Visiting Paris this week, I have been thinking about what makes this city so special, unlike others. The food, of course, is central to this uniqueness — the restaurants, the marché markets, the fromagerie cheese shops, the boucherie meat markets, etc, etc. Yet, the key feature, in my mind, is having bakeries at every city block. Every five minutes of walking, you pass by a boulangerie or pâtisserie, where you can grab a crispy baguette or a buttery flaky croissant, a large loaf of pain de campagne or an apricot tartellete. For Parisians, this access to good bread and pastries is a basic necessity! It is like having clean air or green parks. In the mornings, you can get your hot bread before you take a shower or have a cup of coffee! What a beautiful way to start your day!