as seen on the streets of Paris

Honestly, I thought it would never happen. Not that I'm in any way displeased with our life, but it's not what one would call worldly. A trip to Paris to celebrate our anniversary and to fulfill a life-long dream of mine sounded ridiculously indulgent, not to mention logistically impossible.

As it happens, even the seemingly impossible can come true once in a lifetime.

All the puzzle pieces came together, with the help of other puzzle masters, you could say, and we left the real world behind for a week. The entire experience was... breathtaking. It's hard to find an adjective that's strong enough, but that one comes close. I really did have recurring flashes in which I would suddenly realize, again, where we were and I'd have to pause for a second, momentarily disoriented and in disbelief.

I kept a personal journal with all the little details of what we did each day, the experiences that I want to remember but probably would be meaningless to others. In blogging here about the trip-- because of course, I have to document it here!-- I hope not to recreate those but to instead give little glimpses into our week through various themes that I noticed and documented with my phone's camera. While we did some of the typical tourist attractions that would be expected like the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, and Notre Dame, I took a ton of photos of the scenery and people of Paris, the things in my line of sight that interested me in the moment.

It seems fitting that the first piece of graffiti I captured was a classic.

I like the old school method here- just scratched right into the wall. YOLO, indeed, my friend.

Before the French election, I worried that this would be a sentiment we encountered had it gone Le Pen's way. Thankfully this was the only time I heard or saw anything like it.

Not sure what was crossed out, but the rest says, in reference to Le Pen, "Oops! That's enough!" And down there in the P? That means "traitor." Woah.

Not sure what those two dots mean, but we saw this particular piece again and again. 

"UNITED FOR EQUALITY AGAINST THE NATIONAL FRONT" More anti-Le Pen statements. Boom.

I don't even know what to say about this ad on the side of a vending machine at a tourist spot ticket office. Sexy deer sell orange-flavored drinks? Marketing is weird.

Speaking of marketing... I thought this one was clever. 

Don't know if there's more to this sticker than meets the eye, or if it represents something sinister, but I'd like to think that it's not too deep and can be taken at face value.

The best wall of graffiti outside Centre Georges Pompidou, a modern art museum.

Another that just might mean something else, but I adore its basic message.

"I exist."

The best. 

Another perspective of that graffiti wall.

"The New Man" seems to need to learn how straws work, methinks. 

Ladies, this is where to shop if you're hoping for a "Hella Wedding."

Some graffiti requires dedication, like hanging from a rusty ladder over the Seine.

We were bummed this place was closed.

There are folks who take a pen to signs all over the world. I need a French language expert to weigh in on the accuracy, though.

Reporters Without Borders.

Anyone know what 100% Cow Humor is? The best I could come up with translating via the Google is the Belly Button Cowgirls, but that seems odd, no?

Life. This one is particularly beautiful to me.

As is this one, as well.

The most gorgeous subway platform art I've ever seen-- the Bastille metro station.

The last sign I photographed. Seemed fitting. 

More to come later.