[I took French in High School… three year’s worth. It’s useless. My French is abysmal.]
What a glorious day to see Paris. It’s unbelievable how vivid the colors are over here. I don’t know if it’s just my awestruck state of mind but genuinely I think the sky is blue-er on this side of the Atlantic. And the vibrancy of the architecture… buildings older than my country still intact and attention-demanding… God I want to be European.
[Mostly for the clothing- good grief have I been people (/outfit) watching.]
Speaking of people watching however… Parisians STARE. I’m not sure if it’s a cultural thing in France or just their most famous city but goddamn! I think that’s where the French (/Parisians) get their reputation for being rude… I didn’t run into anyone that purposefully wouldn’t speak English to me, I didn’t run into anyone less chivalrous than back home… it was just the damn staring! I should probably just grow a bigger backbone but I have never felt more self conscious in my entire life!!
Alright, off the people and back to the sight-seeing.
Once we found the tip we had to plunge deeper [eh, couldn’t resist]. I literally started running around corners to get my first glimpse of the tower up close… that may have added to the staring I suppose… I may have only myself to blame.
VOILA! La Tour d'Eiffel:
Man was it majestic… It was a lot smaller than I had imagined, but I suppose we tend to make things larger than life when they’re so [encompassing] of an entire people, an entire country, and entire love-struck ideal.
It was so lovely outside Stephen and I decided to lay on the lawn and rest from our exhausting day of traveling. There were elementary schools on recess and some soccer (football) performers engaging every little boy’s attention, families taking a mid afternoon stroll and couples, couples, couples.
After that we just walked along the Seine and took in the sights, the sounds and the smells [which surprisingly were not as bad as rumor has it] of Paris.
I was taken-aback by the… disrespect? No, that’s not the right word… but definitely lack of reverence for the grandiose infrastructure. This absolutely blew me away- an old museum with beautiful sculptures all over the exterior walls/courtyard of the building had been changed into a skate park for French youth. Skater hooligans were just lounging on these sculptures shooting the shit with their buddies and (railing…- another skate board term) along the marble. I’ve never seen anything like it…
We walked until we reached the islands and just before there was a bridge chock-full of locks. How incredible is it that the first lock that caught my eye had my initials on it?! I thought that was a pretty charming coincidence.
There was also this quaint outdoor market set up along the river with the strangest array of knick knacks. What a life it would be to merchant along the Seiene. I truly think, once I graduate, I’m going to lay my degree to waste and become a wanderer. It’s an enticing ideal… especially in an ancient city like Paris.
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