The Perfect Ending to the Perfect Trip

Twenty Years in Paris – Part V

Call me a softie, a romantic at heart, or perhaps at the point in my life when I have crested the hill and begun what I hope to be a very elegant and gradual descent down the other side. Don’t get me wrong, I still love scuba diving, James Bond movies and the occasional leap off the top of a 2,000 foot tall mountain with nothing but a hang glider silently soaring over the beaches of Rio de Janiero. But sometime after my 40th birthday I noticed my priorities were shifting.

The Arc de Triomphe at twilight.

The obsession for the latest clothes, cars  and cache has given way to experiencing life to the fullest every day. Life’s lessons learned have been punctuated by just how short life actually is. It’s no longer a matter of “he who dies with the most toys wins” but he who lives the fullest and most fulfilling life wins. Experiencing and absorbing what the world has to offer is now my priority. And sharing it with someone special makes it all that much more fun.

The Tour Eiffel.

So whether it’s the romantic in me or the desire to share all of the remarkable experiences in my life with the one I love, Paris has become a magnet for exactly that kind of experience. The visuality of the city is unequaled. The sights and smells are sensory overload. The food is both eye candy and orally orgasmic. I obviously prefer a big city to an obscure rural mountain village and there is no better big city experience than Paris.

The Opera Populaire.

Paris inspires me to shoot photos of the experiences I have and share them with my family, friends and the world. I hope you enjoy my photos of the sights and food we indulged in on our 20th Anniversary trip to Paris. Feel free to comment below.

Le Cafe Blue is possibly the most beautiful dining room in Paris.

This restaurant is actually located inside the Gare de l’Est train station. It’s very expensive but absolutely gorgeous.

A scale replica of the Statue of Liberty on The River Seine.

Not many tourists travel to this part of Paris, but if you follow the River Seine far enough past the Tour Eiffel, you will find this statue on an island in the middle of the river.

A Notre Dame gargoyle.

The detail in the architecture of The Cathedral of Notre Dame is amazing. It’s no wonder this structure took hundreds of years to build. Construction began in 1163.

Saints atop Notre Dame.

It would be interesting to see how the methods of construction evolved over the years. Placing these life-sized sculptures all over the roof line of the cathedral had to have been quite a task.

My favorite lunch, a Croque Madame.

Favorite indulgences at lunch time include a Croque Monsieur which is basically a grilled ham and cheese sandwich, or a Croque Madame which has an egg on top. With fries, of course!

A chocolate Eclair from La Maison du Chocolat.

One can only consume so much food on a trip to anywhere. In Paris it’s fair game to eat sweets and desserts for breakfast, lunch or dinner. So when you happen to be walking past one of Paris’ most renown chocolatiers, it is totally fair game to pop in for my personal favorite, a chocolate eclair.

This one is filled with chocolate custard.

This one is filled with coffee flavored custard.

A newer trend from the gourmands is a designer ice cream sandwich. These have macaroon tops and bottoms, and the most delicious ice cream in the center.

A designer ice cream sandwich.

This shop had about 6 different flavors.

The more you walk in Paris, the more you can eat. So of course we walk everywhere! Too much food and too little time. If you think Parisians are rude or if something is wrong with your vision and you don’t see it as the most beautiful city in the world, the food alone is reason enough to return to Paris time and time again.

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