Paris, my dream city, was everything I could have wanted and I did not even get to see most of it! I was very busy with the conference in which brought me to Paris, but just being in the city was all I needed. I felt so comfortable and happy – something I would never have expected from just arriving! I loved that! When I arrived, there was not too much time to spend exploring but I did walk throughout the streets and see the cafes and bakeries. Obviously, that made me fall in love then and there. That evening the people of the conference were invited to a Lido show – Parisian style almost like a Vegas show – and it was fun to experience that! There was all the glitz and glamor that you could want and it was fun to experience a show here like I have had back at home!  

The next two full days were for meetings and networking and such! I enjoyed it more than I thought I would because, yes, I wanted to explore and see Paris, but at the same time I was meeting amazing people who wanted to share information about France and their businesses as a whole. That was really interesting! I wanted to take full advantage of my time in Paris so I did not let the busy schedule get in my way! There was a party for all the tour operators and vendors at Centre Pompidou with food, champagne, dancing and an art exhibit! The building is a very different architecturally but I loved it! The exhibit was displaying Jeff Koons and it was so enjoyable walking through and seeing the very different pieces.

The following evening there was much, much more free time so I walked and walked and walked to see any and everything I could! Of course, I got up close and personal with the Eiffel tower and loved every second of it! I went to areas with many, many shops – very high end shops and saw beautiful chocolate shops with displays for Easter, too! It was more than I could imagine, but I definitely need to come back as there were many aspects of this city I was not able to enjoy at all. 

I am so thankful to have been able to come to Paris, even if it meant working most of the time, because I still did get to experience the feelings of being in Paris and some of the sights, sounds and, of course, pain au chocolat and macaroons! I’ll be back and cannot wait to see more of this amazing city!