Paris - Mon amour

You can write entire novels or make films about Paris and you will never run out of material, so from our perspective we want to write about the mindful side of Paris and how one can find one's way around in a big city that is so overloaded. Paris is divided into arrondissements (districts) and those with the largest number of green recreational areas and cultural highlights are:

• Arrondissement Louvre with the unique museum that is free for children (in France there are many museums with free entry for students and children)

• Arrondissement de Paris with the famous landmark Eiffel Tower and the great art museum Musée d’Orsay

• Arrondissement de l’Hôtel de Ville with the town hall, the modern art district around the Centre Pompidou and the breathtaking Île de la Cité & Notre-Dame

• Arrondissement du Panthéon: the oldest district with many buildings from Roman times, also an artists' district

• Arrondissement Luxembourg with the beautiful park that invites you to linger

• Arrondissement des Buttes-Montmartre with probably the most corny artists' district Montmartre (also known from "The Fabulous World of Amelie")

• Arrondissement de Passy with the huge city park Bois de Boulogne

• not to forget a trip to Versailles or a walk along the main shopping street Champs-Elysées

We recommend taking the time for at least a week and really taking in the individual districts, letting yourself drift and absorb the whole atmosphere, which can vary from place to place but is always impressive (the waiting time at the main attractions is sometimes very long). A picnic with cheese, baguettes/croissants, for example in Montmartre or one of the city forests, is also recommended, in order to avoid the overcrowded and often overpriced restaurants. Or you make a reservation for one of the smaller gourmet temples well in advance. As the city of love, Paris invites you to drift and enjoy instead of rushing through.

Just as the current season calls us to pause and look at the whole picture of this year - with all the stages that make life worth living, but sometimes also very challenging. Mindfulness teaches us to accept all of it - shadows and light, suffering and joy, abysses and beauty. We cannot choose our experiences, but we can actively shape them and change our attitude towards them - in order to become grateful for everything that life gives us.