4 Reasons Why I Love Paris

What is it about a city that brings you back to that time and place when you couldn’t imagine being anywhere else? Was it the food that was amazing that you had to attempt to make croque monsieur as soon as you got back home? Or find the perfect bakery that reminded you of that patisserie you had to stop in every morning before you began your day in the city? Or was it walking through certain neighborhoods that brought a smile to your face because it brought you back to those trails you fell in love with and miss?

1. The Food

Baguettes, chocolate croissants or any type of pastry for that matter, croque monsieur and yes, the escargot are some of the food you can experience in Paris. What can I say about the escargot is that I wasn’t sure what to expect when I tried it. From the first bite to the last, it was great and I savored every bit of it. It is one food I will have again when I go back to the city I love. Don’t take my word for it; try it along with all the other foods the city has to offer and you won’t go wrong with any of them.

2. Montmartre/Sacre Coeur

Some people may say the Eiffel Tower is their favorite landmark when visiting Paris. I love the Eiffel Tower and getting to go up to the top of it but it isn’t my favorite place in the entire city. That is reserved for the Sacre Coeur. From my first moment climbing the many steps, sitting down on the last step I climbed and looking out over all of Paris with a bottle of wine and baguette in hand to my visits since; my love for this landmark continues to grow. It is the one place I try and visit each time I am in the city.

3. Arrondissements or as I think of them as neighborhoods though much cooler then some of the neighborhoods I have visited. Paris has 20 arrondissements but I am only going to show you some of the ones I have walked through.

Arrondissement 1: Louvre

Arrondissement 4: Hotel-de-Ville where Notre Dame Cathedral is located

Arrondissement 7: Palais-Bourbon where the Eiffel Tower is located

Arrondissement 8: Elysee where you can walk along the Champs-Elysees and see what you might want to buy to take home with you. I bought a button-up sweater that helped keep me warm on those nights when it was a bit cool for June. You can walk along the boulevard where you can’t miss seeing the Arc de Triomphe

Arrondissement 18: Butte-Montmartre is my favorite place to walk through since it has the Sacre Coeur which I love seeing more then I do the Eiffel Tower. It has the most amazing view from the top of the steps where you can see all of Paris from them. Go there at night when the view is spectacular from the Sacre Coeur

Arrondissement 20: Menilmontant where Pere Lachaise Cemetery is located. I have visited there a couple of times since it is a beautiful cemetery; you can visit Jim Morrison of the Doors and Oscar Wilde’s graves

4. Cafes

Paris is the first place I visited where you go to the many cafes, sit outside and people watch. I don’t know how many cafes I have gone into for lunch and a drink while sitting outside and watching the people pass me by. There are too many to count. From the cafe where my friends and I met a Frenchman, Liam, whom we talked to as it was getting dark to the cafe where my nieces and I ran inside to get out of the pouring rain. I loved that each cafe was different from the last; each one special in its own way.

What is it about Paris that you love? Is it any of the four reasons why I love Paris or is it something else entirely? I would love to hear your stories about why you love this city as well as any stories you might have as to what you might not have loved about it?