It's as if I never saw Paris back in 1975 when I studied abroad at age 18. I didn't connect with the city much in those 3 days on my whirlwind scouring of Europe and its history in 8 weeks. I recall chasing along the Champs Elysees in a caravan of minibuses and eating spaghetti at a cafe, of all things. Not stellar Paris memories.
So my visit with my sister Nan in 1997 just after our mother died with Alzheimer's -- a sort of gift to ourselves after the strain of caregiving -- felt like the first time. Our hotel was just a couple of blocks from the Tuilleries gardens. So we'd find rest by the fountains there at the end of a long day of walking the city, the sun setting behind the Arc de Triomphe.
Three more visits since then have confirmed what many people feel: There is much to love about Paris. Here are my top 10:
1. Pain aux raisins
2. Pont Neuf
3. The Van Gogh room in the Orsay Museum
4. Picasso Museum
5. Shakespeare & Co. bookstore
6. Walking on Ile Ste Louis
7. A concert in Ste. Chapelle
8. The sycamores on the Seine
9. Laduree tea salon
10. Erhart's Mary Magdalene statue in the Louvre
The fountain photo was taken by my sister Ginnie ("Boots") on one of our trips.
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