It’s a perfect Parisian evening. A light breeze dances through the Jardin Du Luxembourg with the sweetness of red and purple blossoms.
Tanned bodies sprawl across the lawn; bare skin against electric green. Little white triangles tack across the glossy fountain pond as children run alongside with sailors’ glee. Powder-green chairs sit in messy clusters; echoes of crowds that have come and gone throughout the day.
As the sun sinks into a hazy gold band above the city, I watch the vibrant park life and marvel at the appropriateness of this vista to reflect upon my acquaintance with Paris.
She’s an intense beauty this city: she woos with romantic theatrics and creative flair, then flips to moody big-city confrontation.
A day in Paris can be spent in the company of the most gifted painters and sculptures of centuries passed, but it can also be a day of dodging shifty metro-goers and giant rats on the pavement.
Paris can show you perfect cobbled passages, offer dining at quaint bistros with poodle-owning patrons. She can also smite you with persistent damp, inexplicable closures and oh-so inconvenient track works.
Sitting within a floral dream though, after the heightened weariness of jet lag has passed, it’s all too clear that I’ll simply accept the ickier moments in exchange for the generous delights offered by those I adore.
There’s much more about Paris to come so stick around, and follow my travel adventures on Instagram via @nicfreemanlife
Nic Freeman 
What do you think?