Six Last Nights in Paris
I came to this city expecting to spend about 3 days here. I have now been here 9. The last 6 nights have all literally been my “last night in Paris.” I go to bed every night fully expecting to leave the next morning, but something always happens to keep me here just one more day. I must admit, though, that I’m never very reluctant to stay another night because… Well, I love Paris. And, thus far, it seems fairly fond of me as well.
I’d heard much talk of how rude Parisians in general can be, especially to those who don’t speak French. However, as far as I can tell, this reputation is undeserved. It seems to me that as long as you make a real effort to speak the language as much as you can, they are more than happy to help you out. And efforts like this should be expected. Afterall if someone came up to you in an english speaking country and started asking you questions in a language you didn’t understand without even a slight effort to speak english, how would you treat them?
Paris is probably the most over romanticized city in the world, but that is not to say it isn’t romantic. Quite the contrary, in fact. It has all the problems of any major city: homelessness, beggars, sketchy areas, crime, litter etc and yet through it all it still somehow manages to retain that air of romance that it has been labeled with for so long. Simply having a look around will explain to you with a precise clarity exactly why so many people flock to the “city of love.” To say this city is “beautiful” would be a gross understatement.
From the Arc de Triumph to the Eiffel Tower, from Sacre Coeur to Notre Dam, Montmartre to the Louvre and all wonder it contains… every turn offers another opportunity to pick you jaw up from the street. So much to see contained in such a relatively small area is a recipe for greatness.
My first impression, however, was not so fond. I arrived in the middle of the day after a good bit of traveling and had a hard time finding the tourism office, where I was going to find a place to stay that night. Once I did find it and a place to stay I got some very frustrating directions to the Metro station and ended up toting my full pack around in the heat for 45 minutes followed by a crowded subway ride. By the time I checked into the hostel it was around dinner time and I didn’t feel like going out and exploring the city so I decided to take it easy and made my way out to the patio where a group of people were chatting. I took a seat and everyone was introduced by an englishman named Paul. After talking a bit Paul asked “Are you doing anything tonight?” to which I replied “…No.” “You are now” he said. He took us all out to local pub and we had a great time talking.
I spent the next day out exploring the Montmartre district where I met Greg and Taylor, two canadians who had been on the road for quite some time. They were looking for a hostel so I showed them the way to mine and we all ended up in the same room. The day after that the three of us went to the Louvre together. The building itself is just as gorgeous as many of the works it contains. I found myself in awe staring at 5000 year old egyptian relics, countless masterful sculptures and paintings and of course The Mona Lisa. After leaving the Louvre I branched off on my own and took a quiet stroll along the Seine River before reaching Notre Dam. Its hard for me to describe what it is like to actually see things like the Louvre or Notre Dam because I don’t know of words that could convey the experience.
The next day I set out alone and walked from the Louvre to the Arc de Triumph to the Eiffel Tower, suspecting that this may be my last day. Once I got back to the hostel Paul and a new group of people invited Taylor Greg and I out. It was a great night and that’s all I will say here. Far too much has happened over my time in Paris to go into every detail so I will summarize: I watched the sunset at the Eiffel Tower, I ate crepes, I sang Bohemian Rhapsody along with 3 canadians in a Karaoke bar, I became an honorary Australian, I was offered a job bartending at Paul’s bar in the south of Spain that I am seriously considering taking, I had more fun and saw more things than I have in the past 4 years combined, I lived, and on my 5th last night I met Agnes.
I was in a bar hanging out with the “United Nations” (our group of people from the hostel) and I had a nice conversation with a girl from Marseilles. When it was time to leave we exchanged emails and I didn’t think much of it. I was already set to be on a bus to Brussels the next day and when I woke up I packed my bags before I checked the internet. There was an email from Agnes saying that she enjoyed the conversation and suggested that we meet for coffee that night. My bus left in one hour and I know from experience that I would regret getting on it. And so came my 6th last night in Paris.
I met up with her in front of the fountain of St. Michel at 8pm and we sat down for a drink. We had a good conversation before wandering the streets passing the Pantheon and seeing the Eiffel Tower sparkling (literally) in the distance. We stopped for crepes and wandered into one last place for drinks before calling it a night. As we stood on a bridge at 1am, the cold wind whipping by us and Notre Dam alight in the background, we kissed. We both knew that we would probably never see each other again for it was also her last night in Paris, but we saw our moment and we took it. So it goes.
Belgium tomorrow. Or so I plan.
-Tyler
“Its times like these you learn to live again” -Dave Grohl