This has been a crazy week. My time in Paris held so many emotions. I felt excited about being in a new place and having a whole new city to explore. I felt calm as I embraced the relaxed pace of Paris, wandering along the winding river and strolling the walkable gardens. I felt amazement at the vast museums and over-the-top architecture. I felt nervous every time I tried to order food or ask for directions. I felt terrified hearing of the tragedy that occurred in Nice on Bastille Day. I felt sad that my travels with my mom were coming to a close.
After the familiarity and comfort of London, everything in Paris was new. After figuring out the metro system to get to our Airbnb and climbing the four extremely long and windy flights of stairs to our studio apartment I felt like we had just conquered the world. That evening we summoned the energy (and gathered the courage) to venture out to find dinner and a canal tour. We were successful on both accounts, though we did opt for dinner in a venue where pointing to food items was acceptable. The next couple days were a marathon of sight seeing:
Day 1: Louvre, Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower
Day 2: Notre Dame, Musée d’Orsay, Jardin Des Tuileries
Day 3: Sacré-Coeur in Montmartre, Moulin Rouge, Pantheon, Jardin Du Luxembourg
Paris was a truly magical place to visit, everything was so grand yet so intimate. Each curved street held hidden treasures- galleries, chocolate shops, a courtyard garden, a famous falafel joint (the que was literally around the corner)! I could feel the romance in the warm summer air as I watched couples strolling hand-in-hand through the park and dancing to salsa music along the river. A drunk little Italian man stopped us in the streets and sang his praise for Americans insisting on taking a picture with us before planting a big kiss on my mother’s cheek. And if not welcomed warmly, we were at least treated with patience and kindness by ever waiter/waitress we interacted with as we bumbled through our orders.
As wonderful as my visit was it will always be tainted with the horrible event of Bastille Day 2016. 84 people dead, many others wounded just miles from me in Nice. It left me feeling upset with humanity, deeply sad for the victims and their friends and families, and more confused then ever. What do terrorists think they are changing by murdering innocent people? How has our world been transformed into a place where celebrations like this are seen as an opportunity for violence rather then sacred days of remeberance? It is wrong to need to worry that there is a target on your country every time a community comes together.
We can all do our part by spreading tolerance and love. A large part of why I want to travel is to better understand others by seeing how they live. I know during this trip I’m mostly covering Western Europe, which is only the tip of the iceberg of difference from the US, but the more we know the more open minded we can become. By working to understand one another better we take a small step towards peace.
#GoGetterGals 
Another thought provoking post. Thank you.
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