Well, I couldn't get enough of Paris. It was a really wonderful trip.  I've been dreaming of Paris all week.

[caption id="attachment_2889" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Eiffel Tower "]<a href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/img_4135.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-2889" title="Eiffel Tower " src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/img_4135.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="333" /></a>[/caption]

The weather was incredibly good. I think it was in the 80s and while I brought both my raincoat and my umbrella--I never even need to think about them.  The sun was out and there was almost never a cloud in the sky. This it seems is the perfect weather for visiting Paris the first time.<!--more-->

[caption id="attachment_2891" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Notre Dame"]<a href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/img_4708.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-2891" title="Notre Dame " src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/img_4708.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="333" /></a>[/caption]

In fact it's probably spoiled me--Paris will probably never live up to my first weekend there. But I guess that's for the best.

[caption id="attachment_2892" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Street View of Paris "]<a href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/img_4791.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-2892" title="Street View of Paris " src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/img_4791.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="333" /></a>[/caption]

So what did I do? And what did I see? Of course, I wanted to see and do everything once I was in Paris but a long weekend was never going to be enough time for this.  I knew that and at this point in my life, I'd rather have a great time doing a few wonderful things than feel rushed trying to squeeze in too much.

[caption id="attachment_2893" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Flea Market "]<a href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/img_4170.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-2893" title="Flea Market " src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/img_4170.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="333" /></a>[/caption]

I decided that I'd see the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe, the Pantheon, the Hotel des Invalides, Montmartre and the Moulin Rouge, Sacre Coeur, Notre Dame, check out the Sunday morning flea markets north of the city, wander around the city and go wine and cheese tasting.  Okay, now that I write all of that out the whole thing seems pretty ambitious especially when I also needed to eat my fair share of pastries and sit in parks.

[caption id="attachment_2894" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Moulin Rouge "]<a href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/img_4240.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-2894" title="Moulin Rouge " src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/img_4240.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="333" /></a>[/caption]

Luckily, Paris is a hopping city and it's easy to get around by metro or on foot.  Moreover, many of the sites and museums are open late.

[caption id="attachment_2895" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Metro "]<a href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/img_4299.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-2895" title="Metro " src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/img_4299.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="333" /></a>[/caption]

I stayed in an unquestionably bad hostel--The Three Ducks--but I knew it going in.  The location was pretty good, the people staying there were fun but the cost-quality ration was skewed and the staff was surly. But that was okay--it made my whole Paris experience real rather than a fairytale.

[caption id="attachment_2896" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Sacre Coeur"]<a href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/img_4293.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-2896" title="Sacre Coeur" src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/img_4293.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="333" /></a>[/caption]