A Paris dream comes true

Bonjour Paris!! 

So beautiful and full of energy. A city where love is truly on the air. 

I know I travel solo, but during my planning, I remembered that in NYE I asked my mom what was her wish for 2015, and she told me that she wanted to go to Paris. For years, she had always told me that things would get better and we would both make a trip to Paris one day. Of course I would laugh then as it sounded very hard to do. Well, this was the time! On the spare of the moment, I booked her flight to meet me up in Europe for a week. Seeing her at the airport in Paris with her backpack and big smile was priceless!! Our dream had come true!! 

Of course it was a little challenging to adapt to travel with someone else, as going solo is different, but she was open to anything. I am glad she was because we went through a lot of things that were completely off schedule, but will forever be remembered! 

Our AirBnB apartment was in a perfect location where the Eiffel Tower could be seen from the window. We were walking distance from the tower and bars (coffee shops) that were incredibly good and not turisty at all. The con is that not many people spoke English or Spanish, but mimic was our specialty.

I lost count on how many crepes we ate, but I do remember us walking 15 miles one day, so I am okay wih that. On Easter Sunday, we attended mass at the Cathedrale Notre Dame. It was a beautiful experience. When we arrived, there was a very long line to get in the church for the tour, but noticed a sign that indicated the entrance for mass. It was the same door towards the same location, so we went through that entrance inmediately, looked around the church and then sat down for Easter Mass. Great trick to know if you are up for the challenge of going to mass on a foreign language. It was beautiful and it saved us from waiting in line. 

The next day we had reservations for lunch at the Eiffer Tower. I tried to book a trip up to the tower but they were sold out online. The cost was € 20, and noticed that there was a restaurant called 58 Tour Eiffel on the first floor that would serve lunch for € 40 a person. That would grant you access to the tower as well. That is exactly what I did. As we arrived to the tower, noticed a long line to get up there, but we walked right to the front with our reservation and were granted inmediate access. We had a fantastic lunch overlooking Paris and then went up the tower. Definitely recommend that to anyone visiting Paris. 

Another tip for your trip to Paris is the 2 or 3 day Paris Pass (we got the 2 day for € 42. This is sold by the Visitor's Office and it grants you access to over 50 museums in Paris, including the top ones. Not only that, but you also do not have to stand in line and walk right up. No time to waste when in Paris! 

One thing mom really wanted to check out was the Moulin Rouge. Wow!! What a show!! Definitely book ahead of time. It was pricey as we got a package that included a guided Paris tour at night, entrance tickets and transportation. Well worth it. Prepare for some champagne and topless dancers. (P.S. This is the only place my mom did not "check-in" on Facebook). 

We witnessed the most beautiful sunsets in Paris and fell in love with the city. I am guilty for doubting that we would ever be together in Paris. To be honest, I cannot believe that we were there! I learned that I need to have more faith and trust the plan that He has for us. While watching the Eiffel light up at the top of the hour at night, I felt like God was telling me, "In your face!!! See what I can do??". Incredible. 

A Europe romance with/in Barcelona

Oh Barcelona!! How not to fall in love with you? Your streets, your food, your people, your beach! 

After the fun delayed flight from London, we finally made it to Barcelona. I had a few hours to show my mom a little bit of the magic of Barcelona. As soon as we arrived, and checked in at our AirBnB apartment next to La Sagrada Familia, I could tell she was already in love. We started off our quick tour with the right foot by stopping by a hidden gem that I visited on my first trip and was counting the days to come back. The cava and the food make it a must stop for anyone visiting the city. If you show up and people are crammed inside the hole in the wall trying to get an order of cava, do not expect to come back and find it less busy. You might as well join the crowd and fight your way to the bar because it is always packed. 

Made it to La Sagrada Familia, Las Ramblas, Pg de Gracia, Barcelona's Port and ended the day with a delicious Paella. Next morning, my mom was on her way back to the US after spending a week with me during my trip and I was alone again. "Come home with me, hija!," she would tell me the night before. Not gonna lie, I thought about taking an earlier flight back for a few minutes.  For the first few hours after her departure, lonliness invaded my heart. As any other strong feeling that I get while traveling alone, I let myself feel it, and then do my best to move on. That is one of the biggest lessons when traveling alone. You share your feelings, good and bad, only with yourself. You really get to know who you really are because no one is there to help you manipulate the feelings, make them better or worse, or overcome them. It is all about you and how you deal with it. 

A few hours later once I was installed in my hostel and laying on the beach reading Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the feeling of lonliless was gone. I just have to remind myself that I am never alone. 

My stay in Barcelona was tremendously relaxed. This was my second time there, so I had seen all the turisty things that I wanted to check off my list. This time, I was there to enjoy myself, relax and grasp the culture more. From 3 days, I extended the stay to 6 days. One night in Milan would have cost me the same as 3 nights in Barcelona. Transportation was a piece of cake, food at La Boqueria was cheap and delicious, and the beach became my best friend. The morning that I had to take my original flight to Milan, I went to a coffee shop, and while sipping on my orange juice and cortadito, I realized that I did not want to leave. I would rather stay and not see as much of Milan. To be honest, there was nothing in Milan that I was dying to see. So, I missed that flight and stayed. 

A Europe trip is not complete without a fun and short romance. Am I not here to Eat, Pray and Love? Well, I was missing the Love part. I met a guy named Mark. He was a Psychoanalitic man from London who happened to be in Barcelona living temporarly while renovating the new apartment that his family bought and investing on some properties for hostels. 

We don't know each other's last name and if we ever said them, we don't remember. That was not important. Our life stories, background and present were all that we cared about. No one needed to talk about a future, how many kids we each wanted, and what would happen after my departure. That was not necessary. He was mostly busy with builders, furniture shopping and site visits, and I was busy exploring the city, getting a tan and doing whatever my heart felt like during the day, but we always had a dinner date to grab my favorite cava and explore some restaurants in the hidden gothic streets of Barcelona. It was something nice to look forward to and it felt like we knew each other from years. I had fun making out in the allies of Barcelona and remembering that romanticism is not dead. It shouldn't be dead. It's a choice. The last time we saw each other, we kissed good bye just like any other day under the pink sky of a sunrise and went our own ways. We exchanged numbers in case we are ever at each other's cities, but no pressure to stay in touch. Perhaps we will, or perhaps we will not. It was a fun Barcelona romance. I went to Barcelona to love and I promisse to come back again.

Daniela Guevara