first trip abroad 2002 - Lili on the Loose

12 09, 2016

Travel Missteps: The Pickpocket

By Lili|September 12th, 2016|Categories: Travel, Travel Missteps|Tags: 2002, Europe, first trip abroad 2002, France, metro, Paris, Pickpocket, scam|0 Comments

The Paris Metro - efficient and beautifully decorated in Art Nouveau style and my first experience with Metros/Subways. It was also how I figured out I had an excellent sense of direction. I became the navigator for my family, directing us to the right Metro stops and platforms. But on our way to the department store, La Samaritaine, something strange happened. A woman and a young boy were standing close to us on the Metro. I didn't pay them much mind, until I notice the boy was coughing a lot. I actually moved a bit away from them. The woman then said in

13 06, 2015

Souvenir Saturday: Eiffel Tower

By Lili|June 13th, 2015|Categories: Souvenirs, Travel|Tags: 2002, Champs de Elysee, Eiffel Tower, Europe, first trip abroad 2002, France, kitchy, Paris|0 Comments

A trip to Paris isn't complete without a visit to the Eiffel Tower. I remember taking an elevator up to the main section. Back then it had a little shop and post office. I bought postcards there, and took photos on old film cameras, and climbed a bit higher. The Eiffel Tower is also an amazing sight from the ground. I remember walking around the wide boulevards and taking a cruise down the river Seine while looking up at it. One thing I didn't do right away was buy a kitchy Eiffel Tower. They were sold everywhere but seemed a bit

17 02, 2014

Travel Missteps: Lost in Translation

By Lili|February 17th, 2014|Categories: Travel, Travel Missteps|Tags: 2002, birthday, call, change, door, euro, Europe, fear, first trip abroad 2002, France, French, knocking, lost in translation, money, paranoid, Paris, phone, pizza, translation|0 Comments

Watching painters in Paris made me want to join them. Today is my birthday! And 12 years ago, I was spending my 16th birthday in Paris, France. After a long day of exploring the city and visiting museums we were just too tired to head out again. And so we decided to put my high school French to the test, to order pizza by phone. I thought I was pretty well prepared, but when I called I first asked if anyone there spoke English...just in case I could make it easier. They asked me to repeat the question,

10 06, 2013

Travel Missteps: Black goes with Everything

By Lili|June 10th, 2013|Categories: Travel, Travel Missteps|Tags: 2002, black, clothing, Eiffel Tower, Europe, first trip abroad 2002, France, monument, monuments, Napoleon's Tomb, outfits, Paris, planning, protest, terrorist, The Wall of Peace, unrest|0 Comments

Napoleon's Tomb on a cold, yet sunny day in February 2002. I've written about my first trip abroad before, but sadly not having a watch wasn't the only thing I got wrong in Paris. The other spectacular travel misstep was my wardrobe for the trip. You see my mother had read up on Paris, and was adamant that Parisians are savy dressers and wouldn' t be caught dead in blue jeans. Instead, all the rage in Paris was sleek black clothing. And so no one in my family was aloud to bring blue jeans, or bright color clothes as we didn't

4 03, 2013

Travel Missteps: What time is it?

By Lili|March 4th, 2013|Categories: Travel, Travel Missteps|Tags: 2002, Champs de Elysee, Europe, first trip abroad 2002, France, French, language, Paris, planning, time, watch|0 Comments

Time seems to stand still in Paris. You feel the desire to sit and watch as life unfolds around you. My first trip abroad was when I turned 16 and was a week in Paris, France in February 2002. It was a family trip, my mother had found insanely low vacation package that included pretty much everything (air, hotel, river cruise, museum passes, metro passes, etc) for around $700 per person. This was a few months after September 11th, 2001 and the world, including the travel industry was still reeling from the effects and that is why the package was so cheap.