J'ai deux amours

I've arrived in Paris, and it's already exceeding my expectations, which were pretty high to begin with. First off, Paris is absolutely gorgeous. From the tree-lined streets filled with bustling sidewalk cafés, to the serene parks providing a place to relax, Paris is as beautiful and romantic as any description suggests. I've only been here a few hours; I have already fallen captive to the city's charm.

I found the hostel really quickly; the downstairs was full of young people eating breakfast and chatting. After I dropped off my bag, I wandered up a sidestreet and was immediately greeted by Sacre Coeur, even more picturesque than I could have imagined. From there, I wandered towards the center of the city, stopping in a café for coffee and pain au chocolat, to buy a newspaper, and reading in a nearby park, where I met a friendly South African. Now I'm ever-close to the Louvre; I can't even imagine how I'll feel when I reach it. I'll save actually going in the museum until my family arrives, but just being here is amazing enough.

It's a little premature, as I haven't really even seen Paris yet, but I'd say my favorite cities, in order, are:

Paris
Seville
Madrid
Toulouse
Barcelona
Bordeaux

Even so, the last--Bordeaux--was still a charming, wonderful place. The worst part of my trip occurred while I was in Barcelona, which may have had a negative impact on my impression of the city, but that had to do with the compounded stress of traveling alone, feeling lonely, and having no concept of the language whatsoever.

My family will arrive here in a matter of hours. I have no need to express how awesome it will be to see them. That means my first solo trip will have successfully ended. Now, in retrospect, I am extremely happy I decided to travel alone, am glad I made at least one close friend, and am really proud of myself.

I'm going to celebrate the end of my solo trip with lunch in a park followed by more aimless wandering. It may sound mundane, but la vie français is absolutely fabulous.