i heart paris
--Susan; Jul 22, 2005

Ahhh…Paris (pronounce that pah-REE in your head when you’re reading this). There are so many things to love about Paris but what I love most is that it just doesn’t disappoint.

things you can find in paris: deliciousness and...

It’s everything you expect and more. Many cities we visited for the first time were not what we expected and sometimes we were disappointed and sometimes we were delightfully surprised. But not Paris…it’s all here, just as one expects – snobby waiters, men walking with baguettes squished under their armpits, beautifully dressed and manicured women, and delicious pastries. Oh the pastries! Where else can you get foie gras for breakfast, lunch and dinner? On our way home today we saw a pretty girl riding on an old-school-big-handlebar bike, wearing a long scarf, long skirt, and carrying a bunch of flowers and a baguette in her front bike basket, just like in the postcards.

And tres romantique! I wondered how a *whole* city could be romantic. Well, it’s just like in the movies. Beautiful couples are walking together holding hands, laughing, tossing their tousled hair around, snuggling closely in cafes and kissing. They picnic by candlelight along the River Seine, or under the flashing lights of the Eiffel Tower. Even though a lot of Parisians consider the Tower to be an eyesore, I can see why TomKat chose this romantic spot to once again declare their love for each other to the world. I loved seeing both men in suits and men in construction hats walking home with a baguette in one arm and flowers and wine in the other. Those lucky French ladies!

... a little smoochy smoochy.

We had originally gone to Paris just to catch the end of the Tour de France and not really to see Paris. I thought I’d be put-off by the snobby people or the over-the-top gilding on everything, the tourist sites that had been photographed too many times or the politics. But I ended up falling in love – deeply in love – with the diversity of the people, the food, the fashion, the culture, and yes, even the snobby waiters. It wouldn’t be Paris without them.