An important reminder

Today was one of those days that reminds me of why I travel to begin with. I love when these moments happen; they reaffirm my purpose and make it all worth it. And today was also one of those days where when things go wrong, something even better comes out of it. My walking tour got rescheduled from 11 to 1. While I would've preferred earlier, I kept the same tour company and showed up at 1. A large group was waiting, and we were all confused as to why there was no guide. Eventually, I got to talking with 3 people near me as we contemplated whether the tour was going to happen or not. As a joke, I said there was an app where we could do a self-guided tour and said that I could lead it. The 3 other tourists agreed, and that is how my new friendship with a girl from Egypt, a guy from the US, and a guy from Germany started. We walked around following the tour marked out by the app, and I read the little description at each stopping point. We received an unnecessarily long tour from a tour guide at the Notre Dame Cathedral (why is every cathedral named Notre Dame?), and then afterwards happened to find our original guide who had eventually showed up and was leading a tour. We followed her for the rest of her tour, before breaking off and doing our own exploring, which led to a fort on the other side of town. I think we covered a great amount, and it was so nice to make new friends who all had such good vibes. We got dinner together afterwards and then ice cream after that before saying bye. It ended up being a full and eventful day despite an unexpected start, but sometimes things happen for a reason and you have to make the most of the situation, and we certainly did. I'm glad the lack of tour guide didn't stop us from making our own adventure and having our own fun - this is what traveling and making friends is truly about.Read more