There is never any ending to Paris

"There is never any ending to Paris and the memory of each person who who has lived in it differs from any other. We always returned to it no matter who we were or how it was changed or with what difficulties, or ease it could be reached. Paris was always worth it and you received return for whatever you brought to it." Hemingway in the closing paragraph of A Moveable Feast.

For me this trip to Paris was very much about going back after nine years. I went back to the old neighborhood where I lived and went for a run in the Bois de Boulogne, where I would run in the mornings before class. I walked down Avenue de General Sarrail and past the building where I lived. I went back to Reid Hall and walked through the gardens and the glass corridor. I spent an afternoon having dinner with an old friend in The St. Michelle and walked along the Seine. The metro still smelled the same and I thought back on my time in Paris as a university student.

But Paris wasn't just about going back but also about new experiences. L'orangerie museum with all of the Monet along the walls, it was the first time that I have ever shopped at Gallerie de Layfayette, visited Pere LaChaise cemetery and climbed to the top of La Tour Eiffel. I went to the the Institut Catholique de Paris and said hello to a professional contact. I was surprised to find this school crawling with students of all ages. The art in Paris was unsurpassed and I saw many things that I had not seen before. La Dame a la Licorne was impressive in Cluny, and the Monets in L'oragnerie as were many of the works in the D'orsay.

Paris was not as busy as London. I found life there to be a bit slower and less chaotic. Still I am glad to be back in London and don't when I will be back in Paris. Even so I will always have fond memories of Paris.