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I am an official Paris convert. I’m lucky enough to have visited this occasionally cheesy, beautiful, butter-filled city 5 times now and each time I’ve grown to love it more. On my first visit, I was unimpressed. 18-year-old me, backpacking around Europe, enjoyed the major sites but didn’t see the big appeal. Why were all these people so in love with this city? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

First time visitors, myself included, seem to fall into two traps – <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Paris is full of well known (and less well known but equally impressive) things to do. People try to cram everything into a brief amount of time and few things are as tiring as wandering museums all day. I still maintain that I was more exhausted after a full day at the Louvre than after hiking a 14er. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Paris is one of the most visited cities in the world and can be presented as a fantasy. Paris in, in fact, a city full of its own faults. The streets are dirty enough that I would never wear sandals, smoking is still quite common, few people acknowledge traffic lights, and you are going to run into large crowds. You have to embrace the faults and roll with them to enjoy this lovely place. And pack some solid close-toed shoes. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    If you can escape the traps and build in some time to enjoy a coffee in a classic cafe, read in the Luxembourg Gardens, wander the city at night, or spend four hours enjoying some delightful food at one of the many Michelin-stared restaurants, you may join me in the fans of Paris club. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    While there are many amazing sites in Paris (the Orsay is, and likely will always be, my favorite museum in the world and Sainte Chapelle is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been), Carey and I spent our time this trip relaxing. After the stressful work of packing up our lives in Denver, it was great to take a minute to enjoy the Parisian summer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Site Highlights <\/h2>\n\n\n\n