After many years of being away, this year I was finally able to spend more time in Europe. Earlier I visited the Netherlands, which increased my appetite, and so after wrapping up my life in Hong Kong I decided to stop in Paris for a couple of weeks before moving on west to my new life in the states. The last time I was in Paris was when I was a young kid, and aside from a few flashbacks of Carrousels and rides in the park, there’s very little that I could remember. I had a feeling I’d like Paris, I just didn’t expect it to be that great. I was worried it might be overcrowded with tourists, especially because I was there around national day, but all I found was a welcoming gorgeous city with endless treasures in every corner. The sights are a treat for the eyes, but it goes far beyond that, the smells of the bakeries in every corner, and delicious food, the artistic free spirited atmosphere of locals enjoying their time in the little cafes, I finally realized what I’ve been missing out on all these years. There’s not much in Asia, my home country, or the US that really comes anywhere close to this standard of living. I could live here… happily… I kept thinking.
[UPDATE August 2023]
[End of UPDATE August 2023]
To start things off, here’s a quick tour of my highlights of Paris, my ‘visions’ of this special city…
The Eiffel Tower
… that gorgeous monstrosity of a Phallic symbol, brilliant.
The Louvre
The endless canals
The chateaus and castles of Paris
The wonderful Centre Georges Pompidou
Montmartre, my hood in Paris
The parks
The great French thinkers and architecture
Much more to come about Paris. Hope to visit again soon. Real soon.
[Update, a second visit to Paris: November 2016]
Gorgeous city, hopefully more visits to come!
I am glad you liked Paris that much.
Glad you liked it too – people usually bring back less-than-ideal memories cus they can’t stand the parisians 😉
But it has its own charm once you get to know the place and people.