Paris.  Maybe it was because I watched so many movies where the city was romanticized or because I read A Moveable Feast before the trip, but Paris was...no words.  I've never felt a city so strongly before.  Paris was alive and beautiful and friendly and delicious and everything.

Our trip was flawless.  We took the train in early Saturday morning.  We went directly from the train to the Metro to the Louvre.  My first view of Paris above ground was through Pei's pyramids and how perfect that was.  The weather was amazing.  The people were amazing.  France felt right to me.  I feel uncomfortable in Germany sometimes, like I don't fit in and I don't always understand their way of life, but France fit me just fine.  We need to do something about the food though.

Anyway, we strolled through the Denon wing of the Louvre to see the few major pieces we wanted to see.  It was busy, but not so busy that it was a problem.  The museum felt alive, and I liked it that way.

After two hours in the Louvre, we headed toward the one area I could not pass up...but we'll save that for later.  Here are the highlights from my first few hours in Paris*













*Know that I'm saying it in French in my head and you should too.  It's more fun that way.