TRAVEL
BIRTHDAY IN PARIS (II): Le mur des je t'aime...
by Sabah el Fizazi
June 24th, 2024
As soon as I entered THE Gare du Nord, I felt like a PARISIAN. As usual, I had to get rid of my SUITCASE as quickly as possible to blend in with the locals and not look like A TOURIST and therefore a target FOR pickpockets. My hotel was near the PLACE DE NATION in the 11th district (or just Paris 11 to the locals). I chose this hotel because it was CHEAP!
I had my first ‘Emily in Paris’ MOMENT when I climbed up the OLD steep stairs to the THIRD floor with my suitcase, as the hotel didn’t have an ESCALATOR. I opened the door to ROOM 34; a quick note on the room – the BAD reviews were right, but the room was CHEAP and BED BUG FREE, so no complaints!
“I HAD MY FIRST EMILY-IN-PARIS MOMENT.”
I was going to take A NAP, but the SUN was shining, so I had to seize the moment and do my own Emily in Paris tour. Before coming to PARIS, I watched the series again and PINNED the locations on Google My Maps. I visited Gabrielle’s restaurant, enjoyed a PAIN AU CHOCOLAT at the same place Emily had ordered hers, and when I heard someone shout, “There’s HER apartment!” I knew it was EMILY they were referring to.
I had ONE last stop to make but first I needed a BREAK. And there was no better place than the Grande Mosque de Paris, a stunning, mesmerising, classical building. The garden of the mosque is a real OASIS in a crowded city like Paris, with little GREEN mosaic tiles, blooming PINK roses and fig trees. The City of Light & Fashion has become the CITY OF PRAYER. I love the fact that the MOSQUE is open to visitors from ALL backgrounds.
“THE CITY OF LIGHT & FASHION BACAME THE CITY OF PRAYER.”
Fully RECHARGED, I continued on to my final destination, Le mur des je t’aime. This wall is made of LAVASTOBE tiles with the words ‘I LOVE YOU’ inscribed in more then 250 languages. Unfortunately the place is overcrowded with HYSTERICAL teenagers, in the midst of THIS madness I took my moment and whispered the THREE words in the languages I could read, and after each ‘I love you’ I whisperd: PALESTINE…