Oui, Paris je t'aime

I've thought about it a lot since I've been back home, but it's really hard to describe why I loved Paris so much. It was just wonderful. Paris has wrought iron balconies, wide boulevards, an impeccably efficient metro and bus system, beautifully landscaped parks, and carefully preserved art. The city itself is beautiful in a poetic, romantic way, like one of the many smiling Venuses chiseled out of creamy white stone. But it's more than that.

Paris is the Eiffel Tower, shining and sparkling through the night sky. 

It's finding new purposes for beautiful old things, like the Musee d' Orsay beautifully housed in a defunct train station. 

It's the Louvre, once a palace that became the world's first public museum during the Revolution.

It's the opulence of Versailles, now on display for the masses. 

The dark, medieval alcoves of Notre Dame.  

And yes, the efficient and tidy subway and bus system. 

Paris is macarons and copious amounts of espresso. 

Window shopping on the Champs d' Elysee in the rain.  

Picnics in the park.

And more coffee in tiny cafes. 

I loved Italy and had a great time in Monaco, but Paris - even though it's been there for hundreds of years and has seen kingdoms rise and fall - Paris felt like it was built just for me. 

Oui, Paris je t'aime.