I love Paris

I spent a couple of days in Paris on account of a medical congress - which I confess I wouldn't have attended if it wasn't in Paris; I just grabbed the opportunity to go there again. Paris is one of those places you can go again and again and there's always plenty to see, it's such a beautiful city just walking through it feels exhilarating. Having been there a few times, I feel free from the "obligation" of going to the "obligatory" places, and I can enjoy just walking its streets, en flaneur, reading at cafés terraces, follow my fancy.

So I enjoyed the view over the Eiffel Tower from my room, walked several kilometers, visited the superb exhibitions of Matisse at the Pompidou, about the times of Debussy at the Oragerie and Degas and the nude at the Musée d'Orsay (where I looked again at some of my favorite paintings by Cézanne - the Card Players - and Monet), discovered the collection of the Musée de l'Orangerie and the fabulous Musée Cluny, enjoyed cappucinos and beers at several café terraces, listened to the music of French speaking...

As usual, I had to run away from the Gibert Joseph bookstore keeping my eyes away from its shelves after buying a dozen of books - mostly livres de poche, the cheapest and lightest, my suitcase is small...

The weather was wonderful, sunny and even hotter than here in Lisbon. People were sunbathing by the Seine and in the Place des Vosges, my favorite place in Paris a par with Saint Germain des Prés. And the Île Saint Louis.

Traveling is really my greatest pleasure, and it feels wonderful not just to discover new places but to go back to the ones I love, and Paris certainly belongs in that category. I hope I go there again, and again.