My First Time in Paris

I went to Paris for the first time a little over fourteen years ago, and my memories of it are still fresh and filled with such joy.

When my friend Lisa and I decided to go to France, we knew Paris was a must. We'd heard it was romantic and young and vibrant. We wanted to experience that, so off we went on our Paris adventure. Now, Lisa was living in California at the time, where we'd originally met, in Los Angeles, and I had moved back home to Washington DC. We wanted to fly together, of course, so we coordinated our flights to meet at JFK Airport in New York where we would take the same plane, together, to Paris. Alas, our plan was foiled. My plane was late leaving out of Dulles in Virginia, so when I arrived in New York, Lisa had already left on our plane to Paris. I was young, so naturally, I was disappointed, but not afraid. The problem was, neither one of us had cell phones back then, and I took Spanish in school. Not French. I was slightly nervous about my arrival in France. How would I contact my friend? What if no one spoke English?

The first bit of luck happened at JFK. There was another flight leaving for Charles Degaulle Airport a half hour after I'd arrived, and it was on Air France. This flight, needless to say, was wonderful. The flight attendants were dressed very professionally, with fantastic accents. They smiled a lot, and when it came time to serve food, we were given brie and croissants. I was in heaven. Missing the flight was the best thing ever. At least it was while I bit into that yummy piece of brie!

When I arrived in Paris, well just outside the city at the airport, it was early morning and almost empty. Lucky for me, once I went through customs, I went up to an information post and asked the lady if she spoke English. She did and she paged my friend and within ten minutes we were together at a taxi stand ready to start our Paris adventure. To me, the flight and the airport were integral parts of the trip since I was treated so well. Paris was going to be great, even if my luggage didn't arrive until two days later!

We expected to think Paris was so romantic by catching couples kissing and the stars in the sky brighter than any other sky, but I realized that any city, and any situation could be made romantic. I, personally, did not find it romantic, but that was not disappointing. It was just more cultural and educational. All the old buildings and churches made us step back in time. The outdoor eating, no matter the weather, made it European and chic.

We went to Notre Dame many times because it was a beautiful cathedral to look at, to think in and to explore. It is a popular visiting site, so we went at all different times and discovered new things each time whether it was a different stained glass window or the stairs that took you up to the top to see gargoyles up close.

We went to the Louvre to see all the fantastic artwork. Even if someone is not a huge art fan, the Louvre is a great experience. All these historical and beautiful works by not only the French, but other famous European artists was a must-see. You can spend the day soaking in all of that history and color.

We walked everywhere. There were a couple of times we took the metro, but mostly we just walked. We saw more that way, such as painters all over the city painting the Pantheon, the Hotel des Invalides or a the door to a brownstone. We walked along and took the boat on the Seine that slowly rides you down the old path and the old walls. It was breath-taking.

We did all the tourist sites and more - we went to the Arc De Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower. We went to restaurants on side streets that we'd read about or were told to go to by friends. We wanted to lap up all we could while we were there. We did not want to miss a thing. The people were very friendly, and a helping hand was always available.

We had a great time. Paris was what we thought it would be and more. It was fun to actually see the structures and artwork and places that we'd read about in history books. This is why you go to Paris. Yes, it can be a romantic honey-moon spot, but this is really a great place of learning and awe. Everyone should go at least once. Put it on your bucket list.