Paris Adventures: A Memoir

By Lily Perry

Visiting a new place for the first time is always exciting but when that place is Paris, it is exhilarating. Come along with me on my week long journey in Paris. I will take you along as I explore the Louvre, the Avenue des Champs-Elysees, the Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower and many more places.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: May 11, 2020
• ISBN: 9781716941306

Book preview

Paris

INTRODUCTION

I have always wanted to visit Paris. As a matter of fact, visiting Paris was listed on my Bucket list. It was not a matter of whether I would visit Paris, it was a matter of when. The right time came at the end of summer of 2017.

I wanted to see Paris because I had heard so much about it. I am an avid reader and most books have something to say about Paris. Also, I have watched countless movies that talk about Paris. So, as soon as I was financially able, I decided to make that dream a reality. Like most people, I am not a big fan of flying, but for Paris I had to put my fears of flying aside.

I booked my flight at least six months in advance. I choose to go in early September because I thought that it would be less crowded during that month. I figured that school age children would be back at school during that time of the year and there would be less people travelling.

I asked a female acquaintance from work whether she wanted to go with me. I asked her because she likes to travel. She said she did not want to go. She was afraid that while in Paris, there would be a terrorist attack that would cause her to loose her life or some lambs. She said that there are too many terrorist attacks in Paris and she did not want to risk it. I then asked a male friend from work weather he wanted to go and he said, No. Apparently, the six hour and 50 minutes flight was too much for him. He cannot stay in a confined place for that long. So, I decided to go alone and I am so glad I did. Life is too short; if you want to travel somewhere, just go. Don’t wait for people to do things. If you do, you can be waiting forever. If I waited until I found someone to accompany me to Paris, I would have missed on a good opportunity to see and learn about another country.

I took with me my small Apple laptop on the trip. My laptop was my sole companion and it served me well. I recorded all my thoughts of the trip on the laptop. If I had gone with someone, I don’t think I would have done that. Also, since I traveled solo, I got to go wherever and whenever I wanted to go. Sometimes, when you travel with someone, he or she might not always want to visit the places that you want to visit.

I booked a night flight with American Airlines because I had read somewhere that planes experience less turbulence at night. I don’t think I would have a chance to do otherwise since most flights to Europe are night flights.

Since I bought my plane tickets at least six months in advance, I got a very good deal on the plane tickets. My round trip ticket from JFK to Paris cost only $420. I also booked my hotel six months in advance.  I only paid about $200 for my six-day stay. Overall, I spent less than a $1,000 on the whole trip. That included food and transportation.

CHAPTER 1

Departure Day

My departure day was on a Friday, I woke up early. I was a little bit nervous and excited at the same time