The Sunday Traveler ~ A Return to Paris

Where do I begin? The beginning you say? It had been 50 years. The Sunday Traveler was returning to Paris with a different set of eyes, maybe even wiser eyes. Eyes that have seen so much in the ensuing years. Yes, older and wiser eyes. I am grateful to have said yes to this opportunity (the beginning of wise). A week in Paris at the beginning of the holiday season with a friend who was given this gift as a birthday present from her daughter. In life, I’m beginning to realize that just showing up, and going along for the ride is pretty much all you have to do to find a little happiness.

Coming in to Paris in the morning, we dropped our stuff at the hotel and took off to explore, with a goal of the Eiffel Tower as major attraction number one for the day. We walked in order to stave off jet lag, and to see the city up close and personal. No need to worry about jet lag, the biting cold and dampness, in addition to the excitement of being in Paris, was enough to straighten us right up and keep us going all day.

Streets, cafes, statues, it was wonderful to walk on these historic streets

Shop windows filled with seasonal flowers and plants with reflections in the windows that made me spin around to see behind me.

Looking into some of the shop windows gave me the feeling of being a little girl at Christmas looking through the shop window and dreaming of having these sweets on the family table, of going in with a hand full of pennies that had been saved, plunking them down on the counter, and asking what that would get me.

The day’s target was reached at last. I’ve seen so many photos of the Eiffel Tower over the years, and to finally be standing here taking my own photos seemed like a sweet dream.

We wandered back to the hotel, but first stopped in to a little cafe to warm up and celebrate a birthday. The birthday girl was very hungry.

The Sunday Traveler is staying put for a little while now, and will be back with many more photos of Paris in the coming weeks.