Parisians have a secret. With nothing more than a shaky ladder perched on a tiny balcony, leading up to the roof, the top floor residents of Paris make their own unofficial rooftop terraces. Sitting up here, you look out onto the ceiling of the city. You can't look down or you might get scared (I did) and if you look up you might see stars on a clear night (we did).

This was my second foray onto a secret and makeshift rooftop, this one perched above our friend's top floor apartment. The Sacre Coeur sits to the North, the Eiffel Tower beams her light out from the South, the Opéra is close by to the East and the sun sets in the West. Paris is quite a show from up here.

That so many people do this in Paris, that it's too big to control, says something about life here and its freedoms.

Photos by The Travelling Light and Ula Blocksage.

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