The plan wasn’t to walk these streets alone.  Paris isn’t meant to be seen alone.  Especially for your first time.

It was meant to be a sisters’ trip.  We had never done one before.  Where it’s just the three of us.  No brothers to annoy us, no kids to pester us, no parents to take care of and no friends to distract us.  Just three sisters seeing, smelling and savoring the sights. 

But alas it was not meant to be. Shortly after we decided on the month, my younger sister backed out. And then one month before the trip, my other sister had to cancel too.  So it was just me.  Should I push through?

Aside from being a sisters trip, this was also supposed to be a “things to do before I’m 40” trip.  (Yes it was that long ago).  Ticking off the “go to Europe” and “travel alone” items.  I was going to spend two weeks with my sisters then stay an extra few days to travel by myself, with myself.

But fate seems to have conspired against me…or did it? 

Everything had all been planned out, I had filed for my vacation leave, gotten my visa, booked my hotels and basically prepared myself emotionally and financially for my journey so I decided, what the hell? 

So I packed my bags, filled it with cup noodles, easy open liver pate, skyflakes, plastic forks and even disposable plastic containers.  (Did I mention it was a budget trip?) And I was off…

First stop: PARIS.  I stepped out of the airport and inhaled and smiled.  I’m here.  Not the way I originally planned but damn it, I’m here. 

As I entered my tiny hotel room, I laughed.  You really do get what you pay for.  A narrow room with a single bed, a small desk and a tiny closet.  And two doors at the end of the room.  One door opened to a small shower, with just a small shelf to put your toiletries and a hook for your towel, while the other revealed a toilet and a sink, not bad, I thought, except that sloping ceiling above the toilet meant I’d have to be a bit creative.

After a quick shower and unpacking of a few necessities, it was time to start my Parisian adventure. 

First on the agenda was a Seine Cruise Tour. I was told that watching the sunset from the boat would be amazing.  So I got my ticket and waited with bated breath for the tour to start and for dusk to settle.  But as the tour began and I had my first taste of this beautiful city, a part of me wondered, when is the sun going to set?  It took me a while to realize that in August, in Paris, sunset would not happen until 9pm.  By then I’d be done with the tour and back in my hotel room, eating my cup noodles. 

This trip really was not turning out the way it was planned.  But hey, I’m in freaking Paris.  And I was looking forward to what tomorrow would bring and what the rest of the trip would be.

So on my first night in Paris, sitting in my hotel room, enjoying my Nissin’s Yakisoba and my Skyflakes and the Diet Coke from the convenience store up the street, I smiled. I’m safe and happy and feeling proud that I’m not freaking out. 

The plan wasn’t to walk the streets of Paris alone, but I’m here.  And damn if I wasn’t going to make the best of it.