Tall Tales from Kansas

When people ask “what did you do in Paris?”, I tell them we wandered. Wandered around, soaked up the city, all if it with only a very general idea of a plan of where we were going and what we were going to do. The thing is… you never know what you are going to find that might cause you to veer off course which makes planning totally unnecessary. Foolish even.

We explored parks. My favorite, if I have to pick only one, was Parc Monceau. We visited several times and enjoyed sitting on these benches in the filtered sunlight, warming ourselves, watching life in a city that is not our own, float by. Wondering what must it be like to live here.

Ducking into passageways to see what might be there.

And of course, always, hopping on and off the metro and city busses. So much fun… just to see if you can figure things out, the right line, going in the right direction, where to transfer… it’s surprisingly exciting when it all turns out.

On the metro we were up close and personal with all the people of Paris. Sitting, talking, reading, on their phones… all of it mundane and somehow so interesting in a different language.

Photos were taken with ideas for painting, drawing, sketching…

No trip to Paris would be complete without a walk along the Seine. On this day we stumbled upon the most beautiful garden, complete with roses and a man practicing on his harmonica.

The Santa Barbara cat dolls asked to come to Paris and since their passage was included in the price of our tickets, we brought them.

The parks in Paris are replete with all manner of sculptures to enjoy.

Every street had smaller lanes that beckoned to be strolled.

The spots for taking a respite were plentiful. We took advantage of them.

Aimless wandering is a wonderful way to pass the time. So different from the ordinary “structuredness” of normal life where everything is over-planned. The important thing is to find someone who also thrives on the loose flowing nature of it. Happily, sister and I are quite in agreement on this.