Paris, May 2025

One of the best parts of this new job is hybrid work. This means for a couple of days every week, I can work anywhere and while working anywhere, I can continue to indulge my love of travel. So I was privileged enough to spend the past few days in Paris with Jeremy.

When I thought of Paris, I thought of bright lights. I thought of romance and love. I thought of a city that never sleeps. I thought of it being the pulse of Europe.

In actuality, Paris was a city that could best be described by the hypocrisy of the ocean. It lulls you to sleep by its sounds, its salty air satisfies your taste buds, and the cool water is refreshing on your hot skin. And yet, the waves crash the sand, carrying sargassum, and destroy the spot that you’ve carefully chosen for a day of relaxation.

Paris had both big, urine-smelling, dirty streets; yet they were also charming with their old school cobblestone and speciality stores every few feet selling meat, fruit, cheese, and bread. There were delicious baguettes and plump grapes on every corner yet the menus were full of heavy food covered in rich sauces that extended beyond my desired palette. Everything was in French so you couldn’t read signs, menus, or plaques yet hearing people speak French reignited in me a love for the language that I had forgotten decades ago. City buildings rebuilt in the mid 1800’s under Napoleon III and lacking the beauty and history of old Europe - perhaps my greatest disappointment.

I’m not sure if I’ll ever go back to Paris but I am glad that I was able to experience it for a few days. Enjoy the photo dump