Today, after much ‘exploring’ of the suburbs (otherwise known as a poor attempt to follow a bus route on foot), I decided to visit the Arch de Defense in the commercial center of Paris before venturing further.
It was a remarkably clean and ’21st centuryish’ area. The central plaza was huge, and business people were out having lunch or talking on the phone or running to meetings. Others were relaxing on a small area of perfectly manicured grass.
Further down, people were cooling off by dipping their toes in a fountain, while a few waded around in it – which seems to be common around here; when I arrived at the Louvre, after passing some very unique metro stations, people were again playing with their feet in the water.
The Louvre itself was massive. I spent probably 4 hours inside viewing Italian art, Egyptian artifacts, and sculptures of all sorts, and of course the Mona Lisa and others, but that was less than half the museum. But I was tired and my camera was dead, so after a quick stroll through the park, I found myself a bench on the Seine.
Sun reflecting off the water and bouncing off the Musée d’Orsay, through the green leaves of the trees, and blinds my eyes.. yet I am content. Eva Cassidy serenades me with Fields of Gold on my phone, as bikers and runners pass by.
The one single thing that could make this moment better would be having someone to share it with. Paris, over any of the other cities I’ve visited this summer, or perhaps ever, is certainly the most romantic. It has an indescribable beauty, rooted in history, and demonstrated in the buildings and parks; the streets and the river; and everything in between. Simply stunning… I could sit in this spot forever (although relaxing outside the Louvre, waving my hand through the cool water was quite good as well).
As much as I miss home, I now know 3 days was not enough. I will miss you, Paris.
