Ahh, Paris. My love affair with this city began three years ago in ‘08 when I first had the chance to visit. Ever since then, anyone who knows me knows I’m obsessed with the darned place. When I see anything decorated with the Eiffel Tower or hear anything French, I sigh that contented little sigh that brings me back to that beautiful place.

Not only was the city itself gorgeous—what with the amazing architectural details on every building and the extensive amount of parks that were made just for wandering—but the people were so chic and the culture so rich. Oh yes, I certainly had high hopes coming back.

When we finally landed in Paris, all those giddy feelings started bubbling up and I was excited to go explore everything I remembered so clearly. First up, the landmark route—starting at the Louvre, then through the Jardin des Tuileries, down Avenue des Champs Elysees, quick pose at the Arc de Triomphe and ending at the biggest landmark of them all, Le Eiffel Tower.

^I could sit here and look at this all day.

This is one of my favorite walks to do in Paris. I had never strolled through the Tuileries before, but it was so worth it. That view alone of the buildings overlooking the gardens and the ferris wheel in the foreground was stunning. Add a fountain with chairs just for lounging and you’ll see me there every day. Simply breathtaking.

Unfortunately it was a Saturday when we arrived, and there were a TON of people milling around. We didn’t even bother trying to go inside any of the sights because of the crowds. When we finally made it to the Eiffel Tower, it was still bright out, so we decided to skip the sunset view of the man-made marvel and go on the hunt for some food to fill our empty stomachs.

We made our way to Rue Cler, where sidewalk markets and cafe restaurants spilled people onto the streets. It was the epitome of Parisian living, made ever more enticing by the fact that there were no cars on this cobble-stoned walkway.

We ended up at Cafe Du Marche, where I had a “Caesar salad”. It wasn’t the typical Caesar salad, but one that included couscous and tandoori chicken.

It was pretty darned delicious though. Topped off dinner with some Amorino gelato (it was nothing special) and then headed off to the Pont d’Alexandre to catch some sunset shots. Lo and behold, this ended up being the shot of the night!