Paris: A Great Place to Spend 29 Hours
Georgia Flynn
One of the many things that I’ve come to love and appreciate about studying in London is its proximity to other amazing places in Europe. Before this semester I hadn’t done much traveling outside of the US, and traveling around Europe had always been a dream of mine. However, I didn’t realize just how much traveling I would be doing. With cheap flights and hostels, accessible public transportation, and friends as eager to travel as I am, I’ve had the incredible opportunity of being able to see more sights around Europe than I thought I would, something I am very grateful for. This weekend, I got to check off another bucket list travel destination: Paris!!
I’ve wanted to go to Paris for as long as I can remember. From taking French all throughout elementary, highschool, and even a French class at Providence College, I’ve spent countless hours flipping through text books and sitting through lessons on the culture and history of France over the years. However, much to my exasperation, traveling can get expensive and quite tiring, and I wasn’t sure that I would be able to squeeze a trip to Paris in my semester abroad, which has turned out to be pretty jam packed. So, when my friend and I were able to book a day and a half trip to Paris, I was ecstatic!
As it turns out, you can really do a lot in a day and a half. We got to Paris in the late afternoon and after checking into our hostel got to exploring the city right away. First, we hiked up to Sacre Coeur, an amazing cathedral from which there is an amazing view of the city, especially at night. Next, we made our way down to the Eiffel Tower. Seeing this quintessential symbol of Paris up close and in person was absolutely incredible. As it was after sundown, the Eiffel Tower was lit up and sparkled every hour on the hour which was absolutely beautiful. The next day we went to the Louvre and where I got to see the Mona Lisa, an incredible piece of artwork that I had learned about, seen images of for as long as I can remember, even studied and attempted to recreate in an art class I’ve taken. Much like the Eiffel Tower, seeing the Mona Lisa almost felt as if I was meeting someone famous. Being able to experience these things that I’ve known about and wanted to see for so long finally in person was incredible. Next I walked along the Seine and the Champs Elysees, heard French music playing in the streets, ate croissants, and even got a little sunburnt in the beautiful 70 degree weather. Overall, even though the trip was short, I’m so glad I took advantage of being able to travel as an aspect of living in London. Being able to go to Paris, even just for 29 hours, was definitely worth it.
