The Red French Door
Now, Paris is a mixed bag for me.
I was chatting with my parents about Paris (my mom wants to go again, my dad has no interest in EVER going) and honestly, Paris is....okay. I honestly don't see why people think it's romantic. Yes, the architecture is fabulous. Yes, there are a crap ton of awesome museums. The food is okay. Unless we're talking baked goods, in which case, the food is to die for.
The first time I went to Paris, I had all of these grand designs. It was going to be so good! I ended up crying because I was miserable. Needless to say, after that first visit, I was okay never going back. And it took me at least 2 years to even consider visiting again.
When one of my favorite acupuncture instructors added Paris to his list of teaching engagements though, I jumped at the chance. It didn't hurt that the conference was 2 days after my birthday and one of my best friends decided to join me. She also had not had the greatest first experience in Paris. So, we decided that a Paris do over was necessary. For my birthday, we booked a 6 hour, day and night walking photo tour of Paris. (I snagged the picture of the door on that trip) We each had our list of things we wanted to do (included a macaroon class) and we picked one thing for each day. Seeing Paris at this pace was awesome, it gave us time to absorb and enjoy what Paris had to offer.
The 3rd time I went to Paris, was this past spring with my brother and two of our friends. Now, all 3 of them knew that I wasn't the biggest fan of Paris, so I think their expectations were appropriately low. We scored an awesome Airbnb (I swear, the place you stay in any location can make or break a trip) and we picked some great museums to go to. (I failed at the d'Orsay though, we went on a much too busy day and got trapped by stupid instagrammers)
Paris will never be a place that I immediately think of with awe and wonder, but, if you like museums, you may just love it. And you may just find some seriously awesome Red French Doors.