Notes from Paris

Seeing the prep for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games.

Cafes where all of the outdoor chairs are facing outward toward the view.

Gewurztraminer and rosé, ham and cheese arancini that wasn’t meant to be eaten cold, chorizo pasta, tiramisu, breakfast omelets with salad, beignets with Nutella, baguettes with every meal, pretty cappuccinos, and yet another pizza.

Being more impressed with the Eiffel Tower than I anticipated.

A guy feeding his sandwich to the birds that jumped like a dog for each bite.

Long ticket lines at the metro station.

Walking down the Champs-Elysees past all of the designer houses.

Catching glimpses of the Eiffel Tower from different angles around the city.

Finding another park to just sit and read in. 

Almost crying because I was convinced I would never find my way out of the Chatelet metro station and be anywhere near where I needed to be.

Eating a cheeseburger with fries at an outdoor cafe and only being able to think about the Mary-Kate and Ashley movie, Passport of Paris.

Jardin de Luxembourg.

Picking up an unwanted head cold from an annoying hostel roommate. 

People feeding into the French stereotype and just walking around the city with baguettes. 

Cute bougleries and patisseries.

Watching elderly folks get heated over an unfamiliar yard game in the park. 

City views from the Basilique du Sacre-Coeur de Montmartre.

Visiting two pharmacies because the first one wanted to lecture you about natural medicine.

A giant clock counting down to the 2024 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Kids pushing mini boats around a fountain pond.

Being lapped by the running group while you were going DOWN the crazy set of stairs.

Saying, “Oh wow, are you kidding me?” as I turn corners. 

Walking along the Seine.

Ripping my toenail off with the hostel door…in my pajamas…in front of the huge crowd watching the futbol match…while trying to do my laundry on the machines that wouldn’t take my money. Followed by the bouncer trying to insist that I needed to drink with them for free as my toe was bleeding everywhere. 

Pretty building facades.

Stories that should be the synopsis of a sitcom episode.

Finding it hard to explain and wrap my mind around how big and extensive the Musee Lourve really is. 

Getting caught in a rain storm.

Finding green spaces in the middle of big cities.

Stargazer lilies.

Funny sculptures and paintings that cover entire walls.

Getting sassy with scammers that won’t leave you alone.

Flower markets. 

The Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh.

Being reminded of how much I need to balance the city and crowds with quiet outdoor spaces.

Preferring Musee d’Orsay or the Musee Lourve.

Van Gogh’s, Monet’s, Renoir’s, Degas’, and Pissarro’s, the crown jewels, and deciding that fighting the huge crowd to see the Mona Lisa was not worth it.

Symmetrical tree-lined streets.

Weather that jumped from rain and gloom to bright blue skies every 30 minutes.

Listening to a couple narrate and make up funny stories for the characters featured in the art.

Listening to another couple passionately discuss the art and its history.

A mediocre slate of hostel options. 

Arc De Triomphe.

Rest days.