By telling us your country of residence we are able to provide you with the most relevant travel insurance information.
Please note that not all content is translated or available to residents of all countries. Contact us for full details.
Shares
Have you ever dreamt of going somewhere but never thought you’d really make it? Ever since I was a child I wanted to go to Paris. I used to watch the old Hollywood movies and dream of going there. A few years ago when I was in England for a course I decided to take a leap into the unknown and fulfil my childhood wish. I grew up loving French, learning French at school and later at Uni. I lived with French people, worked in the French department at the Uni and became fluent in French. Even then I never thought I would get to Paris. But this time I knew I had to take a leap into the unknown and go. I was nervous because I was no longer fluent in French, I had no knowledge of how to get around and I was on a tight budget. I also only had a couple of days before I had to go elsewhere. Luckily I had a friend who lived there and she said I could stay with her. I was a little scared about it all. But I knew I had to fulfil the wish of that little 6 year old me. I decide to catch the EuroStar and that’s where the roadblocks began. I was running for the train and jumped on a lift. A woman wanted to put all her luggage on and for some reason didn’t think I should be there too. I made it through but felt a little flustered. I must have looked vulnerable because someone else was rude to me. I wondered if I wasn’t actually meant to go to Paris. I finally caught the EuroStar across and after these couple of difficult incidents I finally arrived. My troubles continued but I kept my vision of fulfilling my wish at the forefront of my mind and heart. But I had no proper reception on my phone, I couldn’t contact my friend and I was immediately surrounded by people wanting money from me. Luckily my friend and I had the foresight to plan where to meet. So I went to where I thought she’d find me. She soon arrived and took me straight to lunch in the Champs Élysées where she worked. She brightened my day considerably by suggesting we go to two beautiful patisseries. It was heaven as we strolled around Paris, walked through the markets and ate a a very old but very French restaurant. I got to speak French and found the Parisians friendly and helpful. My friend was a Godsend and her tiny apartment was charming and warm. As well as every close to the heart of the city. Over the next couple of days I navigated the Metro, the freezing weather, the patisseries and visited the Eiffel Tower. Fulfilling my long held dream. I know I’d still love to go back and see much more. But for the time being my inner 6 year old was tres content.