Dreams come true: I'm finally in Paris
I dreamed of getting to Paris since childhood. Once I spent a month on the southern coast of France, but I never got to Paris. I was 16 and was not allowed to go there with another girl who was older than me. Not fair. 😒
November 10 years later. Finally! I pack my backpack for the city of my dreams.
A little bit of background
I studied French for 11 years. And I didn't just take courses once a week, no, I had dozens of hours of French a week. At school. Two French lessons three times a week, math in French, physics in French, French literature, and even ethics in French! It's so good that we didn't have chemistry in French. I would not survive it.
Fun fact though: my grades at math in French were better than at normal math 😅
I was so passionate about French, and immersed in everything connected with France, that of course, I wanted to continue my studies in France. I even prepared for the French proficiency test, and I would have passed it without any problems, but some obstacles appeared in my way. Maybe someday I will tell you about this.
Another fun fact: I still remember the French national hymn. A couple of months ago I was at a Finland-France football match, and when the French team and their fans sang their hymn, I reflexively began to sing along with them. There would be no questions for me if I were in the stands of the fans of the French team, not the Finnish ones 😂
Now let's get back to the trip
I've been waiting 15 years for this, from the moment my first French lesson ended. And one day my husband just bought tickets. And we just went to Paris. By "just" I mean that of course, I was preparing for this trip all the free time that I had. I really like to plan. I like it so much that I had a minutely scheduled plan for this trip. Yes, it was a perfect 3 days 🥲
I haven't written anything in a blog format for so long, so I apologize for the confusion in advance. There will be nothing like: "Here we are getting on the plane", "Here we got water and sandwiches" and so on. Instead, I'll share some of the highlights, the rest I'll save for myself (no offense 💜).
Lovely and not highlights
🥰 Beauty in everything. Endless inspiration everywhere. There is so much history, creativity, and beauty in it. We were exploring the city all day long. In three days we walked 60 km, bypassing every arrondissement. It was amazing. After such walks, you want to create and live in the loft in one of the old houses in central Paris overlooking the Seine.
🥰 I was also amazed that in Paris everything is done beautifully. Even simple snacks are beautiful there - baguette, wine, cheese platter, ham. Somewhere in a beautiful place.
😔 Almost everyone switched to English when I tried to speak French. My French is not that bad ... I tell myself that people were just trying to save their time.
🥰 My French conversation at the hotel reception. Finally, I was able to calmly speak the language that I love so much. It felt so good. Yes, my French was a little rusty, but I was still so much happy with myself. Thanks to the guy at the reception for not switching to English with me and letting me enjoy this long-awaited 100% French conversation❣️
😔 The air was so bad there. After living in Finland, this was especially felt.
🥰 Paris is huge! When I was planning the trip, I could not fully comprehend its greatness. And I still can't. I have to come back more than once to get around all its beautiful streets. And I'll definitely do.
🥰 How nice it was to buy fresh morning pastries at the boulangerie. I have dreamed of this since my first trip to France. And how delicious it was. The French are baking masters. That warm, soft inside and crispy outside brioche with raspberries I will never forget 🥲 And croissants were everywhere.
Thanks to this trip, I have gained inspiration for many months to come. Just until the next trip. In the meantime, I will cherish these memories and create something good.
