My Paris Trip: December, 2022
Towards the end of 2022, I realized that I had a big chunk of PTO days to use up. Instead of taking a bunch of long weekends, I did the very ‘Katie’ thing and booked spontaneous international trip. Flights to Europe were much cheaper than flights to Asia. All I had to do was choose a city in Europe. I didn’t want to go too far north, because, well, I would be traveling in December. I knew that I wouldn’t have a lot of time to plan the trip, so I decided to go somewhere where it was easy to be a tourist and find things to do without extensive prior research (and, in fact, this was the most poorly-planned trip of my entire life). I decided on Paris, finally, because then my sister, who was studying abroad in Madrid, could also come up and visit (she ended up not doing so :)
Yes, I went to Paris in December for a week. Now, traveling out of Tulsa is kind of a royal bitch, because it’s a small airport, and you’ll ALWAYS need connecting flights, and the flights are ALWAYS unnecessarily expensive. My flight to Paris only had a single connecting flight, but on the way back, I had TWO. It was exhausting. As much as I adore traveling … the actual traveling part of traveling is quite tiring.
I had visited Paris once when I was young (around 13 years old maybe?) I remembered very little. But I can say … Paris looks exactly like you would expect. It’s absolutely gorgeous for one thing. The architecture is elegant, the buildings are enchanting, and the Parisians dress so very … Parisian. Even in December, when it was a consistent 20 degrees Fahrenheit, and I wore two pairs of pants, my thickets coat, gloves, and a hat (and was still freezing), it was an enchanting place to be.
I got a beautiful Airbnb on Rue Amelot, which was a bustling area. And for several days, I was by myself. My parents spontaneously decided to visit last minute, for which I was actually grateful because 1. I freakin’ love my parents and we get along so well, and 2. they could pay for all the things I couldn’t afford with my poverty-level salary.
On the days were I was by myself, I visited a few museums, ate delicious food, and just walked around and explored, one of my favorite things to do in a new city. Just wandering, walking the streets, people watching … it gives you the false impression that you’re a local, which is a charming fantasy to play out even for just a few days.
One challenge was—of course—the language barrier. Now, I took three years of high school French, and it’s safe to say that has completely left my mind at this point. I tried to brush up a bit prior to the trip, but, as I mentioned, I barely planned anything for this trip … much less practiced the local tongue. However, this wasn’t a problem in my other travels, namely to Japan, Peru, India, and Hong Kong. In Japan, I spoke the local language, so I never had an issue. In Hong Kong with the number of expats and the prevalence of English, I could use English wherever I went. And in India and Peru, I was with a group, with people who could translate. Additionally, in each of these countries, I stood out quite obviously as a foreigner, and locals never quite expected me to know their tongue. In contrast, I look like I might be a local in France, being a white lady who has French blood in her. So everyone was always speaking to me in fast, complex French. And I would try my best to understand and reply, but once they heard my linguistic stumbles and saw the blank, stupid look on my face, they usually switched to English. Though part of me was grateful for the ubiquity of English in Europe, I was also a touch disappointed in the missed opportunity for a bit of a cultural challenge. Part of my love of traveling, particularly solo traveling, is the challenge of it all. I welcome little challenges along the way that force me out of my comfort zone, because I know that my time traveling and living abroad has encouraged immense self-growth. The consistent use of English throughout my trip, while it was more convenient and saved me from a string of embarrassing moments, took the “Frenchness” away from France.
While in Paris, I reignited my love for museums. I adored going to museums in Hong Kong, and Paris is practically a capitol for museums. I visited the Louvre, Musee Rodin, Musee d’Orsay, Musee Picasso, l’Institut du Monde Arab. All brought a fresh wave of inspiration. I love diving into the culture and history of a city.
One little victory was conquering the metro. Having used both the MTR in Hong Kong and the Metro in Osaka, the Paris metro was incredibly easy once I understoond how it works — and of course, using the app Citymapper is a non-negotiable. I used the metro several times while I was solo traveling (when my parents came, they prefered taxis …. because they can afford it.) And I never once took the wrong train!
Food was obviously a huge plus. I ate until I was stuffed for most meals, which honestly did not feel that good! Thankfully all the walking probably evened things out. I’m embarrassed to say, on my first night, I was too nervous to go into a real French restaurant and try to order … so I went to an Asian fusion restaurant and got udon. It was delicious though. (I did the same thing in Hong Kong … my first meal out of quarantine was Shake Shack, because I was too intimidated to go into a local restaurant!) The best foods were probably all the different cheeses (we got cheese boards at least twice), the Onion Soup (very French, very delicious), crepes (duh), and this mouth-watering meal my parents and I got before watching Moulin Rouge (an uncomfortable show to see with your parents, let me tell you … none of use realized just how much nudity there would be). That meal had some tuna dish as an appetizer, a delicious fish pasta, and some sort of apple turnover. To be frank, there were several meals that underwhelmed me. But the one thing you can count on in Paris is … the pastry culture. Pastries are delicious! They know how to do it right in Paris.
Overall, I am so glad that I went. Paris just has a captivating atmosphere about it. It was a delight to see my parents and travel around with them. Paris was a welcome refreshment from my slightly mundane, too routine life in Tulsa.
I want to sidetrack a bit to mention our daytrip to Brussels. My lovely friend, whom I met in Hong Kong, is from Brussels, and, while I was in Paris, she was home for the holidays. My parents and I took an hour and a half train ride up to Brussels to see her. She acted as a tour guide and showed us around the city. Having never been to Belgium, it was a cool new experience to see another European city! We tried the delicious classics of Brussels (Belgian waffles, Belgian fries, and of course, Belgian chocolate). We rotated between walking around the city and taking shelter from the cold in cafes and restaurants. We saw the cobblestoned streets, an antique market, and the city’s most iconic symbol …. a fountain of a little boy peeing. (I wish I were kidding). I am so grateful to have friends all around the world who can show me their homes and introduce me to a new city and culture.