I know it is a cliche but let’s take a moment to appreciate how time flies by. It does not feel like the 2010s have come and gone.

Having previously complaining about how cold New Years in Europe was, and how I would go somewhere hot next time, I ended up booking a Eurostar ticket to Paris. It’s an easy place to get to and despite all the travelling I have done, I had yet to experience Paris.

With strikes ongoing in Paris it was going to be a challenge to get around. This is where the Citymapper app comes in handy. It would be come to my rescue on numerous occasions on this trip, offering live alternative routes to where ever we needed to go.

Basically, if you haven’t downloaded yet, I suggest you do so. Strikes or no strikes, it is a useful app to have when you travel abroad.

To whoever invented the Citymapper app, thank you!

Anyway, I got to Paris around lunchtime and after taking a while to navigate through the city to check in, and drop my bags off, I rushed to get to a free walking tour.

At this point it’s peak hours and museums and tourist attractions are going to be packed out. Doing a walking tour and finding a place to drink after was the best way to make good use of the day, having been on the move since 4am.

You never know what useful tips you will find on a walking tour. For example, according to out tour guide Pierre, the best place to go for a view of Paris is the Montparnasse Tower. It is the tallest building in Paris standing at 210m tall, and you get a panoramic view of Paris with the Eiffel Tower in view.

After the walking tour I hung out with Becky, who I met on the tour for some cheese and wine (the ultimate French cliche) and a wonder around the indoor food market at the Galeries Lafayette on the 9^th arrondissement before calling it a night..

Becky is from London and hasn’t properly experienced solo travel before. It was nice sharing my experiences of solo travelling and hopefully providing useful tips, although granted female solo travellers have different experiences to male solo travellers.

I woke up early to go to The Louvre for opening because I came to Paris unprepared with pre booked tickets for places I wanted to visit.

The queues are already long for those with tickets so heaven knows how long it would take if you did not have a ticket. The best chances of minimising the wait was to turn up early.

What didn’t help was getting side tracked on the way taking photos where ever I could of the sunrise. It feels like a waste of a good shot if you don’t make use of a photo opportunity.

I turned up 45 minutes before The Louvre opened to see security finishing setting up the rails for visitors to queue in.

I spent what felt like a few minutes taking photos as the sunrise was finishing. It seemed with every second the queue was growing. Once it reached near the end of the rails, that was the cue (pun intended) to join in.

It took 20-30 minutes to get in from when The Louvre opened, which all things considered wasn’t too bad. By the time doors opened, the queue for people without tickets quickly went around the corner so I timed it well.

If there’s something you can learn from this, come prepared with a entry ticket. It’s only 2 Euros extra to pre book. If you don’t turn up before opening and you have no ticket, you are facing a long time waiting to get in.

You won’t appreciate how huge The Louvre is until you’re inside. Pierre said there are over 35,000 pieces of art although all of them are not displayed every day and displays are changed each day.

If you walk the whole of The Louvre and saw everything, it’s the equivalent of 15km. Whatever step count target you have on your fitbit, you will 100% definitely achieve it here!

Just imagine how long it would take you to see everything!?

The map they give out was not useful so unless you know what you want to see and where to go, the best thing to do is go around admiring all the art you can find.

Casual visitors go to The Louvre to see the Venus de Milo and Mona Lisa. Inexplicitly I left these till last. If you turn up early it is advisable to see these first because you will have more time to appreciate them before you’re surrounded by eagle eyed photo snapping tourists.

There are guard rails to queue to see the Mona Lisa (that’s how busy it gets). From the start of the queue till you get a minute or two to see the Mona Lisa it’s around a 10 minute wait. The security guards run a tight ship to ensure no one skips queuing (there were a lot of people who tried).

And just like that, three hours flew by. I was craving crepes and with no metro system at this point of the day (it was in use during early hours), it meant a 30 minute walk to Breizh Café, a place well known for its crepes.

Usually it’s a positive sign that a place is good if queues for tables are forming outside.

During the 20 minutes wait, I got talking to a Dutch couple (we’ll call them Eva and Casper) and an American lady. It made the waiting time feel like nothing as the waiter came out every few minutes asking everyone how many they needed for a table.

The American lady, Luisa was waiting for her Mum Ceci, and her Sister, Leni. They turned up just as Luisa was next in line for a table. Talk about good timing.

With the three of them soon to be seated, Eva and Casper suggested to them that I join them as they were bound to be seated on a table for four.

It was a nice, thoughtful idea. The conversation went back and forth between them, all the while I stood there smiling watching 5 people I only met moments ago basically debating whether I should eat alone or not.

Everyone came to the conclusion that it would be good idea if I joined them. So inside I went to eat crepes for brunch with three ladies from Chicago (not a sentence I thought I would say when I woke up in the morning). Luisa had been studying in London while Leni and Ceci met with her and did a bit of travelling around Europe. It was really cool being part (be that a very small part) of their adventure and hearing about their travels.

So to Ceci, Luisa and Leni, thank you for your company, and for saving me waiting outside in the cold. This was definitely one of the more memorable unique brunches I enjoyed. I hope you all enjoyed the rest of your European travels.

Inside Breizh Café, it’s small and cosy place, and by the looks of it, always busy.

And I can’t go without mentioning the crepes. Plain and simply no words can describe how good they were. I couldn’t decide between a savory or a chocolate crepe so I chose both because…well why not?

Crepe craving satisfied, I made my way to the Eiffel Tower, the Citymapper app suggested walking an hour was the most efficient way to get there…

But hey, I love walking, it’s the best way to explore and look at other places on the way. And it was much needed after the crepes indulging.

As with The Louvre I had no ticket for The Eiffel Tower. By the time I arrived I was in no mood to queue for a ticket, walk up 700+ steps to the second floor and queue to get an elevator to the top. Especially after walking an hour.

Along with having no ticket pre booked, Pierre’s advice about the Montparnasse Tower also swayed that decision. To reiterate the lesson from earlier with The Louvre, come prepared with tickets if you don’t want to wait forever in line.

There are plenty of places to take photos of The Eiffel Tower. Research plus asking people for advice suggested Trocadero would be the best place.

I spent a couple hours at Trocadero. It’s a good place to chill and appreciate the view of one of the world’s most iconic attractions, and the surrounding area all in one go.

I spent the evening with my American friend Jessica in the 6^th Arrondisement for drinks. Jessica has been in Paris for the past few months working and studying. A dream she had growing up, and a dream that became a reality.

Talk about achieving an American dream! There’s no hating on anyone who achieves their dream.

The special thing about the 6^th Arrondisement is the classic artists, musicians, poets and writers spent their days in the neighbourhood, be it in the cafes, bars or restaurants getting their creative juices working.

I originally planned to visit the Musee de Lumiere to see the Van Gogh exhibition in the morning. After waking up, I didn’t feel like another museum. There is so many of them in Paris, I felt like I would be missing out if I just kept going to museums.

On the way to grabbing breakfast, I stopped by to see the Notre Dame Cathedral. Building work is ongoing after the fire last year. It’s scheduled to finish in time for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The best place to get view of the Notre Dame Cathedral is not on the bridge where most people will go to but nearby the Square Rene Viviani. It’s a side view, but it is an unobstructed view nonetheless.

I hear some familiar voices behind me talking amongst themselves. I turn around and it’s Ceci, Luisa and Leni!

There’s more than 2 million people in a city the size of Paris. What are the chances of bumping into the same people you saw the day before?

The funny thing is, I was only at the Notre Dame Cathedral at the time because the place I went to get a baguette told to me to come back in 30 minutes, because they didn’t have any ready. Ceci, Luisa and Leni were only there at the time because they had their original Uber ride from their accommodation cancelled, and had to wait for another one.

Surely the chances of all those elements coming together are tiny at best?

As far as I recall, it was the first time anything of sort had happened before. It was nice to see them, “catch up” and all the rest. We were feeling everything between gobsmacked, perplexed and slightly freaked out at how bizarre it was for everything to come together to be in the same place at the same time.

It’s like it was meant to happen.

After breakfast and a brief stop at the colourful Rue Cremieux, it was street art hunting time.

Paris is known to have an up and coming street art scene. If you’ve read previous blog posts, you’ll know this is one of the things I enjoy most when travelling.

There’s street art around different neighbourhoods in Paris but apparently the 13^th Arrondisement is the place to go if you want to be in the heart of the street art scene.

The limited public transport meant it wasn’t an option to go street art hunting from one neighbourhood to another so I stayed in the 13^th Arrondisement.

I stayed around the Boulevard Vincent Auriol area and the roads coming off it, which for reference is near the Nazionale and Chevaleret metro stations.

The 13^th Arrondisement was never a place people would visit and explore. Over the last 10 years the area has been redeveloped under the “Street Art 13” collaboration between La Gallerie Itinerrance and the city hall of the 13^th Arrondisement.

Since the start of the collaboration, two other galleries (the Mathgoth Gallery and the By Night Gallery) have joined the project, and over time the 13^th Arrondisement has become known as the street art district.

Despite seeing a lot of murals, I feel I barely scratched the surface of what there was to see. There’s still more to be explored and discovered around here. With the Metro not being in use, I was never going to get a chance to see everything in the 13^th Arrondisement. Regardless, what you find in this small area is impressive.

If local mayor Jerome Coumet’s goal was to brighten up the neighbourhood and the big building blocks, he succeeded. I’m sure next time I’m in Paris, there will be more murals to see around the 13^th Arrondisement as it continues to become an open air art museum.

The best way to describe the street art district here? It’s Paris’s equivalent of Miami’s street art district, Wynwood.

After a brief stop at the hotel, I met with Jessica at the Montparnasse Tower. She said she hadn’t had the chance to go up the tower and view panoramic Paris even though she lived nearby and had been here for a few months.

And shock horror, I didn’t pre book tickets and save myself queuing time. Although I only found out about the Montparnasse Tower 48 hours before. I can’t recall if there were any pre booked tickets available.

From queuing for tickets to getting the lift to the top took 20 minutes at most. And then you have to negotiate up some narrow steps…and there it is, the ultimate panoramic view of Paris.

Credit where it’s due to Pierre, this was a good shout. You can see everything from the highest point in Paris. What’s good is it wasn’t too busy because not many tourists know about this place.

Sure, going up the Eiffel Tower is appealing and it’s understandable why tourists queue for goodness knows how long. Personally I would rather see all of Paris including the Eiffel Tower in view from the tallest building in the city. You also get a clear view in the evening of the light displays at the Eiffel Tower.

After dinner and parting ways with Jessica, I met with Ryan at Trocadero on route to meeting with Becky at an Irish Pub for an open mic night and drinks.

Ryan, who I met on the walking tour is from Miami, and was in Paris with his Mum, Dad and Brother to celebrate his parents renewing their vowels after 25 years of marriage. What a way to celebrate and end the year!

Ryan is in a band and showed off his talents with the guitar at the mic night. He’s one talented and passionate musician. We got a sneak preview of his new single which has yet to be released.

We listened to another one of his songs when we met, his music reminds me of the something you would hear from The Killers or Kings of Leon. If it’s the kind of music you’re into, give Ryan a follow on Instagram.

It was Becky’s last night before she went back to London the following afternoon while Ryan was heading back to Miami with his family at 4am the next morning. Now that’s dedication on another level!

It was a good night with good company celebrating life over a few drinks, with good music and a lot of singing and mingling. Live music nights are the best night’s out. What more can you ask for?

Now on to the last day of the 2010s. I saw the sunrise over the Arc de Triomphe before walking the Champs-Elysees and getting the bus to Montmartre to go to the Sacre Coeur.

I was originally suppose to meet my Mexican friend Fiorella to go to the Sacre Coeur. Fiorella was visiting family in Paris. Unfortunately a change in circumstances at the last minute didn’t allow us to meet. Until next time amigo!

I stopped by a café on route for a breakfast croissant to soak up the ciders from the previous night, and a hot chocolate (another French cliche) before heading up to Montmartre’s Roman Catholic Church. Just to warn you there will be an uphill walk to get to the Sacre Coeur because it is located at the second highest point of Paris.

The Sacre Coeur is the second most visited monument in Paris. It’s no surprise when you see how beautiful it is architecturally, not to mention that it’s located in a popular part of Paris.

The best part was going down beneath the Sacre Coeur where you see colourful displays and works. It isn’t as busy as it is inside the Basilica where you will definitely appreciate the décor. Just remember to be as quiet as possible so you don’t disturb the people who are praying.

The more time I spent in Montmartre, the move I loved it.

When we travel to new places, there’s that one spot we find that we love more than anywhere else. Like Trastevere in Rome, Ybor City in Tampa, Pelourinho in Salvador, Olinda in Recife, or Christiania in Copenhagen.

Montmartre became the thing I loved most about Paris. The old cobbled streets are what I imagine 1700s and 1800s Paris would look like. It’s amazing what the mind can imagine and how creative it can be. It’s hard to describe the feeling when you feel like you’ve seen what your mind imagines in front of you.

With an early departure to London in the morning, I did the majority of packing before going to the Champs-Elysees to celebrate the last few hours of the decade.

I arrived at 8pm to people swarming from one end of the Champs-Elysees to the other in order to get as close to the Arc de Triomphe as possible.

Once the Champs Elysees filled up and I use the words filled up very loosely, a concert and laser display followed as we enjoyed what was left of the 2010s.

New Year celebrations in Paris are good, especially with the laser display, but it does not compare to Vienna which is the best place best I’ve been so far for New Years. I would say Brussels for New Years is also good.

The strikes obviously made getting around on public transport difficult, but thankfully the Citymapper app was on hand to offer live alternative means from getting from one place to another.

We can’t complain about having to deal with the strikes for a few days when there are residents going through it day after day. There are people needing to get to work, people wanting to see their loved ones over the holidays, parents needing to drop their kids off to school. Everything has a big knock on effect which you could see in front of you.

As far as the City itself, it’s a beautiful place. I liked it more than I thought after hearing mixed reviews about how over hyped it was. There is more than enough to fill your time. There’s so much that I didn’t even get the chance to visit the Musee d’Orsay…There’s always next time!

Like your other big cities such as Berlin you need multiple visits to truly see Paris for what it is. And even if you visit somewhere once, it doesn’t mean you won’t visit again.

Another thing people would tell me prior to coming here is Parisian residents are rude. I found them to be very helpful and friendly. What people don’t realise is Parisian residence won’t give a toss about you being lost, asking for help or needing directions if you’re not going to bother trying to speak their language.

I feel like we as English speakers expect foreigners to make an effort to learn and speak our language, and embrace our culture when they visit. Yet when we travel abroad we’re not so willing to make the same effort, and expect other countries and locals to make an effort to cater to us.

Why not embrace different cultures and languages when we travel? I’m not saying learn a whole new language (as cool as that is), but the effort to at least try conversing in local languages, and embracing cultures goes a long way with locals and can enhance your experience when you are abroad.

And just like that we enter a new decade. On reflection 2019 was a good one. New places travelled, new friends made and more ticked off the bucket list.

Of course there were the not so good moments. Relationships with a couple of people I considered close to me badly deteriorated. It’s unfortunate but these things happen. Mistakes made from all sides on all fronts. The important thing is to remember no one is perfect and learn from your mistakes.

Appreciate those who take time to get to know you and are grateful for your effort and time. The best thing to do is to focus on the journey ahead.

The one thing I’m happiest about from 2019 was reconnecting with my Sister. There was no bad blood of any sort. We took our relationship for granted, and it got to a point where we were barely communicating for an extended period. We spent a lot of time getting to know each other again. We’re closer than ever which overrides any lows from last year.

Back home there’s myself, my Mum, my Sister and my Brother who is severely autistic, and in an assisted living home. The rest of my family are in Lebanon and I don’t get to see them often. We are the only family unit here and I want nothing more than for that unit to be close and strong.

All that’s left to say is strive for what you want to achieve no matter what obstacles you encounter and the hate you get. Take whatever chances are presented to you no matter how scary it is to take that leap.

And lastly, enjoy and have a fun prosperous 2020!