"Comment ca va!" "Mon vieux!" "Mon cher!"

The Grand Notre Dame built in 1163
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The poet Heinrich Heine wrote of Paris: 'Living is so fine, so sweet on the banks of the Seine, in Paris." No city in Europe is celebrated as much as Paris. Paris has been sung about, written about, filmed, painted and danced. People talk about the thousand faces of Paris: the tourist Paris, the haute couture Paris, the culinary Paris, the decadence of Versailles Paris, the Paris of corner  bistrots and brasseries and the Paris of serenading lovers.

I too did not remain immune to Paris' charms for long. The more we explored the city the more in love I fell with it.  The book sellers by the rivers Seine, the flower strewn boulevards and the quintessential striped shirt mime are all flavors of this amazing city.

the tourist Paris, the haute couture Paris, the culinary Paris, the decadence of Versailles Paris, the Paris of corner bistrots and brasseries and the Paris of serenading lovers

Notre Dame from the rear (apse). I preferred that view to the facade.
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No trip to Paris can be complete without a visit to the opulent grandeur of the courts of Versailles, home to France's Kings in particular Louis XIV (the Sun King). The rich tapestry, gold gilded furniture, giant masterpieces of art may look out of place in a modern home but there remains no doubt that the glitter of the Versailles court is an example of the luxury and sumptuous life of its royal inhabitants.