Paris through my eyes, a photo essay

“It took me some years to clear my head of what Paris wanted me to admire about it, and to notice what I preferred instead. Not power-ridden monuments, but individual buildings which tell a quieter story: the artist’s studio, or the Belle Epoque house built by a forgotten financier for a just-remembered courtesan.”

– Julian Barnes

And it is true. My summer visit to the most romantic city in the world echoes these words. I discovered the city in a way, unlike my previous visits. I discovered its human layers, its sounds, heard its whispers, listened to its laughter and jeers, and watched a beautiful summer light play trick on its ageless face. Presenting some of my most beautiful memories from the French capital and some quotes to inspire your trip.

“Breathe Paris in. It nourishes the soul.” —Victor Hugo“She wanted to pass, but she also wanted to live in Paris.” —Gustave Flaubert“I think Paris smells, and not just sweet but melancholy and curious, sometimes sad but always enticing and seductive. She’s a city for all the senses, for artists and writers and musicians and dreamers, for fantasies, for long walks and wine and lovers and yes, for mysteries.” — M.J. Rose

“The last time I saw Paris, her heart was warm and gay, I heard the laughter of her heart in every street café.” —Oscar Hammerstein II“The chief danger about Paris is that it is such a strong stimulant.” —T.S. Eliot

“He who contemplates the depths of Paris is seized with vertigo. Nothing is more fantastic. Nothing is more tragic. Nothing is more sublime.” —Victor Hugo