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Relieved that my first fear had come to nothing, I gathered my belongings and prepared to face my second fear: French train thieves that hang out in train stations and terrorize unsuspecting tourists. Determined not to be one of the nàive ones, I clutched my suitcase with all my might and looked around at . . . lots of other tourists like me. Surprisingly (or not), the station wasn't what I expected: scary and unpredictable. At least, not scary. Unpredictable, yes, but in an interesting way: as soon as we stepped off the train and walked towards the station, we could sense an immediate difference in the energy level of the people around us. You could hear the excitement in people's voices, and there was a feeling of gaiety all around. Just inside the station, a group of young children were performing a choreographed dance to beautiful music. Onlookers gathered together to watch, delighted at the scene. We knew immediately that we were not in England anymore. (This incident, in fact, has been similarly replicated multiple times in the few days that we've
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I don't know what I expected to encounter here in Paris; in fact, it's the city I read the least about before arriving. Anna was definitely the more excited of the two of us to come to Paris. But I've discovered, much to my delight, that Paris is a city that truly deserves the lovely compliments it's paid (things like "City of Lights" and "Most Romantic City"). I've been enchanted the entire time we've been here. There are grand, stately buildings everywhere, and the elegance of this city meets you in the most unexpected ways: the gracefulness of the people, the way the buildings are lit at night, and the peaceful refuges you can find even in the midst of this sprawling city. Oddly, for as large as this city is, you
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It is wonderful to be here in Paris, in a way I wouldn't have imagined. I will have plenty more to say about this later, when I've had some to time to really take it all in. In the meantime, I'll be sipping coffee and eating things like mousse and cremè brulee late at night in charming little cafès. Life's tough these days . . .
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