Bonjour Paris

Welcome to Paris.

I wonder — is it on everyone’s bucket list?

We arrived in the brief pause between the Olympics and the Paralympics, yet the city pulsed with life. Streets buzzed with activity, preparations still in full swing, and people from every corner of the world weaving through the magic of Paris.

Our base was near the Champs-Élysées, within walking distance of the Eiffel Tower, standing tall like a beacon over the city.

Two and a half days — far too short to embrace all of Paris. Partly because the city is overflowing with wonders, partly because the Olympics had cordoned off parts of the map. Yet we wandered, letting the city guide us.

My husband avoids museums, yet even he could not resist the call of Parisian history (although he did start to sigh at the suggestion of the Louvre). We couldn’t see them all, of course, but we explored Les Invalides and the tomb of Napoleon, the Musée de l'Armée, and the Louvre. And yes, after a while, one sword or gun began to blur into the next.

Still, Paris was alive with stories, grandeur, and hidden corners — enough to make even the briefest visit feel unforgettable.

While at the Louvre, we did see the Mona Lisa.

It feels like a must while in Paris, yet the moment was strangely underwhelming. You cannot get close enough to study the brush work or the application of paint; instead, she is framed behind glass, glimpsed through throngs of people. In the crowd, she almost disappears, a quiet mystery swallowed by the bustle around her.

One thing I adore about Paris is how the cafés are draped in flowers, their awnings blooming with colour and charm. It lends the city a quiet romance, a magic that seems rare in other corners of the world.

Of course, in Paris, one cannot skip the classics: visiting the Arc de Triomphe, gazing up at the Eiffel Tower, drifting along the Seine on a gentle cruise. And, of course, a night at the Moulin Rouge — a dazzling spectacle that feels quintessentially Parisian.
(note: no photography allowed at the Moulin Rouge)

One thing we missed was Notre Dame, still shrouded in scaffolding and construction… and, of course, experiencing Paris by night — that will have to wait for next time.

Merci, Paris. Until we meet again. ✨