ode to a humbled traveler

I've read that there are two types of travelers: those who set out to find their pre-conceived notions and those who set out to see whatever presents itself. I...at least for this trip...have proven (somewhat to my own disappointment) to be the earlier. My mind was filled with pictures of Paris and I wanted to be in them. I envisioned quaint neighborhoods, museums, picnics, strikes, artists by the water, a leisurely pace, overly-perfumed women and gourmet food. As a side note, perhaps my visions were based on Paris in the Spring and didn't include the sight of my own breath!

French cooking without butter or oil may be an unthinkable notion, so I was thankful for the small portions on large oval plates. Lobsters in vanilla bean sauce, escargot, croissants, crepes, Berthillon ice cream, creme brulee and other undercooked eggs and meat were a curious, yet sensory delight. Crepes however were the highlight!

Choosing was the issue: chocolate, sugar and lemon, ham and cheese, banana and nutella ... the list goes on.


Champs-Elysees with the Arc de Triomphe in the background felt classic. Because of the time of year, the historic boulevard was lined with little shops selling items that nobody needs but everyone buys.

I witnessed my first protest here, where riot police arrived with the forlorn politely insistent two-note bleating that I previously associated with European spy novels, and pushed pro-Israel students out of the honking mayhem.




Sainte Chappelle on Île de la Cité was stunning in the afternoon light with 1,000 scenes depicted in stained glass.

Less beautiful, yet more famous was Notre Dame. I sat through my first entire mass which was good both for perspective and for pensive introspection. Yet as experienced at other religious sites, the combination of consumerism and worship remains quite perverse to me.



A plethora of bicycle terminals provided a convenient mode of transportation, even if it did involve frozen nose hairs! Otherwise, bateau mouches, walking and the metro provided a decent expose on Paris-living. When the train stops, the lights go out and a French announcement comes over the system, you do think about the benefits of knowing the language of the land.


Another highlight was the Louvre. Who knew that the Mona Lisa was 31" x 21"? The tactic for placement in the largest art museum in the world seemed comparable
to the placement of milk at the rear of the supermarket! And then you arrive to discover that the room is crowded and you are competing with 100ish other cameras.
Nothing like a zoom lens! Other highlights included the Winged Victory of Somothrace and the Rodin Museum where The Thinker crouches in sober thought.



Versailles....what grandeur! Acres and acres of French gardens, statues and evidence of decadence. No wonder the excesses of the French royalty spurred the French Revolution!

Chateau Thierry was a chance to get out of town, to possibly connect with a long-lost heritage and to enjoy a small French village. For 45,000 Euro, I could buy a place...smile! Yet, it was just below freezing and so I spent much of my time lingering in a cafe sipping coffee, eating assorted pastries and writing in my journal.

Again, knowing French would have been quite an attribute! And does language net to promote communication and culture or to create tangible divisions? What is truly international is quite limited.


And last but not least...The Eiffel Tower! Whether sitting on a bench at sunset waiting for the lights to come on or catching a glimpse of it down a winding street, it did not fail to evoke wonder. Even though the tourist count is down this time of year, the lines were still patience-builders! As was the 704 steps to the second story in below zero weather. New Years Eve "Bonne Anne"s and bises were memorable though!

And so I left Paris well aware of the seeming superiority of French cuisine, French fashion, French language and richness of French history.

How can one place be so vast yet closed; impersonal yet welcoming; surrounded by abstract notions yet alarmingly raw; and classicly monumental yet able to provide an improvised experience? Anyway, in my humble opinion, it is. Or at least it was.