The first time i travelled to a foreign country on my own, without any parent or teacher to keep an eye on me, was when i was sixteen. I didn't go that far. It was just a short little trip to paris, but at that time, probably because of my age and it being the first time, it felt like a real adventure.
The eurolines busterminal was a shabby little underground garage just outside of paris at port de bagnolet, wich is in the east of the city.
To safe money, and because i wanted to see as much of the city as possible, i decided not to take the subway, but to walk instead.
My first destination was pere lachaise, but when i arrived it had just closed.
So i went walking to the centre of paris, ile de la cite, from there, through some of paris less glamorous picture postcard neighbourhoods. But i loved it. It was noisy and full of life.
Maybe after an hour of walking, i took a little detour because i didn't want to look like a tourist looking on the map all the time, so my route wasn't exactly the shortes way, i arrived at the banks of the river seine, near gare the lyon, east of ile the la cite.
I looked westward, and there it was. This was my first view of the picture postcard paris that all the tourists want to see. But it was stunning. It was beautiful, majestic....and almost a thousand years old. I walked towards it and then just sat there, for maybe half an hour, on the big square at it's facade. The sun now almost lit it vertically, wich made it radiate with light.
I was struck with a sense of awe. The history was almost tangible. Millions of people must have started their pilgrimage here. A spiritual journey. Napoleon crowned himself here. Thousands of people worked a lifetime constructed it. Many of it's builders never saw t's completion.
You cannot realy understand the impact of buildings like these, if you haven't seen them for yourself.
Many of us now, see the catholic church as a bunch of corrupt pedophiles, and for good reason. But buildings like the notre dame in paris are a spiritual beacon. They connect us with a history long forgotten. You can feel the history there. Almost smell it even.
I've been to paris many times, since then. When you travel through europe, often you'll find paris is somewhere between you and your destination. A transit hub always worth passing through.
I think because it was my first journey alone, it has a special place in my heart.
The eurolines busterminal was a shabby little underground garage just outside of paris at port de bagnolet, wich is in the east of the city.
To safe money, and because i wanted to see as much of the city as possible, i decided not to take the subway, but to walk instead.
My first destination was pere lachaise, but when i arrived it had just closed.
So i went walking to the centre of paris, ile de la cite, from there, through some of paris less glamorous picture postcard neighbourhoods. But i loved it. It was noisy and full of life.
Maybe after an hour of walking, i took a little detour because i didn't want to look like a tourist looking on the map all the time, so my route wasn't exactly the shortes way, i arrived at the banks of the river seine, near gare the lyon, east of ile the la cite.
I looked westward, and there it was. This was my first view of the picture postcard paris that all the tourists want to see. But it was stunning. It was beautiful, majestic....and almost a thousand years old. I walked towards it and then just sat there, for maybe half an hour, on the big square at it's facade. The sun now almost lit it vertically, wich made it radiate with light.
I was struck with a sense of awe. The history was almost tangible. Millions of people must have started their pilgrimage here. A spiritual journey. Napoleon crowned himself here. Thousands of people worked a lifetime constructed it. Many of it's builders never saw t's completion.
You cannot realy understand the impact of buildings like these, if you haven't seen them for yourself.
Many of us now, see the catholic church as a bunch of corrupt pedophiles, and for good reason. But buildings like the notre dame in paris are a spiritual beacon. They connect us with a history long forgotten. You can feel the history there. Almost smell it even.
I've been to paris many times, since then. When you travel through europe, often you'll find paris is somewhere between you and your destination. A transit hub always worth passing through.
I think because it was my first journey alone, it has a special place in my heart.
