#geneva

It feels incredibly weird to have an entire week off in Paris. In the past 6 months my holiday time has always been filled with working, vacations with the family, or my own ventures to other countries. I assumed the February holidays would be the same since next week I’m going to the Alps with my host family, but a few weeks ago my host mom told me I had the entire first week free as well since she is taking the children to their grandparents’ house. 
So to make use of this time, on Tuesday I took a 2 euro megabus and made my way to the northern French city of Lille. 

I’m always a little hesitant to take trips on my own, but this seemed like the perfect happy medium since it was only for a day - no different than the days I spend wandering around Paris. I arrived at about 11:30 and just spent the entire day walking to different parks, cathedrals, and exploring little back streets. The weather was pretty gloomy but lucky for me it only rained while I was inside having lunch and for about 10 minutes while I was walking around. 
Lille really felt like a mini-Paris. Many of the monuments were dedicated to the same people so even the streets and parks had the same names as in Paris. I walked from the main city center, to Vauben park and the park surrounding the Citadel. 

Even in winter this area was so beautiful, I would have loved to see it when the trees aren’t so naked. 
My favorite part was the utter freedom I felt to do whatever I wanted. I could focus on my photos and not feel guilty for holding anyone up. At one point I just sat in the park and enjoyed the scenery with zero concerns for a schedule or plans. On the other end, it’s always nice to have company and share new experiences with fun people.. but one of the major things I wanted to gain by moving to France was more independence - or rather to be more content in my voluntary solitude - and that is exactly what I have been getting. I appreciate my alone time so much more than I ever have before and I’m incredibly grateful for that. 

The next solo trip I’m taking will be a little more extensive. I booked a train ticket to Geneva, Switzerland and will be spending two days hiking around Lake Geneva. As much as I love exploring new cities I’ve been really craving some outdoor adventures. So I’ll be headed there in mid-April and from there I’m flying to Berlin for a few days. 
In the meantime I have snow to look forward to starting Saturday, and my sister comes in 2 weeks! :)
Very excited. 

xx