I loved Paris before I even stepped foot into Paris. Paris was my beginning and, also, the final push that helped me move onto the next chapter in my life. How does that make any sense? Let me explain…

I think the first time I had an interest in Paris was 2008 Gossip Girl – when Chuck flew to Paris to buy Blair her favorite macarons from Pierre Herme´s. This particular spark of interest was quite fleeting and nothing really came from it, until that dream. I had a dream one night about Paris some time early 2018. I’m speculating here, using the timeline of events. For the life of me, I could not and still cannot remember what the dream was about, but the idea stuck. I was enamored and I knew there was something in that city for me.

So, I booked a flight a month later for a long weekend and flew to Paris for the first time November 2018.

Unfortunately, my experience was quite anticlimactic. I also did go during rainy season so it rained the whole time I was there, which made walking around and sightseeing quite difficult. I also didn’t have a plan and was still relatively new-ish to this whole travel thing so I just went with the flow. AND WASTED SO MUCH TIME. Ugh. I cringe when I think back to that trip and how much more I could’ve accomplished had there been a plan. I digress. Overall, it was fine. But, this did start my frequent solo long weekend hop-overs to Europe. I plan these meticulously, almost down to the half hour. It’s insane, I know. If anyone is interested, I might post up how I plan and draft my agendas for my solo trips.

I found myself back to Paris at the end of 2019, about a year after I visited the first time. It was actually more out of convenience than really a trip. I had followed the Christmas markets along eastern Europe and needed to find the cheapest flight back to New York. I searched around the bigger cities and by far, Paris was the cheapest.

During my last evening in Paris, my friend and I bought the worst tasting mini bottles of champagne from the kiosks by the Eiffel Tower and some way too overpriced crepes and sat ourselves at the head of Fontaine du Jardins du Trocadéro by Palais de Chaillot for a solid 2 hours or so just chatting and catching up. The fountain wasn’t on and there was no water in it probably because it was winter, so it was the perfect place to sit and stare at the pretty lights.

On my flight back to New York the next morning, I couldn’t help but realize the irony of the whole situation. Paris was such a last minute detour just to get back to New York; I never do anything last minute. I promised myself the next time I went back to Paris, I’d have a solid plan and do all the things I couldn’t do the first time. Definitely didn’t make a plan for Paris yet again, but we wasted no time and got to do everything we wanted and then some.

Then, I realized something.

If I wanted to do something, I just had to do it. Sometimes, things won’t work out and you’ll be disappointed, but there will always be that one time that makes all the other times worth it. I’m starting to sound really preachy. Sorry – please bear with me.

I couldn’t plan the rest of my life. Life doesn’t work like that. Sometimes, you just need to take a leap of faith. I took that leap and found myself moving across the country in the middle of a worldwide pandemic to a new city where I had no family and knew a handful of people, who aren’t exactly close friends. I’m still figuring it out one day at a time.

My fascination with Paris brought me there and kick-started my love for solo travel. The last city I was in before I uprooted my life across the country was Paris. I found myself back to that city for a reason. A certain je ne sais quoi, if you will hehe. You, the reader, may not even understand what the fascination or the relevance of this city is to me, but that’s okay. Think back to a time, a person, an object, or even a song that sparked a feeling so intense, you knew you had to do something about it. If it hasn’t happened to you yet, that’s okay too. When it happens, you’ll know. I’m not sure how to end this post because I know I didn’t articulate my thoughts that well, so I’ll end it with a very well known quote –

“Paris is always a good idea.” – Audrey Hepburn

Thank you for reading.

– xox. JayLee