I stayed in France for a month last winter. I was looking forward to this trip since it was the very first time I got a chance to travel all by myself. I was always accompanied by friends or families on my former journeys. I stayed at Tours, a small city which is an hour away from Paris, to study French. I planned to spend the last week of my stay in Paris, expecting a week perhaps full of romance and excitement.
Unfortunately, during my one week stay in Paris, rain poured down. My plans to travel around the city on foot and meet new people were ruined. I didn’t feel like going anywhere in the rain.
I decided to join a guided tour to enlighten the mood, only to realize that nothing could get gloomier than that. Not only did half of the people cancel the tour due to the rain, they all seemed tired from their long trips. Throughout the whole day, it rained, and the plans to sightsee around the city and become friends with new people turned out to be a mere imagination of mine. During the heavy rain, we mostly stayed in the bus. Finally when the rain stopped around 10 p.m., the bus dropped passengers off in front of Arc de Triomphe. I was frustrated and blamed myself for booking my flight without checking the weather forecast.
That was when the tour guide said to me, “You are very lucky.” I couldn’t understand what he said. All I saw that day was rain and Paris in 50 shades of gray, yet the tour guide told me I was lucky. For a second I thought he was being sarcastic.
“Most people don’t realize how the Champs-Élysées is the most beautiful street in the world because they usually hit the roads under sunlight. Yet, the true beauty this street possesses reveals itself during the night, especially after heavy rain.”
Dumbfounded, I thought the tour guide was just trying to make me feel better. I got off the bus and walked along the Champs-Élysées to see whether what he told me was true.
There I saw it, the roads damp with raindrops glistening like gold. It was as if the streets were designed to reflect street lights and fill the road with magnificent light that could not be compared to any stage lighting. Another world opened up in each puddle of rain as I walked down the street.
The heavy rain which gave me such a hard time the whole day gave me the most valuable memory in the end. I had to admit I was dearly lucky to be in Paris during that rain. The beautiful scenery of the Champs -Élysées during that night still lingers in my head, better than any other monument or building I saw during my voyage. It makes me realize that happiness is always nearby. It may be hidden underneath some heavy obstacle, or something might blindfold us from seeing this happiness. Yet, I am positive that there is another side to what you see.
By L
저작권자 © Ewha Voice 무단전재 및 재배포 금지