Paris: All By Myself

Traveling Alone...

Cons

• You don't have anyone at the airport to watch your bags if you have to pee
  
• If you neglect to plan you have no one to encourage you to plan
• If you did want to drink, there's no one to do so safely with. This may limit (or completely take away) your exposure to the city's night life
• If your phone is your alarm and you don't have an England/Main Europe converter you run the risk of oversleeping if your phone dies
• You have no one to bounce excitement or frustrations off of

Pros

• You can decide where you want to go and when
• You are the only one discouraged by your lack of planning
• You don't have to accommodate anyone else's drinking, eating, sleeping or bathroom needs
• You can get lost and no one else stresses
• People are more likely to talk to you (I did have three conversations with Parisians)
• If you are in a foreign country and you speak "un peu" of their language, you will get more into the speaking mode and I can't guarentee it, but I think I got more out of the experience
• No one, as long as you smell okay, will notice how many times you've worn an outfit

Note: I did have some times when I really wished someone was with me, but I think going to Paris (and going before Rennes) by myself was a really good choice. And when I wanted someone to share the Eiffel Tower with me, I just ignored the reality of how much the phone call cost and called my parents. I had been quietly excited all day, but my Mom, thrilled by my phone call, once she realized it was me, vocalized the wonderfullness of my trip. Thank God for Moms.



Misc. Conclusions while in Paris on a Tuesday Night

• Everyone in the world is the same
• Wine really is better in Paris. The stuff is often about the same price, or cheaper than water. If I was spending real time here, I'd probably become a wine-o
• Laid back American girls can be terribly difficult to find. The reputation American girls have for beings stupid around accents is totally justified. This conclusion was brought on by the girls in the hostel basement the second night. The girl closest to being laidback was engaged. It probably had something to do with it.