It’s Springtime and My Thoughts Turn to Paris
You never forget your first visit to the City of Lights
“Paris is always a good idea.” — Audrey Hepburn
The first and so far the last time I saw Paris was in September 1973 when I was on a whirlwind tour with a group of students on our Junior Year Abroad with Pepperdine University.
I’d fallen in love with Paris way before I ever visited by reading novels such as Tale of Two Cities (Charles Dickens) and Les Misérables (Victor Hugo) and watching movies — American in Paris, Gigi, and Funny Face.
Unlike many things in life, Paris did not disappoint and was just as magical as I imagined it would be.
We stayed in a charming small hotel on a tree lined boulevard. Our room came with a balcony (of course!) and a bidet (giggles — we’d never seen one before). Each morning at breakfast we enjoyed fresh croissants and hot chocolate. What luxury!
We only had two days to explore the city and we did our best to see everything in that short time. We visited all the usual places — the Arc de Triomphe, La Tour Eiffel, Notre Dame, Palais Versailles and the Louvre.
But my favorite experiences in Paris were more personal and immersive.
- Standing on the steps of Sacré Coeur looking out on the breathtaking panorama of Paris spread out before me.
- Visiting with the artists in Montmartre and admiring their work.
- Strolling down the boulevards and buying crusty baguettes at a boulangerie, eating and people watching in a sidewalk cafe and visiting a patisserie for a petit treat in the afternoon.
- Shopping in a elegant parfumerie and buying a very small sample of Joy by Jean Patou.
My time in Paris was all too brief, but as we boarded our train for Heidelberg, our final stop for the next year, I felt so grateful for the experience.
Key Message: I had finally seen Paris in all its glory and I was content. And I knew I would come back again some day to experience it all over again.
À La Prochaine Paris! — ‘Till Next Time!
Linda Locke is a writer and mentor/teacher. She lives in Southern California in Ventura County by the coast with her husband and lots and lots of books. She’s off rewatching Midnight in Paris again after writing this :)
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