When I arrive in a new location, I’m always terribly anxious to figure out a new system of public transportation. I think I’m afraid that I’ll be mystified and get lost. However, the Paris metro system is so easy and efficient! I love it so much. I think I could ride around on it for fun. I’m definitely not going to pretend to be an expert (we know where that got me last time!), but it’s fun to pretend to be one of those Parisians who are always in a rush and who navigate the twisting tunnels like they know exactly where to go. They probably do. I don’t. But I always end up where I need to be eventually.
I was pretty tired when I finally found my hostel in the Montmartre area in the late afternoon, so I thought I’d do something easy that required minimal exploration effort: the Eiffel Tower! I think I just wanted something to make me realize that I was actually in Paris. It definitely made for some excellent people-watching; I love seeing families and couples from around the world get caught up in the allure of Paris. I just sat on a bridge overlooking the tower and the Seine for a while, got a crêpe and a coffee, and soaked it all in. I guest tourist traps shouldn’t be overlooked just because they’re tourist traps, right?
On my first full day, I wanted to explore the city a little and do some things that I can only really do by myself. After all, who would ever want to go to the Grand Musee du Parfum (Big Perfume Museum) with me? I’ll be the first to admit that this had nothing to do with my project, but it was cool. The exhibit showed perfume’s qualities throughout history, from a sacred offering to the gods to a medicinal panacea to a potion for seduction. There were even sections about the science of smell and the manufacturing of perfumes. Neat!
After that, I walked along the Champs Élysées for a while; I forgot that the Arc de Triomphe was so close, so I saw that by accident! I also planned to go to the Petit Palais, a museum in the same area, because I had read online that there was an exhibit about one of my favorite poets, William Blake. A Blake exhibit with original illustrated poems? I would have been in heaven. However, just as I was walking up to the museum, I got a funny feeling in the pit of my stomach. With a little quick research, I discovered that the William Blake exhibit had only been a temporary one in the summer of 2009. Why do I miss all of the cool exhibitions?
In my state of mild dejection that was only furthered by the fact that it started pouring when I had forgotten my umbrella, I returned to the Montmartre area for a little while to recenter myself. I grabbed my umbrella, a sweater, and stopped for a nice latte at the lovely coffee shop next door. It just takes a rainy day, a sweater, and a hot drink to lift my spirits.
I took that evening to explore Montmartre. It used to be the perfect artists’ hub -- a lot of starving talent moved into Montmartre because of the rising rates of rent closer to the heart of Paris. Wealthy people lived at the base of the hill, while the artists and less wealthy lived at the top of the hill, or the “butte.” The winding stone streets are interesting to explore, especially at night, although the area is more filled with tourists and scammers than artists these days. I plan to explore more soon so that I can see the windmill made famous by a Picasso painting, stop by the Moulin Rouge, and get a closer look at Sacré-Coeur.
The next day was probably my favorite in Paris so far. I spent most of my time in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, an area close to the heart of the city. The area is home to a few spots that I needed to experience: two of those spots include the small cafés Les Deux Magots and the Café de Flore. They are competing cafes that are situated directly across the street from one another, and they were both hubs of activity during the existentialist movement. Simone de Beauvoir and Jean Paul-Sartre used to spend hours every day at the Cafe de Flore. I learned about de Beauvoir in an awesome Philosophy and Gender class in the spring, and she’s been one of my feminist icons ever since, so I knew I needed to visit one of her favorite hangouts.
However, Les Deux Magots was closer to where I exited the metro, so I went there first. Hemingway and Picasso are just a couple of the famous talents that used to visit this cafe. I took a seat facing the rainy, Parisian-filled street, ordered a coffee and a pastry, and almost cried real tears. Like I said before, places have meaning for me! I’ve gone back a few times since, and I’ve never been disappointed. I think that rainy days are meant to be spent deep in contemplation at small coffee shops and cafés.
Saint-Germain-des-Prés is one of my favorite areas to explore in all of Paris. While the main avenue is lined with high-end shops, there are countless little nooks and curving streets that are worth exploring. I made sure to visit the apartment of Victor Hugo, author of novels like Les Miserables and Notre Dame de Paris (or The Hunchback of Notre Dame). It was interesting to walk through Hugo’s lavish apartment filled with interesting objects that pertained to his life, such as a couple of worn writing desks. I totally touched them when the guard wasn’t looking.
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| Victor Hugo touched this desk! |
One of my favorite new spots in the world is located in the very heart of the city, just down the street from Notre Dame. Shakespeare and Company is probably the closest thing to heaven on this earth. It’s a bookstore and reading nook and a mecca for book lovers from all over the world. The original store was frequented by (you guessed it) Hemingway, Fitzgerald, and countless other famous literary figures. Founder Sylvia Beach was even the first to publish Joyce’s controversial Ulysses when no one else dared.
Now the store, in a new location, is filled with tiny nooks with thousands of books, comfortable couches, and atmospheric lighting. There’s even a sweet cat who lives there -- her name is Aggie because she wandered into the shop one night and was found in the Agatha Christie mystery section, and she hasn’t left since. When I chose a book of poetry and found a nice chair, Aggie took it upon herself to jump onto my lap (on top of my book, naturally) and take a nap. That was the second time of the day that I almost cried real tears. I want to take her home with me!
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| My new best feline friend Aggie! |
Believe it or not, I did actually do something related to my project: I toured the Palais Garnier, or the Paris Opera House. I’ve always loved the Phantom of the Opera, so I couldn’t miss the opportunity to visit the location that inspired the story. The author of the original novel Le Fantome de L’Opéra, Gaston Leroux, toured the opera house and discovered that there were channels of water beneath the structure. He combined this fact with the tales of a “ghost” beneath the opera house to create his novel.
The Palais Garnier was absolutely breathtaking! Everything was so ornate and lavish. The guided tour that I took was specifically geared to the "mysteries" of the opera house, so I was ready for some Phantom lore.
I learned something really funny: the musical isn't at all popular in France, and a lot French people scorn its popularity and dismiss it as a silly part of American culture. (I'm not trying to generalize; my French tour guide told us this!) Nevertheless, the Phantom clearly has his hold on the opera house, as there is a plaque bearing his name on the door of Box no. 5. (And by this, I mean that management reluctantly added the plaque a few years ago to appease the flood of tourists.) On my tour, it was clear that many tourists knew of the opera house mostly because of its prevalence in the Phantom musical and movie. Maybe one day I'll come back to Paris (with a little more cash) and buy a seat in Box no. 5 to see the latest ballet...
There is much to explore and so little time! Paris is an incredible city with countless secrets to discover.