I decided to make a habit of going to my local cafe each morning to get myself a croissant or toast and a cup of coffee. For some reason I also got into the habit of waking up a little later than usual which quite often meant that I was running the 50mtrs or so to meet the 10:30 breakfast deadline. Seems a little farcical to be trying to make up mins in a 50 metre run just to make breakfast, would have saved more time trying not to fix my hair up. In any case, I wanted a little corner of Paris that I could own eachday and this place was it. The waitress was so cool, she already knew on the second day what I wanted and was in preparation mode as I took a seat. Here's a view of my morning outlook, through my standard pre-morning, pre-caffeine haziness.
This look is out from the cafe onto Rue Royer-Collard and down to the left is Rue Le Goff which intersects with the street I was hanging out on for the few days there. Even though where I was based was considered to be on the edge of the Latin Quarter which is known as being a student area, I was getting into character in my own way. Late morning kick-offs, faux introspective looks into the distance, internal commentary on the goings on around me...ok, so perhaps it's a little bit of bullshit but the point is if you're not adopting or soaking up the atmosphere of a place in the way that its suppose to be then are you really experiencing it for what it has to offer ? The conundrum, whether to be a moderately pretentious twat and reject the very cultural edifices, cultural norms and characteristics that make a place or get into the mood and go with the flow of whats surrounding you. For me its the later and if I get called a touristic 'sell-out' for doing it then so be it, I just think it would be stupid of me not to.
To make most of the late morning start I decided to walk down towards the Seine and see another Parisian icon, (how many are there !?). Along with learning a hell of a lot about the metro system in Paris, a building that I became more than familiar with was Notre Dame de Paris (Our Lady of Paris). This is a spectacular Gothic cathedral on the eastern half of Ile de la Cite, so basically an island in the middle of the Seine. Other than it's Gothic constuction the additional thing that I remember being taught was the 'flying buttress' supports - the (arched exterior supports) of the building, which from memory made it one of the first in the world to adopt the technique and ofcourse gave the building an additionally unique look. You can clearly see the supports from the picture that I've added below.
Like many of the popular tourist attractions in Paris, the lines are long but with that said they're orderly and they move rather quickly. That's always a thing that suprises me, most places are like that. Once you get use to the pace of movement and you're patience is reasonable then the wait isn't altogether bad and if you have a few people with you then you'll always be able to create a little bit of amusement.
My fine research on the Notre Dame de Paris also tells me that its sculptures and stained glass windows are heavily influenced by the naturalism movement. Well, that may be the case, pity that my knowledge of artistic movements doesn't stretch further than being able to name impressionism and surrealism as my favourite periods but not being able to name when the hell they commenced, ended or what triggered their beginnings.
There are good and bad aspects to travelling solo. The good is the lack of the need to compromise, the ability to take the time you want in the places that you want, especially when they catch you buy surprise. I've got to say, this building did catch me by surprise but more for its exterior, its presence and the understanding of the era in which it was built. I've included a few additional pictures below that really highlight its Gothic feel.
After reliving year 7 French class yet again I decided to make my way be to Le Marais for a bit of lunch and perhaps....perhaps....to get those locks chopped off. Now, I can't remember at what point that I thought that cutting my hair was going to be a great idea but I do remember walking into a 'salon' and asking them if they spoke English (of course they did), then it was 'well, what can you do for me'. As the hair fell to the floor I couldn't help thinking that it was a terrible idea but also, 'the first cut is the deepest', and after that point there was no going back without another twelve to sixteen months growth...*Sigh*, all that commitment, all the hard work towards looking like Bernard Fanning and Dave Grohl, gone in a Parisian minute. The strike from the glistening steel of lovely lady's sharpened implements of doom and then the artisan in her took over and she sculptured a Euro-trash style never before seen on this son of Serbia. In all truth, the cut was pretty good, and there's always something liberating about going for a new look....damn, I'm such a girl sometimes.
For some reason this afternoon tended to move by pretty quickly. After making my way back 'home' and chilling out for a few moments I went back down to St-Michele Notre Dame station and decided to walk to the Eiffel Tower in order to capture its spectacular light show. It was a hell of a walk, wondering by the law courts (liberte, egalite, fraternite), then onwards through the Louvre, into the Tuileries Gardens, along the Seine to watch a magnificent sunsent and then to the Eiffel Tower to see it lit up in a glorious blue. From what I've been able to find out, the blue light was apparently representative of it's 6 month presidency of the European Union which commenced on 01 JUL 08. Again, I've added a few photos below of the walk that I took. Sometimes a photo can convey a sentiment, feeling or expression more than any line or paragraph.
Outside the Louvre
A magnificent sunset
Of course I'd be remiss if I didn't include some of the shots of the Eiffel Tower under lights. For me its got to be one of the great sights in the world. I mean I've seen a few good ones thus far, some of which are included in earlier blogs, i.e., Angkor Wat (which is by far the greatest thus far), but certainly the Eiffel Tower at night is pretty special, and in the City of Lights what more can you really ask for ?
No comments:
Post a Comment