I won’t even pretend to be as eloquently written as Charles Dickens, and in this case I’m swapping London for Prague, but I made some interesting observations about the city in which we now live that were made more glaringly obvious after a recent trip to Paris.

I love Paris. I love everything about it…the architecture, the cafés, the pace, the romance, the food, the wine, the language, the fashion, and yes, even the people. I’ve discovered that I love Paris in the spring, the summer, and the autumn. I’m hoping to experience it this winter and be just as enchanted. And, of course, the city holds a special place in my heart because it’s called home by my brother and Maud.

This trip was different and special for us. The previous two times I’ve been to Paris, I wasn’t sure if or when I would return. I felt compelled to move quickly and take in as many sights as possible. I was constantly reaching for my camera. It was about the city. This time, Paris was the backdrop for a fantastic visit with friends and family. Our dear friends, Barrie & Ilya, rented an apartment on Île Saint-Louis and we had planned since June to coincide a weekend jaunt to the city while they were there. They had friends from Boston who had the same brilliant idea so we were also able to visit with Yuli and Juniper Friedman, a couple we had met twice before through Barrie and Ilya. And the cherry on top of all of this was spending time with Brandon and Maud.

This trip was characterized by just enjoying each others company, catching up, conversing, hanging out. The day we arrived the eight of us spent nearly six hours at Barrie & Ilya’s apartment enjoying wine, cheese, foie gras, pastries, sorbet, stories, great conversation, guitar jamming, name that tune, and of course, lots of laughter. We eventually all strolled to a fabulous restaurant and devoured a delicious meal together.

Give or take a few people and change the restaurant/café and this was pretty much how we spent our weekend. Baguette, pain au chocolat, foie gras, vin rouge, cassoulet, saucisson, fromage, a total indulgence in all the pleasures Paris has to offer with the comfort of friends and family. It was such a breath of fresh air and a truly wonderful long weekend.

When we returned late Sunday night is when I made my observations about just how different Paris and Prague are, and I don’t mean anything other than different. I love both cities, but for completely different reasons. Paris is refined and elegant, but Prague is raw and sexy. Paris makes me think of donning cashmere and wearing pearls whereas Prague makes me think of mullets and costume jewelry. Paris conjures up thoughts of beautiful people and elegant music; Prague promotes thoughts of a harsh language and punk rock. Paris makes me think of surrender and Prague makes me think stand up for yourself (sorry France, maybe that part is not as good, but nobody is perfect).

Picture this: We’ve just landed after a wonderful four days of Paris. We run from baggage claim to catch the last bus back to our flat. On the bus, the man in front of me was wearing biker clothing, had several piercings and tattoos, had obviously not showered in a good week and was constantly repositioning a tissue to blot a scab on the back of his neck. We transferred to the metro and were greeted by that familiar sound of the announcement “Ukončete prosím výstup a nástup, dveře se zavírají.” (Please finish exiting and boarding the train, the doors are closing.) We are definitely not in Paris anymore, but that’s okay because we are in Prague, just as happily.

To Barrie, Ilya, Juniper, Yuli, Maud, Brandon, and Brandon…we’ll always have Paris!