Paris. C'est ma ville.
I love that city. I have never felt more at home, with perhaps the exception of Northwest Portland. I love the language, I love the culture, and I need to spend more time there like a kid loves candy and fresh snow. Looking back the series of events that even led me to Paris, let alone where we stayed and who we met there is unbelievable.
A girl from our hostel in Madrid who I knew was French happened to be on our flight, happened to be on her way to an exam that afternoon in the city, which happened to be a nearly identical route to ours. With her help we showed up at Lamark-Caulaincourt station, climbed the 112 steps, and gazed upon the beautiful Montmartre. The view was idyllic. Across the street was a café where dozens were enjoying the afternoon sun, drinking coffee and wine. Between the two buildings was a steep set of stairs connecting Rue Lamark to it's norther neighbor. The buildings were all uniformly tall with evenly spaced windows, first floor retail, and shutters, yet each having it's own unique character; the perfect example of the Parisian model.
Needless to say, I was completely happy before taking more than three steps on the sidewalk.
Our Hostel was on Square Caulaincourt off of Rue Caulaincourt. Next door to our hostel was a restaurant with outdoor seating along the square and across the street was a bakery with the best gateau (cake) i have ever had. The view from our room overlooked a large stair case lined with trees and street lights.
Duy and I did not exactly have the stereotypical tourist experience in France. Our goal while traveling was to integrate into the culture. If we were spoken to in French I would translate for him but continue to respond in French. While my skill in French sufficed for survival, I was actually disappointed about my overall ability to communicate more than a simple food or drink order, where I was from, etc.
To keep this from going for pages I'll list a few highlights of our trip:
The first night we walked up to Sacré Coeur, a church built soon after the turn of the century in a composite of many styles with large masonry domes making it seem much more permanent. It was built at the highest point in the city and has perhaps the best view save that from the top of the Eiffel Tower (which we did not actually end up going to).
The next day we went to le Musée d'Orsay, which is perhaps my favorite museum in the entire world. The building is a renovated train station which has been beautifully transformed into the impressionist museum. The central area is filled with sculpture, which is beautiful but I find less interesting. The best part is that one can turn one corner and see Van Gogh, turn another and see Monet, turn another and see Renoir, etc. All of my favorite painters in one museum; it's hard to complain about that.
After Musée d'Orsay we walked over to the Louvre, which can actually be seen from the windows in the d'Orsay, just across Le Seine. We did not actually go in the Louvre, we only had a few days there and we figured that we'd rather spend them being a part of the city rather than looking at all the old stolen art (as my professor said the other day, "The Mona Lisa wasn't painted in France, how do you think it got there?"). We walked around the gardens for a while then proceeded to walk down the non-commercial part of the Champs-Elysée. As perfect and grand as it was, I wasn't too fond of the area. It seemed too big, too much was covered in gold, and there weren't enough people to fill the space. It just wasn't exactly comfortable space.
The next day we walked and took the metro around to a few destinations we wanted to see, the most impressive of which was perhaps the Opera. It is a beautiful building with incredible detailing. The new opéra building near the Bastille is no where near as interesting or exciting.
For lunch we stopped at the restaurant famous for French Onion soup called Au Pied de Cochon. This soup was sooooooo good. It comes in perhaps the largest soup bowl I saw in Paris (which is about American sized, portions are smaller there) and it is completely covered in delicious cheese. We're talking inches of cheese. Below was the most delicious soup ever. As Ferris Beuller says, if you have the means, I highly recommend you pick some up, it is so choice.
That evening we explored and walked down to the Moulin Rouge which was only a 15 minute walk from our hostel. As interesting as that place could be, it is not at all. For as much infamy as it may have had, it's hard to think of a place as morally questionable when people that look like your parents are paying €300 for a ticket to see a show there. It's basically Paris' version of Vegas, condensed and perhaps slightly classier.
The following day we had to head out in the afternoon so we just walked around Montmartre and really explored the minor streets. Up near the Sacré Coeur I decided to complete step one in becoming Parisian, I got two scarves*. We also ran into the produce market from Amélie, saw some interesting buildings, and really got to know our neighborhood. I can honestly I could see myself living there if such an opportunity would present itself.
*In the States I rarely consider a scarf a masculine fashion accessory, though since I've been in Europe, I've worn one almost every day. They are awesome. They can keep you warm or shade your neck from the sun and even rain, they make any outfit look 10-30% classier, not to mention they are cheap. So I am all about the scarf now. Three in my collection so far and growing.
Well, this post has gone on long enough. I have uploaded some photos to Flickr which will aid in understanding why I love Paris so much. So in summation: Paris=Favorite City. Going to live there some day.
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