Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Paris

I'm hanging out at the Hong Kong International Airport, waiting for the flight back - 19.5 hours late coming to Hong Kong and they think it'll only be 4.5 hours late leaving - that's airline magic.  Well, I've got all day and I think it's actually better to arrive home in the afternoon than in the early morning, after which I then have to stay awake all day.  So, this may work

Arriving in Shenzhen, China, near Hong Kong, last Sunday, the baggage claim carousels all showed the following:

Shenzhen baggage claim carousel sign

The terrorist events of the last week in Paris make me more determined than ever to get back soon and enjoy what Paris has to offer.  As attributed to Thomas Jefferson, "Every man has two countries:  his own and France."  Gertrude Stein said, "America is my country and Paris is my hometown."  And, Thomas Jefferson, once again, "A walk about Paris will provide lessons in history, beauty, and in the point of life."

Paris has always been welcoming, invigorating, refreshing, and uniquely exciting to me.  Here are a few of our favorite things to do.

First, on arrival, walk, usually to and then through the Tuileries.

 The Tuileries, looking toward the Place de la Concorde and the Champs Elysees,
then toward the Louvre

Next walk along the Seine, either toward the left bank and Place St. Michel or toward Place de la Concorde and on to the Champs Elysees, past the Grand Palais, noting the current exhibition and considering whether to visit it later or not.

 Grand Palais

If toward Place St. Michel, cut through the Louvre and cross the Pont des Arts pedestrian bridge, looking where we placed our love lock on the bridge many years ago.  The lock is now gone, after the collapse last year of part of the bridge under the weight of all the locks, but we were among the first!

 Placing our love lock on the bridge

Coming back a few years later and trying to find it

Then, it 's time for a glass of wine at a cafe, sitting and watching the world go by.

Sharing a carafe of wine 

As the sun sets over another great day in Paris, it's time to start thinking about dinner - so many choices, all of them great! We wander the area where we end up and search for what appeals to us tonight.

 Crossing the Seine on the way to dinner as the sun sets

After another fabulous meal in Paris, we walk back and stop a group on rollerblades and ask them to take our picture.

Crossing the Seine on the way back from dinner

We'll be back soon!

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