I found Paris exactly as I left it last year: breathtaking and beautiful. I tried explaining this feeling to a girl in my group this morning–this feeling of coming back to such an amazing place. I know it hasn’t changed, but I have, so everything looks familiar and yet wildly different. I feel so comfortable here, even when I stumble over my French (it’s slowly coming back to me) or bump into the umpteenth person of the day. It just feels right. Today, I visited the Conciergerie, a former prison and part of the old Palais de la Cité. Then I got to return to one of my favorite places in Paris, Notre Dame. This time I actually climbed the zillions of stairs (deeply grooved from millions of feet) to reach the belfry and see out over Paris. Almost blacking out was extremely worth it. I felt that clichéd immensity staring out over the city, past the adorable gargoyles and awful birds (side note: I am doing really well at not screaming every time a pigeon flies past my face). The best part of today, though, was going off on my own and exploring. I really enjoy hanging out with my group and I’ve met some interesting and cool people, but alone I can blend. I can shove some headphones on, scowl, and attack the metro with the best of them. I walked for hours, popping into shops and looking through markets, and I was in heaven. I didn’t realize I was hungry until three, which never happens. I stumbled into a tourist trap café along the Seine and scarfed down champignon tortellini while listening to Coldplay. I thought it was kind of ironic when Chris Martin was wailing “This could be paradise,” because in a way, it was. After a metro mishap in which I got on the wrong train (twice), I finally made my way to the Luxembourg Gardens. I was interested in them because Marie de Medici created them when she built the palace, and I’ve always been fascinated by the de Medicis and their connection to the arts. The gardens were pretty even in the chilly winter air, and I wandered around watching children chase each other and looking for sculptures. So many people were out, sailing model boats on the fountain and bonding over croque monsieurs. It was like seeing through the fog of tourist attractions into the real Paris.