An ode to....(with pictures)?

Things are slowly getting back to normal. My normal. Whatever that is...
I just had another interview for an article (or maybe I should call it a case study) on democratic transitions, and I have so much material, that frankly, I'm a little intimidated of the moment when I have to begin writing it. and that moment is close.
I also started another article on Morocco, in Morocco, that I really ought to finish. And I'll do that, just as soon as I finish this.
I was warmly welcomed back into my GWU fiction writing class, and I have enjoyed it immensely last night. I really missed being around fiction writers, analysing, dissecting...  And most of all, I miss writing!
Journalism on the side, I have not written a word of fiction in about two months! TWO MONTHS!
It's bad, it's really bad, but, I realized, I can't have it all. (Sniff, sniff).
So, I'm not going to write about Morocco, since I'm doing that for a magazine. I will post when it's out. I wish they could publish it first, and then I could write it.
To recap.
I have visited two continents, five countries and 11 cities in 34 days. Six days in London, three days in Paris, one in Oxford, five days in Morocco, one in Skopje, Macedonia and the rest, in assorted cities in Serbia.
In London, I saw Rosetta Stone for the first time, in the British museum, went the the National Gallery of Art three times (yes, I need professional help), not because I'm a nerd, but because it was raining. And I love Van Gogh.
In Paris, I went to Louvre, again. (Last time, 2003.) And I again had to elbow my way to Mona Lisa. I know, it's a cliche, but it would feel weird going to Louvre and not saying salut to Ms. Lisa. After all, she is very charming, and well preserved. I wish I would look that good at her age.
I also went to the Eiffel Tower at night, something I haven't done before. Ms. Eiffel is indeed spectacularly beautiful when the sun goes down, and the lights start flickering, even more so than during the day.
Paris has beautiful gardens so Jardin de Plants and Jardin the Luxembourg were on the menu as well. People dancing tango in a park near Notre Dame was somehow so French, so movie-like. I can't imagine people dancing tango near the National Cathedral in DC. If they do, I will move to Mars.
This time I actually touched L'Arc the Triomphe, another thing I haven't done before. But having croissants and un chocolat chaud on Champs Elysee afterwords is not a good idea unless you hate money.
I got a massage on a Rue Mouffetard near the Pantheon, and that was a first too. That I would recommend, especially since you only tip.

In Paris, I often felt like Kate from the movie "French Kiss," one of my favorite of all time, and severely underrated. While on the metro, or walking, I would see the Eiffel Tower, out of the blue, peeking, and it seemed somehow alive, as if sneaking on me. I might sound like a child, but it made me smile. It made me happy every time I saw it. It's a symbol of France for me, and France is my first love. My elementary school, fifth grade French class crush.
I guess this post turned out to be an ode to Paris. So, be it.
Part deux, demain, ou plus tarde.