My first time in France and my first time in Paris. I landed on a small airport, Beauvais, where small airport building is expanded by tents set up on bare ground and grass. As we were going through terminals, “walls” were moving as the wind was blowing and I felt momentarily dehumanized. Customs and passport control officers were as polite as they come, but the stench of underbuilt airport stayed with me even so. Afterwards, it was into the bus and I had a friend I was staying with waiting for me on the other end. As it was Saturday we immediately went to grab some drinks and that was when good memories of Paris started.

First thing that I noticed is architecture that makes going through the city extremely pleasant experience. Size of the street, sidewalk melds beautifully with size and façade of the buildings enclosing it so that one never feels overwhelmed by either space or lack of it. Despite the wind and pollution that was really bad while I was there, streets were filled with people walking, going to bistros and having fun. Bistro we were in was nothing special though - music was too loud and it was hard to move around the table to keep chatting with the whole group. Wine was good though.

Museums of Paris that I’ve visited during my stay there are on par with the ones in Moscow. I should never had planned to visit more than one in a day - I felt rushed, spending less time than I’d have wanted there. One unpleasant reminder of the world we live in was going through security that rivals those of the airports before entering museum. I’ve especially enjoyed going through Les Invalides - the museum and monuments complex relating to the military history of France.

My favorite moment by far was stumbling upon a gallery dedicated to one of my favorite painters - Salvador Dali. I was taking a stroll aimlessly, just absorbing the feel of the city when I noticed sign for it and I could not resist going in. Collection was quite amazing and my only regret was that I’m not yet get-Dali-paintings-rich.

Saying that my overall impression of Paris is positive does not even begin to cover it. City feels posh but not in overwhelming way. If I actually spoke the language I’d consider moving there tomorrow. When I visit next time (and there is almost certainly going to be next time) only thing I’ll do differently is plan my visit according to the weather - wind ruined otherwise perfect experience.