The dizzying lure of Paris
On my annual trip to India this year, I decided to take a detour and explore Paris, a global travel destination Indians anywhere in the world would want to check off their bucket list.
Growing up, I attended a French heritage school, explored French culture, and visited the erstwhile French colony of Pondicherry, which still retains French names for its streets, preserving that old vibe.
Over a century ago, French author Victor Hugo wrote in Les Misérables, “He who contemplates the depths of Paris is seized with vertigo.”
And Paris did not disappoint.
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A Tale of Two Banks
I gazed up, peering behind the Musée d’Orsay across the street of Légion d’Honneur, and there it stood – sturdy and firm in its iron girth. A cross-beam tower, almost canonical, rising steadily from the ground up and gradually tapering to its top, in a decidedly nonchalant manner. The iconic Eiffel Tower has beckoned millions of visitors and wanderers, and I found myself quickening my pace to take a better look. I had landed in Paris earlier in the day. In the evening, I took a stroll along the river Seine that runs right through the middle of Paris, dividing it into two neat sections, the left and the right banks.
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Strolling along the Left Bank
As the Seine flowed serenely behind me, I stood spellbound on the left bank, basking in the twilight of the summer sun. The top of the Eiffel Tower was illuminated with a warm glow against the fading light of the azure sky. The tower’s iconic iron lattice structure is a testament to an awe-inspiring engineering feat and artistic achievement. Paris oozes an air of lightness, exuding a suave sophistication that beguiles the mind. Perhaps that’s the reason Paris has been a favorite stomping ground for countless artists and writers including Hemingway, Miller and Picasso. I walked the stretch along the left bank of the Seine, from the Gothic architectural marvel of Notre Dame Cathedral to the Orsay Museum, making a mandatory stop at the most iconic bookstore of all time – Shakespeare & Co. I am told that any writer worth his craft longs to do a book reading at this store since the 1950s; I can believe that.
The Right Bank
The next morning, after a hearty breakfast of crepes and French espresso, I took the Paris Metro to Arc de Triomphe, located at the center of Place Charles de Gaulle, which lies on one end of the famed avenue, Champs Elysees. Built by Napoleon in 1836, the Arc remains an enduring symbol of French pride and nationalism, adorned with numerous sculptures and reliefs from its history and war, signifying its cultural importance. I had purchased a ticket to climb to the top of the Arc. I moved briskly along the long, serpentine queue of people, all clamoring to get to the top. As I climbed up the Arc, my eyes feasted on the 360-degree panoramic view of Paris. From this vantage point, I could also see how the twelve major avenues radiate out from the Arc de Triomphe in a star-like pattern.
Disembarking from the top of the Arc, I walked down the Champs Elysees Avenue, admiring the haute couture stores and stopping for a quick Parisian bite in a café. I was in a hurry to spend the rest of my afternoon at the Louvre, the largest art museum in the world. The Louvre is truly a cultural treasure of the world that houses numerous sculptures, artworks and paintings, including the famous Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, besides the works of other greats like Rembrandt, Caravaggio and Raphael. As I reached the Louvre complex, I stood admiring the mix of Baroque and Renaissance architecture of this former palace. A modern glass and metal pyramid, a recent addition, sits at the center of the complex that now serves as the museum entrance.
When in Paris, be interesting
“Bon jour”, someone tapped on my shoulder, urging me to take a picture along with the Louvre pyramid. The tête-à-tête led me to confess my tenuous connection to the city – I attended high school with a French name in Kolkata, La Martiniere, though I didn’t pick up enough French back then. She mentioned that she was visiting from Lyon, the southern French city that happens to have branches of this storied school. Isn’t there joy in serendipity? French conversations demand that you be interesting besides being polite, and I had taken this to heart. “C’est la vie!” is what I could think of the moment before we parted ways as we exchanged Au Revoir.
The Bohemian and Artistic Legacy of Montmartre
The next day, I headed to the hilly, cobblestone by-lanes of historic Montmartre, once home to legendary artists like Picasso, Van Gogh and Modigliani. Montmartre still retains its artistic charm with numerous street murals, cafes and bistros, all adding to the bohemian vibe. I made my way through its steep, winding streets to Place du Tertre – a square-shaped marketplace, vibrant with colors and palettes of street artists offering portraits for the visitors.
From Tertre, I went further up the hill to Sacré-Cœur Basilica, one of Montmartre’s most iconic landmarks. The basilica with its brilliant white-dome façade and striking architecture stood majestically on top of Montmartre hill. The evening sky was turning a mix of pink and orange, casting a glow on the city below, as I took in the sweeping panoramic views of Paris. There was a music group performing live on the flight of stairs right across the street from the basilica’s entrance, with a large crowd gathered around. Truly, an élégante French experience!
The hugely popular and Oscar-nominated French movie, Amélie, was shot almost entirely at Montmartre. So on my way back, I decided to stop by the Café des Deux Moulins on Rue Lepic where the lead works as a waitress in the film. The café’s décor, done almost entirely in red, adds an old-world charm to its already picturesque setting and complements the red hues of another Parisian landmark next door, Moulin Rouge. Sipping my espresso quietly, I felt buoyant in this free-spirited, artistic heartland of Paris; I could begin to see why Montmartre appears in so many works of art, films and literature.
An old-world city looks to the future
Paris is aptly called La Ville Lumière, or the City of Light. This iconic city has cast its light worldwide in the spheres of art, architecture, fashion, cuisine, literature, and philosophy, making it a cultural hot spot. I am richer personally for the visit, witnessing the grandeur of the Louvre and Eiffel, the intellectual stimulation from varied conversations in its boulangeries and cafes, and experiencing the montage of literary and artistic culture along the Seine.
During his sojourn in Paris, American author Henry Miller wrote in his controversial book, Tropic of Cancer, “This is what makes Paris, the vast group of men and women devoted to the things of the spirit. This is what animates the city, makes it the magnet of the cultural world.”
While Paris remains the cultural beacon of its historic past, the city is shaping up for the future as well. Over the past few years, Paris has increasingly become the European hub for startups and innovation, having established vibrant tech ecosystems like Station F, billed as the world’s largest startup campus providing co-working and co-housing facilities for founders.
Paris has a sense of style, embodied in its wide chestnut-lined boulevards, vibrant street-side bistros, and historic architectures that collectively bestow an exquisite romanticism to the city. It’s a seductive city – bold and elegant in its charm, capturing the joie de vivre in an earnest sense. It’s hard to resist the temptation of Paris.