I’m in Paris and I’m having a blast.
Here is the thing: Paris is a very old city and filled with beautiful architecture that inspired buildings around the world. However, the thing that stands out to me the most thus far is scale. The sheer scale of these buildings is unbelievable. The Louvre can fit the MET and Natural History inside of it. Probably would have room to eat the Guggenheim. Seriously, the scale of these places is beyond what I first imagined and leaves me breathless.
And cold. Paris is very cold. This is probably an exaggeration given my lack of recent familiarity with cold weather locales. At the very least it is a prudent observation of a place that requires a hat and or scarf as a basic survival tool in the winter.
The other thing I learned about France is that it is a passionate city. I happened upon the place the night of the world cup game vs. England. The streets were filled with fans chanting the national anthem and cheering all the way to the victory. Then they danced through the streets in celebration.
This is France. This is day one. Crazy to try and imagine what comes next.