After our time in northeast France, it was on to Paris for the remainder of our trip. I hadn’t been in Paris in more than 30 years and for Janet it was her first time. Paris is a usual large city in that it has the expected list of great things (e.g., places to see, restaurants, museums, jobs, and cultural diversity) as well as a collection of not-so-good elements (e.g., heavy traffic, noise, and a hard edge for those who lack economic resources). The sites are breathtaking, the types of things we’ve seen and read about all of our lives. They do not disappoint in person.

Central Paris hasn’t changed much since my last visit. Its history, classic architecture, repurposed buildings, river area, and non-linear streets make it a classic and a lot of fun to spend time in. Much of what most people want to do is within walking distance of hotels and Airbnbs. The Metro system and trains will get you where you want to go if your feet won’t go that far. It’s different from New York, for example, in that new construction and tall buildings have been added on the periphery only. Most striking is that there are no skyscrapers in the central core other than the Eiffel Tower. Even the tower was unpopular when it was built. There were plans to take it down. What’s there in downtown Paris is classic, beautiful, old, and short.

Once again Janet found us a first-rate Airbnb, one of the
best ever. It overlooked the Seine and was only a 1.5-mile walk to the Louvre.
When I first stepped out onto the balcony and looked left, west, I saw Notre
Dame with all its scaffolding, still in the middle of renovation that is the
result of the terrible fire. I also saw tourist boats, working barges, and a
classic bridge nearly right below our fifth-floor windows. Across the way was
the Ile Saint Louis, Isle of St. Louis, with its charming shops and great
restaurants.

Paris is the home to incredible art museums. The Louvre is the best known, but its enormous size and huge crowds make it less fun than it should be. The Louvre has 36,000 works. If you tried to see all of them, a thirty-second viewing for each including the Mona Lisa, it would take 300 hours, or 12.5 eight-hour days, to complete the task. And, that doesn’t account for crowd interference or moving between works. Go to Lens and check out the satellite version of the Louvre. I suggest checking out the Musée d’Orsay, a converted train station that serves as an excellent venue for some of the best art anywhere. In particular, the impressionist painters have taken over one wing of the fifth floor. When we visited the Orsay, there was also a special impressionist exhibition based on the failed salon of 1874. That’s the year of the coming out party for the likes of Monet, Cezanne, Renoir, and others, soon to be followed by Van Goh. Magnifique.

We took three bicycle tours while in France, two in Paris and one in Versailles. Biking is very popular in Paris, and those who travel each day are experienced and fast riders. The bike lanes are well- delineated and car, bus, and truck drivers yield well to those on two wheels. If you ride fairly often, you’ll be fine. If not, watch out because a Paris rider at 20 mph can be more frightening than a car going 40. I watched as two riders crashed head-on because one got out of his lane during a busy time of the day. Harsh words were exchanged. In the U.S., a punch-up would have ensued. Maybe someone would have been shot.