THE ART OF TRAVELING Solo
P
aris is different things to different people. It is the city of amour, a mecca for art and architecture, a food lover’s paradise and a monument to a glorious past. It is a city where delightful clichés abound, from the man sitting on the Pont Neuf playing a melancholy tune to the small group playing pétanque near the Palais Royal. For me, it represents a life-long love affair that started in my teenage years when I participated in a cultural exchange program. It doesn’t take much to fall in love with Paris, but once you experience even a whisper of its fabled enchantment, you will be mesmerized for life. This first taste of French culture evolved into a college semester spent abroad taking classes at the Sorbonne and the American University of Paris and, years later, a stopover stay on my honeymoon. This past June, I decided to spend a few days solo in the City of Lights to absorb the culture once again, but this time I went with my camera in tow. This would allow me the opportunity to finally capture its beauty the way that I’ve always seen it. My itinerary was open; I wanted to see what each day would bring. Perhaps it would find me lingering in a café sipping une noisette, then wandering the halls of the
Louvre. Maybe I would while away an afternoon window-shopping along the Rue du Bac, or spend an exorbitant amount of time in the Jardin du Luxembourg marveling at its expertly carved hedges and reflecting pools. I am quickly reminded that traveling solo is freeing and adventurous; it is something I highly recommend, especially if you have never tried it before. Not only does it reignite your sense of wonder about the world around you, but it is also an opportunity for self-discovery. It makes you slow down and really appreciate a world that is moving too fast. This would be my second time jetting off to a foreign country without a companion. A few years back, I had decided to venture off to Florence after I parted ways with a friend in Rome. Once I mastered the art of dining alone, it left room for an abundance of observations and discoveries that I might never have noticed otherwise, like the details of the dining room décor, or the pleasures of truly savoring every bite of a meal spent in your own company. When traveling alone in Paris, each day is yours for the taking, and at the end of the day it is your city, and that is a wonderful feeling. Here then is a solo traveler's guide to Paris.
Written and Photographed by Alison Engstrom
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