France

Paris really is the city of love. While it is the most touristed place in the world, it is of my opinion that there is a valid reason for that. Paris is probably my favorite European city. As a solo traveler, it was the city where I felt the least alone — everyone is already in their own world and is doing their own things. It was a stark difference to other cities like Amsterdam where socialization is heavily built into the fabric of the region.

Luckily, my mom had a college friend who lives out there, so I spent some time with her and she showed me the ropes, which mainly consisted of building up my confidence to use the underground metro. It really is simple to figure out, but it can still be daunting as a solo traveler. She also mentioned to me that because PTO is amazing in France, most Parisians take the month of August off from work to spend some time in their summer homes, typically in the south.

While I was in Paris during the summer Olympics, I was not able to see any games (they were terribly expensive). And while I was annoyed that there was a lot of Olympics memorabilia blocking all the great attractions, I accidentally came across a giant public watch party for the final basketball game between France and the U.S., which the U.S. won. It was a surreal experience and one I’m sure to never forget!