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One of my favorite travel destinations is Paris. Paris is a city which is synonymous to romance. So, I had many expectations when I visited Paris in August 2003. Unfortunately, 2003 was the year when Europe was hit by massive heat wave. News reported a few thousand people died of heat stroke. When I was in Paris, I had a totally different experience from what I expected.

First, the journey from London to Paris on EuroStar was so slow. EuroStar company took necessary precaution in case the train would jump track if rail track would bend due to extreme heat.

Second, at the famous Champ Eleysee, I wanted to stroll along the famous street with all the people but it was void of human. Strolling along an empty street gave you the feeling of being very lonely.

Third, I wanted to sip the famous Parisian coffee in one of their side walk café but the cafes were empty. Well, they were not really empty. There were some tourists enjoying their coffee. But just too few and the weather was simply too hot to give me the ‘feeling’. So, I skipped the coffee experience. Instead, I had to buy mineral waters from enterprising youth selling cold mineral water by the roadside at 1 Euro per 125 ml bottle. Occasionally, I see policemen chasing after these youth.

With such heat, River Seine cruise was automatically out. The sun reflection from the river can make anyone blind. I could see almost empty river cruise boat traveling up and down the river.

Eventually, I skipped many places of attractions since it was too hot to walk around. I just stick to museums and churches like Louvre museum, Notre Dame Cathedral and Musee d’Orsay.

Since I planned for my Paris trip way before I decided to stay in one of the cheap hotels in Paris via HotelClub. There are many hotels in Paris but I just booked what I could afford. The hotel I booked did not have a fan or air conditioner. But, who would need a fan or air conditioner in Paris in August. When I was there, the room was so hot. Each night I would take a long bath before closing my eyes to sleep. Next morning, I would be sweating and soaking wet on the bed by 6AM.

I promised myself that I will go back to Paris to see the real Paris minus heat wave soon.