Ok so I am going to finish what I wanted to say yesterday about my first day in Paris. On our way to the Cite from the airport there was so much graffiti. I studied graffiti in my Sosc class last year, and I have to say that I love how Paris is covered in it. When it was a phenomenon in New York City, the police and other authorities deemed it unacceptable, because it made the city look unclean and now there is barely any graffiti in NYC or anywhere that I have come across for that matter that is not commodified. The man took graffiti and turned it into something "positive", like a mural or graffiti as an artform that is sold in galleries. Here, graffiti just is. People do it on buildings, cars, walls, signs, etc. I love it. I love that the people rebel in this manner and that the city has not cleaned it up. Or perhaps the city appreciates this art form and decides to let it be. If anyone knows please fill me in and I will most likely be doing some research after I finish this post. However, I must note, I am against graffiti when it is done to significant historical buildings, for example I understand no graffiti on the Eiffel Tower.
Another thing I noticed is that these people smoke like chimneys. This is not an entirely new discovery, but when my mom and I were going to our hotel we saw people on their smoke break and I am pretty sure that 95% of the office was outside smoking and conversing. Smoking here is not something that is gross or unhealthy, rather it is a thing to do. I have not seen one anti-smoking ad, or one billboard for that manner. And to be honest these people DO look cool when they smoke. I need to get a pack of cigarettes and a light asap.
Now on to today...
My mom and I ate at a little Brasserie today, and as we were walking looking for somewhere to eat I noticed that literally all the places have these simple sandwiches, crepes, and croque monsieur. The restaurants don't have a plethora of different vegetables, cheeses, meats, and toppings for people to eat, but rather they have already made the sandwich and you pick which one you want. I had a ham, brie, tomato and lettuce sandwich today on this amazing loaf of break. It was to die for. So simple, yet to succulent. America doesn't have this. In America it is all about more for less, and here you pay a lot for not so much, but it is so simple and amazing. I am getting back to simplicity, but within this rich and beautiful culture that is complex and wonderful.
Also, today as my mom and I were walking off the Metro we saw Notre Dame, and I thought "All you ever wanted was this". This thought ran through my mind consistently today. All I have ever wanted in life is to be somewhere that has lived. As a history lover/nerd America has always lacked that for me. I mean the first stone was laid for Notre Dame in 1163 and it was mostly finished by 1250. This one building has stood in some capacity for basically 850 years. Same for The Louvre. Yes there are the more modern glass Pyramids, but the Louvre Palace was built in the late 12th century and is absolutely gorgeous. Seriously, standing there looking around I almost cried. So much as happened here, so much has happened in Paris. It is like everything else I have experienced and seen in my life is not significant, that until now I have not really lived. My mom and I didn't go into the Louvre because we were short on time, and if you are going to do the Louvre, you got to do it right. You have to get it flowers and chocolates, so that it knows you really appreciate it. So from the Louvre, we walked to the Tuileries Garden which was gorgeous and then we hit...wait for it...wait for it...the Obelisk de Luxor which is 3,300 years old and was moved to Paris from Egypt. But that is not all, it also marks the spot where Louis the XVI and Marie Antoinette were beheaded during the French Revolution. I could hear the peasants as they cheered on the beheading of their King and Queen. I could feel the anguish of Marie Antoinette, who was a grossly misunderstood human being. Honestly, dream come true. We also saw the Arc de Triomphe from afar, but I know that I am going to see it up close and personal later on in the quarter.
As I go to bed tonight, I know I'll be thinking "All you ever wanted was this".
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