We stopped at Lille for roughly 45 minutes. We didn't venture far from the train station, only the "devil" sculptures along the main road captured my attention.
By early evening we finally arrived at our last stop, Paris. It had been exactly 10 years since we last visited the French capital. We dropped off our stuff at our hostel on Montmartre and then decided to take a walk in the area to find something to eat. We strolled through the very touristy red light district and entertainment quarter, then turned south. By the time we found ourselves standing in front of the Paris Garnier, night had already fallen upon us. We stood quietly across the street from Garnier. It was as beautiful as always. In fact, we almost forgot how beautiful Paris really is until that very moment we stood facing the Opera House.
We had a quick bite at a Chinese fast food place. Most places were either closed or seemed unsuitable for our taste. After the meal, we continued wandering without knowing where we were going. We strolled by Place Vendome, and ended up reaching the forecourt of the Louvre. It felt magical as we sat at the edge of a fountain where we probably sat at a decade ago. We could still remember the surprising fireworks show 10 years ago. At the same place the glass pyramids seemed unchanged, so as the street lamps, the fountains, the night sky.
It was really late and we were tired from the half-day train ride. We just hopped on a night bus nearby, passed by a small street full of Japanese noodle eateries, and arrived at somewhere near Paris Nord. We changed to metro and finally settled into our hostel room after midnight. The Basilique du Sacré-Cœur stood high up outside our window, as the music from the nearby carousel continued to hype up the romantic atmosphere until way past 01:00.
