The weekend trips to La Rochelle and Bordeaux when nothing inexplicable happened and the trip to Marseille and Montpellier which was more creepy than thrilling I was a bit apprehensive about my weeklong trip to Paris. However the sojourn at Paris was wonderful reprieve from the life in Toulouse which now seems to be mundane.
Paris is indeed a city which captivated my imagination . I really enjoyed strolling in the street when the pace of life got my pulse racing and where the smell of money, of privilege and of a world which is class apart comes wafting out from the shop windows of Chanel .
The Eiffel rises into the city’s skyline confidently and eternally embodies the spirit of the people , the seamless confidence in which they rush into the trams and out of them into the cars and the shops. The sellers at the bottom of the Eiffel ,wearing counterfeit DKNYs and more jackets than I was wearing at that time peddling miniatures are themselves like their wares …carving out their own space and imitating the grand at the same time .
Not very far from Eiffle is The Louvre….
Louvre Museum is like the Buckingham Palace humongous and ornate. However sans Banded Ear or the Last Supper or the Van Gogh auto portrait Louvre is not much more than the Louvre Palace and the inverted pyramids. However, Mona didi did intrigue me with her smile. With our hearts glowing after having received the smile of Mona Lisa and having been a witness to the finest pieces of art created ever, next day we decided to start from the Pantheon… where the French greats rest.
The Pantheon is indeed very grand not quite reminiscent of the usual blandness of a tomb and perhaps, it brings into light the fact that death was indeed a celebration in the olden days , something which even new age Gurus like Osho advocate..are we going back as we go ahead in time??
Err…was I talking about the places of interest in Paris??
Musee d’ Orsay was a treat to the artist in me. the vivid colors of Monet, the skill and deftness of Van Gogh and the grandness of Couloir left me enthralled. Renoirs was amazing too...the list is just endless......
We scanned the other places of interest ….
The cruise on Sienne, the climb to the top of Arc de Triomphe followed by the promenade on the Champs de Elysees ,the window shopping on galleries of Laffayat,the beautiful gardens of Luxembourg and Tilluaires and the Arc de Defence, the commercial hub of Paris , a 1 day trip to the Chataeu of Versailles which is a stamp on royalty and luxury , the strut on the Pigalle and the shy smiles in front of the Moulin Rouge.
Last but not the least.....the impeccable English of a young woman whom I met in Paris is easily the best English I have heard in recent times. The combination of superb English and french looks is indeed as good as the french wine..however which one is better, I am clueless....How do I know when I have tasted neither??
We made the trip out of scratch…..a 5 day trip just for 120 euros!! With accommodation free in the hostels of my friend and transportation in Covoiturage and food from the cheapest shops and entry into the wonders negotiated successfully it has been an experience to remember.
