Nobody’s really a “fan” of cliches, but when it comes to a day in Paris, it’s hard not to feel like you’re the main character in the next big romance film. The hype around such a city feels justified the moment one finds themselves there, the passion and sensual nature which exuding from the very stonework, managing to dwarf all of the other great cities of Earth. The now, unfortunately, the common dreariness of most modern cities can be forgotten like a bad dream when in Paris, where every sense is excited to its fullest potential.
A single step onto the street lovingly assaults one’s nose with a hundred different scents (some more delectable than others); freshly made baguettes from the local boulangerie, steaming coffee from the multitude of cafés spread throughout the city, or the fresh floral perfumes you find on passing strangers, all culminating to a dazzling an euphoric sense, and that’s just the smells. No one wants to be around something that smells bad, when there’s an uneasy sight you can close your eyes, or wear headphones to block out an annoying sound, but we haven’t yet figured out how to turn off our noses. With so many people clumped together, one might fear that there would be a dangerous odor out and about, but in actuality, it’s quite the opposite. The pleasant smells around the city make any chilly day feel warm around your nose, and sure to bring a smile to your lips.
Paris would be incomplete without the versatile range of it’s bakeries, pastries suited to pair with everyday meal of the day, from fresh danishes with your morning blend of coffee, to the lovely croutons you’d find in your side salad. Eating in Paris is no mere task you complete three times a day either, it’s involving yourself in the culture, becoming an active player in lively streets around you. While in Paris, eating may just be the activity one looks forward to the most on any given day. There is no finer feeling than sitting on the patio of one’s favorite café in Paris, marveling at the beautiful sights and passing people, all while accompanied by some of the finest food in the world. It’s a gentle moment of reflection that is near impossible to replicate anywhere else.
The sights and sound of the city are nothing to gloss over either. Paris provides a much more diverse experience than one could hope to find in any American city, for example. Paris attracts many tourists from other European countries or from anywhere around the world, and the amount of languages one hears there provides a lovely meal for the ears. This has the potential to make one feel small; but in a connected way, as if this is the center hub of the world and you’ve never been closer to so many cultures before.
The people are something to admire as well. The beautiful strangers one might encounter outside a restaurant, or just going about their day on their way to work. Catching a hint of their cologne as they brush past your shoulder, showing just how much we take from our environments. People of different races all culminating in a city they find to be beautiful brings out the beauty within themselves and it becomes a safe space to relish in that, to marvel at Notre Dame all while marveling at the people simply going on their way as if they were the marble statues themselves.
The architecture is quite unlike any other city you’d find in your journeys, marvelous sights such as the Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, and who can forget the crown jewel; the Eiffel Tower. Three stories and piercing into the sky itself is the magnificence of the city, realized in a structure that can bring a person to tears, just from gazing at it. Taking the stairs up gives you the time to stop at any point you want to take in the sights, giving you a unique experience tailor suited to yourself. Surrounded by the crowd of people just as eager to be there as yourself creates a warm feeling of excitement and passion, making you feel safe among so many strangers, with all of you just elated to be there in the first place.
Paris is a home for art as well, featuring world-wide acclaimed artists’ work, on display for years to come, and even the humble street artist, painting the everyday view and capturing a single moment in time, letting you into their creative mind as they create the next addition to their portfolio. Being as old a country as it is, the building’s of Paris are quite old and each has a story to tell, unlocked when you casually graze your fingers across their stone, inviting in their stories of past travelers who stood in your place oh so long ago. All while accompanied by the pattering of rain and gentle whispers of passing strangers, and the pleasant scent of bread trickling towards you just a few blocks away.
Paris is truly a city to behold, an adventure everyone must embark on, where the whole experience can be summed up into a euphoric event that may just make the rest of the world seem a tad duller by comparison.
Alona Koenig Photography. Vintage charm. Timeless elegance. French ‘joie de vivre’
