Paris is often challenging and unforgiving. She loves red tape, skinny women and high heels. She smells of freshly baked baguette, chocolate and cigarettes. Lady Eiffel, its beacon, shines boldy, and seduces Francophiles and romantics from all corners of the world. She’s complex.

My friend Sion just wrote about how despite of the challenges we’re constantly faced with living in Paris, its beauty (in all senses) never falters. In order for the city to maintain its charm and allure, daily life must be hard. It’s the only way any of us dogged Francophiles manage to justify staying through the perpetual gray skies, bouts of homesickness, administration, cheese and pastry-induced weight gain, strikes and pessimism. What never fails to reassure me of my decision to keep my feet in Paris are videos, particularly creative and well produced videos, of the city and the breadth of its splendor. I almost appreciate my surroundings more via photo and video than through daily life. It’s too easy to become desensitized.

This was immediately of particular interest to me because it was created by a very talented undergraduate student at the American University of Paris, my graduate school alma mater. This time-lapse video is composed entirely of photos and I must say, it stands out from others I’ve seen. Wouldn’t life be grand if we could endlessly wander aimlessly (flâner) through these parts of the city?