No place like France

Yes, we are once again en France. Not sure exactly how many times we have come, but it’s not enough. - and never long enough. It is simply a wonderful experience every time, some uplifting combination of the culture, the history, the language, and, of course, the French themselves. They are a wonderfully interesting people. Add to that list traveling with good friends, friends you have known for a very long time, friends who understand you and love you, and you have a trip of a lifetime. The fact that it is celebrating the 60th birthdays of two of us is secondary.

First day - way too long, because I can’t really sleep on the plane. I can sleep sitting up at my desk, but I can’t recline and sleep on a plane. Hmmm.

Anyway, our intent was to push through the first day without stopping to nap, then crash. And we did.

Some of what we saw along the way....

The Arc de Triomphe - we had never been up to the top, and there are more stairs than expected. However, the view was obviously worth it.

We also had a great time on a bateau mouche ride on the Seine:

Along the Seine are homes.

There are also a ton of people out on a nice day, and I have the distance and privacy of the boat that allows me to shoot them from a distance.

And everywhere we went, there are those taking selfies:

And there was this guy - not the only one I saw. 

Every bridge is unique...

This one is covered with locks left by lovers. The city has to come cut them off every so often because of the tremendous weight.

Norte Dame:

And, at the end, sunset.