By 2015 my nagging desire to see the world finally won out against the impossibility of lining up my own vacation time and PTO with that of my friends, and I decided to set off on a solo adventure. I wanted to start seeing Europe.
To date my only European exposure had been a whirlwind 3-day trip to Paris with friends a handful of years earlier that left many quite notable stones unturned. Wanting to do Paris properly before I moved on to other locales I booked myself an Airbnb in the city of love for 8 nights and then tacked on 3 days in Copenhagen at the end. The idea was that I'd use a city I had some familiarity with as a "home base," counting on my shoddy high school-level French to provide a small measure of comfort as well, and I'd maybe take some day trips to other countries because trains. I love the European rail system, I really do.
I knew I wanted to see the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre for sure, and perhaps make a trip out to Versaille. There was also a falafel spot that came highly recommended by the internet that I hoped to check out but the rest was entirely TBD.
After my red-eye landed at CDG I made my way to my Airbnb in the 5th arrondisement to drop my bag. I can recall how foreign the building itself felt, a locked door at the street giving way to a cool, dim, tall-ceilinged corridor that itself lead to an open air courtyard where the actual residence entryways were all situated. I had no qualms with it being a fourth floor walk up since I make a point to not travel with anything I can't comfortably carry on my back. Upon summiting the stairs I found the key and lock system was just as delightfully unfamiliar, taking several attempts to figure out how many times the key had to be turned full rotations and in what direction to gain access to my little Parisian flat.
I resisted the urge to nap away the jet lag and spent most of that day quietly strolling the city and the Seine, taking in my fill of the fresh fall air and snapping some pics along the way.
Pair reading along the Seine
I try to explore on foot as much as possible when I travel, because of how much more you see and how your day can unfold in a completely different manner than you expected.
I maintain that one of the greatest gifts solo travel has to offer is the absence of someone to be upset you wanted to stop to take photos, or criticize your inclination to meander.
The back of Notre-Dame
Another thing to note about me, in addition to my inclination to photograph everything, is that I'm not fancy about my lodging so long as it is clean and safe. To me there is travel and there are vacations and these are different beasts. Vacation is warm, restful, sandy, smells like sunscreen and includes happy hour with umbrella-topped coconut drinks. Travel is exploration. When I travel I'm there to see what's outside the four walls that enclose my bed. My Parisian Airbnb was the smallest I've ever seen — a singular room, bed tucked away on the floor in a nook-like alcove hidden away by a sliding curtain — but it was all I needed. I was tickled to find I could prop my feet up on the chair of the small metal patio set that was serving as a dining table and reach into the mini fridge for the girl dinner I had collected from a local market.
I was feeling as empowered and girl boss about my first solo trip as any Netflix rom-com main character might.
The next few days were spent wracking up tens of thousands of steps, and nearly as many photos, making my way through Paris and the sights I'd hoped to see. I found the falafel place which was as good as promised (shout out L'As du Fallafel), I took a guided audio tour through the Louvre, and cruised the Seine on a low riverboat as the setting sun bathed everything riverside in golden light.
Approaching the Louvre
The Louvre
One of the days when I strolled passed the Eiffel Tower I decided to stop and see what was involved in going up it. I hadn't considered there would be lines, but there were. Luckily they were lines for the elevator, and I was happy to take the line-free stair option.
Paris from the Eiffel Tower
Observation deck of the Eiffel Tower
Sure, it's cliche but the views from atop the Eiffel Tower are beautiful and you'll never convince me that the sparkly thing that it does at the top of every hour isn't worth stopping to take in.
The Eiffel Tower in all its sparkling glory
I did use one day to make a trip out to Versaille, and it is a feast for the eyes. The gold glitters atop the palace even on an overcast fall day, and the grounds extend nearly as far as your naked eye can see.
Château de Versailles
Grounds behind the Château de Versailles
Wandering the gardens with no one else in sight I couldn't help but think about the countless others to walk those same paths since they were completed in the mid-1600s. Maybe it's the relative newness of my home country that fosters this romanticism in me, but any time I'm traveling in older parts of Europe my mind wanders to all the lives that have been lived over the centuries in any given spot I'm standing.
Walking through the gardens at Château de Versailles
Statue at Château de Versailles
Gardens at Château de Versailles
With several of the Parisian tourist destinations checked off my list I began plotting where I might take a day trip or two. My only ground rules were that I be able to spend 5+ midday hours there so that I didn't feel completely rushed in my exploration. Realizing that a train to London would take me through the "Chunnel" (I'd definitely watched a series on rock-boring turbines before, because I'm fascinated by all sorts of technology) tickled me and was a good enough reason to set my sights there for a day.
The journey from Gare du Nord in Paris to London's St Pancras took about 2h15m and with the 1-hour time difference I arrived around 1:30pm. Not necessarily having a destination in mind I wandered toward the Thames and across the Waterloo Bridge to get closer to the London Eye.
From there I could see Big Ben across the river so I headed south to cross back across Westminster Bridge and took one of my favorite photos there.
The Westminster Bridge with Big Ben in the background
That favorite photo was followed in quick succession by what might be one of my favorite selfies I've taken with the help of my photo bombers.
