After my third week in Stockholm, I took a mini-break to visit my sweetheart, Diana, in Paris. She is currently studying abroad to learn French and about the European Union. She is living with a host family, consisting of a mom and three teenage girls, literally in the center of the city. For my four days in Paris, I stayed in a 10-person co-ed dorm at a hostel located a few metro stops away from Diana.
Paris was everything I imagined and more. It certainly lives up to its nicknames "The City of Love" and "The City of Light." On the streets, particularly along the Seine River and on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, lovers embraced and French kissed without a care in the world. From the highest points of the city, specifically the Eiffel Tower, the Notre Dame Cathedral, and the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur, I saw the beautiful architecture, elaborate layout, and brilliant lights of Paris. Adding to the splendor of the city, the Eiffel tower was recently decorated with LEDs, essentially transforming it into a giant light bulb capable of putting on fabulous light shows.
No question, Paris is rich in history and culture. As merely a tourist, I only got a small glimpse and taste of the city. I visited the Chateau de Versailles built by King Louis XIV in the 18th century. It was the center of the French court and government until the turn of the century when it acquired its current role as the Museum of the History of France. Unfortunately, on the day I had planned to visit the Louvre Museum I found that it closes every Tuesday. That wasn't a big problem, however, as I decided to do what I saw many locals do - I bought a baguette sandwich and ate it while walking to the Rodin Museum. Auguste Rodin was a sculptor world renowned for bringing public sculpting into the modern era. Being who my future brother-in-law was named after, Rodin was something I didn't want to miss.
A trip to Paris wouldn't be complete without tasting some of the local flavors. Diana took me to a Jewish town where I had the best falafel sandwich I've ever tasted. At a famed desert restaurant, we shared a sinfully delicious cup of hot chocolate almost as thick as fondue and sweet macaroons which looked like the ones decorating the windows of all dessert shops in Paris. In a Christmas market on the street between the Arc de Triomphe and the Obelisque, we sipped hot red wine on a cold and rainy night. Taken together, this Paris experience was like a wonderful dream.
