Bridge Moments

There is an expression that you can choose your friends, but you can’t choose your family.  For most people, the logic that applies to “family” in this context, also applies to “hometown.” You can choose your vacation spots or attempt an attractive relocation, but home will always be home. Home is tied to family, to childhood, and most importantly, to identity. It is often the place you grew up and the unique place where you belong.

Restless expats are the rare and curious exception to this rule: they find their sense of belonging elsewhere. As an expat, I chose Paris not as my friend or as a vacation spot but as my home and life partner.  And so after years of dating, I married Paris and made her my family.

This blog is a tribute to my love and my home. I hope to share my vision of Paris through this blog and reveal a few of the countless moments that make the city of lights so magical.

It is superficial but true; first and foremost, I fell in love Paris for her beauty.  From the venerable architecture imbued with history to the meticulously landscaped parks and the river flowing through her center, Paris is a feast for the eyes. Rushing through the city on a busy workday, I continue to have moments when I feel compelled to slow down for a moment to let Paris’ splendor wash over me.

The most powerful and poignant moments occur on Paris’ bridges, where her visual magic is nothing short of arresting.  They are the best in the evening, walking back over the river on Pont Neuf from a dinner in St Germain to my apartment in the Marais. Suspended in the very center of Paris on a centuries-old stone arch over the river Seine, with an unbeatable view of Paris’ neighborhoods in front of me, I fall in love all over again.

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