The City of Love

Meet me in Paris...🌹

It's not hard to see why Paris has been coined as the city of love. Star-crossed lovers can be seen walking the banks of the Seine holding hands and speaking the language of love, French, anywhere in Paris. The city is influenced by a combination of art, history, and nature which all interplay to create Paris' romantic feel. By night, the Eiffel Tower's hourly twinkle illuminates the city in the dark and adds to the city's romantic aura.

After already living in Paris for about 2 months, my boyfriend at the time came to visit me for Spring Break. I was so excited to show him around my new city and experience it together with him. Firstly, I showed him around the basic touristic sites, like any tourist who is visiting a new place for the first time should. Before we started our tour we decided to each buy our own disposable camera so that we could document everywhere we went without lugging around my big digital camera (this is when my love for film began). 

I started by taking him to the Arc de Triomphe where we learned about its Napoleonic history and at the top saw the most beautiful view of Paris. We walked down the Champs-Élysées and passed the Grand Palais and walked along the Seine hitting all the touristic sites: The Tuileries Gardens, The Louvre, Notre-Dame, and back up to the Bastille (where I lived). Then the next day we met up after my classes were over (in the Latin quarter) and we visited the sites around the NYU Paris campus. We visited Le Pantheon which lies directly behind campus and visited the tombs downstairs where many famous Frenchmen & women are buried. Next, we visited the Luxembourg Gardens that now serves as home to the French Senate and a playground for children after school. The next day we trekked up to Montmartre and went to the top of Sacre-Coeur church where we saw the best view of the entire city. Then we visited the Palais-Royal in the 1st arrondissement and got a coffee at Cafe Kitsune. 

But by far my favorite place we visited was a restaurant at the top of the Eiffel Tower. We were served 3 courses and a full bottle of champagne on the 58th floor.

There's nothing like showing someone a place that is so special to you.

It’s funny how things change with time, no?…

Touristic Recommendations: Top of the Arc de Triomphe, Le Pantheon, Grand Palais, Pont Alexander III, Tuileries Gardens, Le Louvre, Jardins de Luxembourg, Eiffel Tower, & Palais-Royal

3/16/2017

From the top of the Arc de Triomphe~ one of Paris' most famous monuments, located at the end of the Champs-Élysées, it honors those who fought in the French Revolution & the Napoleonic Wars

Le Pantheon~a mausoleum in the Latin Quarter (5th arrondissement) housing the remains of many famous French citizens such as: Voltaire, Rousseau, Victor Hugo, and more.

Le Jardins de Luxembourg~located in the 6th arrondissement was designed by Marie de'Medici the wife of Henry IV and is now home to the French Senate. On a warm day, kids and families can be seen enjoying the weather in the park.

Le Pont Alexandre III~ named after Tsar Alexander III, connects the two sides of Paris across the Seine, widely regarded as the most ornate and beautiful bridge of the city

Basilique du Sacre-Coeur de Montmartre~a Roman Catholic basilica dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus located in the 18th arrondissement and is the highest point of Paris.

from the top of Sacre-Coeur

Palais-Royal~ a former royal palace in the 1st arrondissement

Palais-Royal