I think this shall be my last post on Paris, about Paris, regarding Paris. Obviously the trip, even as short as it was, left a lasting impression on me. Like I have said previously, travel changes us, or at least it should. Sometimes we dont know how much until later. As for me, the impact has been immediate, but without any real changes, other than a terribly strong desire to go back to Paris and to continue to travel throughout the world. What struck me immediately in Paris was to the degree as to how much slower the pace of life is there. Its not to say that Parisians are somnolent sleepwalkers, but more that its more relaxed than the US. Lets remember that their work week is 35 hours in length, giving them more leisure time, which lends itself to the slower pace. Honestly I dont know how this translates economically, and I wonder if France and the US were roughly the same size, with access to roughly the same raw materials would our economic output be similar? What I do know is that as a whole Parisians struck me as more relaxed than Americans. It is true that of all the industrial nations the US public works harder, keeps longer work hours, and has less vacation times; is this a good or bad thing I will leave that for you to decide. As for me, I will say that I prefer the slower paced life, but that is just me only and I am not going to advocate it for everyone else.
What also came to me is that walking, living, being in Paris is to be around living history, significant history, that stretches back almost 2000 years. Everywhere you look (at least in the city center) there is a historically significant building, landmark, or statue. Its unavoidable. As a history major I was riding in hog heaven; being able to see with my own eyes the places that I had only been able to read about, previously, was a constant delight. Then there is the booksellers along the Seine. Paris has granted, for a few hundred years now, licenses to booksellers, who set up stalls along the banks of the Seine; these booksellers sell anything from medical drawing prints, to Audobon sketches, out of print magazines, first edition books (mostly in French), and I did not get nearly as much time to browse them as I would have wanted to, because as Balzac once said "Where is the will so weak but in a bookstore?"
Speaking of bookstores, this place, Shakespeare & Company, almost made the trip worth it by itself. Its a tiny, crowded, dark bookstore stuffed with overhanging shelves, frumpy chairs, and a lending library upstairs. Upstairs also, tucked into the corner of the art books room was a upright piano, where patrons are welcome to sit and tickle out a tune. Its a legendary place, and I can really see why, as it reflects a love of books, of good writing, and an appreciation for the touch and tactile feel of books, which you cannot get from the electronic formats. I would rather spend 5 minutes shopping in a bookstore such as this, than 1 hour shopping for books online.
So, once again, Paris is the sum of its parts: the architecture, the museums, the whimsical bookstores and bookstalls, the romantic Seine, the cathedrals everywhere, the landmarks, the food. As this wonderful history of Paris points out, Paris is a Lady, it is a feminine city, beguiling in its charms. I am a believer in this. I believe enough that I will be going back, next year, for a longer stay.
-photos by Melissa Massie
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