Bonsoir! Paris. We saw Sacré-Cœur, Notre Dame, La tour Eiffel, Arc de Triomphe, Opéra national de Paris, Musée du Louvre, Champs-Élysées, and other remarkable sights. We went to Notre Dame, tour Eiffel and Arc de Triomphe twice, just because they're so outstanding. I have two favourite moments from the sightseeing. Number one was taking the metro to the island Île de la Cité after a long day of travelling and seeing Sacré-Cæur in the northern parts of Paris, Montmartre. We arrived at the island around 8 pm maybe, it was late. There were maybe two others who got off at the same metrostop, and when we got outside it was nearly silent, which was a huge change from busy Montmartre filled with tourists. Rounding a corner, we finally spotted Notre Dame, and jesus, I was besotted. I cannot pinpoint why it is that I felt so much for Notre Dame, but I did. We sat down, and enjoyed the sight of the Gothic cathedral. In the afternoon and evening, the sun shines right on the front, and we were lucky enough to see it in the best weather. I felt at peace, is the thing, and maybe that's why I enjoyed it so much. The second time we saw it, the weather was a lot worse-- windy, reminiscent to autumn. However, I still felt the tug to my heart. It's strange, these things. My other favourite moment was standing on top of Arc de Triomphe at night in the rain, and seeing Paris in the dark, not to mention tour Eiffel and the amazing light show. I'd forgotten about the latter, and it was such a surprise when all the crowd gasped at the beauty. A woman and her family had just passed us, "sorry," she said. I said "no, that's fine", when the crowd gasped. The woman and her family turned around to see what all of the excitement was about. "You snuggle up to me," she said to her daughter, as they watched to light show in the light rain drizzle. Oyster and I decided to go back down after a bit, and we were just in time, because not long after the rain started pouring. People were hiding in the tunnels, waiting for the rain to stop. Two lads, Oyster and I braved the pouring rain, and ran outside. We were drenched in seconds, and had to wait for the light to turn green. But as I observed that there were no cars, I thought "sod it," and ran. Memories from my first trip to Paris were refreshed, and I remembered the pouring rain that came around in bouts. This time, it was late at night, and I ran across the road, which I mostly never do. It felt liberating. When I arrived in Paris, it felt very familiar. All from the struggle to get to our hotel, to trying to communicate with non-english speakers, and all the greetings: bonjour, bonsoir, bonne nuit. But it also felt unfamiliar, like I hadn't really seen Paris. I got to see more than the surface this time around, and it opened my eyes. Also, I'm older, I have a different perspective. So in some ways Paris was new to me. They say Paris is the most romantic city in the world, and I can't confirm nor deny that. But I can confirm that out of all the places I've ever been to, it's got the most romantic architecture. It's rare that you see buildings that stands out from the "standard" parisian building. I had a really good trip to Paris with my best friend. We'd chosen a great hotel, with helpful staff. We got super warm weather (thank goodness for aircon) and sun most days. We discovered empanadas in Paris, and got free access to all touristy things except for tour Eiffel. We bought bottles of Bioderma each, ate dessert for almost all our meals. Even when Oyster lost her wallet, she managed to laugh afterwards. One of the great things I realised during our trip, is that Oyster and I are quite alike. We wanted to do the same things, mostly. And where we don't want the same things, we compromise. Despite living with each other for six days and spending all our time together, I didn't feel like we had any friction. Perhaps that's because we've known each other for over a decade. But it was a really nice discovery for me. When I woke up on Sunday, I did miss Paris. I missed waking up and getting on the metro, felt a bit restless. I didn't sleep for long last night, and therefore I was a bit tired today. I went by my local mall to get my pictures, and to get my nephew a christening gift. I did that in 15 minutes, before I went to take the bus, then the train to the city. I met Kiwi in an office, where she'd met with a travel agency thing. She wants to travel, has wanted it for a while. At least she's talked about it. We spoke about it today, travelling. And right now, it looks like I'll be tagging along. I've been thinking about it myself. It's a golden opportunity to take a break from the road I've been on for the past years, and do something different. And right now is the best time to do it, I think, when I don't have any responsibilities. Life is strange, and one door shutting, means another opens. Nothing is confirmed yet, but regardless if it happens or not, I know I'm going to spend a lot of the near future travelling. Anyway, Kiwi and I spent about three hours together, drinking ginger ale and me eating a salad, writing down the places we want to see. Then we parted our ways, me in my wide leg flower pattern trousers. Yes, Paris has made me brave for the moment, and though I might have looked a bit like a hippy, I decided that I didn't care. You dress for yourself, and that's something I was reminded of when I went to Paris. When I got home, I changed into my neon yellow bikini, and promptly fell asleep in the tanning bed. I really was tired, and only awoke to an insect close to my ear. I went from great weather in Paris, to great weather in Norway. I'm trying to make the most out of my time off, so who knows what I end up doing.
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