I decided to tag on an extra three days of travel in Paris prior to Israel. The last time I was in the city was…a long time ago, and frankly, I don’t remember any of it. As such, it was a pleasant excursion to see the city (again, I guess) and to acclimate myself to the time difference before Tel-Aviv.
Keeping with the “3” theme, here is a list of my top three…
Foods
Confit du Canard: the French know how to do duck. Eaten at Canard et Champagne.
Crepe Complete: buckwheat crepe with ham, Comte cheese, fried egg, and salted butter. My first meal in Paris and definitely one of my favorites. Eaten at Breizh Cafe.
Pain au Chocolat. Ate a few versions of this, but the best was from Maison Landemaine.
Places
Eiffel Tower
Arc de Triomphe
Basilique du Sacre Coeur
Neighborhoods
Latin Quarter
Jewish Quarter/Marais
St. Germain
People
Y.K.: Originally from Singapore, Y.K. has been working in Paris for over two years as a data analyst for energy companies. We strolled through Bastille, brunch’ed at Holybelly, and devoured the best black sesame croissants in Paris.
Fernando: Colombian man living in Vienna and visiting Paris. Bonded (en español) over not understanding the French announcement in the metro station and even offered to help me out when I visit Vienna in August!
Katherine & daughter: a friendly mom-daughter duo from Belgium in the same hostel room as me. There was a language barrier and a lot of charades.
For anyone traveling to Paris soon or ever, here’s a pro-tip shared with me by Y.K.:
Purchase the Navigo Deuscuetre Pass for unlimited travel on any form of French public transportation (RER line, metro, tram, bus).
Where: access to any of the zones 1-5, including all three major airports
Duration: one week, Monday-Sunday
Price: 27.50 euros, which is a steal
Where to purchase: any metro stop, must bring a passport-sized photo (weird French rule)
More information: https://parisbytrain.com/paris-train-metro-week-pass-navigo-decouverte/
Since Paris scales a large area, this metro pass saved me lots of time when location-hopping and lots of money (did not have to take a single taxi or purchase one-ways).
Thoughts on Solo-Traveling
This three-day excursion to Paris was perhaps my first foreign trip alone, and it was difficult. Besides the language barrier, finding things to occupy myself for the whole day and navigating the streets were a challenge without friends or family. Solo-traveling has its benefits, which I did experience: see/eat/do whatever you want on your own schedule, only have to worry about yourself, generally fit in more things onto the itinerary, (sometimes) toughens character. Even with the handful of benefits, traveling with others is certainly more enjoyable for me. I would do it again, but I would not prioritize it.
As they say, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
I’m off to Tel-Aviv now. Ready to brace the heat and to reunite with faces I know. Au revour!