Paris- A Love Affair

here

Paris. The very word quickens my heart. My mind resonates with memories of nights long since passed, when as a young man of twenty-two I ventured into the heart of a city that would quickly find her way into mine. I sauntered through parks watching young lovers embrace on ornate benches, and lost myself in the buzz of Montmartre with its myriad coloured artists' canvasses. I followed the smell of fresh-baked goods emanating from tiny patisseries and carried down narrow cobblestoned streets. Through it all found myself completely surrendering to her. I never saw it coming.

here

  

Sunlit storefronts gave way to shadowed corridors as I made my trek to the top of the city. And from the heights of Sacre Couer, with dusk settling upon her rooftops and Let It Be ringing out from wine-stained lips of teenagers young enough to still believe, I watched that innocence gently slip from her shoulders. Paris by day is a lady; cosmopolitan, playful, free-spirited. By night she’s a lover who lays herself bare, wraps herself around you and seductively draws you in. A woman who invites you to take her in your arms and dance away the hours ’til the first rays of daybreak.

 

here

She spoke to me in hushed tones, the sound of instruments wafting from distant clubs and lounges. I felt the passion of this city echoed through ten thousand heartbeats coming together as one. And from my vantage point, awash in the charms of the sublime symphony unfolding before me, I closed my eyes and wondered if I’d ever be the same again.


* This post was inspired by my dear friend Amber at Amber's Mouthwash, after she wrote about her own love affair with Paris. It's beautifully written, check it out here .

(PS: I purposely waited two days before re-reading her post, and found it interesting to see some of the similarities in our experiences).