For the first week, I did all of the “tourist” things, meaning exploring the famous sites and buildings. I spent a day at the Louvre, walked along the Champs Elysée to the Arc de Triomphe, went to the Château de Vincennes, the Picasso Museum (probably my favourite overall), the Conciergerie, Notre Dame, Sacré Coeur, etc. It was a magnificent and quick tour of the city and had to be done. I kept seeing smaller and less crowded places that I saved for later and picked my favourite neighbourhoods (Le Marais) and haunts. What I couldn’t get over the most was that I had seen Paris through the eyes of filmmakers, photographers, travel shows and writers for so many months, but I was HERE, really HERE, seeing it in person. It made everything all the more romantic and visceral, somehow. After one week, I was so hooked on Paris I never wanted to leave.Photo: The Arc de Triomphe from the Champs Elysée
