Paris is amazing, and if I didn't know that it would evoke groans from my blog followers, I would call it my favourite place we've been so far. It's pretty much as great as everyone who has ever been there says it is. I'm sad to leave, because I really loved everything about it; learning more about the history of the France, reading in beautiful gardens, book shopping, the hunt for a leather jacket, eating breakfast at cute bakeries, stained glass, and seeing famous buildings and paintings in real life. Everything in Paris is so beautiful, and so old. The oldest building in Calgary is what, 110 years old? I've been seeing buildings that have foundations in 600 A.D.!!! So crazy to think about. Some quick highlights of the week are as follows:
Sainte-Chapelle: Ohmygoodness, probably one of the most beautiful things ever. There is just a huge dome of stained glass that tells the entire bible from Genesis to Revelation in small, stained glass images! Not only is it insanely pretty, but it is mindblowing to think of all of the time and effort put in to create such an amazing piece of art.
The Eiffel Tower lights: On our last night we got a baguette, some fancy cheese and some wine and metroed down to the Eiffel Tower to finish our week the way we started it.
The Mona Lisa: I originally didn't think it would be that cool, I mean, I'd seen it a million times before, but there was something really amazing about seeing the most famous painting in the world in the flesh. The Louvre itself is an impressive building architecturally too.
Chateau Versailles: Versailles was unreal. It was so much bigger than I thought it would be, and the history behind it is so interesting to me. The gardens are huge, and gorgeous and so over the top, it's definitely like something a kid growing up on Disney movies would imagine a palace garden to look like. The Hall of Mirrors left me speechless, it is definitely storybook material. Everything is so detailed and beautiful, it really reinforces the idea that architects back then were truly artisans. So beautiful (I seel like I'm running out of adjectives) I also liked learning about Marie-Antoinette some more, she truly is a really complicated figure, and it would be interesting to learn more about her beyond the Kirsten Dunst movie.
Jardin Luxembourg: On one of our afternoons, we spent some time in the Jardin Luxembourg and wrote and read and basked in the warm September weather. It's so crazy to me that plants can be art too, as all of the trees were lined symetrically, and the fountainss and flowers were all precisely places to be the most pleasing to the eye. I need to find myself a good park close to home.
There are so many beautiful things in Paris, and I probably haven't listed even a fraction of the beautiful things I saw this week. Everything in Paris is a work of art, from the buildings, to the plants, to the food, to the way locals dressed their toddlers. So much beauty in such a big city. I've been thinking about it, and I'm going to be so beauty deprived when I get home. These days I wake up, and can guarantee that today I'll see an old building, a stylish local, a canal, some street art, and hear bells from a church steeple. How blessed is this girl? Too blessed for my own good, I think. Going home to cold, grey, blustery winter in Calgary doesn't sound too appealing when I think about it right now. I guess I'm coming home right in time for Christmas, so the beauty can be stretched a little longer!
Another thought from Paris that I wanted to share with you takes me back to the ol' grade 10 social class where I made Office references, goofed off, and yes, learnt a little bit about 'globalization'. Globalization is a fancy term that Merriam-Webster defines as: to make worldwide in scope or application. Unfortunately, Paris is not immune to globalization. It is no longer a city of independantly owned shops, bakeries, or even national brand names, but now houses large food and clothing chains that just don't measure up to the class that Paris is known for. For a little bit of history: In 1860, Louis Vuitton agreed that Paris needed to keep things classy, and started a comittee to make sure that the Avenue des Champs-Élysées remained an area of sophitication and luxury, and tried to prevent some shops from moving in. There have been many battles as to which shops and restaurants could set up there, and I was a little sad to see that a lot of those battles were lost, as there is now an H&M and a Disney store on the avenue. I was also discouraged to see greasy, golden arches parked out front of The Louvre and Chateau Versailles, we're all becoming slaves to the man! It's sad to me that Paris isn't the place of class it once was, but like Robert Frost and the Outsiders say "Nothing gold can stay."
To wrap this up, let me just remind you: I LOVE PARIS! Here is an anonymous quote that I feel like the Parisians have Post-It noted onto their mirrors:
I think everything in life is art.
What you do. How you dress. The way you love someone and how you talk. Your smile and your personality. What you believe in and all your dreams. The way you drink your tea or your coffee. How you decorate your home or party. Your grocery list. The food you make. How your writing looks. And the way you feel.
Life is art.
Goodnight from back home in Ghent.
Stay Golden!
xo
This started out like a generic, "I'm going to list some highlights and gush about how amazing everything is" post like that one you did after New York and I was going to talk about how it was a step down from your past posts this month. Suddenly though, it got better. A lot better as you provided some insight into your realization that there won't be beauty like this when you get home and reflect on the negative aspect of Globalization, as corporations seep into Paris. Plus some more awesome quotes. So good for not dropping the ball on post quality after all, Schwartz. 8.0/10.
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