Art and Culture: Paris

5 years before when I visited Paris, I am not so sure I completely understood the city. Living in a place, immersing yourself changes your perspective immensely. My favorite thing to do is to walk miles and miles throughout the city, weaving in and out of arrondisments. I saw much history, art, and beauty. Over 2500 years old, it truly makes America feel young and naïve. To think I was roaming the same streets as Napoleon and Josephine, not to mention Hemingway, Picasso, Monet, Matisse, who found refuge here. The Louvre, the D’Orsay, Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower, the Seine river, all influential, as well, as the 39 bridges that run around the city, all with it’s own story. I was most fascinated with the architecture of the buildings old and modern. For instance, we visited Versailles and 3 chateaus in the Loire Valley, what an architect’s dream! Over 1000 years old, these places stood tall, built over moats, tucked away in seclusion, they all have a story. Marie Anoionette, the many King Loueys, Francois 1st, the French revolution, the rein of Napoleon, all have a place in French history. Kings, Queens....to be royalty, filled my dreams for weeks. These pictures speak a thousand words.