"First Time in Paris" a Paris Travel Page by pabrams52

As my husband and I entered the city, we approached it at the Place Charles de Gaulle at the Arc de Triomphe. At the first site of that amazing structure, I immediately knew I was really in Paris! I had dreamed of coming to this city many times and until now, it had remained just that, a dream. Before I even realized it, I felt tears of joy rolling down my face as it began to sink in…my dream was coming true. Peter put his arm around me and wiped my face with a tissue, knowing that it was pointless, as I could not contain my happiness.

On a personal note, I realize that far more people have the means to travel today than ever before and that ability has become almost commonplace in our affluent society. But I have never taken for granted what a privilege it is, nonetheless, to go to another country, experience another culture and see sights that were once just pictures in a magazine.

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Can't Believe I'm Finally Here

First Day in a New City is Magical

Crossing the Parc du Champ de Mars, we approached the Eiffel Tower, which is larger than one imagines. Its true size is overwhelming but even with its grandeur, it is a beautiful structure and one that symbolizes Paris from every vantage point. At night after dark, it comes alive with twinkling lights for 10 minutes every hour, on the hour and the sight really takes one’s breath away.

One of the objectives that I had for our trip was to appreciate a particular site I had wanted to visit as long as I can remember. As a former dancer, I have long been in touch with classical music and certainly that of the ballet. For that reason, I have an affinity for the music of Frédéric Chopin. When I was 8 years old, my mother and father gave me my first phonograph along with some of my mother’s LPs. One of them was music of Chopin. From that moment, when I began flitting about our living room and romanticizing to the beautiful music, I was determined to one day pay homage to this great composer. Initially this was just a dream in my youthful head but I held it close to my heart and always hoped it would be a reality. It would lay dormant for many years. That is until now, when I found myself in the beautiful city where Chopin wrote most of his music and was ultimately laid to rest. Peter and I made our way to the famed cemetery, Père Lachaise, in the Ménilmontant section via the #69 cross-city bus, recommended in the Rick Steves’ Paris Guide book. After purchasing a bouquet of flowers at one of the local florists across the street, we maneuvered our way to his plot. The cemetery is quite large and one either needs to follow the tour groups that seem to abound at this site or have a good map to aid them in locating the many notables buried there. We were in luck as a bus full of Polish tourists had just arrived, and voilá, instant navigation! We did have to wait through quite a throng of passionate visitors but I finally placed my flowers at the site and strained to hold back the tears of joy and sadness, as one inevitably feels at such a powerful moment. As we slowly made our way out of the cemetery, the full impact of my pilgrimage hit me and I dissolved completely in Peter’s embrace. It had taken me 44 years to get there. From a young girl’s dream, I had finally made it a reality, and it was an experience I shall never forget.