Oh, Paris! We’ve been dreaming of this moment for so long. It’s been at the top of our bucket list, and finally setting foot in the iconic City of Lights feels like being on cloud nine. It’s a mix of overwhelming joy and disbelief that we’re finally in Paris, our number one dream destination. Of course, our first day in the city wasn’t uneventful. 🙄 It had to have a little drama to make it even more memorable, right?”

So, our plane arrived early, and we were quite happy about that. It was mostly cloudy with some rain, but we didn’t mind; we were just thrilled to finally be there. Everything went smoothly upon arrival—no issues getting our luggage, no delays—until we were about to head to the bus stop. Military personnel stopped us for security reasons, so we had to return to the waiting area. Minutes later, we heard someone yell, ‘Back-up, back-up!’ It sounded urgent, and more military personnel rushed in. We sensed something was amiss; something didn’t seem right. We glanced at the bus stop, and there was the ‘unattended luggage’ that caused so much chaos. There was a bomb threat, and they were trying to evacuate everyone. I was in disbelief about everything that was happening at that moment. Fortunately, my husband didn’t panic; he remained calm. I tried to do the same, but inside, I was freaking out. My anxiety was triggered, and I felt incredibly nervous.

For almost two hours, we waited patiently until the military personnel confirmed that there was no threat at all, and it was just a false alarm. Phew! What a relief it was to know that we were all safe! Thank the Lord for watching over us!

We finally boarded the bus to the city center where our rental was. I also recall taking a train ride to reach our destination after getting off the bus. I felt sorry for my husband, seeing him carry two heavy suitcases up the metro stairs and at our accommodation since there were no elevators. We did get some good exercise from all the walking and stair-climbing, though. 😁

We were so grateful that the owner was understanding and patiently waited for us to hand over the apartment key. We had notified his son about what had transpired at the airport before our arrival. The owners, an elderly couple, don’t speak English, so their son assists them in conducting business with non-native speakers.

When we were finally settled, we took a walk to a nearby grocery store to buy some food for breakfast. We had planned to visit the Eiffel Tower that night, but it started raining, and I ended up with a fever, most likely due to fatigue from all the traveling. We had been in Rome before heading to Paris, and with so much exploring and so little time to rest, our bodies were bound to force us to slow down, resulting in getting sick. Nevertheless, we still managed to do a bit of walking in the area, even though it was drizzling. We tried to make the most of the moment despite feeling a bit under the weather, and then we called it an early night to ensure we could get more rest and be ready for a full day of exploring.

So yeah, that’s how our trip to Paris began. Quite eventful for a first day but it sure made the trip even more memorable. ❤️😊