Short and Sweet April in Paris

Short and Sweet April in Paris

It was the year 2021. During my birthday, I wrote six birthday wishes, including visiting Paris in April. Five years had passed before it happened and just because my family in Canada invited me to meet up in Paris. That was the last unfulfilled wish!

It was such a lovely meet up. They were coming from Vancouver arriving at Terminal 2C. I was coming from Helsinki arriving at Terminal 2F. We were coming from the opposite directions. So how convenient it was to meet in the middle of Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport!

It was my fourth time in Paris but it felt like my first time. I experienced Paris in a different way. We took the bus tour and the cruise tour, both I haven’t tried before. And somehow, these experiences made me realised the distances between these attractions. It was also fun to see them from on top of the bus and from the Seine river. The weather was perfect during our short visit. Spring in Paris was so beautiful with mild temperature, blue skies and nature beginning to bloom.

We also visited Montmartre. The last time I was here was in 2021. I still remember climbing the narrow staircase of 280 steps of Basilique du Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre to reach the dome. The market square occupied by artists before has now been transformed into restaurants. The artists were now pushed to the sides of these restaurants which was sad to see. And in general, Paris was so much more crowded than how it was.

But Paris is Paris and Paris is always a good idea especially when it’s April in Paris. I must say, I will return someday!

You can find my Paris Travel Journal on Instagram here.

Paris got it right!

Paris got it right!

After 11 attempts in 11 different countries, they got my name right in Paris! I was surprised and happy at the same time. 🙂

I took back the summer

I took back the summer

The song, We lost the summer by TXT, was kind of my theme song last year. It was one of my most listened song during the pandemic and I hope it will not remain this way. However, today, I felt like the summer is nearly over. The wind is blowing cool air and the nights have been chilly. Tomorrow, I’ll return by my desk and start thinking what is next for me. A lot of reflections need to be done there…

But to end this summer of 2021, I booked a trip to Paris. I thought Paris will be a bit empty, but no, there were a lot of people. Although, there were obviously fewer foreign tourists and the need for a COVID pass (EU COVID certificate for me) to enter museums and other tourist spots like the Eiffel Tower and Sacré-Cœur Basilica made queues disappear. But the time spend just walking, sat at a cafe and having a perfect meal was just so worth it.

In any case, the saying that Paris is always a good idea didn’t fail me. It was a good idea to spend a short trip in Paris and to cheer Hooray to the end of the summer that I took back!

All photos by Ari Vitikainen @ https://www.arivitikainenphotography.com