I didn't' know this about why it's called "The City of Light"
"This one isn't just literal. Paris was indeed among the first major cities in Europe to use street lighting, in an effort to deter crime, but its evocative moniker is more metaphorical than you might expect. France’s capital was also an unofficial capital of the Age of Enlightenment, which in France is considered to have begun in 1715 and ended in 1789 — a period bookended by the death of Louis XIV and the French Revolution, respectively.
Also known as the Age of Reason, this movement was hardly limited to Paris. Still, it was there that philosophers like Voltaire and Jean-Jacques Rousseau espoused many of their most influential ideas; where the Montgolfier Brothers launched the first human-powered flight of a hot-air balloon; and where the Treaty of Paris was signed in 1783 (ending the American Revolution), among myriad other historic achievements. Next time you swoon over an image of the city lit up at night, keep in mind that light bulbs also represent ideas."
This smoggy view seems appropriate.The last time we were in Paris they were having a big smog incident and we had to get to the airport. It was quite a ride through the smog. I knew there was something wrong when I got up and looked out our hotel window to look at my beloved Eiffel tower and couldn't see it.
