I did not know that the port (of Tallinn) would be closed at night and that people would not be allowed to stay inside. I thought, simply thought, that it would be open 24 hours, and had decided that I would spend 4-5 hours inside the port, because I was reaching there at midhight. But, a guard came and told that the office was closed and I had to go out! [This was during this One week solo travel]
So, I decided to spend the rest of the night in the streets. After getting tired, I sat on a bench in one of the bus stops and started writing.
I had no plans to sleep or even to lie down. “I will go to the Eiffel tower, and then just wander through the streets of Paris the whole night”, I had thought. I was reaching to the CDG airport at around 22:00. And it would take one more hour by the train to reach Paris. I had to look for a locker to store my luggage, eat dinner and find out the way to the Eiffel tower, where I was going for the first time, alone and reaching at midnight! The only aim for this time was to reach to the Eiffel tower.
Yes, most of the things went as planned more or less. Using the underground metro for travelling is no longer a mystery now. I had spent probably more than a day (meaning 24 hours) to figure out where and how to take the right train and where to get down if I needed to change another one when I had gone to Stockholm alone for the first time. The process was similar in Barcelona. And I had expected the similar procedures for Paris too. And it worked out. Maybe, it is the same throughout Europe.
It was already past midnight when I reached there. The tower which I used to see only in photos, was right in front of me! It looked magnificent with lights glowing all over.
But after some time (maybe at 1:00), the lights went off.
Anyway, mission accomplished! I reached to the Eiffel tower. 🙂
Then I started strolling around as there was nothing to look at to the tower after the lights went off. What I found after changed my plan of wandering around the streets for the whole night. There was a grassland nearby where a lot of other people were drinking, chatting and some lying down. I decided to lie down for a while.
The sky was clear, stars visible, gentle breeze and soft grass on the ground. And I was in front of the Eiffel tower! Well, that was another ineffable feeling.
Two other visitors were lying nearby. We just started talking, and kept talking and kept talking and kept talking… until morning! Yes, we did not sleep at all. They had come from Bordeaux with a plan similar to mine :). Only that they arrived in the afternoon and also climbed to the top of the tower. I will do that during my next visit probably.
How we spent the whole night… Photo: That friend, who just started talking and we spent the whole night talking!
Yes, the tower is impressive, but maybe the grandeur of the tower is too glorified that we expect too much that we do not find it as we expect it to be. Like those friends as they were saying, and me too!
सुपरमार्केट गैयो,
“सधैँ खाइरा’को काउली/ बन्दा कति खानु, केही नयाँ तरकारी खाउँ न त आज” भन्ने लागेर नयाँ/नचिनेको तरकारी किनियो,
घर पुगेर ताछ्न खोजियो, कलिलै रै’छ ताछ्न नपर्ने भयो ।
त्यसलाई काटियो। केही चिनेकै जस्तो बास्ना आयो।
एउटा टुक्रो काटेर यसो चपाइहेरेको त “काँक्रो” पो रै’छ !
हिजो –
भोलि दिनभरी जङ्गलको यात्रा (field excursion) छ, खानेकुरा आफैँले बोक्नुपर्ने सूचना दिएको छ क्याम्पसले।
बोक्न पनि सजिलै हुन्छ भन्ने लागेर केही केरा, चकलेट र “स्याउ”हरु किनियो।
केरा पखालिरहन परेन, स्याउलाई चाहिँ पखालेर प्लास्टिकमा हालियो, बिहान हिँड्ने बेलामा।
दिउँसो खाजा खाने बेला भयो, बोकेका प्राय:सबैजसो खानेकुरा खाइयो।
अन्तिममा स्याउ निकालेर टोकियो, अनि बल्ल थाहा भयो – मैले किनेको स्याउ त “आरू” पो रै’छ!
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