#11: Travelogue: My Trip to France

By Muneeb Ahmad

I wrote this journal entry sitting aboard a train heading from Paris to Marseille. I came to France to visit a good friend from high school, Lea, whom I became acquainted with during my sophomore year. She’s the type of friend that I don’t see very often, but when I do, our time together is filled with thoughtful conversations, lots of laughs, and a bit of gossip about those we went to school with.

When I arrived, we jumped straight into exploring the city. we walked down the street of the apartment we had rented for the weekend, and we passed by many French boulangeries (bakeries), small vintage shops, and an assortment of cafes. We couldn’t decide where to eat but stopped to look at the menu at the closest cafe. Once the waiter came over and asked if we’d like to sit down, Lea’s nervousness and politeness obliged her to accept the invitation, and we sat down for some coffee and dinner. As she attempted to order “un latte au vanille avec lait d’amande” (a vanilla latte with almond milk), the waiter misunderstood her, and instead only brought out a warm cup of almond milk. We laughed as we tasted it and tried to distinguish whether there was coffee in it or not. Lea was too shy to point out the mistake to the waiter, so I ordered a double shot of espresso, mixed them together, and in the end had two lattes to enjoy instead. I ordered a pesto pasta and Lea got a truffle omelet. We enjoyed our meals with our lattes, alongside a basket of bread, and could not have asked for a more perfect first meal to kickstart the trip.

From there we continued through the streets of a neighborhood called Le Marais. I admired the beautiful buildings, picturesque doorways, colorful shutters, and romantic balconies. Our impromptu tour included Hotel de Ville, Notre Dame, Shakespeare bookstore, and finally the Eiffel Tower. We sat and watched as tourists from around the world marveled at this iconic structure. From that evening on, I continued to explore Paris, slowly falling in love with the city day after day.

Being in a foreign country can be intimidating, even when your travel companion speaks the native tongue. Although we both were quite timid at times, traveling together encouraged us to navigate more confidently. My adventurous nature combined with her innate French instinct allowed us to seamlessly venture throughout the city of Paris.