How long has it been since I’ve posted here? Far too long. I knew that my YouTube channel was going to become a bit demanding and it would mean less time for this medium, but I miss the writing. I’m not sure anybody reads blogs anymore, but I like the writing so write I shall.

Paris was amazing. I have to tell you that the putting on of the big girl pants was not as easy as my social media may have led you to believe. There were multiple moments, both in the planning, during the travel, and while I was there, when I thought, “this is insane. This isn’t safe. I am an idiot.” But each and every time I stopped, I took a deep breath, and I reminded myself that I am a 48 year old woman with a good head on my shoulders, enough Euros in my pocket (and a lovely American Express card) to get myself out of almost anything, and a phone with google translate. And then I would say, sometimes out loud (which in Paris is actually fairly normal) YOU GOT THIS.

I honestly think the transportation part was the trickiest and most stressful. When people say that Disneyland Paris is really not IN Paris, they’re not kidding. Although it was only about a 45 minute train journey, the ins and outs of Paris transport were a bit challenging and I fell in with bad company who gave me bad advice. Apple maps you FAILED in that you were so confidently telling me what train to get on when, but you didn’t account for changing weekend schedules and it made for the most stressful moments of my life. DON’T USE APPLE MAPS in Paris. Instead, I should have used an app my friend Karen recommended (here’s her YouTube channel – she’s awesome and I love her) called Citymapper. I learned this FOR you. You’re welcome.

But once I was actually IN Paris? Walking and eating and drinking and breathing? OMG, pure joy. Yes, I “had my head on a swivel”, as my husband always reminds me to do, and yes, I had my security slash proof bag (here’s the affiliate link if you’re interested in that. It really was a great bag) but honestly I felt very safe. Like literally the entire time. Even when I stayed after dark. By myself. In Paris.

Paris has a way of sort of enveloping you that I wasn’t prepared for. You don’t ever feel like an outsider because, frankly, EVERYONE in Paris (at least where I was) is an outsider of one kind or another. There are so many travelers, so many tourists, so many amazing people who have come to this place to celebrate the beauty, the history, and the attitude.

I never thought I’d be one of those people who fall in love with Paris. I’m not a city girl, I thought, and it won’t be my cup of espresso. And when I had been here when I was young, many years ago, I was different. Paris was still Paris but I wasn’t ready for it. And now? Well, I’m head over heels in love. And am already planning my next  trip back. Thank you for having me, Wonderful City of Lights. I’ll see you very soon.