Paris

First stop of my Europe vacation and I have to admit I was so excited about this trip – so excited I didn’t sleep much on the red-eye flight because I have been looking forward to having a long break from work. The last time I was on this continent was when I backpacked here in 2006, where I mostly spent my time in Spain, Scandinavia and Poland. I feel really comfortable here, with the weather, the food, etc. and can get by with my pidgin French/ Spanish. Contrary to the steoreotype, Parisians are not rude at all, but in fact very polite and genial.

My first visit to the City of Lights was in the summer of 2000. It was hot and muggy and I was a poor student then. Still, I remember being wowed by the city’s architecture and sensuality. Fast forward 10 years later, Paris is still as beautiful as ever, and even more so in autumn. Perhaps I’m a lot more mellowed out now and I don’t feel the burning desire anymore to check off 20 different attractions each day, but just to enjoy the mood and atmosphere of the city at a more leisurely pace.

Still, Sha and I made good pace exploring Paris and its marvelous monuments (mostly by foot!), the river Seine, and soaking in the café culture. She and I last met in 2006 (in Andalucia), and we had 4 years worth of catching up to do over our long walks, desserts and coffee.