There are only two places in the world where we can live happy: at home and in Paris.
Ernest Hemingway
What is it about Paris that has so captured the imagination of artists and writers over the years? Is it the light, the architecture, the culture, the way of life? I am not sure, but I know it has captivated me too.
Generally when I travel I like to discover somewhere new. My husband feels the same, so we rarely return to the same destination more than once. There is one exception: Paris. However many times we visit, there is always good reason to go again. We go to celebrate a birthday, or our wedding anniversary. We go ‘just because’. And recently we even went for a football match; a match for which we didn’t even have tickets!
So when John asks, for this week’s Lens Artists challenge, what is my go-to place, my answer has to be Paris. A few days there will always refresh me; whether wandering the banks of the Seine or through the Ile Saint-Louis or Le Marais; people-watching while enjoying coffee or a pastis on a café terrace; taking in an exhibition or discovering an as-yet unvisited neighbourhood. I can’t wait for this year’s visit, already planned for September!
I’ve shared many photos of the city in recent years so have simply pulled a few favourites out of the archives. Most you may have seen before but I hope you’ll indulge me in celebrating the delights of my go-to city. You won’t see many famous sights in my selection; this is all about the smaller things that give me pleasure on our Parisian trips. And it’s also about appreciating how other people enjoy the city.
Hover over any photo to find out where it was taken, or click on any one to open a slideshow of them all. My feature photo was taken on the Ile de la Cité.
These photos were taken on several visits to Paris: 2017, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
6 Comments
Anne Sandler
Beautiful images Sarah. I can see why it’s your “Go to place.”
bushboy
I share your love of Paris Sarah. I stay in the burbs and have a great time exploring
thehungrytravellers.blog
We share your love of Paris, as you know. In fact I’m suffering Eurostar withdrawal symptoms as I write this comment!
margaret21
Would you believe we’ve only been to Paris once? But if and when we go again, it’s these small details of the kind you’ve shown us here that we’ll be keener to explore. I think the Louvre, despite my interest in Art History, will be given a miss. The nuggests of street art you’ve show us will fill the bill.
Sarah Wilkie
I’m always happy to make suggestions about the less visited parts of the city etc. On the topic of ‘would you believe’, would you believe that in eleven (I think) visits to Paris I’ve never been inside the Louvre?!! I keep saying ‘one day I really should’ but there are always more interesting (to us) things to do!
margaret21
I can’t imagine elbowing my way round the Louvre. We had that experience once at the Uffizi, and pretty soon abandoned Botticelli, Raphael etc. in favour of lesser known artists. Which was fine. We enjoyed them in peace.