The weather has been gray and drizzly with periodic wind and rain. And it has been cold. But even with this dismal inauspicious weather, Paris is just a magnificent city. The dull light makes the shops sparkle that much more, the smells of baking bread and roasting chickens that much more enticing. It makes the cafes – even now with their outdoor tables and outdoor heaters under the awning seem so cozy.
There is very little about this city that I don’t love. I feel alive here in a way that makes suburban Boston sort of deadening. I love my life in Boston – Arlington to be precise. I have a gorgeous house that is perfect for our family, wonderful friends, a car mechanic who is a amazing, a hairdresser I love, good schools for the kids, lots of fun things to do… But Paris! 5 outfits, 2 kids and 0 cars. That is about all I need.
Our apartment is on the Quai des Celestins. Just the name of our street gives me a little thrill. Our celestial abode. It fronts onto the river and the east end of the Ile St. Louis. If you walk across the bridge, you turn down this narrow little street which is the main street down the island and you run into the most amazing street life. Tourists and Parisians walking, chatting, honking, shopping, eating Bertillion ice cream in amazing flavors like prunes and armagnac. You go a little further until the end of the street and you find the most amazing shop with vintage Louis Vuitton and Hermes bags, Eames chairs, etc. A little further, cross the bridge onto the Ile de la Cite and the breath will leave your body. The vista opens up on the back of Notre Dame Cathedral. It is the most beautiful sight in Paris, in a city full of wonder. The flying buttress are delicate and airy. The moss that softly colors them makes them look like something out of a children’s fairy tale. The spires are so tall and elegant, you squint to see the figure at the top. The trees hide any sign on modernity and you can imagine what it must have been like 800 years ago.
This year is Notre Dame’s 850th anniversary. As we were walking through, a docent probably noticed we did not really fit in – I am not sure how. Even at this time of year, there is a line of tourists waiting to enter and the pews are full of people gazing up at the rose windows in awe. But she still spotted us. She asked if we believed in God. With all my decades of maturity, I sort of gave a nervous giggle. I am Hindu though I don’t practice I told her. Rather than say Gunnar is an atheist, I told her that he does not practice (what?) either…But she was just curious. She told us more about the cathedral in 5 minutes than we had learned in maybe 20 previous visits. Even in the olden days, the church was crowded with pilgrims and worshippers. In order to have some peace, the monks built an internal quiet space with high walls to pray and decorated the outside with scenes of the life of Jesus. The panels are all carved in stone and painted in bright colors and gold leaf. It was meant to be an educational experience, to have a visual reference for the stories of the bible. It reminded me of how we try to teach our kids even now – bright colors, simple stories, incidental contact that allows them to learn at their own pace. 🙂 She also told us the windows are built so high and all the statues are raised because in normal life you look down and around you. Here you are reminded that God is above and that you should look up and behold his wonder. But of course, Notre Dame, as the name states, is devoted to Mary – so perhaps it is to behold her wonder.
(For nonbelievers, we spend a lot of time in churches here in Paris. I love the cathedral of St. Genevieve – she is the patron saint of Paris, supposedly having diverted Attila the Hun from sacking the city through her prayers and devotion. It is the baby church next to the massive Pantheon – delicate, exquisite and very beautiful. We also always go to St. Sulpice. we have been there countless times – it is conveniently next to the Marche St. Germain and near the Luxembourg Gardens. But I still have no idea who St. Sulpice is. Perhaps the docent will come there someday and explain it to us.)
But Paris is somehow the city of my heart. I am not sure others understand – maybe my sister – who also has the heart of an explorer and free spirit despite her engineer’s brain.
I wonder sometimes if it is not the absolute anonymity of being in one the great cities of the world. Is it that I have absolutely no real responsibilities here? That there is no pressure to socialize, to behave in any particular way, to conform to life as I have to in Boston? Is it just that here I can escape? Or, is it that it is just so beautiful? Even if you have walked down a street a dozen times, you will still find something new and lovely to see. And really, I love Parisians. More than not, they are pleasant, funny, helpful. And most want to practice their English it seems. They don’t even give me a chance to practice my French – which I doggedly do anyway!
In any case, it is as always, so wonderful to be here. The Christmas decorations are going up, the markets are gearing up for the holidays. The Champs Elysees has been illuminated and it all looks festive. I have a feeling we will be going home with lots of christmas junk this year! 🙂