Voyager à Paris
Bonjour!
Winter break has just passed, I have to start a new semester. Excited, yet I have some concerns on how to live my new life in Netherlands. Will I have friends as I do before? Will I study well? Will I manage my time better? Those questions are lingering in my mind.
Now, I'm not going to talk any of my concerns, nor the US-Russian relations in Trump's years, nor Trump-Netanyahu-Islam love-hate relation. Too heavy, too pessimistic, too complicated.
As I read my friend's new posting about her journey to Singapore, it gave me such inspiration to write again (got hundreds of unfinished draft, actually). But now, mine is a little fancier. I'm gonna share my short trip to Paris! A metropolis in France.
This actually was my first time traveling to the far away country. After passing by in Netherlands, in which I felt like home since there are gazillions of Indonesian I could meet everywhere on the street, I was excited to finally beat my fear - to travel to Paris!
It was not my biggest dream, though, to travel to Paris. What I had in my mind was Paris might be the place where I could experience the hate-speech (because I wore hijab??). I expected to see or be in any Islamophobia cases. BUT, it did not happen. Paris is just a very Muslim-friendly city.
One day, I walked in one of the big roads which I couldn't remember the name, and I felt so 'safe'. A group of Muslim girls passed me and we smiled and we greeted each other. There were not such things as Islamophobia I found.
I had a fun time visiting Louvree Museum. With 15 Euros, you could see all beautiful things: scriptures, paintings, arts, and much more.
Winter break has just passed, I have to start a new semester. Excited, yet I have some concerns on how to live my new life in Netherlands. Will I have friends as I do before? Will I study well? Will I manage my time better? Those questions are lingering in my mind.
Now, I'm not going to talk any of my concerns, nor the US-Russian relations in Trump's years, nor Trump-Netanyahu-Islam love-hate relation. Too heavy, too pessimistic, too complicated.
As I read my friend's new posting about her journey to Singapore, it gave me such inspiration to write again (got hundreds of unfinished draft, actually). But now, mine is a little fancier. I'm gonna share my short trip to Paris! A metropolis in France.
This actually was my first time traveling to the far away country. After passing by in Netherlands, in which I felt like home since there are gazillions of Indonesian I could meet everywhere on the street, I was excited to finally beat my fear - to travel to Paris!
It was not my biggest dream, though, to travel to Paris. What I had in my mind was Paris might be the place where I could experience the hate-speech (because I wore hijab??). I expected to see or be in any Islamophobia cases. BUT, it did not happen. Paris is just a very Muslim-friendly city.
One day, I walked in one of the big roads which I couldn't remember the name, and I felt so 'safe'. A group of Muslim girls passed me and we smiled and we greeted each other. There were not such things as Islamophobia I found.
I had a fun time visiting Louvree Museum. With 15 Euros, you could see all beautiful things: scriptures, paintings, arts, and much more.
Look how I couldn't be apart with this friend! Tolak Angin. Paris was a bitch at that time: wind, cold, no heater. What a good time I had, huh? So obviously, I got cold and tired and homeless. Good God, I had this herbal multivitamin (or whatever that was, but it helped me a lot).
What really attracted me was Monalisa's picture. Everybody wanted to be with her, apparently. Long line to just take a picture of Monalisa. And look at the buffer zone in front of the painting and to the line, Unbelievable!
If it was not for my mother, I might not ever in my whole life take a picture with Eifel tower!
What I loved the most from this city was Shakespeare and Co! I couldn't love more! Shakespeare and Co is a book store. A sizeable amount of book collection, unique architecture inside, wonderful place to spend all your money at. If I could just stay there for the rest of my visit, it would be one of my biggest achievement!
After spending some times in Paris, I departed to Avignon, a beautiful classic small city in the Southeast France. Here are some pictures from wonderful Avignon:
Last but not least, before I went back to Netherlands, I paid a visit to UNESCO office. Nope, I didn't manage to get in and see what's inside, just a passing by haha!
Overall, I did enjoy my trip. A lot. Remember, if you are planning to visit Paris or you are in Paris when you read this, watch your purses and other belongings. Pickpockets are everywhere. I lost my watch and my eyeglasses :(
*haha! That's exaggerated. What happened was I forgot where I put those and lost that by my own mistake.
