My Ode to Paris

I am literally far from Paris, but I felt immense sadness when I saw the news early morning of Saturday, 14 November 2015.

I have been privileged to see Paris and enjoy the city way back 2013. I have nothing but good memories of my stay there.  Reading about the horrors that have happened, I cannot help but think of my brief stay there. Maybe, I am choosing to remember the good rather than the carnage I saw.

My mind instantly wandered on my first time to see it. Let me share it because it might help ease the heaviness I am feeling

It was my first time to be there. And I was lost…lost in a beautiful city but nonetheless lost.

Paris was actually the fifth city in our mini European tour that year. I was traveling with my best friend on the Thalys. We were coming from Amsterdam, and we choose the 7.30pm train going to Paris. We were supposed to arrive in Paris by 10.30 pm. However, our train was delayed. 

 As I‘ve said was with my best friend, Janice, so I was unperturbed. Instead of being annoyed at the delayed, we kept chatting, and reviewing what we will do in Paris. 

We arrived nearly 11pm. We were immediately given food and 50 euro voucher. They said we can use it to get taxi because the trains are closed. It has not sink in yet. We were supposed to take the train that will take us to Disneyland Paris. No, we were not going to Disneyland that night but our hotel was near that Disneyland. We did not have a backup plan like in case the train is unavailable, how to get there?

We went out of the train station and one lady guard asks us where we are going, we can only say Marriot Hotel near Disneyland. She flagged a taxi, spoke briefly to the driver and ushered us in. The driver ask us, where to? And in unison we said, Marriot Hotel….to which the driver replied…which Marriot Hotel? Where? I think we must have the blankest face. The driver looked at us a tad long, and said, ok, we look via the map, and proceeded to search via his iPhone. He eventually said the address and we agreed it was the Marriot Hotel we were supposed to go. 

Janice and I were whispering about thank goodness for technology. We didn’t really want to think about further misadventures had the driver did not know where was the exact location of the Marriot Hotel we were supposed to go.

By the way, from Paris Noord Station to Disneyland, was about an hour. Well, the taxi was faster but expensive. But thanks to the voucher from Thalys, it was ok.

Past midnight, we finally arrived. My cousin was a bit frazzled already because of the delayed. We spent one full day at Disneyland Paris, and after that, we went back to the city.

Ok, so now I am about to tell you, we were lost again. It was not intentional, we were just lost, hahaha! So we kept walking and after so many twist and turn, we had to concede, we need help. We approached a couple and asked, but to be honest we thought they will ignore us. After all, there was a lot of hearsay  that French people could be snobbish to people who do not speak French. To our delight, not only that they stopped and listen to our problem, they really went out of their way to help. The guy called the hotel and asks where the hotel is. After that, they walk us a bit to where the train station that would take us to the hotel will be.

We finally arrived at our hotel, which was near the Eiffel Tower. 

We had fun exploring the city. We did the usual touristy stuff. I am unapologetic when I do that. After all, I do not pretend otherwise. I am a tourist who is keen on enjoying the cities I visit.

One of the places I wish we had more time to explore was the Versailles. We were not able to enter anymore so we had to do by looking and exploring the perimeter.

We went to see the Notre Dame, had a cruise on the River Seine, but we keep falling asleep not because it was boring but because it was so relaxing, We wanted to go up the Eiffel Tower but no more tickets on the day we were there.

We went to see Sacre Couer and Moulin Rouge, and encountered some interesting scams along the way. But if you are aware, there’s less chance you will be scammed. But that is another story.

These are the thoughts that was swirling to my mind that early Saturday. It was a place that welcomed strangers like me. Made me feel I belong and I can come back anytime. 

I do not know if there would be another attack like this, if maybe, it will happen to another city I have loved but I want say it is a cowardly act. 

May the vive of Paris lives one. Liberte, Egalite and Fraternity. Vive la France!