If ever I am missing, firstly, check Paris.

Tuesday morning I left Rome by myself. Whitney and Dawn were headed to Amsterdam. I took a bus at 4:30 am and got to the Rome airport at 5 for my 6:55am flight to Paris. I fortunately made it through check in and security without any problems and they didn't even check to make sure my backpack was the proper size. (Which it was not.)

I took a 2 hour plane ride to Paris and landed at Paris Beauvais at 9am. Where is Paris Beauvais Airport? you ask. Out in the middle of no where. I then took a one hour long bus ride to Paris and was dropped of at Porte Maillot. Which is still in the middle of no where. My goal, as I was going to be alone in Paris for the next 7 hours was: 1- Not to get kidnapped/raped/murdered. 2- See the Eiffel Tower. 3- Open top bus tour of Paris.

I was doing fairly well, except for the Senegal boy who kept following me around (as it turned out he just didn't know how to get to the train station and was not intending to kidnap/rape/murder me. However, a friendly woman on the metro was kind enough to make sure I was alright) then the Arab man who offered to by my 1.70 Euro metro ticket to take him the other end of town as he did not speak French. (to which I replied, "No thank you." I was also keen to remind both men that I was meeting friends at the Eiffel Tower- aka super public place with loads of Americans- at 12:30 and shouldn't be late or they'd worry. Sometimes lying isn't bad, children.) Anyway, I was texting Larissa keeping her informed of the situation. (I was fine, Mom and Dad and fiancé, don't worry.)

So, I managed to get myself to the Eiffel Tower. I got off the metro and just kept walking towards it. I stopped to buy a Nutella banana crêpe then made it to the base of the tower. At this point it was noon, I was alone with my giant backpack, it was 40 degrees and raining outside, and my face was covered in Nutella. And I cried. It was the happiest moment of my life (except getting engaged of course). I finally felt like I was in France.

After finishing my crêpe, I got on the hop-on hop-off bus tour. I rode it for quite some time, but as the rain and the cold picked up I had to move down to the lower level which was packed full of people. I got off around 2:30 at Notre Dame and stopped into a café and ordered (en parfait français, bien sûr) a croque monsieur and a chocolat chaud. I sat alone in a crowded coffee shop in pure bliss. A little tourist even asked me if I lived in Paris and knew how to get to the Arc de Triomphe from where we were. Oh, the sweet joy that rushed over me. I told the truth and pulled out my map and helped him plan the best route to get there. But man, he thought I was really French! and Parisian none the less.

After my hot cocoa, I got back on the bus tour and managed to find a seat. I road it for another couple of hours. Then we stopped at the Champs-Élysées and through the window I saw a movie theatre. As I was getting mildly car sick and was cold, I promptly got up, exited the bus and bought a movie ticket for the next showing movie, which happened to be Mirror Mirror. I got a seat in the theatre, where wifi was free and flowing. I knew I'd have to leave the movie early to meet Larissa and her mom at the train station, but that was alright. The lights dim and the movie starts. And I hear Julia Robert's voice. In English. I cry again. Somehow I managed to arrive just in time for Mirror Mirror dans le version original. Praise the sweet Lord. I have never laughed harder during a movie (although that could have been in part to my Paris high).

I left half way through the movie, got Larissa and her mother and made it to our hotel.

Despite the rain and the cold, this was the best day I have ever had. Forever, a piece of my heart shall reside in Paris.