And finally I too joined the elite club of the very lucky
very few who’ve been fortunate enough to experience the rare and blessed
opportunity of true love at first sight. The highly acclaimed sensations that
claim to refresh life and which sends delicious thrills tingling down your
spine, which sweeps your breath right out of you and leads you to discover yourself
longing to capture and experience these sensations forever, were truly nothing
less than a revelation. As we drove down narrow cobbled streets fringed with
age-old trees on either side, I felt my heartbeat quicken rapidly, and as the
tall imposing buildings with their carved facades looked down upon me I knew I
was in love. No other place could possibly fascinate me more. I yearned to learn of the many tales
these structures would have surely witnessed through the long centuries of
their existence. From rich tales of the famed lives of abounded royalty to the
horrific etchings of one of the greatest bloodiest revolutions ever, Paris has known
it all and still stands tall and proud to tell it all. Here I was, right in the
middle of Champs Elysee , staring straight ahead, beyond the corner store of
Louis Vuitton to behold Arc de Triomphe. It can only be in the world’s oldest
famed city that monuments honoring brave dead rub shoulders with glamorous
brands as scores of people casually walk on.
The Louvre was yet another revelation. Walking across impeccable gardens that
resound in the past’s brilliant glories with its many marble statues and exotic
plants and trees that had been brought in from across the world to suddenly
come upon spectacular modernity as an immense glass triad stands right in the
center of the palace’s courtyard inviting you to venture into its rich being. Try
as one may it is barely possible to even imagine that the wide marbled
corridors that stretch across the belly of this enormous edifice leading to its
many treasures had once been the palace’s notorious and much dreaded dungeons
where many poor souls were known to have been abandoned and forgotten. But now,
the Louvre, perhaps in repentance of the mindless savagery it had been forced
to witness during its glorious past, has dedicated its existence to honoring
artistry of all ages.
With its immense collection of rare art, one could spend
days on end admiring the greatness of great talents from the vast display of
exquisite original creations. The huge gallery of sculptures lead on to the
private boudoirs of Napoleon III and as one strolls through these high ceilinged
rooms, clad with regal chandeliers, heavy silken brocade curtains, gold leafed
furniture and gold crusted walls one could imagine the magnificence the palace
had owned in its heyday.
The great arts housed in the many museums of this city seem
to spill over into the streets of Paris as one strolls by the languid Seine.
The huge boulders of delicately carved beings look down upon you from atop
age-old structures and gardens and it doesn’t take much effort to imagine young
noble damsels strolling by in their carousels and frills across green lawns
with shady trees over fresh scented flowers. A slow boat ride down the Seine transports
one back through many centuries as the city’s historical landmarks dating way
back to Gothic ages take their place by her side.
And talking of Gothic, the halo of spirituality that
surrounds the Notre Dame could not possibly be created by any ordinary human
hand and must’ve surely inspired every visitor who steps beneath the carved
depiction of the last supper and through her aged wooden doors to witness a
sense of holiness and almost every head bows in prayerful reverence as the
faith of hundreds of years is felt in the statues, paintings and even the walls
around you.
Many have spoken of the magnificence of the Eiffel Tower, as
one of the greatest wonders of human technology, perhaps I see things
differently, for though I can’t help but acknowledge the immense efforts and
engineering brilliance that made the Eiffel Tower, what really struck me to the
core was the fabulous view right from the very top of the tower. A view that
stretched on and on across the great palaces and sprawling gardens, across the
gliding Seine and past the many many monuments and statues and bridges and so
much more that altogether live to make Paris a great city and the Eiffel Tower
stands high as it’s crowning glory providing a vision that would never have
been seen or known if not for its existence.
And then, just as you begin to feel a little too overwhelmed
with yesterday’s magnificence around you, there’s always just the right spot
around almost every street’s corner, for you to just sit, take a deep breath
and slowly return to the present. Lazing at any of the multitudes of street
cafes that dot the corners of every Parisian street with their small tables set
right out on the pavements, sipping chilled wine and gorging yummy breads while
the world passes by was a pleasure I would grab at every opportunity at least to
allow my senses imbibe and swallow every sight and sound I had witnessed. And
as it all sinks in, I feel different, changed, and discover that I cannot
withhold myself but must speak of it all, all that I had felt and understood of
one of the greatest cities ever.
