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First off, I would like to clarify that I am not at all familiar nor affiliated with the book, play or movie Les Misérables. I only know of its overall theme. However, the fact that the story takes place in Paris and tells of the miserable ones, I feel that it is very significant and reflective (although not as awful) of my time in Paris, France.
At this point of writing, it's already been exactly two months since I came back from Europe. I've been busy sorting out so many things that recounting all the events that happened back then has been increasingly difficult.
Nevertheless, I am close to closing my account of my month in Europe. It's been great to be able to share my experiences and photos with all of you. I still have a lot more to show you after this so I hope you keep coming back.
Thank you!
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Bonjour!
My train for Paris arrived about an hour later than scheduled, which meant I had a little more time to bask in the Belgium air. I would have had a lot more time in Brussels (two nights to be precise) if it weren't for the workers' strike that just started the day before. I decided to spend two extra nights in Paris, but that didn't really excite me in any way. In fact, it just made me a lot less pumped up.
We took off for Paris Gare du Nord an hour later but shockingly arrived exactly on time. Paris greeted me with the most hideous of weathers, the damp air and wet floors lined my path to the equally dank subway stations. The difference between the Paris metro and Germany S-bahn was definitely noticeable and I was already feeling more and more anxious to go home. Everyone in Paris looked so different - so intimidating.
As much as I was nervous and unfamiliar with my surroundings, I just acted natural so as to not attract any unwanted attention. It was easy, though, because I've been so used to looking like I know what I'm doing that even when I don't know what I'm doing, it doesn't show. The train from Gare du Nord to my hostel wasn't long and around 8 or 9PM I already settled in.
Palace vibes
It was almost dark when I got there and I had already decided that I didn't want to go back out into the streets of Paris at night alone. I wasn't ready for it, even if it would mean I would "waste" one night in Paris. It wasn't all bad. The hostel was very nice and clean, with a beautiful lobby. At first I only went down to the lobby to use the internet for a while and get a can of Coke, but then the UEFA Champions League final was on and I joined in the crowd to watch Atletico Madrid sadly be defeated by Real Madrid.
Lobby, BVJ Champs Elysées - Youth Hostel Paris Center
I did nothing else that night. This one girl did offer me to join her and some other residents for a drink but I politely declined because I was ready to just go to sleep.
* * *
The next day I woke up fairly early. I didn't have any real plans, other than the route that I had already planned out since April. I was especially looking forward to breakfast, my absolute favorite meal of the day. And when you're in Paris, breakfast is just about perfect.
Breakfast buffets are life
Cereal, milk and juice
Literally the bread and butter of the French
Never going to get baguettes like this anywhere else
Breakfast in Europe is very simple. In Malaysia I am used to overly reaching breakfast buffets in hotels that have complicated menus and heavy foods unsuitable for a healthy start to the day. Here, I was happy to have fresh baguettes and juice to fill me up for the whole day.
I headed out to explore the city around 9AM. My plan was to just walk around Paris, hitting any place within walking capacity even though it was raining the whole day (in fact, the whole time I was there).
The hostel I stayed at was very close to the Arc de Triomphe, so that was my starting point
I then walked down Champs-Élysées
Place de la Concorde, where I had a very tasty cinnamon crêpe
I then continued onto Jardin des Tuileries and reached the Louvre
Spent some time taking photos and looking around for some nice angles and whatnot
The Seine River
Pont des Arts
Ate two croissants for lunch at the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris
Went to pray at the Grande Mosquée de Paris
Saint-Étienne-du-Mont
View of the Panthéon from down the street
Walked through Le Jardin du Luxemborg
UNESCO
Ended my day here
Tour Eiffel
It was a full day of walking and finding my way around the city. The sights were alright but frankly I don't recall having any fun.
The photos you just saw (and will see) were all colorful and cheery but that's just because it's been two months since I left Europe and I've gotten over all the heartache I was going through. Two months ago I didn't even want to look at all my photos, regardless of how good they might have been.
I don't like talking about how bad I felt because only I know how bad I felt. And as hard as I tried to be grateful and just enjoy my time in Paris, I really couldn't bring myself to get over my misery. All the color in those photos didn't even exist while I was there. When I started to edit them in Lightroom, only then I realized how much color I captured. I guess my subconscious mind was still able to see what was going on around me and tried its best to keep capturing the beauty it saw. My physical and mental state was just numb. All I remember from that day in Paris was the continuous downpour, the wet streets and dirty puddles, being harassed by girls forcing me to sign some sort of petition, loud Americans, ugly blown-out skies and the ever-irritating, continuous downpour. I felt miserable; and I was alone.
I got back to the hostel before dark. I spent the night at the lobby again, just chilling. I actually thought of going back out but the rain got so much heavier so I couldn't. I think it was there that I met, Artur, a very opinionated Polish dude.
I can't remember how we got to talking, but when we started talking we couldn't stop. We didn't talk when we were both at the lobby but when I wanted to go to bed I found out that he was the person sleeping on the top bunk of my bed. I introduced myself and made small talk with him. Of course, I told him how I was on my way back home from a research attachment and all that. He was only the second person I talked about my research to but he was also quite interested in the idea.
Artur came from a computer science background and he knew about some of the thing I was talking about, like the Chomsky hierarchy and some theories in formal languages. Artur told me he was remotely hired, which meant that he had no actual office; and only works on the internet. I eventually found out he was one of the guys that was in charge of making sure Wordpress servers didn't go down.
We talked for about an hour or two before we both started to get sleepy. He retired earlier than I did. I had made a friend and I wanted to cherish the moment. I replayed that conversation I just had moments ago over and over in my head till I fell asleep. At least I wasn't so alone.
* * *
I woke up early again the next morning. I guess I was already used to it from Germany - waking up at 4.30AM to pray and then at 6.30AM to get ready to go to the office. Artur also got up pretty early. We had breakfast together.
I asked him what his plans for the day were. I was secretly hoping he wanted to go somewhere and I could just tag along. He said he had to work that day so he would just stay in. I suddenly remembered the paper I still had to finish so I decided to just chill out at the lobby, as well.
It was raining anyway
I had to check out that day to move to another hostel (the hostel I already booked from home). All my stuff was already with me in the lobby while I typed away. After a few hours Artur got bored (I think) and said that he needed to get out. He said that there was this cool metro station he wanted to check out before continuing working at some cafe he found on the internet. I didn't want to be alone so I asked if I could join him. At first he said he wanted to take his bike - the one he's been riding all over the Loire Valley looking at old castles for the past few weeks - because it would be faster. But then he saw that it was raining and he didn't want to ruin the bike or something so he decided that he would walk, which I meant I got to join him.
We headed out almost midday. Walked in the rain for a few minutes before taking the metro and stopping at one of the most bewildering metro stations I have ever been at.
Bronze walls
Very steampunk-esque
Arts et Métiers (Arts & Crafts)
"To mark the bicentenary of the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers in 1994, the station was redesigned by Belgian comics artist François Schuiten in a steampunk style reminiscent of the science fiction works of Jules Verne." - Wikipedia
It really was a cool station. We took a few photos and then headed to a cafe Artur wanted to check out.
We first got this vegan cafe, which was very small and crowded. We got our seats but before we ordered anything, Artur saw a sign that said (roughly): No laptops during lunch time. Bummer. We got there exactly at lunch time and Artur wanted to stay for some time to do work but he didn't want to inconvenience the customers and waiters so we ditched the cafe and looked for another one on Artur's list.
It was still raining heavily
We got to the other cafe and there were seats available. It was also a very small cafe, but had a really cozy interior. I got a chai latte, a matcha cookie and a vegan bagel for lunch. I didn't do much while I was there. As Artur was hard at work, I took the time to catch up on my Twitter and Instagram and just bask in the ambience of a real Parisian cafe.
I think it was about two hours after that when we had to leave because more customers were coming in and we had finished our drinks long ago. It was on to the next cafe!
Rainbow umbrellas are popular in Paris, too
This last cafe that we went to was awesome. Called Anticafé, the cafe is more of a designated work space more than it is for a place to socialize and talk. Everyone there was buried in their laptops and their books, working away while sipping hot coffee and munching on snacks. It was brilliant.
Shared workspace
The cafe charges you on an hourly basis You get free flow of coffee (made to order), snacks, salads, bread, juice, fruits, toilet and WiFi - for only 5 euros an hour! There's also a half-day rate and a whole-day rate, where students can also get a 10% discount by showing their student IDs upon payment. I digged the whole idea and felt a little regretful I had left my laptop back at the hostel. It was still a nice place to just kick back and relax but you feel really pressured into working because you're surrounded by people who are actually doing their work.
Two hours later we paid our fees and headed back to the hostel. We stopped at a bakery (also on Artur's list) to buy some dinner. I got myself a croissant (nobody makes croissant like the French) and a salmon sandwich that tasted phenomenal.
Artur spoiled for choice
Fresh food is good
Artur says hi and welcomes you to become a programmer like him
I had dinner with Artur and we continued to talk even after spending the whole day talking to each other. Of course, we didn't talk when Artur had to work but in between cafes we would always have something to talk about. I remember one of our most heated conversations was about education and how he thinks that lectures and classes are unnecessary, and that theory should only be taught to those who want to learn it. There was also conversations about politics, travel and working life.
During our dinner, a girl came up to us and asked whether we knew if there were any convenience stores still open. We highly doubted it but Artur directed her to the one closest to the hostel. We wished her good luck and after about half an hour, she came back with some groceries.
We invited her to join us for dinner. It was the last time I'd see Artur and I wanted to stay at the hostel lobby for as long as I could, even though I had already checked out that morning and needed to check into my other hostel. The girl who joined us was Jenny and she was from New York. Well, she's originally from Austin, Texas but studies and now works in New York. She was traveling Europe after just graduating in the Summer and was in Paris for a week.
The three of us got along instantly, talking about education costs, culture, food and the best of all - how we were all greatly affected by the weather. Artur loved the rain. He said that it was lovely because the Summer is usually hot and he would be all sweaty but because it was raining, he didn't have to worry about it. Plus, his bike also got a free wash!
For Jenny and I, we were totally miserable because of it. Jenny also felt a somewhat uneasiness and reluctance to feel good about being Paris because it was so wet and humid outside. She hadn't had the chance to even see the city yet and was already lamenting the fact that she would be in Paris for a few more days.
I literally had no plans for the one remaining day I had left in Paris. My supervisor recommended I go visit Disneyland but I didn't want to feel even more miserable going to Disneyland alone during rainy weather while I was at my lowest. I asked if Jenny had anything she wanted to do the next day. She said she really wanted to visit the Louvre, most probably because she was an Art major.
I wanted to visit the Louvre as well and I think we decided simultaneously that we would go to the Louvre the next day together. Artur couldn't join because he had to work and he was attending a croissant-making class. Jenny and I decided to meet up at the underground mall under the Louvre the next day around 12PM. I was excited. I had another friend I could hang out!
That night around 10.30PM I finally made a move to my new hostel. It was complete and utter s**t.
The hostel was so dodgy, I couldn't wait to get out in the morning. That night I got to get to know my roommates for a bit and they were alright; one being from Montreal, one from Italy (I think) and another from Germany. We were just talking when the topic of the Louvre came up and the German dude told me that the Louvre closes on Tuesdays. I was supposed to meet Jenny at the Louvre on a Tuesday...
Meeting point
* * *
I was completely restless. At the crack of dawn I was out and on my way to do some work at the Anticafé near the Louvre. I didn't even want to have breakfast at the awful hostel. As if I needed any more reason to be miserable.
I got to the Anticafé around 9AM and started doing my work, finishing up my paper. I had lovely coffee and some toast. There wasn't a lot of people around, very different from the Anticafé I was at the day before.
Workspace
It was a little over 11.30AM when I headed out to the Musée d'Orsay, our new meeting point. I managed to get a hold of Jenny and she also just found out that the Louvre wouldn't be open on that day. The d'Orsay is almost like the second top museum to visit in Paris so we decided that it would be a sufficient replacement for the Louvre.
Unfortunately, everybody else in Paris also wanted to visit the d'Orsay and there was huge line outside. Jenny asked one of the people at the front of the line and they said that they had to wait for two hours before getting there. We really didn't want to waste two hours in line so we decided to ditch the d'Orsay and go see something else. Jenny found another museum to go to, so we both headed over to the Musée de l'Armée.
Napoleon's tomb
Jenny and I agree that this tomb (not of Napoleon) was our favorite
It was really nice looking at all the cool exhibitions with Jenny. It was unfortunate that she started to not feel well. We parted ways after finishing looking at the exhibitions at the museum.
I decided to go see the Catacombs of Paris - a tunnel made up of millions of skeletons.
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WARNING: VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
NOT SUITABLE FOR THE FAINT OF HEART. PLEASE SKIP TO THE RED STARS IF YOU ARE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH VISUALS OF DEATH.
The Catacombs of Paris was pretty eerie. I mean, wouldn't a whole underground passage lined with actual skeletons of people of older times freak you out, too?
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All that rain that has been coming down in Paris actually flooded some parts of the city! I only knew about it when I checked the new the next morning and I felt pretty cool to have seen it for myself.
I had dinner at a wonderfully small cafe near the Notre Dame Cathedral. The food was good and the service was very nice.
I didn't know where to go after that. The "Paris nightlife" I wanted to experience only consisted of empty streets and sounds of water hitting the roofs. I was really, really ready to go back to the hostel and just go to sleep. But then I remembered that I hadn't seen the Eiffel Tower at night - and that I should.
I took the train to the Eiffel Tower and by the time I got there, all my will to stay positive just washed away with the rain. I felt so tired... exhausted from forcing myself to feel okay with being so down. I wasn't thinking about anything anymore. I focused on taking nice photos to bring back home, to mask my undying need to go back home and say hello to familiar faces again.
But there she was, in all her glory
The first time I laid my eyes on the Eiffel Tower that night, I teared up. It felt so surreal, like I was in a dream and I had somehow ended up at the most beautiful place on the planet. I was so emotional, the only thing I could do was to keep calm enough to not taking blurry shots of the wonderful view.
My heart couldn't take it
I stood in place for a good 10-15 minutes just staring at the beauty right in front of me. I thought of all the places I had visited, all the hours I had worked in Germany, all the stress I had to deal with and all the friends that I have made throughout my journey. The events of the past weeks in Europe kept replaying in my mind and I was overwhelmed by everything. The numbness that I had been feeling and keeping to myself suddenly disappeared and I could feel a rush of emotions just wanting to burst out of my heart.
It was almost getting late and I knew I had to go back to the s**thole of a hostel I stayed at. On my way up the Jardins du Trocadéro, I heard a lady crying and sniffling. A group of people went to ask her what was wrong all she did was lift her hand to show off an engagement ring! I lost my mind. I started crying because I was so touched. Oh, how I wished I was there with someone. Just anyone. It was such a cliche moment yet it felt so right and so natural.
As I approached the top of the Jardins du Trocadéro, with my back facing the Eiffel Tower, people suddenly gasped and started clapping and cheering. I didn't know what was going on till I turned around.
Simply magical
The light show on the Eiffel Tower just started, and I stood there witnessing the most beautiful iron building light up like a diamond. My Paris trip was now complete.
* * *
The next morning I woke up early, checked out of the hostel and headed straight to the airport. The strikes on the Belgium-France rail lines were getting worse and they had to suspend some of the lines. I almost didn't make it to the airport but thankfully I didn't have to deal with another mishap right before flying back home.
My flight was on time, I had my last meal in Paris and headed to my transit in Abu Dhabi, where I would continue to be mesmerized by a building.
For what it's worth, I didn't hate my time in France or Germany. I am utterly grateful to have had the chance to travel halfway across the world to see such amazing sights. But I am only human, and I had reached a limit I didn't even know I had. Europe will always have a special place in my heart, even if I only got to see a very small portion of it. I will definitely be back in Europe one day, and I hope I'll be much more fired up to see more, learn more and experience more.
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