As I walked along le seine, winding its way through the City of Light, the wind catching the colored leaves of the popular trees along the bank, French voices fluttering in from all directions and creative inspiration at every turn with art, architecture and music… My romantic visions of Paris had come to fruition. Stories such as mine have set the bar for a perceived expectation from visitors who journey to Paris. However, much too often visitors, particularly from America, have a hard time finding “la romance de Paris” while they zip around the city in a taxi or underground in le Metro (although le Metro is cheaper and often faster than taking a cab. And there are stations everywhere!).
I cannot begin to express the importance of having the experience of walking around Paris under your belt!
As Tessan points out in her article, “The center of Paris is only a couple of miles wide, maps are ubiquitous, and the rewards for taking to the streets on foot include world-class window shopping, observing flirtatious exchanges taking place in sidewalk cafés, and walking off that extra croissant”.
Especially when it comes to that extra croissant… who can resist French pastry! YUM! While in Paris, it is important to be in the world and of the world, and there is no better way to do that than to walk!
Flânez, mes amies! Flânez!