Plans are great. They are excellent organizational tools, helping make sure that everything gets done, ensuring that members of a group are on the same page, and allowing us to make good use of our time. It is always great when a plan comes together, and even better when a well-laid plan works out. Generally speaking, not having a plan stresses me out, so I generally plan everything. That being said, I have come to realize that plans are not always better than spontaneity. Sometimes, it can be even more gratifying to live in the present, eschewing planning and choosing instead to do what feels right in the moment. This does not come easily to me, but I have decided to give it a try.
Let's not get ahead of ourselves, here. I know myself too well to say that I would be able to go the entire month I have left here (a little less, actually... time FLIES) without planning ANYTHING, and that is not my idea. Like I said before, sometimes plans are useful and helpful, and I don't think that a plan is ever exactly a negative thing. When I first arrived in Paris, I made a list of around a hundred things that I wanted to do in the city before the end of the semester. I still have about 20 of those things left, and I can just about guarantee that I will be making and executing plans in order to make sure that I am able to do and see everything on my list. Still, I think that there is something to be said for the surprise and satisfaction that comes from having a really great time doing something you never expected to do, or from doing something when you anticipated doing something different. It is not a feeling I afford myself very often, because I usually don't do things without a plan, but I do actually really enjoy just going through a day, or an evening, with no agenda.
I was reminded of this over the weekend, when plans fell through but I still ended up having a great time with my friends. In fact, I got to see and do some things that I may not have known existed otherwise. This weekend, it was definitely worth it for me to 'go with the flow' and it made me realized that it could be worth it other times too. As awesome as it will be to check off that last box on the to-do-in-Paris list, it would be a shame to live here for four months without letting myself stumble upon unknown restaurants, cute little stores, or uniquely Parisian experiences. So for the next 28 days, in addition to outlining and carrying out plans, I will also be making an effort not to come home as soon as that day's last task has been completed, to say yes to friends even when I am tired or not sure exactly what to expect, and essentially just to give myself the opportunity to really get to know Paris in a different way, a way that doesn't (always) include a notecard with a checklist.
This week, I found out that for my art history class, I will be required to write a paper about a work that is found in the Louvre. This is the painting that I chose. It is called "Louis XIII Courroné par la Victoire" or Louis XIII Crowned by Victory. I'm looking forward to spending time in the Louvre analyzing this piece! For a first art history paper, I guess this situation isn't too shabby!
Friday, I went to visit the Mémorial de la Shoah, which is the Holocaust memorial in Paris. One of the more moving features is right at the entrance: walls covered in names of French Jews who were persecuted by the occupying Nazis and Vichy government and either killed or never returned. The understated simplicity of these walls really serves to exaggerate the atrocity that was committed. The museum focuses on education and factual presentation of these seemingly unimaginable events. While it is smaller and less image - based than the Holocaust Museum in D.C., it's message is the same: educate people, spread the word, and make sure people never forget.
Fun Fact #29: In France, they do not use the word 'Holocaust,' which has roots in the Greek for 'consumed by fire' or 'total destruction.' Instead, they employ the Hebrew word 'Shoah,' which means calamity or catastrophe.
After visiting the memorial, I wanted to do something a little more lighthearted to end my day. Since the Centre Pompidou, which is home to the museum of modern and contemporary art, was close by and had yet to be crossed off my list, I decided it was time visited. This is the view from the staircase of the museum, which is essentially a gerbil-tube like glass structure from which you can see many different great views of Paris!
This was one of my favorite pieces in the museum. While there were some that I didn't understand (like the solid black canvas, or the string of christmas lights on a wall, for instance), I thought this was cool, and while I guess I still didn't get why it was "art" I did appreciate the creative thought that went into its' design. It is basically the tape from an old cassette tape over a cube. A fan blows air onto the cube, and the force of that air then holds up the tape. I think the fact that I was fascinated by this speaks to the fact that I think more like my mother than either of us might care to admit. :)
On Saturday, I met up with a friend to see some of the things we had yet to do around Paris. First up was a visit to La Défense, a business district that is only about 4 metro stops from my house and 3 from his. Somehow, neither of us had managed to make it here in the 3 months we have lived in Paris! The most famous building here is La Grande Arche, from the steps of which you can see the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Élysées in the distance.
Next, we headed to the Musée Rodin. The museum boasts a fairly large garden in which many of Rodin's original works are displayed. This sculpture, Le Penseur, is among his most famous works at the museum. In the background is the dome of the Invalides.
Saturday was an absolutely GORGEOUS day! Given that we can't expect many more like it, we decided to take advantage of the warm weather and clear skies to go climb the Bell Towers of Notre Dame Cathedral. We had to wait in line for about an hour, but it was a great day so it wasn't bad. The views, both of Paris and of parts of the cathedral that are not visible from below, were definitely worth it!
Fun Fact #30: Quasimodo, who we all know from the Disney film Notre Dame, was actually a character in Victor Hugo's novel "Notre Dame de Paris."
Saturday night, my friends and I wanted to go see a play at La Comédie Française. They set aside 65 tickets each night and sell them for 5.50 euro starting one hour before the show. Unfortunately, we were not among the first 65 to arrive. Our plans fell though, but we had a great night! It was a beautiful night in Paris, and the city is all decorated for Christmas (I know... without Thanksgiving they start even earlier here!). After dinner, we went to look at the windows of the department stores, which have all been specially decorated for the holidays. I guess this is a tradition, because the street was packed with people wanting to look at the displays. This was my personal favorite, at a department store called Printemps. All of the windows for that store were done by Chanel!
We wanted to look at the lights on the Champs-Élysées, so we made our way to Place de la Concorde so that we could walk all the way up it. In Place de La Concorde, they just put up "La Grande Roue" which is a ferris wheel. Since it was such a nice night, we went up. Awesome views of the city!!! This one looks past Place de la Concorde up the Champs Élysées, and off to the left you can see the Grand Palais.
La Grande Roue itself!
After getting off the ferris wheel, we walked all the way up the Champs Élysées though one of the biggest Christmas Markets in Paris. Even though it was almost midnight, there were still lots of people out and about and all the makeshift stores were still open. While some were cheap touristy shops, some are just temporary extensions of stores that already exist in Paris.
Finally, we ended up at the Arc De Triomphe, which I had not yet seen at night. Gorgeous!
All in all, even though some of my plans this weekend didn't work out, it was a pretty great week! I hope that this coming week brings more of the same!
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Eat lots of pumpkin pie for me!!
~SKS~
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