Paris, France. Part 1 ; The first visit to the city of love

04.08.22-06.08.22

In the fateful year of 2022, I made a spur-of-the-moment decision that would mark my very first solo adventure outside of Asia. I impulsively booked a flight from Singapore to Paris, France. A solo europe trip that was gonna last me about 1 month and I am just a college kid with limited budget. 

“How? How did you survive” were the questions that echoed in my friends’ minds, mirroring my initial worries but things eventually worked out and I am here to share with you my stories once again 😄🌍

As soon as I set foot in Paris, it seemed like challenges were lining up, one after another. While I was fluent in both Chinese and English and had a smattering of German (working on getting that C1 currently), my knowledge of French was, well, quite limited. I have been told many times that the French were often labeled as some of the world’s most aloof people, especially when you don’t speak their language on their land.

As much as I hate to admit, I must confess that I had my fair share of unpleasant encounters due to the language barrier. For instance, I was informed that I needed a specific travel pass to access the city’s metro system. Being a first-time visitor, my instinct guided me to the nearest ticket office, hoping for clearer instructions and assistance.

“Do you speak English?” I inquired politely and the reply from the ticket officer was a rather cold “Non”. But I couldn’t simply walk away, could I? After all, I still needed that travel pass. So, I reached for my one and only savior at that moment, Google Translate! It was a lot of typing and translating before I actually managed to buy a travel pass successfully. I only intended to stay in Paris for 3d2n but I opted for the 1 week travel pass anyway. Definitely much cheaper than buying a single ticket for every train ride. 

In spite of my less-than-ideal start in Paris, I clung to my optimism and headed straight to my hostel to drop off my belongings before starting my 3d2n exploration in this so-called “city of love”. The hostel was decently located and reasonably priced but what truly stood out was the incredibly friendly staff. They had even thoughtfully prepared a set of eye masks and earplugs for their guests, which came in handy more than I could have imagined. My roommates were coming in and out of the room so frequently and even got back drunk in the middle of the night. Hostel is just like the chocolate box analogy, you never know what you’re gonna get. Regardless, I still enjoy being in hostels as it is definitely one of the easiest avenues to meet people and make friends from all around the globe. 🌍😄

During my time there in Paris, I pretty much visited most of the iconic tourist attractions. It was absolutely manageable, especially when I had a local companion on my day 1 there. The first stop was the Notre Dame Square, which was unfortunately under reconstruction at that point of time when I visited due to a fire that broke out in 2019.

I explored various other Parisian landmarks, but listing them all one by one would be quite an endeavor. As we strolled through the charming streets of Paris, we passed by the majestic Eiffel Tower. It’s hard to put into words how breathtaking it is to see it in person. I remembered that I was so overwhelmed with excitement that I had to call my best friend to witness its beauty with me.

The Pyramide du Louvre is also one of the places where I was overwhelmed by its ambience. And, of course, there’s the famous Louvre Museum, home to the iconic Mona Lisa. The ticket price is €17 for general admission and of course, discounts available for certain groups of people. Just check out the eligibility before purchasing one. Unfortunately, like I mentioned at the start of this post that I am a college student with limited funds, I did not make the purchase. Bear in mind that every dollar counts! 😄💰

One of the places that left a lasting impression on me was the Luxembourg Garden. It’s truly massive, spanning 23 hectares, and I honestly felt like I could spend an entire afternoon there, just relaxing and watching people.

Enough of sharing the places I enjoyed in Paris, let’s talk about one funny incident I had while hanging out with a friend in Paris, his name is Oskar. Oskar is originally from Stuttgart, Germany and is currently studying in Innsbruck, Austria. We crossed paths on the second day of my Paris adventure last year. Both of us were exploring the city without any concrete plans, sharing a common love for spontaneity and long walks. We walked around Paris for a few hours and even grabbed a beer together at the end of the day. 

Here’s the funny or rather silly story. I recalled us both being hungry and wanting to have lunch somewhere. We scoured the streets, trying to search for a restaurant that was not crazily overpriced and finally settled on one.

Once we were seated, the menus were presented to us. I quickly realized that I needed more time to understand the full French menu since my proficiency in the language was limited to basic greetings. The waiter approached us and asked if we were ready to order. Oskar seemed ready and obviously I didn’t wanna hold things up so naturally I said “Yes”. I randomly chose a dish from the menu, not really understanding what I had ordered. When the food arrived, I was in for a surprise—it was tuna tartare! As someone that doesn’t enjoy raw food that much, I made an effort to eat it, trying hard not to waste any. My facial expressions must have given me away, and I was somewhat relieved when I heard, “You don’t have to finish it if you don’t like it.”

The lesson from that experience is to always ask for an English menu if you can’t understand their native language or simply ask the waiters. It can seem intimidating especially under the gaze of others but don’t be afraid to voice out yourself. In my case, I just needed more time to look into the menu 😄🍽️

I left Paris to explore other European cities during my 2022 journey but I still had to get back to Paris at the end of this trip since my flight back to Singapore took off from there. So, this is only part 1 of my Paris stories, part 2 is in the making. Stay tuned & thank you for reading 🙂