Unexpected adventure

by Katelyn Fridley (United States of America)

I didn't expect to find France

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Most people would say Pairs is overrated. There are a million and counting stories about Pairs, how it's a magical city filled with romance. And many people could really say that about France in general-it's a magical place filled with amazing things. I just didn't expect to find something so amazing as I did outside of Paris in Beauvais. After two spendid days in Paris, filled with long sunny walks around the city (in Decemeber no less), I made my way to Beauvais to head back to Spain where I was teaching. The train had left lae, but I thought I would still make my flight in time. And then I get to the airport with five minutes to spare and a resounding 'No' I could not make it onto my flight. I was in a panic. I was cold, I barely spoke French, and I needed to get back in time for work the next day. And then I rememeber, there was this amazing church I saw on my way to the airport and how upsetting it was I wasn't able to stop and see it. So on the way back to the train station I made a stop in town and walked through the quaint French streets of this town to the Beauvais Cathedral. It was indescribable. I had been around Notre Dame a few times while in Paris, and this Cathedral had nothing on it. It was the focal point of the city, a building you could see for miles. It was massive and the archicture was something out of a movie. I walked around the cathedral taking it all in, blown away by the shear size of this building. As I stood there looking at it, I began to imagine a life here in this town, with the bakery just down the street, all the little shops leading up to this church. I ended up walking around for a few hours near the cathedral. Down tiny streets with tiny houses until I made my way back to the train and headed back to Paris. On the train ride I passed fields and towns, all inviting me to jump off the train and explore them. And if I had had more time, I would have spent a year just seeing what was out there from Beauvais to Paris.