From Paris with Love...

After a little wait at the station in Cherbourg, I climbed on a train and did the four hour train trip to Paris.Upon my arrival, I immediately felt overwhelmed and utterly unprepared. The station was massive and there were at least five different types of trains to take. I felt like I was at Heathrow, but that everything was in a different language. Had it not been for a lovely French couple that I had met on the train from Cherbourg, I am not sure how I would have found my way to my hotel. They were kind enough to help me buy my ticket and took me to the right underground (RER). They explained how the underground worked, gave me one of their maps and even waited with me until I boarded the right one. I do not remember their names nor did I take down their contact details (which I truly wish I had done) but it once again proved to me just how incredible people can be.

When I told people that I would be going to Paris (on my own), the common response was; “Geez, you are brave going to Paris on your own”.I quickly released that there is a fine line between bravery and stupidity. I think I may have leaned more toward the latter. In all honesty, I struggled in Paris. I found the language a huge barrier (especially since I did not know a word of French, other than your obvious hellos and goodbyes) and the Parisians not super accommodating. I have to, however admit that this may not be every body’s experience of Paris, unfortunately, however it was mine. I quickly learnt that talking in Afrikaans, or mentioning I was South African from the start got me a better response than speaking in English. My first night in Paris was by far the worst of my trip. After almost two days with no sleep, overwhelming experiences and 2 hours trying to find someone who would/could sell me a sim card for my cellphone, I pretty much broke down. After Skype sessions with my family and a close friend, I followed their advice, calmed down, had a long bath and got an early night. I woke up prepared to take on Paris and enjoy it as much as possible. I proved to myself once again just how much a positive attitude could help in improving your experience of something.

It got better by the hour, and slowly I really started to enjoy it. The Eiffel Tower was incredible (although in my opinion slightly overrated), Notre Dame was beautiful, both inside and outside and the Arc De Triomphe at the end of the Champs-Elysees breathtaking. I have honestly never walked down a longer street, lined with Versace, Dolce and Gabbana and the most interesting and talented street performers. Notre Dame is truly beautiful... and free and is definitely worth a visit. I never managed to do a tour of the infamous bell tower made famous by Hugo’s “Hunch Back of Notre Dame”, but it is apparently something worth seeing. Some of my favourite places were, however the more real places, such as the side streets of the Latin Quarter or steep stepped hills of Montmartre. I even ended up walking through a random local market in the middle of a buzzing area, while trying to find my way to Montmartre. It was a little intimidating as I was the only foreigner around and did not have a clue what was happening around me, but was definitely an experience I will never forget. I found the Louvre a little boring (and this is coming from an art lover), but it was still very exciting to see the infamous Mona Lisa and other incredible art.

In general walking around Paris felt like I was walking in a museum, with beautiful old buildings, architecture and paintings, combined with the most modern transport systems and efficiencies expected of a first world country (city). The food can be a bit tricky. I am not adventurous when it comes to food, particularly if I do not know what is in something, so trying new foods is definitely my weakness. Although in fairness, I have improved a hang of a lot since starting my travels. Paris is famous for its patisseries and crepes, among other things... and these I was prepared to try. Enjoying a ham and cheese crepe atop Montmartre (along with the most incredible view) was the perfect reward for climbing like a billion steps (slight exaggeration). In addition, devouring croissants and other pastries (purchased from local patisseries) on the lawns beneath the Eiffel Tower or in the Luxembourg Gardens gave me a true Parisian experience. I also really enjoyed visiting the Pantheon and walking down small side streets (let alone the infamous St Michel and St Germain Boulevards), while trying to find my way to the Bastille.

I recommend Paris for lovebirds and lovers of art and architecture alike. I suggest going with someone, even it is just a friend, as it truly is the city of love and thus one can quickly become lonely when alone. When feeling overwhelmed, push on... get an early night and take on the new day with a positive attitude and an excited spirit.

Whilst Paris may not have been my favourite place, I have to admit that I do believe that being on my own and visiting Paris as my first non-English speaking country had a huge role in my less than positive experience. I have heard great things about the city of love from friends who have visited it with family, friends or partners and I would love to go back again with a friend or family, as I believe my experience would be completely different as I would be better prepared and not so lonely. 

The Louvre

Clock inside the Pantheon

 

Montmarte

Crepes

 

 The Eiffel Tower

 

The Arc de Triomphe

 

Street performers on the Champs-Elysees

Notre Dame

Notre Dame

Notre Dame

 

A year ago my journey began....

Ok, so it has been way to long since I last posted. Exams, essays and limited internet access unfortunately made it a little tough.
I cannot believe that it was literally a year ago that I started my wonderful adventure, and in fact today a year ago, I was celebrating Fathers’ day with my family in England. I was absolutely terrified and also incredibly excited at the same time while I waited to board my first international flight and yet in the end it turned out to be the experience of a life time. One I will never forget and for which I will forever be grateful. I only wish I could be still living the dream that was, my trip last June/July.

One of my best friends leaves tomorrow, for his adventure of Europe and the UK and I truly wish I was going too. Since he will be visiting some places I did not have the pleasure of visiting, I have decided to try doing a few posts about those places, even if they're just based on internet sources, “Let’s go Europe” and his experiences. Hopefully I will get to visit them in the near future and will then be able to report on how accurate these posts are.

JP, have a wonderful trip. Take photos, make friends, talk to people, experience new things, take every opportunity, sleep as little as possible, eat as much as possible, do stupid stuff (not to stupid) say yes and live. Stay safe and much love.

I will be posting about my experience of Paris shortly, so stay tuned.

 

Boring boat trip.

From Ireland I took a ferry across to France, so as to get to the city of love and romance, Paris. I learnt a lot on this ferry trip...most importantly... take along something to do. Something that can keep you busy for between 16 and 18 hours... unless you are a seasoned traveller and have learnt the art of sleeping anywhere, anytime (lucky you). I unfortunately had not learnt that skill quite yet, and so was wide awake (with the exception of a restless hour or so) for basically the entire 18 hour trip. Usually you would have Wi-Fi available, and it's free at that, so make use of the time to upload some of your photo's, without having to pay crazy internet cafe prices, or rely on, sometimes "iffy", hostel internet. Unfortunately the Wi-Fi wasn't working, so unfortunately YouTube videos, Facebook and Twitter were out of the question. Movies saved to my computer, writing in my journal, and making friends with random strangers (who are now not so strange) sufficed none-the-less.

If like me, you are trying to save money, book a seat instead of a bunk and make sure you have your sleeping bag with you. The seats recline, but I found crashing on the floor was a bit easier. The floors are carpeted with about 30 seats in a room with plenty of space around the seats, so you should have space. If you are willing to pay a bit more, go for a bunk. These are apparently a lot comfier and more private, especially if you are travelling in a group.

Be prepared to spend a little more on the ferry. Prices are rather high for food and the cinema etc., particularly when converting Rand into Euro's, so take a packed lunch, snacks and something to drink if you want to avoid paying. That, my friends, is how to travel cheaply/like a student.

My ferry trip was pretty boring, and excruciatingly long, but I did meet some really wonderful people. Take the time to chat to people around you. If you are lucky you might meet someone who is from the place you are visiting next. They can give you some tips on sites to see, cultural expectations, laws you may not have known about, and most importantly may help you overcome the language barrier a little. I was extremely fortunate to meet a lovely French girl who helped me learn a few phrases and wrote some things down for me. She also helped to find someone who was going to the station in Cherbourg, and so I was able to walk with someone who knew his way around.

I have met the most interesting people on my limited travels and have been so incredible amazed to see how kind and helpful people can be, regardless of culture, nationality or language. It is simply about taking the time to get to know someone, sharing a story or two and making a friend. :)

Unfortunately no photo's for this one, but please continue to read this blog and subscribe if you like.
Have a blessed week.

Beautiful Belfast...

It seems I have once again been neglecting my blog. My apologies. :)

On my 21st birthday, I had the privilege of visiting Belfast. Yes, that's right... Birthday in Belfast... has such a cool ring to it. A family friend, who had studied at Queens University in Belfast, took me through. It was truly an incredible experience.

Visiting the Titanic Museum was one of the most educational, interesting places I visited, and definitely, worth the money you pay to get in. So a definite gold star from my end. With floors and floors of Titanic information, you can fully understand the immensity of it all. Each floor tackles a specific aspect of the Titanic. With the bottom floor giving you a rollercoaster-ish type of ride "through the ship yards"... showing exactly how it was built. The middle floors show you exactly what life on the ship was like, giving you an idea of how everything looked and what exactly was on board. Another floor shows you all the movies, books or songs etc that have been made based on or in tribute to the Titanic. Whilst yet another floor focuses on the discovery of the Titanic (you can even watch a film of the underwater exploration). To add to the experience you can see the infamous Samson and Goliath from outside the museum. These are two giant cranes, with Samson being the bigger of the two, situated in the Harland & Wolff Shipyard.

Taking a "black taxi" tour of Belfast is awesome. You get an inside view of how Belfast is, and more importantly used to be. It is incredibly interesting, and if you know to ask, as did I, you can ask them to take you past Campbell College, which is where the famous author, C.S. Lewis went to school. You can even sneak a photo at the famous lamppost from "The lion the witch and the wardrobe."

If you're lucky, you might get to see the Parliamentary Buildings at Stormont... from the outside. They were preparing for the Queens arrival on my visit there.

One of the things I found most fascinating were the murals all around Belfast. They take you back in time and show you the history of Northern Ireland in beautifully, yet sometimes quite frightening, pictures, painted to represent the fears, beliefs and feelings of the citizens of Belfast. These murals vary depending on which side of the city you are on. Specifically whether you are on the side of the Catholics or the Protestants. These two sides are separated by a wall, now termed the Peace Wall. This was my favourite site in Belfast. It is quite scary to see how the wall was extended through history as fighting intensified. Now, as an attempt to beautify this, everyone is free to write or paint on it... basically acceptable graffiti. :) The messages of peace, love and hope are inspiring and beautiful.

Finally, I ended off my day touring around the breathtakingly gorgeous Queens College. With incredible old buildings and incredible botanical gardens next door, it was the perfect way to end my Birthday in Belfast before heading back to lovely Dublin.

 

Helpful tip #5

Backpacks!

If you are backpacking through Europe (or any other continent) having a decent backpack is vital. If you are physically going to be doing lots of walking and hitch-hiking stick to a bag that fits comfortably on your back and has different compartments, so that you can easily seperate your things. When buying your backpack, ask the store assistant to show/explain to you the correct way to pack it - in other words - where should you pack the heavy stuff and where should you pack the lighter stuff etc. This will make carrying a lot easier. Also try it on with some things inside and make sure the straps adjust comfortably. You will seriously regret buying a bag that will be uncomfortable the whole time.

If, like me, you will mostly be traveling by train, bus or plane and are staying in places very close to the stations or airports, get yourself a backpack with wheels. Yes, they make those now. They have all the same traits as a traditional backpack, but have wheels and a handle that pull out, making it ideal for wheeling around airports or walking down the road to a hostel. However, due to the shaft down the back making it possible to pull the bag, they are extremely uncomfortable on your back for longer periods of time as I discovered. You can easily manage them on your back for short periods, but they fail to mould to your backs shape and thus can be rather difficult to carry if you are walking around for hours on end. Luckily I only had this problem once, but quickly learnt my lesson.

This is when your day pack comes in handy. Take big enough a daypack that it can fit into you backpack but also be big enough to hold a decent amount of stuff, not only for day time trips, but also if you feel like venturing off and spending a night somewhere, you won't have to take your main backpack.

It's important to find a backpack that suits you and won't start bugging you 2 days in to your trip.

Ireland in pictures...