"We'll always have Paris...."

“I guess it goes to show that you just never know where life will take you. You search for answers. You wonder what it all means. You stumble, and you soar. And, if you’re lucky, you make it to Paris for a while.” 

― Amy Thomas, Paris, My Sweet: A Year in the City of Light

View from the top of the Eiffel Tower, Dec. 31, 2014

                                         
I did make it to Paris and promptly fell in love....I love the way the city seems to wrap itself around you and pull you in for a light embrace. There seems to be a much slower pace of life there, and people linger over glasses of wine and crème brûlée at sidewalk cafes. 

I loved the way it was still dark out each morning around 8 when we would head out to explore, and there would be no one on the streets except us until about 10. 

                                                    The early morning streets of Paris.

I loved the sense of wonder I felt seeing people walking down the streets smoking cigarettes while layered in coats and hats and scarves. I love the dichotomy of elegance and simplicity that hangs in the air.

I loved the beauty of the Eiffel Tower as I watched it light up and sparkle every night from my hotel balcony. 

                                 Eiffel Tower seen from the boat on our Seine River cruise

I loved the display of love on the Bridge of Locks and the story of how the tradition began in Paris.

The history, the people, the accents, the monuments, the museums....yes, I fell in love with it all.