Paris speaks to me in new ways every time I return. Here are a few things I notice each visit.
1. I love how by day 2.5 you know the corners and the route from the Metro home without even thinking about it. The city starts to feel familiar. You stop staring at your phone and start looking up — into the apartment windows above, at the French man reading his newspaper outside the café, at the flower boxes and balconies you somehow missed before. ☺️
2. I love how the birds sound different here. They sing a song as if to say, "Welcome to Paris." Somehow, in Paris, I feel like Cinderella with a whole crew of birds singing my name and greeting my day. I can't seem to find this melody anywhere else in the world. 🎶
3. I love how I take pictures of sidewalk art and doorknobs. Things I would never stop for at home suddenly become fascinating. HALT! "Just look at the iron work on that door. I must have a picture." It's as if life becomes 3D. 🚪
4. I love how I smile while I walk. Not because anything spectacular is happening. Simply because I'm wondering what's on the next block. Every street feels like it might have something beautiful waiting around the corner… and it does. 🤩
5. I love how, like a sponge, I listen to the language and pretend I understand. I sit at a café, eavesdropping. It's in French and most often I have zero idea what they're saying — I pretend I do, because it's part of the fun. I make up the ending. Somehow, I've just had a morning croissant and café au lait with my new, very stylish, Parisian friends. 🥐
6. I love how I wear different clothes here. Nothing couture. Just an extra scarf or another layer. Somehow it feels special. I'm inside my own movie where I have become a very interesting 47-year-old who now lives in Paris. A red lip or polka dot jacket is part of my French persona. 💄
7. I love watching the pigeons. Do they get to hunt for baguette and croissant crumbles? What lucky pigeons, feasting on Parisian delicacies all day long. Dear afterlife — if I come back as a pigeon, please let it be in France. 🥖
8. I love the ritual that everyone greets each other with a sing-song "Bonjour." Every bakery, every café, every elevator, every little shop. I even catch myself saying "Bonjour!" out loud when I'm home just to boost my day. 🙋🏻♀️
9. I love how the Metro is my version of a sixteen-year-old boy's video game. Can I get to the next level? Off. On. Transfer. Bonjour. Walk. Wind in my hair. On. Count the stops. Up the stairs. The sun hits my face. Paris opens. The sky is blue. My heart explodes. Game mastered. 🚇
10. I love how when I board my flight home, my heart is full. A full week of memories. Bird songs. Metro mastery achieved. New foods. New friends. Hundreds of Bonjours. New level of me. ❤️
"The way the river caught the golden fall light... I keep coming back to that moment. Pure magic. You just have to see it for yourself." — AOP Traveler
