Birthday in Paris
2 years later, I finally got to write about my most memorable birthday - very first solo trip in Paris. It was totally unexpected and wasn't easy. My assignment in UK was initially to be 3 months long which isn't enough time to get Schengen visa. However, it got extended and, on receiving 3rd salary slip, the first thing I did was to book the slot with French embassy in London which wasn't until 6 weeks later which was barely a week before my birthday. It seemed about impossible to get the visa in that duration unless I am a VIP, but I took a leap of faith and made the bookings. At first, I thought of going to different place like Nice or Monte Carlo. But it was strongly recommended to go to a familiar place when travelling alone for the first time and Paris is the only place in Europe I visited twice before. After noon of the day before my travel date, I got the message that my visa arrived. The commute from Crawley to collect my passport is full of hurdles. I almost gav...