Paris pour Une

Everyone has a different style of travel. Some people are adventurous, some are active, some are passive, some prefer organized tours, and others like to just follow their feet. I personally have experienced Europe as part of an organized tour, on a cruise, by backpacking, and while staying with family. I have gone with a concrete day-to-day plan of what I wanted to do, and have gone to places and just "winged it." The common factor was that I was always with someone else. While I am one to recognize the allure to solo travel, due to a combination of factors, I had never managed to travel completely on my own. Then came one sunny Sunday in Paris.

I was traveling with my husband, whose interest in the galleries and historical sites I wanted to visit was about as high as my interest in going to a South Korean Star Craft tournament. However, being the compassionate guy that he is, he still accompanied me as I checked off place after place on my "to see" list. Despite his best intentions, his motivation to accompany me started to wane after a few days. Although the point of this trip was to spend time with each other away from our hectic lives, I proposed that we go to the Pompidou in the morning, and that I spend the afternoon visiting some sites on my own.

After soaking in all the feminist and modern art that he could stomach in one morning, Chris and his cousin said their adieus and left me to spend the rest of the day in absolute freedom. As luck--or exceptionally good planing--would have it, all of the major museums in the city were free today because it was the first Sunday of the month. This meant I could experience as much culture as my brain and feet could handle without having to deplete the limited resources in my wallet. After finishing off the rest of the Pompidou, I decided it was time to take a leisurely stroll in search of a nice square to enjoy some lunch, before wandering aimlessly through the centre of Paris.

This quickly became my favorite experience of the trip. The sun had come out, I had found a beautiful spot to enjoy my fresh sandwich, and the people watching was unparalleled. For the first time in Europe I felt completely relaxed. I knew where I was and felt comfortable in my surroundings (enough to be free of the tediousness of a map), yet everything was still foreign enough to be stimulating. I had the freedom of being on my own, able to set my own pace and direction, yet I felt that sense of community that one feels when sharing a communal space with fellow urbanites participating in a similar activity.

As I wondered through many of the main tourist attractions--Notre Dame, Pont Neuf, la Louvre--I was able to experience central Paris in a completely different way than my previous visit. Unencumbered by the opinions of a companion, and unrestricted by time and money, I was free to roam the streets and attractions at my leisure. I found myself no longer hurrying to experience the sites by rushing from highlight to highlight while missing all the life that was occurring in between. I was able to turn my attention--and my camera lens--toward not only the less visited corners, but the Parisians who are so often ignored by the average tourist. The result was a priceless experience that allowed me to let my feet follow my heart.


Not only did I end up with some of my favorite pictures from the trip, but as a result I had the chance to connect with myself in a new way. I discovered that the best way to experience a place is to blend in with your surroundings and make your own way. None of this would have been possible if someone had been with me that day to influence my choices. Personally, I learned that I cherish my freedom and independence even more than I had previously realized. With regards to travel, that afternoon has forever changed the approach I will take in visiting a foreign country--for the better.