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My Wife in front of the restaurant (January 2011)
The Pompidou Center
Rue des Ursins with no. 1 on the right.
One of the outdoor showsLe joie de vivre
Paris has a most unusual atmosphere. It's lively, but controlled. Fun and exiting, yet quiet and oh so European. You feel it when you walk around the streets of Paris. It's different, yet it's not. It's so hard to explain. Beauty and history are all around you. You see lots of flowers, statues, gold decor throughout the city. It's a city of beauty. To narrow down one thing about Paris would be difficult. The Eiffel Tower, the Musee D'Orsay, the Champs-Elysees, the Louvre, Monmartre, Sacre-Coeur, the bakeries, restaurants, the Seine - each has it's own special quality. I think the thing is: it's Paris. But if I was to choose, I was say Monmartre. It's the most interesting and typically "French" area in Paris. It includes the Sacre-Coeur church on the top of the area and has the best view of Paris (better than the Eiffel Tower because it's almost too high). It's pretty breathtaking. The church is absolutely gorgeous inside as well. But the coolest part is all the cafes and the square were all the painters paint and try to sell their wares. It's a pretty romantic spot. A nice place for a meal - great breads and pastries - see the sights and just soak up the Parisian atmosphere. My fondest memory of Paris was when I went out to this beautiful garden while my family was taking a nap. I walked out of our hotel and across the street was this old palace - the Palais Royal. The grounds were gorgeous. In the courtyard there were flowers, a fountain, and chairs around so you could sit. I brought my book and sat there reading in the lovely Spring weather. It was so relaxing. Watching the people go by, the rush of the water, the birds, everything was beautiful. I will never forget that moment. I could see how this could be a romantic place to be as well. There are little cafes in the arcade surrounding the courtyard so perhaps a turnabout the garden with the sweetheart and then some coffee and dessert would be the perfect cap to the day.
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