Saturday, December 20
As soon as I woke up, I finished packing my things and left the apartment. I headed to the station where I would take a bus. Since I had some time before departure, I decided to go to a coffee shop. Because it was a busy time—when people grab coffee and breakfast before leaving, like me—the staff were extremely busy. They could barely clear tables fast enough.
I ordered an Americano and a croissant. I’ve come to recognize croissants as a breakfast food. While sipping my coffee and eating the croissant, I finished writing my daily journal entry. After about 30 minutes, I left and walked toward the bus stop. I was relieved that it was easy to find, especially since it had been difficult to locate the bus station in Amsterdam. As usual, there were many smokers waiting nearby.
This time, I booked a BlaBlaCar bus because I was curious about how it differed from FlixBus, and it was cheaper. At the scheduled departure time, I couldn’t find the bus, which made me nervous. I soon received a message from the company—of course, the bus was running about 20 minutes late. I waited and read a book on my tablet to kill time.
I finally finished the book I had been reading and started a new one, Life Travel and the People in Between by Mike Nixon. When the bus arrived, passengers rushed to check in by showing their QR codes. The luggage storage space was overloaded. I didn’t notice much difference from FlixBus, except that there were no seats on the first floor.
An Asian-looking woman sat next to me. She appeared to be in her 30s and wore over-ear headphones the entire time. Occasionally, she spoke to me in English when she got up to go to the bathroom. I kept reading, sleeping only about 30 minutes in total—I was completely absorbed in the book.
There were several quotes that resonated with me:
“Being a foreigner in another country makes it easy to connect with other foreigners. Even if each person is of a different ethnicity or speaks a different language, they still have something in common.”
“It became apparent how difficult it is for any native speaker to properly teach their language to a non-native speaker.”
“Now, the dream was over. The old way of life and the troubles I left behind had finally caught up to me, and I had to readjust to life back at home.”
“The best part of traveling was the people encountered along the way.”
I spent more than three years in the U.S., and now these three months of traveling in Europe were coming to an end. I wasn’t necessarily excited to return to Japan. Perhaps I had been living in a dream—traveling allowed me to stay away from my real life in Japan. I had no idea how I would feel once I returned, but I would find out soon.
Despite traffic, the trip took less time than expected, and I arrived in Paris. As soon as the driver opened the luggage compartment, suitcases fell out. Nobody cared about anything but their own luggage. I picked up both the fallen suitcases and mine and left.
The apartment I had booked was in Clamart, a small city next to Paris, and it took about 40 minutes to get there by train and bus. The host told me my room was on the “second floor.” I forgot that in France, the first floor isn’t counted, so it was actually the third floor. He carried my luggage up to my room. The apartment was clean and well organized. He seemed very meticulous. While explaining the house rules, he didn’t smile at all, but he seemed kind.
It was already around 6 PM, so I went to a small grocery store to buy dinner. I already had rice, soy sauce, and coffee from Brussels, so I bought an instant beef stew and some snacks. The host left for a Christmas dinner with his family. I cooked rice, heated the stew, ate, and went to bed.
My big toe was improving but still hurt, so I wasn’t sure whether I would attend judo training in Paris. I planned to stay in this apartment for four days with no concrete plans.
Sunday, December 21
I woke up early and finished writing my journal entries about Brussels. The host didn’t wake up until around 10 AM. Most people I met in Europe didn’t wake up early on weekends—I assume they clearly separate weekdays from weekends.
It started raining in the morning, and when I checked the weather forecast, I saw that it would rain all day. I decided to stay inside. Staying indoors reminded me of the COVID pandemic when I was a junior in college. All activities, including judo training, had stopped, and I had too much free time. I couldn’t believe that was already five years ago.
Since I stayed inside all day, there wasn’t much to write. In the morning, the heater wasn’t on, so it was freezing.
Monday, December 22
I woke up at 2 AM and couldn’t fall back asleep until 3. I got up around 8 AM. As usual, the host was still asleep. I felt drained and didn’t feel like doing anything. Still, since I had stayed inside all day the day before yesterday, I felt obligated to go out.
Before coming to Paris, I had decided to visit Versailles, so I bought a ticket for the next day (I’m writing this on December 23). Since Versailles is far from central Paris, I decided to explore the city in the afternoon. I wasn’t excited—just obligated. I don’t usually feel FOMO, but maybe I did this time.
I searched for food and realized I hadn’t eaten steak since arriving in Europe. I decided to go to a famous restaurant called Le Relais de l’Entrecôte. I bought a one-day transportation pass for €12, which allows unlimited travel in Paris. It’s a great deal if you plan to explore the city.
When I arrived at the restaurant around 1 PM, the line was ridiculously long. I was starving and desperately needed to use the bathroom, so I gave up and went to a café nearby. As soon as the server saw me, he asked, “Just one?”—Asian-looking people in Paris are usually tourists, and he was right.
I ordered water and later a croque-monsieur. The server was extremely rude to both me and a local woman sitting next to me. He slammed plates down and ignored her when she tried to speak. When I asked about my order, he said it hadn’t gone through and asked again rudely. The entire experience was unpleasant. I left as soon as I finished eating.
Paris was beautiful, but everywhere was overcrowded. On the way back, buses weren’t running, so I walked all the way home. I was exhausted.
Tuesday, December 23
I explored Clamart, the town where I was staying. I was surprised to find a theater, a Christmas market, and many local residents enjoying the area. I noticed how every French town has the same essentials: fromage (cheese) shop, boucherie (butcher shops), boulangerie (bakeries), and large supermarkets like Carrefour or Super U.
I enjoyed Clamart more than Paris. In the evening, the host told me he would drive me to the station on Christmas Day so I could reach CDG airport easily. Despite showing little emotion, he was genuinely kind.
Wednesday, December 24
I visited Versailles. The ticket cost only €24—much cheaper than in summer. Despite the cold, the palace was packed with tourists. I enjoyed the history but was annoyed by people obsessed with taking photos for social media. I stayed for about two hours and returned to pack.
Thursday, December 25
Christmas Day—my final day in Europe. I packed quickly and left with the host, who drove me to the station. I stayed one night near the airport in a huge shared apartment, but I was the only guest. I ate pizza alone, drank coffee, and updated my blog. It felt strangely peaceful.
Friday, December 26
I woke up at 5:30 AM and headed to the airport. I’m writing this at the gate, waiting to board. I’ll fly to Abu Dhabi, then Seoul, before finally returning to Japan.
As you might see, I don’t think I enjoyed Paris this time. I was tired, it felt familiar after months in France, and it was overcrowded.
This three-month trip felt neither long nor short—it felt exactly right. I’m deeply grateful for the people I met along the way. Returning to Japan still feels unreal.
