A Tale of Two Cities (Bucacci)
By Caroline Bucacci.
One weekend, some of my friends and I decided to venture to Paris, which led to one of the most wonderful adventures of our lives. We started by taking a double-decker red bus to make our 2-hour Eurostar journey. For those who don’t know, Eurostar is a high-speed rail service from the UK to different European countries that takes you through the countryside and underwater tunnels with comfort and ease. Plus, the coaches were so much more comfortable and peaceful to ride on rather than on a cramped flight. While watching out the window, I was able to enjoy the views of rural France with anticipation of the sights that awaited me once I was off the platform.
Although London has quickly captured my heart, Paris earned itself a close second place. I think that the two cities are much more similar than what appears at first glance. I first noticed this with the breathtaking architecture. Both cities can make any ordinary person feel like they are the main character walking through a movie set. With a such rich history, even quaint side streets seem like hidden treasures waiting to be explored.
Then there were the underground systems, which have their differences and similarities. While the Paris metro was not as widespread and straightforward as the tube, it shared the chance to fully immerse myself in the culture. Like on the tube, I was able to observe the locals, their incredible fashion, their philosophical readings, and their mesmerizing conversations. I had never taken public transportation before my abroad experience, but these small and busy snippets of my day have allowed me to fall just as quickly in love with the cities as it takes to get from station to station.
Of course, I cannot leave out the element of Paris that proved love, at first sight, to be true. As cliché as one may think, there was no greater joy than laughing with my friends under the sparkling light of the Eiffel tower and the stars on a cold Paris night. Both London and Paris have so many iconic monuments that many might think are not worth the hype. But, these provide a realization and unexpected comfort from the idea that there are so many small yet life- changing experiences in the world to discover if we just take a moment to appreciate them.
its shimmering beauty.
