even carried a small sling-pouch given to me by a very lovely acquaintance of mine. I kept my passport in it and carried it everywhere.

Nevertheless, my mobile data was working just fine, and I messaged my parents that I was safe and sound.

Next, I was supposed to navigate my way through the Paris transport and reach my Airbnb which was nestled near the city centre, far away from the airport. This is when I hit a setback. How do I get a ticket, which train do I catch and which station do I get-off? I obviously couldn’t take a taxi as it would cost me close to 50 euros (around 4000 rupees). My father had given me pages of instructions on which train to take and where to get off, but I still had to find a ticket counter at the airport.

Through some dumb luck I got a ticket and figured out which train to board. I reached a subway station and then looked at the map, which did not correlate to whatever instructions my father had written for me. At that moment I actually just stood in the middle of the station looking here and there for a miracle to happen. Since always, I have had a problem with talking to strangers. Nothing had changed 18 years later.

Thankfully though, I snapped out of it and asked a woman for directions. She was very polite and as a matter of fact, stopped where she was going and went with me to the correct platform. Had that woman not helped me, I would have been stranded on a random station in Paris.

When I finally reached my destination (La Muette metro station), my Airbnb was not very far away. The host was warm and welcoming but when I saw the room, I was shocked. The Airbnb room that I had booked for myself could put Mumbai houses to shame. I swore then and there that I would never complain how small the houses in Mumbai are. Because that apartment in Paris was smaller than your average chawl. I kid you not when I say that this apartment was not even the size of a normal hall in a chawl system. It was insufficiently miniscule.

And at that moment, I had had enough. I was tired from the long journey, I was annoyed that I couldn’t navigate my way through the metro and I was irritated after seeing such a small apartment. I decided that I needed to focus on why I came here. I came here to see the Eiffel Tower. It was close to 4 PM and it was the perfect time to go and visit the Seine and sit near La Tour Eiffel.

And so, I grabbed my jacket, I stuffed my keys in my pocket, took my passport and set a destination for the Eiffel Tower on Google maps. I stepped outside into the cold evening weather and started walking. Roaming around in the little beautiful Parisian neighbourhoods, so quiet and cozy, it felt good. I calmed down a bit.

Then, something happened that I would never forget. A memory that will be etched into my mind forever. I saw the map and it said, 15 minutes to reach the destination. Naturally, I was not expecting to see the Eiffel Tower for the next 15 minutes. But, I then came about a corner and turned left from the edge of a building and stopped in my tracks.

Right in front of me I saw what I came here to see. The Eiffel Tower. Standing tall and wide and like a mesmerizing giant. Shining in the evening sun. Its tip, proud and perfervid. I took a moment to catch my breath. I had only ever seen its photos. But to see it in front of me, my eyes, taking in that phenomenal beauty. I realized why French was considered the most romantic language in the world.  

All of my irritation washed away when I saw the monument. And it was certainly much bigger than I expected it to be.

 

And so, I slowly got accustomed to Paris. I won’t lie but Paris was certainly the best part of my trip. No other city could give me the joy that The City of Lights gave me.

I even adapted to the Paris metro sooner than I expected. The good thing about this city was that any tourist spot that you wished to visit was very easily accessible. There was certainly a metro station nearby and the bus would take you anywhere you wanted to. I visited L’Arc De Triomphe, Montmartre, The Louvre Museum, Notre Dame Cathedral, Luxembourg gardens and whatnot.

Although there is one thing that if I were to tell the reader, you would probably be upset with me. I never tried any Parisian food. All I did was go into either McDonald’s or Burger King and get a fillet-o-fish burger with some fries and a coke. Yes, call me stupid but I guess I did not have the heart to try something new. You have to understand one thing about me. This was the first time I ever left Mumbai all alone and this was a place where people refrain from speaking in English. And I already am super introverted. Thus I never dared to go into a restaurant and ask the waitress, “mon cher, quel est le spécial d'aujourd'hui?” The only time I ever tried something Parisian was a crêpe at the edge of Notre Dame (it was good).

I am proud to say one thing though. Paris is exactly what you would expect it to be and, in some cases, better than your expectations. It is exactly how it is advertised. Although it is considered a relatively unsafe city, I did not feel unsafe at any point of time at any place. I even dared to venture out at 11 PM in the night and I had nothing to worry about. Maybe the Parisian people are not very friendly, but I certainly did not have any problems with anyone.

Undeniably, it has a very romantic vibe and I could see it. There were couples everywhere professing their love for each other in all kinds of ways. I even saw a marriage proposal at the banks of the Seine.

If I were to say something negative about this place then it could be that every other person that you pass by on the street would be smoking. A lot of people smoke there, although I observed this practice in all other cities too. And another thing that you would want to watch out for are hawkers. They are not to be trusted and not to be messed with. The best strategy is to just ignore them and act as if they don’t exist. Hawkers are very prominent especially near the tourist areas.

But overall, Paris stole my heart. I would love to stay there for a longer period. The highlight about my stay was that every night, no matter how tired I would be, I’d visit the Eiffel Tower. I even climbed up the stairs. I took the cheapest ticket to the summit (11 euros) and climbed my way through the tower. It is definitely worth it.

Paris est belle. It is exactly how it is shown in the media and much more.