Never stop exploring

My mother sent me an Instagram post today with the top 10 travel destinations for 2022. I have visited four out of ten this year (New York, Barcelona, Madrid, and Paris) and I can't believe it. If Julia had only known in January. Two weeks ago, I was in Madrid for three days and six days in Paris. I particularly enjoyed Paris because I finally saw my best friend Jana again. We have never been apart for so long. The reunion was even more beautiful. The journey was stressful because my flight was delayed and the bus from the airport took forever. I wouldn't want to be a bus driver during rush hour in Paris. I had to wander around Paris with my suitcase for half an hour to get to her workplace. I couldn't find the metro station. Well, Google Maps and I have never been friends. When I finally arrived, she almost ran me over with joy, and the doorman, to whom I first said "Hola" out of overwhelm, thought we were sisters. We then walked to the Eiffel Tower, and Jana kindly took my suitcase. Seeing the Eiffel Tower sparkle was a great reward, and I took 1000 photos right away. She guided me through Paris, and we were still out for a long time. Spanish temperatures have made me soft, unfortunately, I was really freezing. But the delicious crepe warmed my heart. When we arrived at Jana's apartment, we watched a bad Christmas movie, snacked on cookies, and talked for ages. Unfortunately, Jana had to work the next day, but I also kept myself busy. This time I was better at handling Google Maps, I got on the metro without any problems and got off near L'Orangerie. There's a park all around where I took a leisurely stroll. There, you could see the Eiffel Tower really well, and I watched cute ducks. It was still pretty cold, my hands were colder than any ice cube. I could get into L'Orangerie for free. That's almost the case with every museum in Paris if you're an EU citizen and under 25. I admired Monet's water lilies and other artists for about 1.5 Monets. I love museums, I could spend hours there and not get bored. I'm particularly fond of Monet and Van Gogh. I definitely got my money's worth in Paris, not only did I see Monet's water lilies, but also Vincent Van Gogh's famous self-portrait and other works, which are hanging in the Musée de Orsay. After I had seen enough, I went to the Champs-Élysées. All the luxury brand stores were beautifully decorated for Christmas. I couldn't afford anything there, but it was nice to look at. Unfortunately, I got hungry and was forced to buy an overpriced sandwich and cappuccino. Surprisingly, it was pretty delicious, and I sat inside in the warmth. The stereotype that the French don't speak English somehow turned out to be true. Ordering was a challenge. I was also approached by an older gentleman in the museum, but unfortunately, the conversation was very short due to the language barrier. Jana finally finished work, and we went to the Arc de Triomphe together with her colleague (also for free!). It was pretty cool, the view was great. After that, we went to the Christmas market with a huge group, where I could show off my Spanish skills because one of them was a native Spanish speaker. Jana's friends were nice and open-minded, so it wasn't difficult for me to talk to them, even though I was a bit shy at first. To my surprise, it was easy for me to overcome my shyness, and I was proud of myself for that. Half a year ago, it would have been much harder for me, but I have definitely become more open through my volunteer service. I didn't treat myself to overpriced mulled wine (9€!!!), but I did have 'nonnenfürze' (aka quark balls with chocolate). The Christmas market was definitely different from the German ones. After getting lost several times, we had enough and some of us went home. Jana, her colleague, and I then went to a bar, and on the way, we sang German party songs and Christmas carols to fend off the cold. We visited two bars, and in the second bar, I managed to speak only in Spanish with the waiter, which actually went better than English. The evening was very relaxed and enjoyable. Jana and I finished watching the bad Christmas movie, cuddled, and slept.

The next day, I woke up very late because we had stayed up late again. I casually got off at a random metro station and walked around. I wanted to have breakfast, but it was already 13:30, which I somehow forgot. I went to a really nice bistro and confidently ordered the breakfast menu, but unfortunately, they didn't have it. Instead, I had a salad and croque monsieur. Two older ladies sat next to me, they were very well-dressed and very cute. They tried to talk to me, but the conversation was also quite short. We still managed to wish each other bon appétit somehow. After that, I went shopping for Christmas. Unfortunately, everything is really expensive in Paris, but I found nice things. Suddenly, it was already 18:30, and I met up with Jana and her colleague again. We went to the Musée de Orsay, where the Munch exhibition is currently taking place. I already knew some of his paintings, but seeing them in real life is completely different. What was particularly special about that evening was that the museum was open until nine, and there was an orchestra that provided musical accompaniment to the exhibition. It was really impressive, and the music actually moved me a lot. The day became even more perfect when Jana and I watched Twilight and talked endlessly like we did on the other days. It felt good to not only talk about my volunteer service or things that bother me but also about seemingly unnecessary trivialities. The presence of people who understand you and know you well is simply a blessing (if you're reading this, Jana: a kiss on the nut).

Day three was no different from days one and two in terms of routine; I left the apartment late again. This day I took it a bit easier because I was really tired from the previous days. I walked along the Seine to Notre Dame, where I found another Christmas market that was actually quite nice. Then I went to the famous bookstore "Shakespeare and Company," where pretty much every self-respecting author has been. The bookstore was really beautiful, and there was an area upstairs for reading, where I found a story about an umbrella in Paris. After that, I went to another bistro, where I had the spiciest arrabbiata pasta ever. My mouth was on fire. I watched football there in a relaxed atmosphere and then went home. That wasn't so relaxed, though, because the metro was redirected. Once again, it became clear that the French don't speak English. So I helplessly got off the metro again when a boy my age approached me. He was very helpful, spoke English, Spanish, and a bit of German, and he saved me. Without him, I wouldn't have survived changing trains twice. I then continued watching football at home, but I fell asleep and only woke up when Jana came home. We had another relaxed evening together.

New day, new capacity for art. I went to House Rivoli 59, a huge art house where all sorts of artists exhibit and sell their art. The house is pretty colorful and crazy, but I liked that. The next day, I even went in again. After that, I ate McDonald's, but that was also expensive. However, walking around was free, and I witnessed an anti-vaxxer demonstration. Idiots seem to be everywhere. Shopping was on the agenda again because Christmas was not far away. Just like the day before, I fell asleep at Jana's apartment while watching a series, but I was full of energy and went to a bar with her. It was the semi-final of the World Cup, France versus England. Luckily, France won, and the atmosphere was fantastic. We celebrated and sang with the people on the street. In the bar, we were invited by Italians to have several drinks, which was nice. We had a good conversation and enjoyed the evening. I tried all sorts of cocktails, and so did Jana. We then went home and immediately went to sleep, because the penultimate day should also be fully enjoyed.

My last full day in Paris... I was a bit sad, but at least Jana was off that day, and we could spend quality time together. We went to Galeries Lafayette, which is beautifully designed in Art Nouveau style on the inside and decorated with a huge Christmas tree. We bought friendship necklaces and enjoyed the great view from the top. The sun was shining, and it was just perfect. I was in a good mood and couldn't stop smiling. This day was special because we had so much time together. The flow was perfect. We wandered through Paris and stumbled upon a band that played really well. It was cool to listen to them, and I even gave them a euro. In the evening, we came up with the more or less crazy idea of staying up all night, and we watched all the Twilight movies because I had to get up early in the morning. During the seminar before my volunteer service, it was warned that you could become estranged from your friends or family, but I actually felt like the opposite was true for us. The distance brought us closer together. That's why I shed a few tears when saying goodbye, but I wasn't sad for long because this Paris trip was just perfect and gave me a lot of strength for the last weeks of work.