Travel: Paris a Love Affair!

Iconic Landmark

Paris...just say the name and images of romance, graceful buildings, fashion houses and the Eiffel Tower come to mind.  Paris, to me, is place to visit over and over again...I could never tire of her beauty.  I love Paris!

My husband and I have been to Paris a few times, and each time feels like the first time: wonderful!  Paris, like any big city, is dynamic - it is always changing.  The landmarks are the same, but the energy is different with each visit.  Part of that may be each time we visit,

Louvre

we pick a hotel in a new part of the city.  Paris is a walking city, although the metro/bus service is incredible,  strolling along gives you the chance to window shop, people watch and photograph all that captures your eye.

On our last visit, we stayed on the Left Bank.  It was an easy walk (2 blocks) to the Seine River and over the bridge to the Louvre.  We found a charming hotel (L'Hotel Academie www.academiehotel.com) just off Boulevard St Germain convenient to the metro (we took the metro from the airport) with great bistros and cafes in every direction. Perfect!

Notre Dame

Day 1 we walked and walked and walked....ate some...walked some more...stopped for Macarons at LaDuree...walked some more...had a glass of wine...  You don't realize just how much you've walked until the shoes come off and your feet are aching!  Well, almost 8 hours of walking, sampling and photographing and we needed to pace ourselves.  Next day we took the Hop-on Hop-off bus tour.  Last time we took it was in 1999 and figured we could see how much the neighborhoods had changed (or not) and spare our feet on day 2 of our Paris getaway.  We thoroughly enjoyed it!  On day 3 we were

Moulin Rouge

back on the pavement and wandering the area of Place Madeleine, checking out Le Palais de l'Élysée (President's residence), window shopping the designer stores along Faubourg-Saint Honoré and having our fill of sweets at Fauchon before walking back to our hotel.  We would be departing next day. Au revoir, Paris!

Next day: Mont St. Michel and the D-Day Beaches of Normandy  (Those stories to be written next time...)

Paris' Sacre Coeur