Paris. The City of Romance, so they say. Ever since I was a child, I always dreamt of going there. I only wanted one thing that time: to see the Eiffel Tower! Just that, nothing more, nothing less. Who would have thought that eventually, my dream would come true?
December 2006. I was in France for the first time. In the beginning, things did not sink in yet because of jet lag. I did not feel ecstatic when I arrived in Charles de Gaulle airport. The first thing that came to mind when I got out of was, “My goodness, this country’s cold!” All I ever want to do was crawl to bed and sleep, sleep, sleep. That was my first encounter with jet lag and I realized that I was never any good at handling it. I don’t know how other people manage it but I’m so lousy with it.
Eventually, I got over the jet lag thing. I was able to enjoy Paris for real. Just a simple walk on the cobbled roads could make you feel ecstatic. Well, this is me talking. It doesn’t take a lot to make me happy. But, hey, who am I kidding! I’m in Paris! I was able to walk down the River Seine, saw the famous Notre Dame Cathedral, discovered Le Louvre, explored the fabulous Champs Elysees avenue and gasped at the splendour of Sacre Couer among other things.
Discovering Paris was something. But the one memory that was really engraved in my heart was when I finally saw the Eiffel Tower. No words could describe the feeling when I finally looked up and saw it in all its glory. It’s quite unbelievable that I’m not just dreaming. It’s right in front of me, for real! I felt all warm inside making my smile wider. I can’t help but sigh and say to myself, “I finally saw you. I finally made my way to you.”
I’m feeling nostalgic just going back memory lane. I had several trips to France after that. But nothing could compare to that moment when I laid my eyes on my dream for the first time.
