Paris

SQ and I spent about 6 days in Paris this past week. I was there mostly for work and SQ on vacation. We did manage to hang out 1 day and a few nights together. Otherwise, SQ ventured out on his own while I slaved away in meetings after meetings…

We both loved Paris! It is indeed a very beautiful city - no wonder if it is one of the most beloved cities in the world. There is so much old-city charm … everywhere you turn, you find historical buildings, landscaped parks, sidewalk cafes, relaxed lifestyles - I can go on and on and on. There is so much to love!! Here are a few pictures we took:

Arc de Triomphe

Notre Dame de Paris

Musée du Louvre

La Tour Eiffel

So you may ask why the Eiffel Tower is blue? The Eiffel Tower at night is normally a “yellowish” color, which is what you typically see in pictures, etc. But this year for 6 months (Jul 1 - Dec 31, 2008), the Eiffel Tower is blue in honor of the European Union (blue in the color of the EU). The French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, was selected as the President of the European Council, which is a position that rotates between member states every 6 months. So, we were lucky to see the very “limited edition” color of the Eiffel Tower! Besides the blue color, every hour on the hour, there is a light show for 10 minutes. Bright white lights dance and sparkle in the dark sky. It is one spectular show!!

The only thing I wasn’t too crazy about…was the food. Because I dined with the local Parisians (for business), I was able to try out a lot of different dishes, not only your typical escargots, foie gras (though I also had those). But truthfully, I am never a big fan of French cuisine - let’s put it this way - I can eat it but don’t appreciate it as much. And after 5-6 days of eating the same cuisine, I was so ready to go back home to eat a bowl of Pho!!

I would love to go back again…next time, I will plan it a bit better so I can have more free days to explore this beautiful city.
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