Backpacking around the globe and back again (Part 1)
As I hugged my Mom good bye it was all I could do to stop the tears from welling up in my eyes, "I am a big girl, big girls don't cry when saying good bye to their Mom!" It wasn't that I was worried about missing home, it was more the apprehension of leaving for a month to travel around unknown countries, the worry about running out of money, and the concern that I wouldn't be able to communicate with anyone all the while not having my parents to rely on. I've done this before, it wasn't as if it was the first time, but I have never been good at good byes.
As I wandered around the airport, trying to kill the remaining 2 hours of my 3 hour wait I found myself constantly taking out my phone to check the time, but my phone was off, solution: buy a watch. I can't believe I was planning on traveling around the world without a watch! My flight boarded on time, so that was already a good start, and the layover in Montreal wasn't that bad. I called my Mom from the airport and she was already telling me stuff about home that I had missed in the 5 hours since I'd been there. As we got the airplane for our final destination I noticed a nun seated two rows in front of me, I knew my plane wouldn't crash. I'm not a nervous flyer, but that was still nice to see.
The flight was long and filled with anticipation and apprehension as I wondered what Lija would be like, would she look the same? Would I recognize her? Would she recognize me? What if we had changed so much that we didn't get along? What if we ended up hating each other? Needless to say my concerns were unnecessary. Lija was exactly the same, except she had dyed her hair blonde so we didn't look very similar anymore. While we could still pass as sisters you had to ignore the haircolour and look at our faces. We had an awkward hug, I was wearing my pack with the day pack on the front. She looked well rested, I looked like shit, I had just flown all night and landed in Paris at 10am, she flew for 21 hours and slept for 11 just before landing in Paris.
We sweated our way to the hotel, carrying packs in the underground is not easy, in fact it's down right difficult. We checked into our hotels, showered, and made our way into the city by noon, destination: Louvre. Well newsflash travelers! The Louvre is actually closed on Tuesdays! So that deflated our big first day plan, we needed a new plan, fast. Lija insisted we look at a map, me, being the vetran Parisan that I am decided we should just wing it... well we made it to the other museum then ate a yummy crepe smothered with Nutella, yes, Nutella. Talk about ruining my French heritage! My Mom was shocked when I came home and told her about it, she said our ancestors are rolling over in their graves. Anyways, we decided that our big plans for the day should become visiting Notre Dame.
Last time I was in Paris I decided against going inside the church, there are a wide range of reasons. This time however, I felt I had something to prove to myself, and to other people in my life, plus, I was curious. I think I took 3 steps before I was completely won over. The light warmed me as it streamed through the windows in every colour imaginable while rays of sun danced around the floor. We sat down in the pews, just staring at what was around us, taking it in. Before I left I lit a candle and said a prayer. "I'm not a religious person, I don't go to church, but if you're listening please watch out for my family while I'm over here, and little Savannah, and please let my Grandma know I miss her."
When we stepped outside of the church we were met by overwhelming sunshine and we once more had to face reality of the world.
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