Predictability is no fun, and those familiar with this blog can guess where we have gone to spend two weeks of vacation.

Or as a co-worker put it: “Where are you going on holiday? Oh, never mind.”

The answer, of course, is:

Paris.

We are back in the City of Light, having gone six full months (!) without being here.

Does going to Paris really require an explanation? Not really, but we have one that works.

1. It is May in Abu Dhabi, UAE, and the heat has been turned on. High. And when you leave the UAE you have one thing in mind: “I want to go somewhere significantly cooler.” When you live in the Middle East, that generally means Europe.

2. If we can find someone who will let us stay in their place for a couple of weeks, for free, that makes a huge difference in travel expense. And Paris is where we know the kind souls who will do that.

So, one of the world’s great cities, reduced expense … yes, we are in Paris again.

Turns out, France is the world’s No. 1 destination for tourists, with the U.S. second (which surprises me, a bit).

We traveled all day today, leaving the house at 8:45 a.m. for a 11:10 flight to Doha, where we changed planes for Paris, and seven hours later, we were on the ground, and an RER B-ride after that we were at Gare de Nord, where we got the cab which takes us to 43-45 Vielle du Temple … and here we are, in the Marais.

Two Paris observations, from arriving here.

1. Is any city as recognizable from the air as Paris? New York, I suppose. Maybe Dubai. But Paris is among the leaders. The Eiffel Tower and the tower at Montparnesse are particularly distinctive landmarks, as is the Stade de France.

2. This time of year here, when sunset is about 9:40 pm., you get some really spectacular scenes of the light bouncing off tall buildings and giving them sort of a warm, golden glow. Don’t see that in the UAE.

First thing we did … was go to a cafe just down the street.

It was 10 p.m., but things were just getting warmed up there. We had jambon and goat cheese and duck breast and baguette bread … with some Badoit, the best of all bottled mineral waters … and tried to place the accents around us.

As always, just basic, everyday food tastes better here, and the people are more interesting, and more is happening and life seems more intense and memorable. It’s just how it happens here.

This marks our fifth trip to Paris in 32 months, and sixth time in France during that time. We were last here in December, and it was cold and dark, but now it’s mild and we have 15 hours of daylight, and our first impression is that the number of tourists is up significantly.

(Oh, and comparing temperatures: Predicted Friday high in Abu Dhabi, 109. Friday high in Paris, 65.)

So, Paris five times in four years … I can see how that might seem obnoxious to someone living in, say, the U.S.  But it is a place we know, with great summer weather, and I’m not sure we need to apologize for Paris.

We have two weeks coming up, and we may even try a new restaurant or two.