Sometimes, all you have is a day.
Last summer I was accepted into a brief three week study abroad program to study Shakespeare in London. Going to Europe for the first time ever, I really wanted to fill up the pages of my passport. With minimal time to do so, I had to cease every opportunity to travel, even if I only had a day. If you’re traveling to Europe any time soon for a short period of time and are worried about seeing it all, just know it is possible.
Myself, and a group of my Shakespeare peers decided to utilize one of our free days and travel to Paris, France.
We were up at 4 a.m. to catch our 7 a.m Train, the Chunnel from London St. Pancras to Paris Nord. We had a two and a half hour train ride under the English channel to Paris which gave us some time to nap.
Upon arriving, dazed in sleep, at first it was all overwhelming and I couldn’t help but to drowsily take in all the gorgeous architecture. Everything was fresh and new and I knew, being 9 a.m. I only had so much time before my 7 p.m. train back to my student apartment in London.
Through the foreign signs we chaotically made our way to a bus which would take us downtown to the Eiffel Tower. On our bumpy bus ride, we gazed out the window as our professor who led our journey schooled us on the Do’s and Don’ts of typical American errors, aka putting french in front of fries, baguettes, onion soup, etc
Stepping off the bus, the romanticism of the streets hugged me in the 80 degree Paris sun as I approached the biggest item on my personal bucket list, the Eiffel Tower. From there we wondered and stumbled into a cute corner Parisian restaurant where we attempted (and I immediately failed) ordering food in french. The meal was everything and more.
Satisfied we only had to walk a block to find a wine restaurant where we sat next to an open window enjoying the breeze and a bottle of delicious white wine.
Crossing the shaded cobblestoned streets under the trees we found ourselves at The Seine River where we walked along, memorized by the gold covered streetlights. Until we caught a penny cab, squeezed far too many people on and belly laughed through the streets until we reached The Louvre.
From first glance, I never would have thought that this giant triangular glass structure would hold an underground world famous museum, but there I saw it, the one and only Mona Lisa. And before even entering The Louvre, just across the street we saw another stop on our site seeing tour, The Arc de Triomphe.
With the afternoon far behind us, we walked until we reached a wine shop, purchased some souvenir wine bottles to take back to America and snacked on some Crepes watching the sun settle before making our night train back.
Paris is far too large to cover everything in a day, but, with only seven hours I feel that I hit so many staple places and had quite a few vital moments that need to be had when in Paris. So, when traveling through Europe, pass through the city and explore, even if its only for a day because it always results in a magical whirlwind of memories.
