Paris in a nutshell

I have loved Paris for over 50 years and I was excited to visit her again; this time for just on a week. This time also I would be sharing her with Roberta on her first visit.
While Paris has not changed our visit was significantly impacted by a number of "human" factors which took the gloss off our time there.
Firstly my torn meniscus left knee restricts my free movement causing issues while walking, climbing stairs and particularly when descending stairs. I have a compression stocking and a knee brace and now resorted to using a walking stick. All offer good assistance to my getting around. 
The second human impact was the crowds. If Paris tourism is suffering from "terrorist shock" then it does not show. There are people everywhere - on the Metro, in the street, shops, restaurants and cafes, and the attractions. Endless lines of people trying to get into all the attractions, major and minor. 
We went to the Palace de Versailles on Saturday and on arrival were greeted by a sea of people with 40+ busses in the parking lot and more arriving all the time. Thankfully we pre-purchased tickets on a tour which provide priority entry, skipping the major lines. Inside it was a crush, and not the candy type. Our guide was great but the crowd was limiting and claustrophobic at times. Versailles itself is an amazing piece of French history and highlights the life style of King Louis 14 of France and his 2000+ entourage. The buildings and the 2200 acre gardens are a must-see for anyone visiting Paris.
The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris, commonly known as Sacré-Cœur Basilica and often simply Sacré-Cœur, is a Roman Catholic church and minor basilica, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in Paris, We climbed the steep winding road some 2.0 kilometres to the summit. Again a magnificent site not to be missed, sitting on the highest point in Paris. The basilica is massive and second only to Notre Dame in this part of the world. The view over Paris is superb.
It is on this day I found the third "human" factor to spoil our visit - pickpockets. Everywhere you travel in Paris you are warned about the presence of pickpockets, well I found one, or should I say they found me. It was a very costly experience and I still struggle to understand how, where, when - I know why. But is was only money and adds to my worldly experience!
We have achieved what we set out to do in Paris. We visited the Louvre, took a cruise on the Seine, climbed all 287 steps to the top of the Arc de Triomphe, visited Chanel and Louis Vuitton stores, visited Moulin Rouge, walked the Champs Elysees and had coffee at a sidewalk table, rode the Metro many times, did the hop-on hop-off bus around the city and saw many amazing sights. We wanted to go up the Eiffel Tower but when we finally got inside the queue for the lift had a 2 hour long wait - not for me. 
The fourth 'human" impact was security, Every attraction has strict security with bag searches and scanners. I lost my favourite pocket knife at the Eiffel Tower security. On the street, inside Metro stations armed police are present. On the 2 Saturdays we were there we encountered the response to the Yellow Jacket protests. All though Paris centre were dozens (hundreds) of Gendarmes in full riot gear, carrying automatic weapons. Comforting but a little scary at the same time.
Our accommodations were very small but serviceable in typical Paris form, no wasted space but close to public transport and shops - the "patisserrie" near our BnB was pure evil!!
Paris is still Paris, still gives me goose-bumps and I love her but for now we are picking up our hire car and heading off to the sea-side and Dieppe for our next adventure.