We'll Always Have Paris
A (city) break from the potager
In which Mr Fables reflects on our few days in Paris.
A Postcard from Paris
T. S. Eliot understood Paris perfectly when describing the 'City of Light' as "a strong stimulant". The contrast with our life in the country was vivid, a sharp dose of smelling salts assailing the senses. We decided to walk ... and walk. Two days of shoe leather expended on the pavements and boulevards of this most intoxicating of cities. Our base was a small hotel (Excelsior Batignolles) in the 17eme Arrondissement. Although it was a long way from the tourist heart of things, we had every intention of exploring the 'rue less travelled' with occasional glances up to spot a landmark. Metro Line 3 - when our aching feet guided us to it on Day 3 - took us to Réaumur-Sébastopol, the perfect station to hop to Gare de Montparnasse (for our return journey). Four days in Paris; coffee and pastries, Impressionist art at Musée d'Orsay, long lunches, lingering suppers, imaginative contemporary photography, Spring sunshine, elegant fabric shopping, cemeteries (two + one for another day) - at Père-Lachaise we read poetic verse on the tomb of Oscar Wilde, grimaced at the chewing gum stuck to a tree by Jim Morrison's grave, and paid silent tribute to Marcel Marceau. More food, conversations with strangers over lunch, real life meets with online friends, and a generous invitation for drinks with author John Baxter who gifted JoJo two books. We were, of course, overwhelmed by the sights, sounds and pace of life in the city. But plans are already being made to return to the irresistible city of limestone and literature, brasseries and boulevards, art and architecture. Paris, you beauty.
Mr Fables also wondered aloud if Paris, a city with a rich literary history, might inspire his writing.
T R A V E L L E R
OR T O U R I S T
Tourists don't know where they've been, travellers don't know where they're going.
Paul Theroux
It's a dilemma. How do you make the most of your travels when everything is geared up to tempt you towards the sights the tourists gravitate towards? Maybe they are the things we should experience; the things that make a place what it is. Paris is le Tour Eiffel, n’est pas? Or the Arc de Triomphe? But there is something slighty icky about joining the throng in the middle of the road while the crossing lights are green, trying to get the shot. The city is full of pouts and poses set against iconic backdrops, influencers grasping at the image that will make it more likely their next stay will be in a trendier arrondissement. But do they, as Theroux points out, even know where they've been?
We aspire to be travellers, turning left instead of right, seeking out the hidden gems, wandering the paths less travelled. We found some peaceful spaces, views and angles that offered us our own perspective on overfamiliarity. We discovered neighbourhoods that haven't made it into the guidebooks, and we explored side streets that led to nowhere in particular. But we still scroll through our photographic record of the city and find ourselves trapped by the same memories those tourists are revisiting - we're not tourists are we? Maybe it is the nature of capital cities and the short bursts we treat ourselves to. Next year we have time to linger as we roam around Europe by train. We're already making plans to stay in the small towns, to move slowly, to plan less, and to decide for ourselves what is a sight worth seeing.
Travelling, not touristing.
The last time I was in Paris, I was 25 years old, I was staying with my great godmother, who was a very well known yoga teacher, now long gone sadly, at Meudon in the south western suburbs (worth visiting with its beautiful gardens and prehistory, L’Observatoire and fine views) It seems like a life time ago now… perhaps it’s time for another trip! You have given me itchy feet with your wanderings and gorgeous pics!
For me, Paris the landing and jumping off point for Versailles. That should surprise no one!