Paris

We were lucky because there was virtually nobody on the train and we had the whole compartment to ourselves. We were not lucky because when we arrived in Paris, it was raining and cold - our tent would not be able to withstand a whole night of rain. We were lucky, however, because Paris was our last stop on our trip. We had to be back in Germany by the 30th.

Both of us had been in Paris many times before so our stay became a mix between a let’s-see-something-we-haven’t-seen-yet and a let’s-go-to-our-famous-hangout trip. The castle of Versailles was one of the places we hadn’t been to yet and although it was quite impressive, after all the beautiful places we had seen in Rome, it became kind of a routine. We went to our famous hangout: La Defense, a very modern-looking part of town with a view on the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs Elysées. Of course, the Sacre Coeur and Montmartre with all the painters (and tourists) and musicians had to be on our list. We spent some time in the Centre Pompidou and on the square in front of it where we watched some fire-eaters, jugglers, and dodged some people wanting to draw carricatures of us.

Paris is a big but interesting city and has a beauty of its own. There are many different quarters and there is life in each one of them. At night, we went to Trocadero, the area of the Eiffel Tower and came across a drum circle with hand drummers, dancers, and an energetic atmosphere. The next day was our last day of our trip. Glad to be able to go home (our tent was all wet and dirty), we took the train back to Germany. We had not quite yet understood what an amazing experience was about to end that day but we knew it was something great, something that would change one’s personality, open new doors to the world, and broaden one’s horizon in a way nobody could understand who hadn’t done something similar. In addition, it was absolutely surprising that, although we spent 24 hours a day together for one month, we got along so well - not something you take for granted. We left Paris with a great deal of satisfaction and were surprised that we hadn’t had a single serious problem in terms of security, loss, sickness, or relationship. It was just perfect - for us at least, because the day we left Paris, August 30, there was a terrible accident and one of the most famous people in the world had to die: Princess Diana.