A Taste of Paris.

I consider myself to be very blessed to have my first taste of France be outside of Paris. When I would tell people I would be studying in France for a semester, most assumed I would be in Paris. “Oh! So the Eiffel Tower!” “When you go to the Louvre…” and many other assuming comments would ensue. There is a valid reason for these presumptions and I mean no irritancy in mentioning them. When speaking of France, there are two regions: Paris and everywhere else (which is called Province, not to be confused with the specific region of Provence, where I live). I do not know exactly how, and what I do know about the differences are mostly secondhand. But I will say there are some more obvious variations between the people, the standard of living, food, and various other aspects. I am appreciative to have been dropped in Aix-en-Provence. People think of Paris first and the rest of France as more of an afterthought. Since I was in the Provincial area first, it’s easier to think of it all as France as a whole, Paris just being a large chunk.

"Eiffel Tower. That's French."

Although there really is a lot more to France than just what’s in Paris, the famous City of Lights is worth all its fame. There really is an incredible amount of history and monuments and discovery to be made there.  It’s daunting, and I could only be there a couple of days. It was just enough to get my feet wet, but I am very grateful for the experience. Before you roll your newspaper up to smack me, please understand that I only had a weekend to spend in Paris. I am painfully aware of how much I did not see. If I did not visit your favorite place or appreciate something enough, here is my apology in advance. 

I must admit, it was really a bizarre experience to finally be in Paris. I overfantasized it in my mind (with the help of Hollywood and history books), so it almost seemed like it wasn’t a real place. But I assure you it is. It’s as much a city as Washington is a state. I think I would be missing the mark if I said this realization was a disappointment. Relief would be closer to the truth. It’s amazing to have my realm of existence connect with the greatness of a city like Paris, but my mind could not grasp at the importance of the experience. I had to keep reminding myself, “This is a big deal. A really big deal.” 

So what did I see? My first night, I saw the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Luxor Obelisk, and the Champs d’Elysee. Again, all this is very surreal. The Eiffel Tower is the Rudolph of the Paris Sleigh in that Parisians would turn up their noses at it and laugh and call it names. But when it attracted tourists they decided to keep it around. The Luxor Obelisk takes the place of where a guillotine was once erected and is the oldest monument in Paris, aging over 3000 years old. I believe it was given as a gift from Egypt to Paris and I heard a story that every year Egypt writes a letter to France asking for their obelisk back so their ancient Luxor Temple can be complete again. I do not know the truthfulness of this, but I would believe it. That would be such a French thing to do.

Musee d'Orsay

The next morning I spent in the Musee d’Orsay. That is a museum situated in an old train station, well known for its impressionist collections. It was such a strange feeling to stand before Degas, Manet, and Caillebote originals. I didn’t feel specifically phased by it until later because many of those paintings have become so common place, such as Renoir’s Two Girls at a Piano.

Blue Waterlilies, Monet

I was actually quite surprised by the Renoir paintings. When I studied them in an art class in high school, I remember not being terribly impressed (pah, pun) by him. But in person, I was captivated by how he painted light in a way that it seemed like some of his paintings gleamed, or had a peculiar glow about them. But I think my favorite paintings were Chysanthemums and Blue Water Lilies, both by Claude Monet. I hesitate to show them in my blog because on the screen they really aren’t as striking as in person. The internet just can’t do them justice, but trust me they’re amazing. The flowers in Monet’s Chysanthemums really pop out, almost 3-D. There are also beautiful sculptures that are really just amazing to me. 

Chrysanthemums, Monet

Next, we walked along the Seine River, past the Louvre, across the Pont Neuf (the New Bridge), to the Cathedral of Notre Dame of Paris. It was quite interesting and I was very fascinated by the symbolism and quirks, such as the headless Saint Denis. I loved the rose windows, one of which represents the New Testament, and another the Old Testament. It wasn’t my favorite cathedral, but I understand its contribution to Paris’ nickname of “New Jerusalem.” From there, we walked back, past the Louvre’s pyramids, through the Tuilleries, to the end of the Champs Elysée. There, a large holiday ferris wheel was waiting for us. As it became dark outside and the Paris lights illuminated, we had quite a grand view of the City of Lights. It’s beautiful, I promise you. 

My final day in Paris, I was kind of in shock. I really had no idea what to do because there’s so much. I was overwhelmed. After I walked to see the Eiffel Tower in the daylight, which isn’t quite as glamorous as its glitzy nighttime counterpart, I caught up with my Parisian tour guides who took me to Basilique de Sacre Coeur. I was surprised to learn that it was just finished in 1914, so it is fairly new and white. The stained glass windows were very blatantly modern and the chapels were dedicated to saints, the most prominent being Saint Luke, Saint Joseph, and Saint John. It was beautiful, and just outside the entrance is a wide view of the city. 

I also visited the Church of Saint Chapelle. It’s really quite small, but in the upper chapel, there are thousands of scenes depicted in stain glass windows that are insanely tall and reach the ceiling. They cast a splendid purple glow in the room, and it’s really beautiful. 

Eglise de St-Etienne

The final stops were the Church of Saint Etienne and the Pantheon. The church was relatively small, but really gorgeous. I think it’s one of the prettiest churches I’ve entered in Europe. The Pantheon was more of an afterthought, and was even more of a rushed experience since we got there as it was closing. I honestly couldn’t remember what the significance of the Pantheon was, and upon entering I was even more confused. It was once a basilica intended to rival that of St. Peter’s in Rome, but was switched to secular use for Victor Hugo’s funeral and is now a national monument. There is also history than that, but I’m a bit confused by it and don’t want to give false information. There are tons of famous people buried here, including many prominent figures in the Revolution and writers. Along with Victor Hugo, there is Voltaire, Alexandre Dumas, Marie Curie, Jean Moulin, and Emile Zola. There are also gorgeous sculptures of Joan of Arc, Saint Genevieve the patron saint of Paris, and many others, all seeming to depict power and victory. 

St-Chapelle

You may be wondering why I didn’t enter the Louvre. It’s not that I didn’t want to. Quite the opposite. I really would love to spend a significant amount of time there. And simply, I knew that if I went in, I would never come out. 

I initially struggled with going to Paris. I knew I should, but that was the only reason. You can’t go to France without going to Paris. And I kept thinking it probably wasn't all it was chalked up to be. I lacked the motivation, and eventually just forced myself to buy the tickets there. However, I learned a lot from going to Paris. For instance, the wonders of the world are real and tangible. But just because they exist, doesn’t mean they sparkle or are magical when you experience them first hand. And Paris isn’t just a place you “check off” your list of must-see places. There is too much there to explore and learn and touch and experience. I now understand the adoration of Paris. It’s much, much more than just a tourist hotspot. Although yes, for sure there are those who go just to have that Facebook picture with the Eiffel Tower, that doesn’t have to be me. Just because you’re a tourist doesn’t make you like one of the cattle driven from monument to monument. It is possible to break through the tourism and establish your own, personal, individual fascination with those monuments and historical places you’ve been told your whole life are so important and amazing. I have a strong desire to go back. I must go back. And I look forward to that day when I can really splash in the splendor of Paris, instead of just getting my feet wet. 

View from atop the ferris wheel.