I will not let fifteen years pass again before returning to Paris. What an incredible city. It takes my breath away at what seems like every turn; I can’t imagine living amidst such history and grandeur and artistic flourish all the time. New York has my heart for so many reasons, as do Rome and Amsterdam, but with the exception of Rome, I’m not sure any city is more beautiful than Paris.
I’m also not sure we could have packed more into this week, and I think the kids enjoyed almost everything. I’ll be writing up a post that describes our itinerary and whether we would or wouldn’t recommend each thing, but for now, I’ll just say that I’m thankful to have spent a beautiful spring week here, to have gotten away from the States and the daily rigmarole, and to have introduced the boys to a new place and new experiences.
As I break from packing, I’m leaving you with some pictures from recent days, including some of the Yellow Vest protest we found ourselves repeatedly on the immediate periphery of (to my delight). The gendarmerie were dressed as if they expected to encounter a sizable third-world terrorist group at any moment: riot gear, grenade launchers, enormous guns, bobby sticks, shields, vans, motorcycles, etc. Despite the fact that the Yellow Vests torched restaurant two weeks ago, the police presence seemed a touch overwrought to me. Nonetheless, the protester/documentarian in me jumped right in and ran after them without considering any alternative. The kids and Tom followed for a while before lovingly demanding that I join them for lunch.
