The Five Senses: Paris (LT)

View of the Eiffel Tower from Pont
de Bir-Hakeim

A walk about Paris will provide lessons in history, beauty, and in the point of Life. -Thomas Jefferson

It has been two weeks since I arrived in this beautiful city and ever since I first stepped off the plane I have been overwhelmed. I have done a lot of walking around the city in my time off. On my first day, after sleeping a few hours forced upon me by jetlag, I woke up and proceeded to do a walking tour of Paris with a family friend. She took me first to all the touristy places in Paris; the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Champs-Elysées, and then to all the more well known Paris secrets like the Opera, the Printemps, etc... I feel like walking allows you to enjoy the place you are visiting better. While in a car, a bus or a boat, you zoom on by too quickly to appreciate a monument's grandeur. So I walk everywhere and I return to my room almost everyday with feet that protest the abuse, and extremities that are frozen from the cold, but in walking I have found a truth in Thomas Jefferson's words. Paris is a city full of rich history, beautiful monuments and everyday pleasures, such as a good baguette, cheese and espresso, that help explain what is important in life.

Graffiti on the streets of Paris

You can feel the history that fills the city. The architecture of the buildings that loom about the streets, is basically the the mastery piece of years of stories. Even in the more modern quarters of Paris you are still privy to the tales that are painted on the faces of each building, in the form of graffiti. In some neighborhoods the little old buildings of long ago are still present, kept as a souvenir of the artists, politicians, and philosophers who walked their halls. Even at in my room at the University Dorms, with its marble floors and old but sturdy furniture, I can easily imagine the hundreds of students who must have stayed here my room over the years. I enjoy feeling connected to this history, in a way I feel a part of it and can appreciate it more.

Piano in Hotel-Dieu de Paris

Another treasure of Paris that I have experienced in my two weeks here has been the music heard in the metro. In my daily rides I am sure to hear some, it is my favorite thing about the metro. Musicians take advantage of the cavernous walkways to amplify their music and man can they play. I have listened to the rhythmic beating of drums, to guitarist playing and singing and to the songs of a Spaniard singing what sounded like a love song. But I believe my favorite is the music of a harpist that I have heard a few times now but have never seen.

Wine tasting at the Wine Museum

I can't talk about France and my time here without also talking about French wine. When my program started, one of the seminars that we participated in showed us how to appreciate French food and most importantly French wine. Our first organized school outing was to a wine museum followed by a wine tasting. During this excursion we learned all the tricks about wine tasting and got to taste 5 different wines from 5 very different regions of France. Unfortunately, at the time of this visit I was well into a cold that was brought on by not being properly dressed for a walking exhibition and therefore was unable to taste much and was only able to smell the strongest scents.
Having been here for two weeks now, I am still awed every time I see the Eiffel Tower. I still find myself wanting to take pictures of all the buildings in Paris. I am keeping a mental note of all the places I want to return to and so far everywhere I have been is on that list. At the moment Paris hasn't lost its magic, and I don't think it ever truly will. But what I do foresee potentially happening is that it will probably begin to dull. I will Nevertheless continue my walks and torturing my feet in an effort to gain a fuller and better understanding of this city's history, art and way of life.

Beautiful skies of Paris