Submitted by Kristina Demou on the 2017 spring semester program in Rome, Italy…
This past weekend, I traveled back to Paris with a new group of friends. I had been there a few weeks prior, but I had truly fallen in love with everything about it, and when I had left, I was overcome with this sense that I hadn’t had enough time. So luckily, my other friends had booked a trip there and I decided to join them and soak in even more sights and experiences in this beautiful city.
This time was very different. I felt more familiar with the city (although it is still pretty massive), I had a sense of where things were located in relation to each other and I had an idea of what to expect from the people there. Since I had hit the major tourist attractions during my first visit, I dedicated this weekend to a more personalized itinerary and even explored some things on my own. I visited the Picasso Museum, which surprisingly turned out to be one of my favorite museums I’ve visited so far. I also visited the Centre Pompidou, which is home to the largest museum of modern art in Europe. A lot of the artwork there was very funky and different than what I’m used to seeing and I was so content just roaming around the exhibits and taking in all the cool, unique art that people have created. I also felt perfectly content with my day of solo exploring and it felt empowering to know I successfully navigated my way through Paris, Metro system and all, by myself. I am definitely finding my confidence through my travels and have started to develop more patience, especially when things might go wrong. If I was unsure of which street to turn on, or which Metro line to take, I would just stop and think it through rather than panic and get flustered. I’m glad my patience is getting better here!
Paris gave me so many things and so many memories. Although it always feels nice to come back home to Rome after a weekend of travels, I can say that Paris was the hardest city to leave. I’ll miss having crepes for lunch, being able to speak French at stores and restaurants and getting to wander the wide, uncrowded sidewalks. I am so lucky I had the opportunity to come back and see even more, and I know I’ll be back again someday to continue finding new reasons to love the city of love.
