My First Step in Paris

The view of rue Saint-Antoine from my hotel room, L'Hotel de la Herse d'Or. This is the 1st day of May, La Fête du Travail, when there are many street protests and people selling lilies of the valley.

How does one describe their first step into a city that has an incredibly distinguished history? I had built up this dreamy place with romantic notions of berets, baguettes, fashion, kissing and beauty at every turn. It did not disappoint me. My initial step out of the Gare de Lyon produced tiny tears in my eyes. I had finally arrived and a wave of awe rolled through me. Having studied a map while on the plane, I simply strode out of the station and into the chaos, along the streets I had seen so many times in photos and films, and made my way to the hotel without a glitch. I had arrived in what would become my little slice of Paris for the next month. L’Hotel de la Herse d’Or, located in the Marais (4th district) was the base where I would begin and end each glorious day.