Paris, the City

Well, it is now June 1st, and it seems impossible that we've been here for nearly 4 weeks already. My, but how time flies! I feel that we've learned so much in even the very short time we've enjoyed here, and yet that there are so many many things we have yet to discover. Not that that's a bad thing. On the contrary, if there's one thing I've learned while here, it is that Paris is a city of discovery.

Andrew and I do our best to discover and explore at least one or two areas of the city per week, as our schedule permits. After all, as my schedule "regulates" more and more, the days off I enjoy each week become more and more "irregular." So, if I can pull together the energy, and Andrew the patience, to walk around the city together, we will. This works best when I have the whole day off, as we can take our time and really learn a new place! The people, the vibes, the smells, the landscape, the views, the metros (of course). In a particular area of Paris, called Montmartre, one must also form an understanding with the streets, which seem an endlessly winding mass of tangles that lead, well, nowhere in particular.

We went to visit Montmartre this past Thursday, and just being there led me to discover a few of my favorite things about Paris. Before I go into that, for those of you who don't know Montmartre, the French film Amelie is all about a girl who lives in this "village" of Paris. I love this very artistic and beautifully shot film (and its wonderful music), though it definitely has its naughty French moments. :-/ ahem... However, there is a beautiful scene in the movie that depicts the area of the Basilique du Sacre Coeur, Montmartre's famous landmark white-washed church at the very top of the "mont" (hill). You can watch the scene here to get a better idea.

A quaint Tea Salon in Montmartre...I can't wait to take both my mom and mother-in-law here!

Montmartre has long been the haven of both French and foreign artists of all types, and because of this has gained a very bad reputation. However, it also has a sacred history, which includes the Sacre Coeur ("Sacred Heart"). The Sacre Coeur was built as a peace offering for the attrocities and bloodshed of war, significant in Paris, a city that has historically been torn by war. Personally, we both found the basilica more impressive and beautiful on the outside than on the inside. Still, we were very glad to have visited.

The impressive Basilique du Sacre Coeur. The rare white stone from which it is built is found in a French quarry. The stone contains lots of calcium, which insures that the structure cleans itself each time it rains, which happens all the time in Paris!

So, back to Paris. Being up here at the top of the city led me to realize some things that I love about it. While each city is truly unique, I think I can firmly state, along with anyone else who has ever lived here in Paris, that there is no city like it anywhere. It has such a sense of intimacy, although it houses millions. The people and the sights are so intertwined with the history behind this place that they seem to breathe as one. The views from the top of Montmartre are breathtaking, even on the overcast day when we visited...

As is so often the case, the photo just doesn't do the view any justice. We could recognize many, many landmarks across the panorama. You can see the beautifully laced clouds hanging over the horizon, though...

Note that you can really see the city, unlike New York, Boston, or even San Francisco, where the view is blocked by large, bulky skyscrapers. Here in Paris, the majority of the buildings are 6-7 stories high, with some very notable landmarks and larger buildings spread around. In fact, you can recognize many of them, even from so great a distance. One can even see the spires of the Notre Dame and other impressive cathedrals rising over the organized streets and by-ways. Of course, there's also the Opera Bastille, the Tour Montparnasse, the Louvre museum, the Sainte Chappelle...

Andrew contemplating Montmartre

Speaking of the view and the weather, being at Montmartre made me realize that Paris boasts some of the most beautiful sky in the world. Well, all the same sky in the world, one might say. However, the presentation of the sky here is always awe-inspiring. The other day I was walking from the train to work and wishing I had brought the camera...the sky was such a perfect shade of blue with such perfect sprawling white clouds that it seemed I was in a movie set. All the days have been like that, even the "ugly" ones. The sky is composed in a unique way that we have never before experienced. But we love it! Especially at night and in the mornings...last night at 10, the sun had just barely gone down, and there were blue and pink whisps of cotton candy spattered across the hemisphere. "Lovely" is really the only fitting word to describe such a sight!

I love the pulse of the city. This includes all the elements named earlier, sights, sounds, smells, etc. And even more interesting, the fact that each area has a different pulse or function, almost like the systems of the body. It's really quite fascinating. In some ways, I might say that Montmartre gives Paris its "soul," having on the one hand a rich spiritual history, and on the other an artistic expression that hails beauty. Not to mention that being up at the top, looking over the green lawns beneath the basilica, and then into the sprawling city, you can't help appreciating the beauty and hidden holiness of this place.