Traveling to Paris

The landing at the Beauvais Airport in Paris was rough. It was late at night, around 11pm, and the air was fridged. After a chaotic cab ride to the hostel, we finally made it to the hostel and recharged for the next 4 days of one of the most memerable times of my life.

Paris was bigger than I had ever imagined. The city streets and the buildings that lined them were much newer than what we were used to here in Urbino. Two way streets, sidewalks, stoplights, these were all things you dont find in the centro storico of Urbino or any other small Italian city. The mornings were glorious. The sun hits the pavement at a different angle than San Antonio (since Urbino is at the longitude of Detroit and Paris is even higher) and casts shadows and reflections with a golden tint.

Our journeys throught Paris were amazing. We walked everywhere we could until we couldnt walk anymore. By day 3 Marco and I were just discovering the convience of the Paris metro system and, if you didnt know, Paris has one of the best metro systems in the world. Our journys led us to the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Saint Chapelle, Notre Dame and so many other places of the city. We saw so many great things along the way also, street venders, clowns, musicians, even a full orchestra performance in a small square off of a main road. The little wonders of a city are what makes it so great. Yes the monuments were amazing and each an experience of its own, but the best experiences for me where walking the bautiful, busy streets of Paris.

As we stood atop the Eiffel Tower, we noticed a completely new and modern city far in the distance of the citys edge. This struck our curiosity and in a last minute decision, Marco and I decided to hop on a metro towards Le Defense, or what some might call "the new Paris". The ride there was quick, about 15 mins with the excellent metro system. It was approaching dark when we arrived and the sky scrapers began to light their interiors. As we turned the corner of the subway stairs, we were in the middle of the city in a large square surrounded by flashing lights, skyscrapers and the epic Grand Arch.

If you decide to go to Paris, I would suggest taking an evening to see Le Defense. It was the perfect way to end our trip! As our journey came to an end in Paris, we were packing and preparing for our next destination, Barcelona Spain. I was sad to leave Paris. I had never experienced a city in such a way. I had been to many large cities, but none as warm and inviting as Paris expecially one that offered so many things to enjoy. It would have taken months to see everything. I will take those amazing 4 days with me as I continue my life journey, and someday I will be back in Paris, walking its beautiful busy streets once again. -Daniel L.