Write@Home
Winter 2015

General

eiffel tower

Paris, the city of love! Do you really believe that? Well, I don’t. You are going to ask me why, right? Because I have a very weird story about Paris, and actually, I believe that Paris hates me and will always do!

Paris was my dream destination and everyone who knows me very well knows that. Once my husband told me that he would make this dream come true and he planned for a great vacation in summer 2012 for our beautiful family. At that time I had one kid only - Oun, my oldest son. We promised him that we would take him to Disneyland Europe! Doesn’t that sound fun? We applied for a visa, booked the flight and the hotel in the heart of Paris so we will be close to all the attractions and metro too. Everything was perfect until we got to the airport. I gave the officer my passport and he said to me, “You don’t have a visa for your son. Of course, you can travel to Paris but, unfortunately, your son can’t.” It was a mistake from the French Embassy in my country. They printed the visa in my passport and they forgot to print my son's visa. I remember asking the embassy employee at that time that I couldn’t see my son's visa and he told me that if your son was on the same passport then there was no need to print one for him. So I told the airport official that and he said to me, ”Sorry, I can’t do anything ! These are the regulations”. We were very disappointed and I told my husband to take the flight because he had work to do there. I got back home with my son and my son didn’t stop crying the whole day. My heart was broken because my son couldn’t go to Disneyland anymore.

A few years later, my husband told me, "Let’s make it this time and go to Paris together". We left our kids with my in-laws and went to Paris in February 2016. It was the most wonderful romantic gesture I’ve ever imagined. But this time I got a very bad flu with high fever and dry cough. My husband took me to the emergency before we took our flight. The doctor gave me a needle and some strong medicine with Advil so I could feel better and enjoy my vacation.

My husband tried to show me all the attractions in Paris. We were at the highest point of The Eiffel Tower, and it was windy that day. I remember, there was a sign saying, "This is the best place to kiss your lover”. I asked my husband at that time to check my temperature because I was shaking from the fever. He took an Advil tablet and gave it to me, hugged me and said, "Everyone got a kiss and you came here to get an Advil tablet, isn’t that crazy?" We couldn’t stop laughing that day! I visited the most important attractions like Arc de Triomphe, Palace of Versailles, Notre-Dame Church. Paris is a very charming, elegant and beautiful city. It has lots of historic places; you can’t get bored there, and every stone tells a story.

I wish to visit Paris again and I hope not to get Covid-19 there! I know my luck!!!