By: Clara Luisa Zamudio Sparrowhawk
I was born on September 17, 1988, the day the Seoul Olympic Games opened. In 2019, the Pan American and Parapan American Games were held in Lima. That same year, by chance, I saw a bit of the Champions League fan fest in Madrid and part of the Benfica celebration in Lisbon.
The vibe you get at these events is great, from seeing the athletes, the volunteers, the local people and the people from outside, it’s a party, so there was no excuse not to experience an event like this. At the end of 2022, I found out about the contest to buy tickets for Paris 2024 and I didn’t think twice, I signed up, the emails arrived and I got a ticket for a women’s soccer match (France vs. Colombia) but I didn’t get one for the opening, obviously, I was sad because I wanted to experience one.
2023 passed and for a million reasons the trip took a backseat, I hadn’t bought my ticket; and worse still, I didn’t have an itinerary, there was nothing at all. Some friends who knew told me: GO, it’s the Olympic Games, don’t think about it too much, the Paris 2024 Instagram also collaborated hahaha and that’s it, no more to say, I bought and organized my eurotrip in no time. I think they approved my vacation, three weeks before I left for the trip, a long story that isn’t even worth telling because it’s already known that I left (ooooh yeaeeees).
And here comes the good part:
22.07.2024: Clara at the airport
23.07.2024: Welcome to Spain
24.07.2024: Lyon, the start of the Olympic Games
Lyon was one of the venues for Paris 2024, when I arrived at the train station there was all the Olympics going on and I was really happy. I loved Lyon, in the few days I was there I had already gotten used to going to sit near the riverbank to spend time there.
25.07.2024: The match
The day of the match was one of the best because I was already experiencing the Olympic Games, both French and Colombian. I had tears of happiness. Everything was great for me: the girls playing, the French singing the Marseillaise at the top of their lungs and shouting “Allez les bleus”, excited people, the goals, the Olympic Phryge; writing to my family and close friends.
26.07.2024 and 27.07.2024: Paris, the city that gave me love and a lesson
The first time I went to Paris I didn’t like it at all. And that’s life, isn’t it? The city I said I would never return to was the one that gave me one of the best experiences of my life. On the opening day I walked and walked, but the streets were closed, only if you had tickets could you see what was happening on the Seine. I went to my Airbnb and watched it on TV, to be honest, it was sad, although it didn’t last long. The excitement of the Olympics made me see Paris in a different light, so much so that now it has a place in my Grinch heart.
The day after the opening I couldn’t stop humming the song that Celine Dion sang and how moving her performance was. I went to the Louvre and a few meters away I saw Vasque with the Olympic flame. I got a ticket to see her up close and when I went back to check my time slot I found out that there were no more tickets and that they only remained for the next day. When I saw Vasque up close I had Celine Dion singing in my head, and right there, it made sense to me that Paris was the city of love, because it had given it to me by being able to live through all this, in fact I think that even the rain that fell that day was good (I remembered Midnight in Paris).
Then I watched a bit of one of the cycling competitions, took a picture with the Olympic Phryyyyyge (who I love hahahahahaha because she is so adorable) and saw the Olympic Rings on the Eiffel Tower. It took me forever to find the exact position where they were, I think the tower wanted to teach me a lesson because I was never a fan of them, but in the end it forgave me and I was able to find them.
Paris reminded me that sometimes the places you least expect can really surprise you; and that we should get rid of our prejudices about mega-tourist cities. And here is my last appreciation for Paris, that there is something for everyone: art, music, history, sports and much more.
28.07.2024: The Eurotrip continued through Rome, Castel Gandolfo, Vienna, Hallstatt, Prague, Amsterdam, Nerja and the farewell in Madrid.
As time goes by, Eurotrips get much better, I think it must be the same with the years, because one already has clear, for example:
- What things you want to do: Sit near the riverbank, walk until your feet hurt, take all the time you want to look at the details of paintings or places, go into the sea without caring about anything (well, always looking after your things hahahahaha so they don’t get lost), eat and drink everything you want because “we deserve it”, be yourself and live your experience the way you like.
- Things you don’t want to do: Predetermined lists, they can serve as a guide but they shouldn’t be a 100% must, in my opinion.
Thank you Paris 2024 and to all the cities I visited and returned to. I enjoyed experiencing the love that each of you gave me.
Will I return to the Europes? Of course I will.
Source: https://alanxelmundo.com/el-amor-que-los-viajes-te-dan/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=el-amor-que-los-viajes-te-dan
