A walk in the park

So one of my favorite parts of Paris is how many parks, gardens, and green spaces there are. It's really refreshing in a big city like Paris to find such peaceful, quiet spaces, sort of like urban oases. The city is full of them but Le Parc des Buttes Chaumont is one of my favorites. It's in the 19th arrondissement, which is sort of out of the way, but the park is so beautiful and peaceful that it's totally worth it. 

Another really peaceful spot in Paris is Les Jardins du Palais Royal. These gardens were once part of the Royal Palace that was once the main residence of the House of Orléans. It's not exactly a park, it's more of a garden (as the name would imply), but it's still really beautiful, and you can always find people there relaxing or reading a book or newspaper among the flowers. It's just so Parisian. 

Anyway, this is my final Paris post (not my final post, just my final post from Paris). My dad came to visit me during my last few days in Paris and then we went on a trip to Normandy, Brittany, and the Loire Valley before returning home. Anyway, I wanted to take this opportunity to say how much I loved Paris, but now that I'm trying to, the words just aren't coming. The city is so beautiful and historic and cultured. Every corner, every street, every neighborhood was once the site of something important and historic or was once the setting of some novel or poem or song. So many people have fallen in love with Paris, so many people have lived and loved and fought and died here and the city has been witness to so many important events, that to truly become a part of Paris is to become a part of something so much bigger than one's self. That's how I felt when I would walk around the city, I felt like just one minor player, one tiny walk-on role in a play that started long before I was born and will continue long after I'm gone. And yet, I've still left a mark on the city, even if in the most minor of ways. I know I've touched the lives of people there, just like they've touched mine. Paris became my home and every time I returned there, I felt like the city was welcoming me back, like it was happy to see me again. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm so very happy I chose Paris as my abroad destination and that I can't imagine myself having gone anywhere else.