Travels | Paris | part un

↳Love locks on the bridge are being relocated to relieve the bridges of their weight.

↳A statue by the Sorbonne that students touch for good luck before an exam.

↳Medici Fountain at Luxembourg Gardens, one of my favorite spots to sit with a picnic, or write in my journal for a little. But who am I kidding, there are so many beautiful spots in Paris. There, you're surrounded by beauty and history. 

↳Chateau Vaux le Vicomte outside of the city put Versaille to shame. On Saturday evenings, they light 2,000 candles around the chateau, play baroque music, have a champagne bar, and let off gold and silver fireworks. For us, we brought our own picnic of champagne and sat by the water, enjoying the sun go down, the glow of the candles keeping our souls warm.

My oh my. Has this become a travel blog? Tender Roots because I'm never home? To preface, summer for events is pretty quiet, so this is the time for me to take advantage of flexible schedules and visit other places, old and new. 

I went to see Ira Glass, the host of This American Life, talk at the new performing art center in downtown Orlando, the Dr Philips Center for Performing Arts. The tickets were a holiday gift to S (yes, we've had these tickets for a long time!) so I got us front row to admire Ira's charm up close. He's really an incredible storyteller and is so inspiring for people like me who enjoy writing, telling and listening to stories, and sharing in the little moments throughout the world. 

One thing he said that has stuck with me since the show, was something a colleague at All Things Considered had told him. "Don't write about what's new, write about what is." Just the simple state of being, it's my favorite topic. How people live their routine lives, how people feel in the moment, and interestingly mundane aspects of human life and interaction. That's what is. So, I'm going to keep that as my mantra moving forward with this blog. Sure, my trip to Paris is what's new, but I wanted to tell you just how it is there.

Paris. How can a city be so perfect? Of course, every city has some crime, some graffiti, and some pockets that smell like urine. But with Paris, there is so much more good that outweighs any of the bad. So much of the city is beautiful including the buildings, the many parks, the people, and the culture. No fast-paced rat race. My friend and I were about to leave a bar one night when we checked our phones on their wifi one last time. A Parisian came up to us and started mimicking us on our phones. "You Americans are always working," he said. We didn't even know his name before he was introducing us to his friends and we were kissing everyone's cheeks. We felt accepted by the city, even if just for the night, we weren't tourists anymore. We were meeting new friends, living life like a local. Those moments are my favorite kinds in foreign places. When you find somewhere and someone who can make you feel accepted.