Our first full day in Paris was spent walking. I find walking to be the best way of exploring a city old or new. I had spent six months living in Paris over twenty years ago and have been fortunate to have been back several times since then. It is a city I know and love yet there is always something new to discover and surprise. Perhaps that is why I find Paris to be one of the most magnificent, breathtaking cities in the world. You can never ever tire of looking at her gorgeous architecture, pristine parks, spectacular sculptures and delightful shops and outdoor cafes. It is a city that will never cease to captivate and stir my soul.

Here are some photos from the morning of our walk starting in the Marais and walking through the Jardin des Tuileries past the world-famous Louvre and up the Champs Élysées to the Arc de Triomphe.  This was the same walk I took many years ago as an impressionable 13-year-old girl on the first time I’d ever seen Paris. I will never forget singing the lyrics of Aux Champs-Élysées…a song I learned in French class, and making a promise to myself that I would someday live in this amazing city. That promise was kept and fulfilled eight years after I laid eyes on Paris. 

A walk through Paris….starting near the Louvre

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Aux Champs-Élysées
Aux Champs-Élysées
Au soleil, sous la pluie
À midi ou à minuit
Il y a tout ce que vous voulez
Aux Champs-Élysées

-Lyrics by Joe Dassin

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Stay tuned….Arc de Triomphe is next followed by my favorite part of Paris, touristy or not, I love Montmartre. The South of France will have to wait as I still have many Paris photos left to share. 

18 comments

  1. European travel is different for me than Asian travel, cleaner and more orderly, full of a different kind of history and tradition. I was walking alongside your photographs.

    1. Yes it is so true. After being in Central America so much lately Europe feels so different. But different in a good way except the prices! 🙂

  2. I’m surprised to see a (female) jogger in the garden in one of your pictures – last time I was in France a few years ago I remember noting that there did not seem to be anyone exercising outside. Based on your observations during this trip do think that has changed? Or, better question, if that has changed over time through all of the trips you’ve taken to France?

    1. So true! When I lived in Paris in 1993 (yes I’m dating myself) at 21 I was the ONLY female runner on my campus. I got lots of stares and one day even got flashed! No women ran and still today I don’t see many. So yes it is unusual. On the other side, you walk so incredibly much in Paris that it makes running tiring!!!

    1. Yes it is! It is SOOOO Expensive now, though. I’ve been going for years and can’t believe how outrageously expensive it has become. I don’t know how anyone can afford to live there!

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