I’ve not lived in Paris but have spent enough time there for each subsequent visit to trigger a sense of deja vu. The nice thing about visiting Paris is that it seems to take on a different hue each season, so even if you walk through the same neighborhood every single time it still feels like a new discovery, albeit amidst familiarity. Same, same but different.  To me, Paris is the perfect city for photography.  Morning, noon, or night you can take brilliant pictures without doing anything.  The iconic architecture does it all for you. You can basically stand anywhere, even just outside of a metro stop, and your picture will look very…Parisian:

 

There’s no mistaking this city for any other place in the world.  In my next few blogs, I will feature some pictures of what it’s been like for me to be a Vietnamese-American in Paris, if only for just a few days.

On this particular trip I get to experience the city in the middle of a heat wave. It feels like the entire planet has converged in Paris. Tourists pour into every air conditioned inch of the city, and where there is no cool air I find the Parisians out and about. The Tuileries Garden is covered by people baking in the sun, and picnic baskets are everywhere.  The steps of the Sacré-CÅ“ur Basilica are always packed, but during these hot few days, the masses are out in droves.  I suppose it is as crowded as it gets during the holy days when pilgrimages are made. I hide in the chapel for about an hour to lower my body temperature. Plus the nuns are singing when I’m there. Whether you are a religious person or not, the sheer acoustics in this Byzantine basilica  move you to believe in  something greater than yourself, your universe. Here are pictures of the trek to the top of the hill in Montmartre:

 

 

 

 

 

I always make time to stop by the Sacré-CÅ“ur because there’s no better view of the city than from the front steps of the church:

 

 

There’s a greener path around the side of the church that winds down to a park below.  That park is also jampacked with families and couples.

 

Tomorrow, more sights from my walking tour. À demain!