I am so enjoying your impressions as a first time visitor to Paris - keep posting!
I will be there in late September...I am sure you will be returning also.
Baz

We'll be there in April. It will be our tenth visit, I still remember the awe of our first. Looking forward to the rest of your report.

Love your report; your feelings are familiar to me. I have only ever spent three days in Paris, and am so envious that you have eighteen more to go!

Great report Jill! I am so glad you and your hubby enjoyed yourself. Sounds like the trip of a lifetime, but I will bet you have a bit of the travel bug now :) and you won't be able to stop with just one visit.

Sounds like you are having a wonderful start to your trip. I absolutely fell in love with Paris. The bridges, the parks, the architecture, the EVERYTHING! Yep, I fear you have caught the bug. :)

Amazing report. You are an excellent writer. I am living vicariously through you.

what a gift you have! your writing is fantastic, you are able to put into words the essence of Paris. I love it!

I've been there twice and can't wait to see her again. Never enough time spent in Paris, so much to see and enjoy.

Thanks for your report. Please keep it coming ...

Welcome to the I Love Paris club JillDavis!! Loving your trip report, glad you had a good time after reading all your preparation posts. Putting in all that work researching and planning has paid off for you.

When I am in Paris I feel like I'm a four year old on Christmas morning every day I wake up there. Love it!

Jill,

Glad to know you had a wonderful time in Paris. Did you buy that special bag?

Great trip report and writing style. Welcome to "I Love Paris" club.

Jill, I am soooooo enjoying your stories of Paris. Have been twice and am looking forward to taking my husband for his first visit in April. Will definately use your report as my guide!

Jill, I remember posting almost the same words when you asked about experiences of Paris when you started planning this trip. I'm soooo glad you love Paris. I'm off to New York next May with the same girlfriends I went to Paris with and I'm hoping to fall in love with NY too.

Keep up the good work with the report, your enthusiasm is very infectious. Cathie

Trip Report tres merveilleux!!! I marvel at the energy you had the first two days, especially the first day. You did all that walking with little or or no sleep on the plane?? Amazing! Ah...that's what falling in love can do!
Yes, there's always that "hold your breath" anxiety at first use of an out of country ATM, followed by the great relief when the card from home works. Or...the dismay and panic when it doesn't, because the US card "puce" (hologram thingie) isn't readable in France. Happened to me once--quelle horreure! glad it didnt happen to you.

I'm totally enjoying your report , so filled with exuberance!

Cafegoddess - yes, I did buy that special bag at the LV store in St. Germain. The bought the Alma bag in the Vernis collection. How nice of you to remember!

I have missed talking to you all and I forgot how much I missed Fodors. I will post day 4 soon...

Day 4 - Our last day in Paris! (next stop French Riviera)

On our last day, I wanted to do something romantic for Todd. So, I woke up early while he was still sleeping and went to the corner boulangerie and got us breakfast. Todd wanted to try a baguette and I love tarts. So, I brought the bread and pastries back to our room. Todd awoke in surprise and was very appreciative and we thoroughly enjoyed our breakfast. Today is the day we wanted to explore Montemarte. We took the metro there and found Montemarte to be unique and different from central Paris. It still seemed very much Parisian, but more village like. There were artists in the street and musicians playing. The streets are narrower and everyday life seems more apparent here. We saw a Kindergarten class, we heard babies crying from open windows, and best of all - the view of Paris from that elevation! The main focal point is the Sacre Coer which is the higest point in Paris. To be able to "look down" onto Paris was unbelievable. We could make out some of the major sites and the panaromic sweep was worth the extra 20 minutes on the metro to get here. I also enjoyed the cobblestone streets and the narrow walkways with the steep incline. It was a good workout to say the least! We actually became a little overheated and we took the funicular up to the Sacre Coer. We walked back down via Place des Tetres. It was a cute little area of restuarants and shops and we stopped for lunch. The crazy thing about our trip is that we never ate inside. We always sat outside at a cafe. In Orlando, mostly everything is inside. (there are some exceptions for restaurants that are overlooking some beautiful lakes.) We then headed back to the metro, but were a little scared because the street we headed down to get to the metro was a little seedy. We went back to our hotel and got caught in the rain. However, it was welcomed because the heat was so intense. It was the only day that it rained in Paris for us, so I definitely can't complain. We stopped at the Monoprix for some water and fruit and then back to our hotel. We rested for a bit and around 8:30 we headed back out to Ile St. Louis and then the Marais area. We got sorbets and strolled even further towards the Eiffel Tower. We decided we wanted our Christmas photo to be in front of the Eiffel Tower when it was sparkling. The only photos we had of the Eiffel Tower sparking are from the cruise. So, we ended our final hour in Paris by going back there. We wanted the tower to recast its magical spell it had over us this entire trip. We just wanted to see it sparkle one last time against the nighttime sky. It was sad to walk away and to see it get farther and farther away. We were intrigued by the gorgeous apartments with full terraces that had a full view sight of the tower. We wondered the price and who lived in them?? Would they make room for us Americans? :)

Paris is magical - especially at night. I can see why many people find romance here. I felt like we had a second honeymoon. It was so good for the soul and to remember why we work so so hard in this game called life. I learned a lot on this trip. Many Parisians don't eat and they sit in cafes for hours pushing around their salads while smoking and drinking. The French are very pleasant and as long as you mind your manners, they are very welcoming. French women don't use straighteners. Wavy hair is actually much more trendy. People don't start their work day until 10 am and its probably because they were out late the night before. Eating dinner until 9:30 is normal and coming home around 11 pm during the week is status quo. It seems like using your bicycle is the way to go in Paris to be efficient in getting to and from places. (or Metro and bus) Most of all, I learned that Paris is a place of wonder and excitement for all ages. The vibe and energy is contagious. The architecture is larger than life, but not in a NYC kind of way. Much more romantic and timeless and every corner can just take your breath away. The history of France is everywhere and seems protected by the beautiful Parisian people. The Parisians seem to love to share the beauty of their city with others and I am appreciative of how much English everyone knows. If you want to get away from the business of the city, just go to the Jardin du Luxemborg and relax in a chair with a cup of coffee and a book. I will always remember this first time trip to Paris and I am left to wonder how come it took me 30 years to get here?

May you have at least 30 more to make up for it with return trips! A fun report, thank you.

Here is the order of my favorite sights. I ordered them with 1 being my most favorite sight:

1)Seine River Cruise - Vendettes Pont Neuf
2)Jardin du Luxemborg
3) Champs park to view Eiffel Tower
4) Saint Chapelle
5) Louvre
6) vieiwng Notre Dame from garden in the back
7) Montemarte panoramic view of Paris
8) Pantheon
9) Place des Vogues
10) Opera House
11) Palais Royal

Favorite Neighborhoods:

1) Ile St. Louis
2) Marais (during the day and only on certain streets)
3) St. Germain
4) Latin Quarter
5) Montemarte
6) Champs

Favorite areas/Streets:

1)Chez Julian area in Marais area
2)Rue St. Honore
3)Quaint narrow streets in Le Marais (daytime)
4) Rue de Buci
5)Place Vendome

How does it work? Does everyone want me to start a new trip report for my next 4 days in the French Riviera? Or keep going from here? I am afraid that people won't catch it because I titled my trip report "Paris." I should have titled it "3 weeks in France, Italy and Switzerland"

Keep it here, people will see your name and probably remember that you had a three week trip planned.

It's great, thanks!

No Jill - start a brand new Trip Report and give it a title.
It's so much easier to find that way.
Well done on you Paris report - Yes, why has it taken you so long to get there! I'm sure you are going to be coming back each year for the rest of your life because there is SO much more to Paris than just the touristy places you mentioned.

Thanks so much for bringing home the 'contagious vibe and energy' of Paris. You've brilliantly captured Paris in your words. SUPERB trip report!