Paris has a birthday

Not Hilton. Ouch.  Paris - the city of...tres bien.

"The history of Paris can be traced back to a Gallic tribe known as the Parisii, who sometime around 250 B.C. settled an island (known today as Ile de la Cite) in the Seine River, which runs through present-day Paris. By 52 B.C., Julius Caesar and the Romans had taken over the area, which eventually became Christianized and known as Lutetia, Latin for "midwater dwelling." The settlement later spread to both the left and right banks of the Seine and the name Lutetia was replaced with "Paris." In 987 A.D., Paris became the capital of France. As the city grew, the Left Bank earned a reputation as the intellectual district while the Right Bank became known for business."

Years back, I traveled there on day trips from Stockholm. 9 times in fact.  I flew in, met my business friend at the TWA Amabassadors Club (at the airport), talked some, and got back on the next flight to Sweden.  I never really saw the city, never broke bread at some Left Bank bistro, didn't see a smear of oil on canvas - nothing. Because I didn't clear customs, my passport never got stamped (this was pre-EU obviously). Not a trace..just some francs in my money collection.

This is a city still on my bucket list.  Won't make it but thought about it on her (Paris's) birthday.