Paris By Day

Paris! This city is gigantic! The people here are so chic and fashionable and always seem to be in a hurry. There is no such thing as walking here. Everybody is at a slow jog, at least. Aside from being dressed like I live out of a backpack, I'm also wandering very slowly and constantly have my camera in my hands, giving away my tourist status very quickly. 

As much ask didn't want to like Paris, I can't help it. The buildings are SO beautiful and full of history. I still might like Brussels the most, but Paris has got a ton to offer.

During my two days here, I've shopped down the Champs Elysses, seen the Notre Dame, walked by the Arc de Triomphe, and visited the Saint Chapelle cathedral. Each sight is just as amazing as the travel sites describe them. 

I must say that I have realized something about myself by being in all these big cities. If I spend more than a few days in an urban area, find myself in a foul mood. Something about being constantly surrounded by cars and grumpy people and buildings gets into my head and I have to escape into small towns and nature. I'm happiest in green spaces and the outdoors. Such a flower child.

Next up: the place I've yearned to visit since I first saw Marie Antoinette in 2006, The Palace of Versailles and Le Petit Trianon!

Paris By Night

This morning, I knew I wanted to leave Brussels, but didn't have any real plans. I was going to the train station and taking whatever train sounded like a fun trip to me, preferably in the area of western Germany. Luckily, I didn't have to worry over that very long, because around 11:30, my cousin Taylor who lives in Paris invited me to stay with her for a few days! Talk about perfect timing. So I packed my bags, found the quickest bus to Paris, and went on my merry way! 

I arrived in the city around 5, met Taylor at her law office to grab the apartment keys, and after dropping off my bags, went to explore the city on foot! I didn't cover too much ground that first day because I was so exhausted from the traveling and madness of Brussels/Bruges. Not to mention the metro/train maps are completely insane. Every part of this city is completely reachable by public transportation, but that means there are a hundred lines all going different directions!

That evening after Taylor got off work, we went to see Paris at its finest. Paris at night has 1/20th the traffic and tourists, as well as some spectacular views you don't get during the day. Examples:

I LOVED the Eiffel Tower and Louvre. They were so beautiful all lit up. This city really does live up to its name.. "The City of Lights!"

In Bruges

I can't believe I haven't updated since Brussels! So much has happened, so I'll try to make the updates short with lots of photos. First on the list: Bruges, Belgium!

I wanted to visit Bruges because everybody recommends it as a day trip if you're near Brussels. 

Bruges was an hour train ride from Brussels and unfortunately, I got a very late start and missed a few trains so I only arrived at 4:30.

The city was BEAUTIFUL and so quaint! It was full of cobblestone streets and a few canals, and a good amount of tourists.

My favorite part was this courtyard.

I had the chance to sit down alone and really think about the age of the town around me. I always love when I get an area to myself, even if just for a moment.

I think I'd like to go to Bruges again with more time and a bit more research. I'll just add it to the list!

Brussels, I'm in Love

Yesterday marked my first day of fully independent travel. I left on an 8:00am bus ride alone to Brussels, Belgium with my two backpacks and zero research. Luckily, I knew I had a place to stay because I had arranged a bed on CouchSurfing, which I highly recommend any young budget traveler check out. 

After I arrived, I struggled for about 45 in the train station, trying to find luggage lockers, bus/tram/metro routes, and Brussels sights worth seeing. Eventually I had the sense to google luggage lockers in my specific station and after getting that weight off my shoulders (literally), things started to fall into place. I bought a 24-hour transit pass (total necessity), picked a location on the map, and then jumped on the metro. On a whim, I got off on the stop before my plan because I liked the name. I was in the perfect center of the city and all the sights.

I legit just wandered the streets, vaguely following attraction signs for 7 hours. It was magnificent. 

Things that surprised me about Brussels: Despite being in a Dutch-speaking nation, everybody here speaks French. Every sign, menu, and transit announcement is written and spoken in both languages, with the occasional English thrown in for my benefit.

Following directions from my couch surfing host, I set off for what  I thought would be rest at 7:00. Upon arrival, I was greeted with a beer and four dudes  watching the World Cup. Except they were all doctors, pharmacists, and computer scientists. So it was more of a "Successful Man Meeting" plus me, the 22-year-old flight attendant bumming their spare couch. 

We went for some quick shwarma at a nearby Lebanese restaurant before heading out to a weekly Brussels meet up, APEROS. It's generally the best party in town on Friday nights, or so I'm told. I was trying my best to keep up with my hosts, but these guys work hard all week and then party hard all weekend. Come 11:00, we decide to go back to the apartment, and THANK GOD because I was dog tired. And then we lost Dario, one of the roommates. So we looked for him in this massive crowd for an hour before giving up and heading home. We get a call in the car and he's already back at the apartment. Commence Dario bashing rom the guys. But I'm psyched because we're heading home to sleep.

And then we arrive and there's a massive house party bumping in their two story apartment. Two of their other roommates (6 in total) had started the party while we were out. I'm told that this is a Friday/Saturday tradition and that I can probably get to sleep around 4:00 or 5:00am once everybody leaves. I ended up retreating upstairs and curling up in a sleeping bag around 3:00.

But you know what, I slept happily until 11:30 this morning, woke up feeling great, and now I'm drinking super strong coffee, listening to "Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay" while Dario takes doctor-related phone calls and we wait for the other roomies to wake up. So I guess things are pretty amazing.

Totally in love with you, Brussels.