I’m home! After spending almost two weeks away, I’ve definitely come back refreshed. It was wonderful to end a chapter of my life with the trip of my dreams. Grateful can’t even begin to summarize how I feel.
Paris is a magical city. Not just the gorgeous boutiques and decadent food, no there’s something else.
We knew the trip would be amazing, but my husband and I came away with something unexpected. We felt it immediately and couldn’t find the right label right away, not until a couple days ago. Neither of us had ever experienced that level of peace anywhere. We felt so comfortable and so accepted for who we are. We blended into the diverse population and got by with the little French we can speak. No one questioned us, nor treated us as outsiders. To some extent, better than we’re treated here in the US.
This was the first time I’ve gone abroad and paid attention to the culture. I don’t just mean all the art and architecture. I mean the way people gather, their behavior, how they communicate and react. We saw the best act of kindness from an officer who gave two people second chances on parking violations. Looked for them in the restaurant and allowed the cars to be moved. That would never happen in San Francisco… parking violations are a given.
It was refreshing to see people at cafes, no laptops in sight, just enjoying the moment. We learned how to disconnect too. Every night people went out with friends for dinner or drinks, didn’t matter the day of the week. The city was lively. We learned to enjoy every hour of the day. I kid you not, I’m suddenly a morning person. Gasp!
On every ventured street we discovered good amazing food. God, why is there butter so much better! Every thing we could ever want had a shop: cheese, wine, meats, candy, bread, fresh produce. Flowers were everywhere and I couldn’t stop plotting ways to smuggle them back to California. Don’t worry I didn’t, customs would have tackled me.
I will share more with you all over time. I’m thinking of creating a cool city guide sharing my favorite places. I took a lot of photos, which will give me ample chances to practice my Photoshop and Lightroom skills. Please feel free to comment with questions and curiosities, I’m happy to answer :)
Now sit back and enjoy the photos!
