For me, Fall is the best of seasons. I understand that the metaphoric death of the earth as it prepares for winter can be a bit morbid. I am not morbid. Really. For whatever reason, I am drawn to the subtle beauty of the season as the leaves slowly turn into energetic colors (reminding me of Halloween) of orange, red, and yellow. I can stand for hours, entranced by the gentle dance of leaves, dislodged by a soft wind as they fall, spinning and twirling towards the ground.

I cannot vouch for Paris during the other three seasons, but it is wonderful in the Fall. The falling leaves mix with the energetic business of people moving up and down the streets and, for a moment, the leaves appear to soften the harshness of the city as famous buildings and fashionable people alike are caught up in a sudden wind tunnel of falling leaves. I love it.

Our time in Paris has been short (2 days, 3 nights) and there is no way to really experience this city during this brief snapshot. Instead of trying to go into every museum and church (there are many excellent ones to choose from) Natalie and I have spent the last two days walking the city. It is my belief that to understand a city, one must walk its streets and mingle with its people. It is not enough to walk around the touristy areas and to mingle with the vendors who make a living off of selling Eiffel tower replicas to tourists. To begin experiencing the heart of a city, one must wander the streets that tourists rarely venture, talk to shop keepers that are not invested in tourism, and drink coffee at the locations frequented mostly by the locals. Although this approach is hard on the legs, it has never left me disappointed..

So what do I now know about Paris? Well….Paris is as friendly as you want it to be. Most people speak English but only after you try to speak French. Start with English, and you will be disappointed. Start with French, and you will find loads of encouragement. Paris is expensive. Really, really, expensive. Everything I want to eat and drink and do here is mind numbingly expensive. If you want to do anything at all, be prepared to spend double the money you think it should cost. Paris is fashionable. The people here make most average Americans look like slobs who were never taught to dress themselves. Even the school children make me want to buy new clothes to cover my readily visible Americanism. Lastly, the Parisian people remind me of home. Sure they speak French and are dressed better, but when I stop trying to understand what they are saying to each other, I see that their body language communicates the same joy, sadness and disappointment that I see on the streets of America. Even more amusing, everyone is always in the middle of sending a text message. Or reading one. They are talking on their cell phones and listening to their iPods. Although it is a surprise to me (read: I am sure I am the last one to know), we are more alike than we are different.

Tonight is our last night in Paris and I am a bit sad about it. Our time here has been hectic and intense and I will not be sorry to leave that behind. But… I want to come back to Paris and stay for a month or so. I want to wander the streets before the city awakens and spend long hours reading a novel at a street side cafe. I want to know the city well enough to walk around without a map. This is a city of dreams and I hope, some time in the future, to live that dream for just a little longer.

Tags | France