The plan was not to stop here, but due to the French’ love of a good strike, the train that was supposed to take me south got cancelled and I found myself with a day to stroll around in this messy city, passing time until my night bus.

Still, the sun was shining and the sky was clear, and I found myself quite giddy as I started my walk around noon. I’d been here twice before, but never alone. My backpack was lighter and there were plenty of vegan places around, so yeah, a good set-up.

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I paid the old lady a visit, just to see how the reconstruction was going. Otherwise nothing special, just enjoyed the sun and the lenghth of the day, in regards to the amount of light.

Strolled along the Seine, which seems small and timid now compared to rivers like the Rhen or the Wisła.

I found myself a vegan café and was delighted for the first two bites, then worked through the rest of the cake very aware of the fact that this piece alone probably contains more sugar than I’ve had in the past month.

I openly gawked at the varieties of cargo bikes moving through the city, taking note of the frame models.

I bought a tiny deck of tarot cards.

Paris is not a city I enjoy, I’ve never had the Paris-craze. It is loud, fast-paced and quite dirty. I don’t feel as safe here as I did in Berlin or Köln, maybe there is more of a macho vibe or something. But for a day it was fine. I enjoyed eating here, and I enjoy leaving here.

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(This story told in pictures.)