Hello ladies!!
Superwoman’s been on blogging hiatus for the past few days but now she’s back and boy, does she have a lot of wonderful things to share to all of you. hehe What a blessing it is to have my biggest dream destination as my first official travel post. PARIS!!! Yes ladies, my childhood dream has just come to life seven days ago.. and this is where our story begins.
Ask most of my closest amigas and they will be quick to show you the numerous photos of the Eiffel Tower on my bedroom wall and the countless “someday” hashtags on my instagram account every time that sense of insatiable wanderlust invades the deepest recesses of my being (oh that’s deep. hehe). I’ve fallen in love with Paris and all its wonders for as long as i could remember. And ever since i was in grade school when i first learned about the lovely place, my love for Audrey Hepburn, french macarons, La Maison Rose and the romantic River Seine never left but only grew deeper with time.
Enter July 2014, I came across this ad about a travel fair in Ayala Center Cebu. It was a 3-day travel expo said to be carrying the “best travel deals” of the year. Since I had just come back from a lovely trip to Shanghai and that sense of fernweh hasn’t left me yet, I decided to check the booths out on my lunch break. And truth be told, several good deals to Europe and the United States where selling like hotcakes that day. I happily searched and found great deals for Paris! No tours, just tickets. The usual 1,500-2,000 USD round trip tickets were now up for grabs at 500-800 USD less!! And just like that, i thought to myself how this could be THE year of all years.
But then again, i took a pause and realized i couldn’t book a ticket all alone. Most of my closest friends and travel buddies already have their calendars all mapped out for the year (’twas really on such short notice, i know. hehe). And just like that, my dreams of ever visiting the City of lights suddenly went on a downward spiral. Boo.
Hours later as if fate happily intervened, a good friend of mine, Stephanie happened to be looking at the same great deals and she too, was looking for someone to travel with. To make the long story short, two little girls immediately booked the tickets , excitedly and nervously applied for a Schengen Visa (we were only given less than 30 days before the trip) and on that fateful day of September 8, 2014 went on to fulfill the biggest SOMEDAY of their lives… a dream journey like no other— Paris.
(Note: The trip includes visits to 2 other countries, both of which will be tackled on in 2 other separate blogs for distinction. Getting there, what type of airline and my reviews about it will also be spoken of in another separate blog.)
PARIS DAY 1
Our first day in Paris was a 12 hour layover for another flight to Rome. We made the most out of it by exploring the airport we were assigned to. Paris has several airports. Two of which- Charles de Gaulle Airport for international long haul flights and Orly Airport for domestic flights are the most popular. The distance between both airports is roughly 42.3 kilometers. That’s around a 37-47 minute drive as per Mr. Jacob, the kind French/English speaking Iranian driver who safely drove us from CDG to Orly airport. Along the way, we asked him tips and must see sights and he was only happy to share. He spoke of how a cruise in the River Seine at night could be so magical, how tourists visit the Alma Bridge and remember Princess Diana, how the Eiffel Tower sparkled beautifully and how no matter where he is in the world, he will always find his way back to Paris. That short talk with Mr. Jacob only spurred my desire to explore and breathe in more of the city of my dreams. I could listen to his french accent forever. It was hard to believe but things were slowly starting to sink in —- WE HAVE ARRIVED IN PARIS!!
These are a couple of photos we took on our first day:
Our first view of Paris from above
It was slowly sinking in
Welcome to France!
On our way to Orly airport from CDG.
Orly Airport Terminal Ouest (West)
With the kind Mr. Jacob who drove us and led us to the check in counter. Merci beau coup, monsieur!!! =) (excuse the tired faces hihi we just came from a 4+12 hr flight from the Philippines!! haha)
Laduree – a must in Paris!!
Starbucks =)
Scanning through the counters at airport stalls for breakfast. Yummy salads!
Muffins
Giant cookies. Gaaah =)
Checking in for Rome. More of that in another blog post =)
That’s about it for our first day ladies. By this time, things were still slowly starting to sink in… where we were, what we heard and what we were doing. We were breathing Parisian air, eating french croissants and awkwardly uttering our first “bonjour!!!” We have finally arrived in Paris!! And we couldn’t be more excited to start our lifelong dream itinerary.
Catch you all soon for a glimpse of the lovely Eiffel Tower, the breathtaking Champ de Mars, the jaw dropping Arc de Triomphe and the amazing Louvre Museum in the next blog post everyone! Thank you for dropping by and here’s hoping this simple recollection of our Parisian experience helps you plan your dream trip too. And yes, always remember: dreams truly do come true.
All my love,
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