LONELY WINTER IN PARIS

I still can’t believe that I am in Paris, especially in a season that is said to be somewhat depressing. But my visa was ready and my air tickets were bought. Just go with the flow!

I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE THAT I AM IN PARIS, ESPECIALLY IN A SEASON THAT IS SAID TO BE SOMEWHAT DEPRESSING BECAUSE AT THIS TIME OF THE YEAR, LOCAL PARISIANS WOULD RATHER STAY AT HOME AND THE SHOPS CLOSE EARLY TO LET THE STAFF GO HOME TO DINNER WITH THEIR FAMILIES ON THESE DARK NIGHTS. WINTER IS NOT SUITABLE FOR SOMEONE WHO TRAVELS ALONE LIKE ME. BUT MY VISA WAS READY AND MY AIR TICKETS WERE BOUGHT. JUST GO WITH THE FLOW!

A BEAUTIFUL SCENE APPEARED BEFORE ME ON THE BACKGROUND OF A BLUE SKY WITH SOME WHITE CLOUDS, AN OLD MOSS-GREEN RAILING AND A METRO LAMP POST.

ATHE MORNING ROADS

fter about 13 hours of flying, I arrived at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, France on a winter night, marking my first time coming to the Europe since I was enthralled with the romance of Jesse and Celine in the film “Before Sunset”. At 6:30 am, I woke up because I had forgotten to turn off the alarm clock and also because my body was used to waking up at this time every day. I sat up and excitedly looked outside, but it was still dark. “Well, that’s right,

I’m in Paris!” I told myself that and continued to cover myself up with the blanket so I could sleep a little longer. It was not until I heard my American roommate making some noises that I jumped out of my bed too. After getting acquainted with him briefly, I went to the bathroom to do my personal hygiene routine. Being clean and warm thanks to the jacket bought from the Russian market - and sprayed some shots of my favorite 212 perfume, I went out to explore Paris.

In front of my residence was a park full of dried leaves with rows of bare trees. There were the smells of the cold winter, the morning dew, the sweet Chanel Allure of the girl who had just passed by, the cigarette smoke and the drunken odor from the night before…

Here comes the sun. Let’s go!

I kept walking and walking on so many streets I couldn’t possibly remember their names. I kept going and looking at what was ahead of me: the funky graffiti-covered walls, the wide roads that almost empty, the bare trees... and feeling immersed in the tranquility of the morning in Paris.

BEWILDERED BY PARIS!

The largest and most famous fountain in Paris - Le Fontaine Saint Michel - has been located in Place SaintMichel since 1860. If I have the opportunity to return here, I will stop by a small coffee shop overlooking this Place, take a cup of café au lait and have a croissant for breakfast in a cool typical Parisian way, then watch the flow of people back and forth.

After gazing at the Place for a while, I took the metro straight to the Metro Champ de Mars/tour Eiffel station. The train is so strange, it has 2 floors (the first time I’ve seen something like this) and looks cleaner and more interesting than the train I rode from the airport. I excitedly climbed upstairs to see the difference. Suddenly I heard the sound of the violin and I turned my eyes around to see a man playing the violin at the end of the train car. He continued to play the violin while going backward so that anyone who took an interest could put a few coins in his pocket. Paris is so amusing; I’ve never seen such a scene on a train.

At the station, I followed the signs to the Eiffel Tower. Standing at the exit to the ground, I looked up... A beautiful scene appeared before me on the background of a blue sky with some white clouds, an old moss-green railing and a Metro lamp post. I stopped for at least a minute just to look at that dreamy view.

Giant Eiffel Tower looked almost electric when I approached the base of it and looked up. With a height of up to 324 m, the Eiffel Tower is currently the tallest building in France. But it is a quite interesting fact that in the winter, the Eiffel tower shrinks and is 10 - 20 cm shorter because steel contracts in cold weather.

Basically, the Eiffel Tower is already stunning but the surroundings make the tower even more beautiful in the cold weather of winter. I adored the paintings on the street along the sidewalk, the artists who sketch for 10 EUR/ piece and the road next to the tower. Watching couples going hand in hand and cuddling made me desirous! It’s not my first time traveling alone, it’s not the first time seeing lovebirds come in pairs, yet in this country, in this weather, in this place, I feel... such yearning for love!

I boarded on the Bateaux Parisiens cruise down the legendary Seine River because this is the fastest way to see the famous sights of Paris such as the Eiffel Tower, NotreDame Cathedral and Musée d’orsay in only about an hour. There is commentary in multiple languages provided by individual audio guides inside the boat. However, I prefered the open space, so I climbed onto the deck to enjoy the passing attractions and... shiver because it was too cold. But I like that because in Vietnam, I have never experienced this cold feeling. The cruise trip was an hour, but time passed so fast on the boat. I didn’t know how I returned to the original departure point in such a blink of an eye!

THE HEART OF ROMANCE

For some reason, my phone - that kept much of my old French music - accidentally played the famous “Belle” from the musical “The Hunchback of Notre-dame” while I was wandering along the Seine. In the distance, there was the top of the tower of world-famous Notredame de Paris (at that time, this magnificent cathedral had not been damaged by fire yet).

Next to the cathedral, there is always a row of people lined up to wait for their turn to enter the gate to climb up to the steeple. Looking at the city from above is always an attraction to me when I visit a strange city. I stood in the middle of the cold winter, moved step by step and craved for a hand to hold like a coulpe in front of me. It took me more than 40 minutes before it was my turn to enter the gate.

The stairs are quite small and spiraled, just wide enough for one person and if you are not careful, you may slip or get dizzy. After climbing up about 387 steps, before I caught my breath, I was overwhelmed by the beauty of Paris from above. It was so beautiful! I kept on praising what was in front of my eyes. There are statues of chimère in every corner of the cathedral that serving the purposes of architectural highlights and waterspout systems. Perhaps, the most photographed statue here is “le stryge” - a winged creature with its head in its hands, passionately gazes over the beauty of Paris. If it weren’t for the crowded flow of people here, I would have probably stood still, kept my head in my hands in a similar way to the “le stryge” and looked at the beautiful city of love.

And this is also the place I visited the most when

I was in Paris. Almost every day, sometimes in the

PERHAPS, THE MOST PHOTOGRAPHED STATUE HERE IS ³LE STRYGE´ -A WINGED CREATURE WITH ITS HEAD IN ITS HANDS, PASSIONATELY GAZES OVER THE BEAUTY OF PARIS.

morning and sometimes at night - I just wanted to see the beauty of the cathedral at different times of the day. I was intrigued by a flock of pigeons flew up and down in the churchyard. I was engrossed by the small vendors selling paintings of cathedral, postcards of famous celebrities from old times and rare books. I gazed at the street artists drawing colorful paintings of Paris. I visited Shakespeare & Company, an interesting English bookstore in the middle of Paris, where you can find rare books which has been a familiar setting in many celebrated movies such as “Before Sunset” and “Midnight in Paris”...

I kept wandering on the streets around Notre-dame to see if I was lost in Paris like Gil, the main character in “Midnight in Paris”, or not. Champs-élysées is very busy all day and night with plenty of crowded restaurants, bars and luxury shops to attract tourists. Following the old steps, I climbed to the roof of the Arc de Triomphe at the center of Place de l’étoile to have a panoramic view of the surrounding streets, Place de la Concorde in the distance and the famous Luxor Obelisk.

Walking slowly, I enjoyed the European bone-chilling cold winter. When it was too cold, I dropped by some famous museums such as the Louvre Museum or the Musée d’orsay to stay warm for a while then went out again. I prefered to walk on open streets, watching couples going hand in hand and hugging each other at the street corners to enjoy the Parisien romance on winter days.