lace stronger than steel.

"I have decided that is always the best kind of story: when you set your heart for one particular something - one person, one sight, one trip, one goal, one job, one life that you've had plotted out since you were the seasoned age of ten - and then suddenly you wake up to everything else happening along the way.


You go searching for The Eiffel Tower. But you start to realize the searching part is pretty darn incredible too. You decide maybe it's time to start showing up for the life already in progress.

Dandelions,
falling snow,
falling stars,
chance meetings,
second chances,
gum wrappers,
The Eiffel Tower.

Sunrise. Sunset. They're all beginnings, if you want them to be." *


I've always loved Paris; the "lace stronger than steel reaching towards a never ending sky." *


Now I'm sitting in Logan, in Boston, flipping back and forth between Facebook, Twitter, and Blogger. I can't find the right words to describe yesterday to you the sheer beauty of that city. I don't want to settle for a less-than satisfactory post that in no way communicates what I want to say about Paris. 


But this is what I did do:


I bought a book. We meandered up and down the Latin Quater looking for the famed Shakespeare and Company bookstore, only to ask and find out that it was directly across the street from where we started out. This was my favorite part of Paris. Maybe that's silly, maybe not. I think it would be hard to understand the magic of this place unless you;ve been there. It is, without a doubt, the most beautiful bookstore I've ever been in. It's crowed, packed with books, and impossible to turn around in.


The people are quiet. Have you ever spent much time with book people? It's beautiful. There was a hush across the whole store; no one talking, no one pushing, no loud Americans. I bought a copy of To Kill a Mockingbird- it's one of the books I haven't read since eighth grade English.


I made a wish at Kilometer Zero in front of Notre Dame. We searched high and low for the brass star that marks the center of Paris, finding it, as our directions said, directly in front of Notre Dame.


I ate escargot in a cafe. The taste was great, the texture was barely bearable. That one was a little bittersweet in a little-sister sort of way. The very second thing on my bucket list is this: eat escargot in Paris with Joseph, my big brother.


It's been weird and different not having him around, much like last summer, only easier.


I discovered that the Eiffel Tower is not only steel and lace, but dancing bokeh too. The entire day was overcast, providing a perfect background to my photos. Standing under the Eiffel Tower, the rain started to trickle down like Liesel wringing out the words ("He was the crazy one who had painted himself black and defeated the world. She was the book thief without the words. Trust me, though, the words were on their way, and when they arrived, Liesel would hold them in her hands like the clouds, and she would wring them out like rain.") Despite the danger of my camera lens, I continued shooting- and they're beautiful.


And I decided I'm going back. Over my entire life, I've averaged a trip to Paris every four years; in the past two years, it's been once a year. 


Because Paris is magical. Expect at least another post with Paris photos, and here's a question for you: if you happened to be in Paris for just one day, where would you go?