Continuing on from part 1 J
6) Beware of pick pockets!!!!
No exaggeration! I read some tips online on how to avoid being
a victim of pick pockets and I determined to stay safe. I put all my valuables
in a small cotton shoulder bag and wore it under my jacket. On the second day
of being in Paris we were in Place de la Concorde and I saw a picture of Cain
(from the biblical story of Cain and Abel) lamenting. I was taking pictures of it
with both mine and Estella’s phone in my hands. Three girls came out of nowhere and asked me
if I could speak English. (They probably thought I was on my own as Estella was
standing on the side of the statue and out of view.) Without me realising it the
girls had formed a subtle circle around me and I was in the centre. As soon I heard
the girl say “Sign here please” My mind went back to an online article I read
and according to Estella I firmly said “No!” and "teleported" myself out of their
circle! Estella found my swift exit incredibly amusing. Without hesitation the
three girls quickly moved on. OK, you don’t need to be as dramatic as I was but
make sure you keep your belonging close to you and also be aware of your
surroundings especially in busy public touristy places. Estella and I giggled
at the fact that those pickpockets would probably have relieved me of the banana
peels and apple cores that were building up in my bag, but I guess it’s all
about not giving them an opportunity at all.
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| Statue of Cain Lamenting - Place de la Concorde |
7) Understand who you’re traveling with
I learnt so much about Estella as well as myself on this
holiday. Estella is very much into being flexible and ad hoc, I on the other
hand am into being structured and following schedules. This could have been a point
of contention as we are complete opposites but instead it gave us both an
opportunity to explore each other’s personalities. Without prior planning day 1
of our trip was my day, it was very structured and all planned to the minutest
detail. Estella took part in that and I think it allowed her to see how much organisation
goes into planning activities for a holiday and also how many things you can
fit into a day if everything is pre planned. Day 2 was Estella’s day which was
very “as and when”, we literally woke up in the morning with no idea or goal in
mind. This would ordinarily frustrate me but day 2 ended up being such a fun
and spontaneous day. I learnt how to relax and simply “go with the flow” and
allow the day to evolve naturally. So when traveling with anyone, seek to
understand exactly who they are and do not allow your differences to hinder the
holiday, but rather use it as an opportunity to get to know them (and yourself)
better.
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| The Mona Lisa |
8) Being polite will help you
To keep costs low we booked to stay at a hostel in a female dorm room of 6. It was my first time staying in a hostel and I was nervous about the experience due to my own preconceived ideas of hostels and also not knowing who we would be sharing with. We got to the hostel early Sunday morning and clearly woke up the receptionist when we buzzed to get in. He asked if we could come back in an hour, we were so shocked and annoyed as the website stated that the reception was open for 24 hours. We found it hard to make out what else he was saying as he was literally half asleep and mumbling English words, but we think he was asking us to leave our luggage in the lockers and come back in an hour and we would be able to have our room. I was so tempted to make a fuss about the whole situation as we had travelled the whole night and needed to sleep, shower and eat ASAP! We complied however and came back after an hour. When we got back Ester decided to speak to the receptionist in French and to build up a rapport with him while he checked us in. Well, he ended up giving us a free breakfast, the best room in the hostel and we had the room to ourselves! Praise God, I was so happy and thankful!!!! Now I am not saying that you should be polite just so you can get what you want, but from our experience we found that it pays to be polite and build bridges when travelling abroad.
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| The "Love Lock" Bridge |
That’s it! Just enjoy it! Enjoy every moment of your holiday
even the parts that don’t seem very exciting or that don’t go as planned. I enjoyed sitting with Estella in a
self-manned laundrette for an hour waiting for the hostel to open. I enjoyed walking around Paris in the rain with
our feet soaking wet, looking for a raw vegan restaurant which we didn’t even
step into in the end as it was so pricy! I enjoyed taking pictures under a tree
at the park and having a bird poop on my hand and screaming so loud that
Estella got scared and ran into me and the bird poop smudged on her, we couldn’t
stop laughing. I enjoyed just sitting on the L’Open Tour “hop on, hop off” bus
all day with no real destination in mind. I enjoyed Estrella and I randomly
discovering an open green park area and spreading my sleeping bag around the
grass and just lying there watching the world go by. Those precious moments,
relish them. You don’t usually experience those things and being in another
country everyday so make sure you enjoy your time whatever happens.
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| Best Falafel Place in the world!!!! |
Last but not least, trust in the Lord J
Estella and I literally put this whole holiday in God’s
hands, from our safety to our spending money, even to our friendship. It can be
scary travelling to a foreign country as sometimes people go on holiday sadly
to never return. Some may laugh at this, but I was amazed when I got to Paris
and the realisation hit me that God is literally everywhere and he is always
with me. This comforted me as there were times when I was concerned about whether
we would be safe in Paris; I realised that I am as safe there (in Paris) as I
would be here (in the UK) because ‘It is of the Lord's mercies that we are
not consumed, because his compassions fail not.’ Lamentation 3:22. God is
always with us wherever we are so give your holiday to him, trust him; He will keep
you safe, sustain your friendships and untimely make your holiday enjoyable.
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| The Eiffel Tower |
Thank you for reading my travel diary. Until next time J
♥ Miss Daisy ♥
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| Estella, we did it!!!!!! |
