Paris 1 & Brussels

Paris 1 & Brussels

The Great Ideas of Independence & Openness 

PARIS 

On the train from Amsterdam, I listened to music and journaled about our incredible adventure. Only 4 full days in, and this trip was already blowing my expectations out of the water! Hyperlinked is the playlist I made for the ride and kept filling in along my travels, if you'd like to listen. 

Farewell, Amsterdam! - From the train to Paris. 

We arrived in Paris at dusk and started towards our Air Bnb for the night -- we were staying in the city for less than 24 hours. Getting into the Bnb was like trying to solve an Escape Room: if you've been to one, you know that fun puzzles can quickly turn frustrating and frantic, especially in our case when we couldn't figure out the lighting in the hallway, so we were working at the lock by phone flashlight. So, just like in an Escape Room, sometimes you have to phone a friend and get a hint or some help. Since it wasn't too late at night, I figured the worst thing that could happen if I knocked at the neighboring apartment would be no answer. Instead, we got even luckier, and the mother living with her daughters next door showed us how the unique lock system worked, gave us some other pointers for the city, and even shared a loaf of fresh homemade bread with us. After our full day of travel, gratitude was an understatement, and we thanked her and left a small thank you card like the ones we'd left for our Amsterdam friends, before heading to dinner. 

Bon Appétit! - A wonderful dinner.

After dinner, we took a cab to the Eiffel Tower, hoping to catch the last sparkle of the night. Unfortunately, we missed the twinkling lights, but that didn't make the sight any less magical. There really is something special and romantic about the Eiffel Tower at night on a chilly May evening, and I FaceTimed a couple friends and family to say hello and share the moment with them too, before we got some Nutella crepes and sat by the Seine to take in the sights and the sounds of the Parisian evening. 

The Eiffel Tower through the trees & screenshot of FaceTime with David

Though short, that night trying to get into our accommodations in Paris held a good lesson that built upon our good luck in meeting good people in Amsterdam: follow your intuition. The world is a vast place, and sometimes it's scary. But when your gut feeling gives the okay, it's okay to ask for help and lean into new experiences.

The Eiffel Tower at night.

Alternatively, it's okay to do your own thing, which brings me to the half day in Paris. After packing our bags, Eli and I went with our two travel companions to the center of the city where the "big" attractions are. (I say big in quotes because Paris is so full of art and culture and hidden gems that it's almost impossible to categorize the "biggest" attractions, so perhaps the better phrasing is well known.) With barely 4 hours until my train on to Belgium, there wasn't time to see much. 

Sights of the Seine along our morning walk.

So, Eli and I decided to go to the top of the Arc De Triumphe while our companions made their eighth trip to Zara (a chain clothing store) over the last 5 days. I was hesitant to write about this part of the trip, but I did do a lot of chewing on it, so I've decided that it's important to discuss what it meant to me. 

Views of the Notre Dame Cathedral and Louvre Museum from our morning walk. 

Sometimes you meet people you don't quite mesh with. Sometimes your travel companions have different priorities than you. That is actually alright -- the Great Idea of Independence -- but it has taken me a long time to feel truly comfortable with that fact of life. For example, I encountered a similar experience when taking a weekend trip to Paris with an old friend during my Study Abroad experience in Oxford in 2019. My friend wanted to spend her two days in France at Disneyland Paris; I wanted to spend my time exploring the monuments unique to Paris and visiting Versailles. Back in 2019, it tore me apart that my friend and I had different priorities for how to spend our time -- I felt guilty doing my own thing. 

Base Views of the Arc De Triumphe. 

This trip, I did not feel guilty doing what was important to me though it was different than what was important to someone else. This was a huge moment for me: I felt confident in my own path. I did not let my people pleasing dictate what I did with my four precious hours left in Paris or the four precious days in England and the Netherlands previously. Not every reader will resonate with this Great Idea, and that's alright -- but for any who have struggled with developing the confidence to branch out and pursue their own passions despite what others think or say, I hope you see why this meant so much to me and why I've chosen to leave this reflection in my blog. More than anything, it's for my younger self, because it took a long time for my independence to bring joy instead of guilt. 

Inside and on top of the Arc De Triumphe!

Now back to the plot! Eli and I went through the museum inside the Arc De Triumph and emerged on top to a gorgeous panoramic view of Paris. Famous monuments and museums dotted the cityscape, and of course the mighty Seine River cut its way through the center. More to come about this historical waterway in the Paris 2 blog. After descending back to ground level, Eli and I had a lovely French lunch to close out our time traveling together. I finally hugged my adopted older sister and our other companions goodbye before they left for their flight home and I headed off to the Gare Du North train station for my next leg of travel in Belgium and Germany.

Windy smiles from the top of the Arc De Triumphe!

BRUSSELS 

The train ride to Brussels was funny, especially looking back. It was my first time using the trains/my Eurail pass alone, and I hadn't properly booked a seat even though I'd booked a ticket. Definitely a rookie mistake, but luckily the man taking tickets was gracious and I was still able to ride, though I sat in between cars on my luggage. Honestly, it was a pretty smooth ride and the view wasn't half bad! 

Some glorious waffles I passed on the way to my hostel.

I had arrived in Brussels around 6 pm and was asleep by 8:30 pm after checking into my first hostel of the Tour -- the exhaustion from the last four days of pure adventuring had finally set in. The check-in process was lovely and easy, and before I passed out, I met the woman staying in the bunk below mine, Rasha who was from Egypt, and we decided we'd explore together the next day. 

My hostel bunk - quite cozy!

I hope you're not getting sick of my serendipity yet, because my day in Brussels with Rasha was absolutely one for the books! Refreshed after 12 hours of sleep in my hobbit hole bunk, we started the day by walking to the Place Royale. Rasha was nearing the end of her holiday in Belgium and was going to be meeting with her brother, who is a pilot, to fly back to Egypt later in the week. We started getting to know each other more as we made our way to Warandepark for some tea and breakfast. 

The Place Royale (Royal Palace) with Rasha.

Rasha works in finance in Egypt, and she is very well travelled and extremely personable and kind. She told me lots of stories about her family, and it's evident how much she loves them from the way she talks about them and sent them photos and voice messages as we explored. She also told me about the interesting cultural norms in Egypt for women when it came to what they were allowed to do and dress like in public. It was fascinating to hear about her life and her opinions, as some were very different and some very similar to mine despite us coming from different continents. 

Photos from Warandepark.

Additionally, we talked about America a good bit. As I recall, Rasha had visited NYC but not much more of the US. She thought most Americans were lazy and overweight, and that brought up interesting topics like food desserts and cities in the US being built around cars rather than pedestrians, which seemed eye opening for her. Overall, our conversations throughout the day were truly enjoyable, and I learned a ton and had so much fun walking around Brussels with Rasha. I've kept up with her via Instagram since May and am glad to share that the last time we spoke, she and her family were safe. 

Photos from the Cathedral of St. Michael. 

Over the course of our day together, we visited the Cathedral of St. Michael and the Mont des Arts in the Royal Quarter, had lunch at La Grand-Place (where yes, I did have the best waffle of my life), and lastly went to the see the famous Mannequin Piss who Rasha had been raving about all day. As I shared in my Halfway Update, the Mannequin Piss is a famous water story in the memory of Brussels: when the city was on fire, the heroic little boy commemorated by the statue used his personal stream to save Brussels by putting out the flames (Really, though, Rasha tells it better). On May 24, he happened to be dressed up as the Pope, and Rasha's joy and laughter once we saw him made this my favorite stop of the day. 

The lovely Mont des Arts garden.

Best savory waffle of my life & the La Grand-Place.

We rounded out the perfect day with dinner and a little window shopping. Rasha was the first of many friends I met during the solo travel portions of my GIT, and the kindness she showed me by inviting me to spend the day with her made Brussels such a special stop. Thus, I give Brussels the Great Idea of Openness -- being open to new friends and new adventures in new places. It might be counter intuitive, but I think Independence and Openness go hand in hand. Each requires you to trust your intuition and see where it takes you (kind of like deciding when to swim against the current and when to just go with it). And, when utilized well, each leads you to exactly what you need, leaving you feeling amazed at the balance you've found through the interplay of two seemingly opposite ideals. 

The Mannequin Piss!!! Hero of Brussels. 

More water-forward posts to come. Up next, Germany!