A Night in Paris

Contrary to popular belief, us flight attendants actually love to be home! I was on day one of three of my 'on call' days. I cleaned, I cooked, I netflixed, and chilled the majority of the day. Around 6 pm my future hubby got home and I figured that I wouldn't be called in for the day since it was almost over! Nope, I was wrong... We started to prepare dinner and ring ring there goes scheduling calling me at 6:30 pm. "Hello, Ms. Spencer, you've been assigned airport standby at 21:00 in the international terminal." Um...Really...Lol I had already mentally planned to eat dinner and relax the rest of the evening. As I headed to the airport I thought that I probably wouldn't be used for anything and packed light. Once again, wrong idea! An hour into my airport standby, ring ring here goes scheduling again, "Hello, Ms. Spencer, we have a missing flight attendant on the Paris flight. We may just need you for boarding the flight, but be prepared to go in case she doesn't show." Hmmm. Okay...

I didn't initially make any plans for Paris seeing as though I had very little sleep and we arrived to the hotel around 5 pm. For a bit I thought I would just be a slam clicker on the trip. (slam clicker = crew member that slams the door shut then clicks their hotel door locked for the entire layover lol). But, I figured hey I don't get to come to Paris often and it had been two years since I last came. So I decided to pump out a YOLO moment.

I came up with a few tips on navigating the city of lights. I know we live in some scary times and navigating Europe alone might not be in the agenda for most, but it's not all that scary! We just have to be savvy and wise everywhere we go no matter where we are. Even in your own city :)

Some helpful tips...

1. Go shop for something tasty. I LOVE food and I find it so fun to go to a grocery store and shop for native items. In Paris I grabbed some cheese, red wine, and pastries that I knew I couldn't get back home.

2. Eat crepes!! My favorite crepe is topped with Nutella, bananas and strawberry toppings.

3. Hop on the train to see some of the biggest tourist sites in the world. The Bir Harkeim stop is where you will get off and it's about a 5 minute walk to see the Eiffel Tower. In Paris ofcourse you have the Eiffel Tower, Louvre museum, Notre Dame, Champs Elysees, Seine River and so much more. A great thing about Paris is you can get to each of these easily since they are all so close to one another.

4. I've been to Paris 3 times now and something about seeing the Eiffel Tower just makes my heart happy. I decided to go see it at night. Something to note is that every hour on the hour for 5 minutes the Eiffel Tower sparkles. It usually does this after sunset so in the summer it starts at 9 pm and will sparkle until about 1 am. This is a must see!

5. Here are some safety tips that I thought about while I was there...

-I did not carry a purse. I took my credit card, and phone, and put them in the inside pocket of my jacket. This way I wouldn't have to worry about any pick pocketers.

- I am especially hyper aware at nighttime. I'm constantly looking around my surroundings to check for anything abnormal. I'm watchful for any strange things whether it's people, noises or smells.

- I don't bother to stop at ATM's anymore to get cash. Most places that aren't street vendors will take a credit card. I think it's much easier so you don't have to worry about coming home with extra money you can't use.

- I don't walk on any quiet streets alone. I like to stay with the majority on major streets so that you aren't such an easy target.

- I don't walk around with big maps in my hand. This makes you look like a tourist. This can either make you an easy target for danger or even for salespeople. I think it's easier to attempt at blending as if I'm a local rather than standing out. So I try to figure out where I am going before I leave the hotel and let's face it Google Maps on your phone will get you anywhere you need to go!

- Send your location to a loved one. I dropped a pin on my phone and sent it to Tashan, my fiancé. I always tell him where I am going. It's good for someone to simply know your whereabouts.

- All in all. Paris is a major city filled with people everywhere. There are hundreds of things for you to go do in this beautiful city. Don't be scared to travel because of what you see in the news. Just let that make you more attentive and careful. Street savviness gets you far while traveling. Every city in the world has its good and bad spots so it's best to simply just be aware.

I had an unexpected night in Paris so I kept it simple.

Until next time. Stay safe and go travel (if you can). :)

Xoxo