My first trip abroad was to Paris in 2023. I quickly learned that traveling would be much like exercising, hydrating, eating well, and taking my vitamins. That is, it would be part of properly fueling my body. Naturally, Anthony Bourdain became my paragon.
What’s better than the Mona Lisa is the community in the room as everyone filters up to see her. We are all just little humans, adoring the work of previous humans who likely had no idea the legacy they’ve made.Simply the best duck I’ve ever consumed. Perhaps the best entree. I also usually don’t go for red wine, but there was something in the air I suppose.It had been a dream of mine since I had started thrifting in high school to thrift somewhere cool. Not my hometown. Not where I could potentially know who owned the piece of clothing I was about to buy. And definitely not where I was embarrassed to be thrifting, as someone could rightly guess my financial status. I still wear the swimsuit top today.
A life-changing moment. Sitting where the existentialists once sat. This was as close to God as an atheist can get, I think.Taken during sunrise on the streets of Montmartre. If I could be a place and time of day, I would choose this. I believe I have yet to feel the same level of peace and dedication to the day.The most romantic sculpture I’ve seen yet. Disgustingly romantic (give me more!)
I’d love to know the story of every couple who put their love locks on these fences. Are they still together? What brought them to Paris? Do they still think about this locked piece of metal, which may be enduring longer than their love?Guess how many times I had to teach my impatient Gen X dad how to hold a camera (it’s more times than I ate a croissant and looked on Apartments.com hoping to plan my future here). This table had just been occupied by four lovely 20-something-year-olds, smoking cigs and enjoying their time together. I made it my mission to emulate them. I’d make sure that, one day, I too would be sitting with my dear friends in a beautiful city, reveling in our youth and shared love for one another. I am happy to report that these moments are no strangers to me now.
Oh the French. So chic and simple and efficient. Man do I love coffee (and the French’s commitment to the bit). Since the Immersive Van Gogh exhibit I went to with my mom, I’ve adored him and his work. Seeing the brushstrokes in person was enchanting. Mesmerizing. Engulfing. I was standing where he would’ve stood as he painted it. This was a lot for my small town mind to digest.I remember this night well. My dad had gone to bed early, and I decided to go watch the sunset at Montmartre. As the sun sank, my energy levels surged, and I decided to make the hour-and-a-half-long commute to see the Eiffel Tower. I called my best friend of then 14 years, and we gabbed as I watched the tower twinkle. One of the many moments in my life that I remember how my community remains within and among me wherever I may go.
Sitting in a park in Paris France Reading the news and it sure looks bad They won’t give peace a chance That was just a dream some of us had Still a lot of lands to see But I wouldn’t want to stay here It’s too old and cold and settled in its ways here – Joni Mitchell
This was the beginning of it all! The origin of my traveling arc. The Bourdain boom.
As for the Joni Mitchell lyric, you’ll understand soon. It became important a few summers later. Just know, this trip broadened my mind, my soul, my life, my spirit. And I knew that feeling incomplete, unsound, and uneasy in my home town was no fault of my own. This was what I had been waiting for. This is when I felt my adult life began.
Chloe Jurva 