Je t’aime, Paris
I arrived at about 5 o’clock, by TGV (Train à grande vitesee) from Nice to Paris and I never thought Paris station would be so messed and dirty, with everywhere dog-ends, papers and other litters.
So Love at the very second glance.
At that time, Tour Eiffel, le Louvre and Versailles are crowded with people, who significantly reduced my pleasure (yet I didn’t mind it: anyway Paris the beauty was not my own). Still I fell in love, with the Seine River, Norte Dame, L’avenue des Champs Elysées, Arc de Triomphe…and more importantly, its samll streets and common people, its easiness and elegance.
Trying Seine River boats was a pretty good choice, 7 euro for a ticket and about 50 minutes round trip. Remerber to put on a little coat, it felt a little cold even in summers. The two banks of Seine are cultural heritages and still I think UNESCO has’n done it justice. Obviously Seine is worth four or three. Well who cares. Along the banks were a bulk of historical sites, only two of which I wanted to mention, both on the left one: le Pantheon, where Rousseau and Voltaire were laying. Let me pay my respect. Le Café de Flore, where Jean Paul Sartre and Simone spent most of their time. There were plenty of bars and cafes on the left banks, though one didn’t mean to, he seated himself on the chair Picasso once seated, lisented to the songs Hemingway once enjoyed, read under the same light Jean used to read under, and got down, then felt the access to tranquillity and inspiration more and more easier. Walking inside the left bank one heartily felt a quiet academic and progressive comtemplating atmosphere. How lucky to be a native and How unfair God is, simply by allocating new lifes to Paris and Pakistan! The right bank drew most bureau and commercial sites. When sailing on the river, there were two things joyable: one was looking up and waving to the people leaning by the bridges; another was waving to the people on banks, picnicing, taking a walk or sleeping. There was fun on board, too: a very very cute French girl I met, who kept speaking and making faces (kicking her own head and pretending to be faint LoL) And four local, or two local couple of 50s or 60s, I guessed, hands in hands, were singing. And I knew the song! Il me dit que je suis belle, He says I’m beautiful.
Il me dit que je suis belle
Et qu’il n’attendait que moi
Il me dit que je suis celle
Juste faite pour ses bras
Even one director! I took a photo with them, to remind myself that people could be so happy after 50s.
Norte Dame, if you choose early morning or late evening, wont be so crowded. Personally I didn’t find it that important, neither in Gothic Architecture (but I did look very gorgeous and harmonious cuz its .618s) or in Religious history; its reputation was established along the historical events: numerous kings, including Napoleon, were coronated here. The french revolution, the second World War… were all related. It’s already become a symbol. The novel, which bears the same name, certainly brings a lot of fame. And its location on Cité, the origin of Paris, also served as an advantage. Compared to St.Peter’s, Norte Dame was more like a holy place than a tourist site. The candles were slowly burning. A candle, a wish. I wished all the good wishes came true. Chairs were neatly placed in line. Choirs, hymns and priests. So this was a church. In the garden behind, I saw a college student revising his lessons. How clever of him to find this place! Now the Ding-Dongs couldn’t be heard from all around Paris. What a pity. Many people lost a euphonious remind of a brand new hour!
Paris people were mostly laid-back and so always willing to give a hand. On the place before Paris theatre (l’Opéra, think of Phantom of the Opera), hundreds of people, old and yound, were just sitting, doing nothing. So were the pigeons! I happened to ask one of them, who happened to be another traveller (he was so comfortable in the sun, which made me think he was more than a native), that "Where is the Opera?" To my surprise, he took out a map and murmured half a minute, then looked up and smiled, "Oh la la! Alors, Nous sommes ici!" (We are here!) In a post office, an old couple insisted on teaching me how to use a French auto stamp-seller machine, after I had done the job lol. And Caroline, who I mentioned in another post. And a madame, posed a slight bow after giving me directions, so graceful!
Paris was certainly more than this and I planned to discover more in the coming years. I just couldn’t resist your charm cuz
I knew I loved you before I met you
I think I dreamed you into life
I knew I loved you before I met you
I have been waiting all my life.
I want to quote your post in my blog. It can?
And you et an account on Twitter?
@lk82
as u wish.
No, here in china one has no access to twitter. i’ll soon have one after arriving in US :)
A late Merry Christmas~~