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Alone, but amazed in Paris

By agoudsward

I'll admit, it was a little nerve-wracking boarding the EuroStar in London bound for a weekend in Paris. I had never traveled for a full weekend away by myself before, but I knew I had to go to Paris at some point as part of my study abroad experience. I don't think there's any place on Earth that has the allure of Paris, the monuments, wide avenues, palpable history, thriving culture, cafes with the smell of fresh-baking bread wafting out into narrow alleyways. I knew my experience abroad would be incomplete without going there.

However, as it's getting close to the end of the semester, friends were either starting to work on final papers or already had travel plans, so I decided to go on my own. There are drawbacks, going for meals is a little bit different and you're deprived of being able to share a extraordinary experience with another person.

But if you're torn whether or not you should go somewhere because you have to go alone, my advice would be to go. This weekend was a magical experience. In just one day, I got to explore the Notre Dame, saw the Mona Lisa at the Louvre, strolled down the Champs Elysees and went to the top of the Eiffel Tower. That's the wonder of studying abroad.

Growing up, Paris always seemed to be one of those places that was almost fantastical. A beautiful and engrossing place, but, due to money and time and distance, inaccessible, almost unreachable. This experience, without the extravagance of a European vacation, has enabled me as a student to experience all of these amazing places.

This weekend was not without challenges, mostly navigating the city's less than stellar public transport system. On Sunday, the usual trains to Versailles were not running, so I had to skip across multiple metro lines, get lost with American suburban families and figure out the commuter rail system to finally reach the Palace of Versailles.

But I got to experience it all on my own time and on my own schedule and it was a weekend that will be with me forever. So don't let the taunting prospect of going it alone prevent you from having such a memorable experience.