We’ll Always Have Paris

I am exhausted but happy. This weekend my program took the Eurostar to Paris, which is such an easy and sleek (but can be expensive) way to travel. I spent the entire weekend asking “parlez vous anglais?” to everyone because I don’t know a lick of French and was quickly reminded how easy I have it England.

Paris reminds me of New York a little, mostly because Paris is very compact (compared to London) and Paris and New York’s subways look the same and aren’t nearly as clean and updated as the London Underground (a lot easier to navigate, however). Of course, Paris is much prettier, especially when I learned about the lengths Parisians go to preserve the aesthetics of the city. They put electrical lines and gas stations underground, and cover building scaffolding with pictures of the building so it looks like it’s still intact! That is some high-level detail right there and I’m for it.

While I don’t think London is doable in three days, Paris seems to be. I walked or took the bus everywhere, visiting Notre Dam, the Eiffel Tower, Sacré-Coeur Basilica (most incredible view of the city), the Arc de Triomphe, Shakespeare and Company bookstore, Bastille market, Musée d’Orsay, and the Louvre. Although I loved all the major sites, some of my favorite parts were meandering the twisting shelves of the Shakespeare and Co. bookstore where the likes of Hemingway used to peruse, and eating fresh cheese at the local outdoor Bastille farmer’s market on Sunday afternoon.

Of course, though, my absolute favorite thing in the world is museums. I could spend every day of my life in museums–and seeing everything in the Louvre would probably take that long, too. I spent two hours in the Louvre on Saturday and only saw the Egyptian antiquities section, which is maybe 1/10th or less of the museum. So, I went back on Sunday and tried to cram everything else in (even then, I’ve probably only seen half now, and that’s just by walking through and barely stopping). The Mona Lisa is underwhelming, by the way. It’s tiny, covered in bulletproof glass, and surrounded by hundreds of tourists with selfie sticks. I much preferred seeing the mummies instead.

A fascinating exhibit in the Louvre is the section about its history, dating to its creation in the 13th century as a castle fortress on the edge of the city. The only remaining part of that castle is its foundation, which you can walk through in the basement. Since, it has been expanded over hundreds of years, mostly in the 16th century when King Henri II made it his palace. The Revolution, successive monarchs, galleries and artists, and government officials have all complicatedly changed the Louvre’s purpose since then. In 1988, the glass pyramid was built and this is the Louvre we see today.    

I also really enjoyed Musée d’Orsay, the French Impressionist art museum across the Seine from the Louvre in a giant train station. I found most of the crowd around the Monets and Van Goghs. The building itself is absolutely gorgeous, and I really enjoyed exploring that one as much as the Louvre (and it’s much more doable in two hours).

My trip to Paris was a very cultural experience filled with art, antiquities, cheese, and wine (as it should be). I loved how walkable it was, more so than London, and appreciated the lengths they go to preserve its beauty and history. But even though I was only in Paris for a few days, I actually missed London. London feels like home already, and I was excited to reach King’s Cross St. Pancras on the Eurostar then bus back to Kensington on a double decker. Hopefully I’ll return to Paris, though, to finish my Louvre exploration.

Until next week!