Paris: It's not Broadway, it's Paris.

"These days, my notion of the fantastic is closer to what we call reality. Perhaps because reality approaches the fantastic more and more."

- Julio Cortázar, Interview with The Paris Review

Torre Eiffel

I couldn't leave Paris without visiting the most iconic structure. This was, by far, the most touristy location and therefore where I was harassed the most. Even as a confident solo traveler, with an intermediate level of French, I still had men approach me and get in my face. Although I really dislike the agressions, I enjoyed the shows put on by a variety of scam artists. Truthfully, there were enough actors present for a Broadway musical.

Seine River

Square de l’Île-de-France

Hôtel de Ville

I couldn't help but chuckle when I saw people learning how to ride a bicycle. I think they are going to do a bike tour and are learning how to navigate Paris streets. I would take lessons too I suppose; these streets are crazy.

Mystery Boxes

I found these boxes lining the Seine River and I couldn't figure out what they were for. At first, I thought they were bird boxes to support the Parisian wildlife. This idea seemed odd, even for my standards, and my inability to see the opposing side left me wondering their true purpose..

A lock picker's paradise

I was crossing the Seine River and saw a healthy supply of padlocks attached to the guardrails. I believe it was the Pont des Arts, but I'm not sure. I used Google image search to figure out which bridge I crossed, but it only returned a variety of industry gears and machinery. I believe this was due to the spiral in the middle of the picture. Regardless, no one is stealing this bridge anytime soon.

 

Square du Vert-Galant

Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris

On the other side of the river, I noticed several of the "bird boxes" were opened and converted into little souvenir shops. I think, since it was not tourism season, many of the little shops were locked up for the winter; resulting in me mistaking them as pigeon Parisian vacation homes.

I keep running into these...

I happened upon a Paris route of the Camino de Santiago, about one block from Notre Dame. 

Starplayer Game Shop

I was walking down a street and saw a game shop. I bought some games. What did you expect me to do?

Philippe Conticini

Paris-Brest

It was okay. For how much I paid, I wouldn't get it again.

Château de Versailles

I give American tourists a hard time because of the stereotype, but there are many other tourists from other countries that are just as amusing.

Heaven

I forget that there was an era when paintings were the ultimate escape. No virtual reality for Napoleon.

Siege of Yorktown, 17 October 1781, by Auguste Couder

Don't forget who helped who first.

Orangerie

Garden path

(I don't think we were supposed to walk on the grass 😐)

Apollo's baths grove

This grove was my favorite part of the gardens; the sculptures were beautiful and everywhere.

Pantheon

Paris Metro

Pierre Hermé

Ispahan

I thought about inserting a description, from Pierre Hermé himself, of this pastry. While it was worthy of the hashtag #Foodporn, the description itself contained too many SAT words for me to understand. I mean, what does 'acidulous' mean anyway?

UNESCO (The overlord of world tourism)

Military School

Arc de Triomphe

Metro Stop Argentine

I guess to spice up the 2 minutes I spend waiting for the metro, the city of Paris decided to pick country themes for stops. 

Basilique du Sacré-Cœur

The second most touristy spot; I almost bought a beret.

Stohrer

Éclair au chocolat

The nametag on this pastry was, in fact, chocolate and intended to be eaten-- unlike the Ispahan from earlier that had a paper tag glued to it. I can't remember which cooking show judge said it, but "never put something inedible in my food." You'd think this rule would be common sense, but alas, even the best pastries in Paris struggle. I think it was Food Network's Cupcake Wars.

Despite being close to tourism season, Paris was calm and left me with a good impression. I'm not really a big city person, but I felt confident in Paris. The pastries didn't live up to the hype; I still prefer the cheap bakery by my house in Clermont. I'm guessing next year will be chaos with the Olympics...

10 months ago, I stood under the dome of the Tetro Amazonas in Manaus, Brazil. When I looked up, I saw a painting of the Eiffel Tower. The rubber barons in Manaus wanted so badly to be something they weren't. They were chasing a lifestyle that didn't match who they were, and they hurt a lot of people in the process. I wonder what they could have built instead, a better legacy at least.