“If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.” Ernest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast
It doesn’t just stay with you, you hanker after it forever more…
What makes us fall in love with Paris?
Maybe it’s the elegance of the buildings or the ancient architecture that we fall in love with? Is it the fabulous restaurants where attention to detail makes the food look like works of art? Or perhaps the boulangeries with bread that tastes unforgettable and cakes that look like jewels? The sun setting over Notre Dame Cathedral, a concert in an 800 year old chapel. The River Seine snaking through the city flanked by gorgeous mansion houses, museums, palaces and avenues. The Champs-Elysées and the Place des Vosges, a tree filled square lined with houses designed by a King.
Perhaps it’s the Arc de Triomphe or the Louvre that you can’t forget seeing for the first time. Or the Eiffel Tower, the icon of Paris that makes you feel breathless when you catch sight of it – every time you go to Paris (or is that just me)?
The second-hand book sellers that line the river Seine and tempt you to browse. The steps that lead to the top of Montmartre, the villagey, hilly district where artists ply their trade in streets and squares. Is it the 200 museums or the 400 parks and gardens, filled with statues and those famous green chairs that just cry out to be sat on so you can drink in the views.
Is it a rainy day when the light is soft and Parisians splash through puddles on their daily business? For some it’s a sunny day when the gilded roofs of legendary buildings shine gleefully? Does walking down a cobbled street in the Latin Quarter on a dark night admiring the glow from vibrant restaurants float your boat? A glass of Champagne in a secret terrace, hot chocolate at a legendary café or wine in the cellars of the Louvre?
1000 and more reasons to love Paris
I can think of a thousand reasons and more why I love Paris. Everyone has their own special reason, something that stands out in your mind. That one walk down Avenue Victor Hugo, a gorgeous door you really wished you could see behind. A chic lady walking a tiny chic dog. A carousel full of laughing children or a game of boules in the park. And for many it’s the kindness of strangers who show you the way when you’re lost or share the name of their favourite local bistro.
Paris is always a good idea…
