Homeward Bound from Paris
If you follow me on social media you will have no doubt seen my posts on Facebook and Instagram about my adventures this week in Paris. Having not really travelled for fun during the summer this trip was meant to be just that.. a fun filled trip to explore a city that I have been fascinated with since my first visit when I was 16.
For the most part the trip was everything I had hoped it would be. It was full of culture, exploration and great food. Even the moments where I found myself unable to read a map and utterly lost down a street I wasn’t meant to be on made me fall even more in love with the magical city that Paris is.
As the trip came to a close my thoughts moved from where will I eat next to what will I share on the blog when I get home to share my adventure with everyone. This was suddenly wiped from my mind on Friday night when my phone suddenly started to ping as I got out of the shower with message after message asking if I was okay.
At first I thought it was simply over cautious parents concerned about their son traveling by himself in a foreign country having just heard reports of a shooting in a Paris restaurant. But then more messages came in from friends and extended family checking on me I knew it was more than cautious parents.
It was only when I turned on the TV in my hotel room that I realised the extent of what was happening on the streets of Paris. The streets that I had only hours earlier been walking around taking photos and seeking out new cafes. The next few hours are some that I will never forget.
While I was safely locked away in my hotel the fear of what was happening only kilometres away from me came crashing down. In those hours it is hard to describe what it is like to be in a country where you do not know anyone and so far away from your family.
The biggest comfort during that time was the outpouring of concern and love through social media that I received from both close friends but also people I would have never know if I had never set up this blog. I can never explain what every message I got between Friday night and Saturday morning has meant to me.
As I sit here in Charles De Gaulle airport for my flight home to Irish soil I just want to thank everyone for the simple messages of concern and love they really did mean a lot to me. My thoughts are with the wonderful people of Paris and I thank them for their endless kindness and strength that they showed to a visitor.
In the coming days I will share all the blog posts I conjured up in my mind while I was in Paris. But until then I leave you with this quote:
