I have arrived in Paris! Technically I arrived Monday, but I decided to hold off on writing until I had accomplished a bit more than simply landing in the country. I’m happy to report that lugging my massive backpack from Charles de Gaulle to my hostel (which is situated a nice distance above Moulin Rouge and below Sacre Coeur in Montmartre on a lovely, quiet side street) was surprisingly easy! The backpack itself (which shall eventually be named, but right now I simply think of as Large-And-In-Charge) has been stuffed with a final tally of; five dresses, two skirts, an assortment of tops, one cardigan, one sweater, one pair of pajamas, three long sleeved athletic tops (set to double as additional pajamas for colder evenings), two pairs of athletic leggings, two scarves, and a swimsuit. As suspected, I had a difficult time approaching a more minimalistic lifestyle.

Paris itself has been written about so wonderfully and extensively over the years that it would be utterly foolish of me to attempt to describe its complexities here, so instead I’m going to primarily focus on what I’ve been up to!

To start and to set the scene I’m writing this in the most charming little cafe called “Papilles” in the 9th arrondissement. White-washed brick walls reach up to meet high ceilings supported by marble pillars peppered throughout the space. The single room is sparsely and intentionally decorated- each orchid and book compliments each other and builds an aesthetic of comfortable simplicity. The booths are covered in dark green velvet, the wood on the wicker chairs gleams, and everyone around me is speaking french.

I am endlessly comforted by the sound of the french language, and feel fascinatingly at home in France. I wasn’t particularly nervous leaving the United States- and I wasn’t really nervous or anxious when I landed- but regardless, the overwhelming sensation of homecoming that I felt walking the streets of Paris was unexpected. I knew that I missed France, and I knew I wanted to come back, but I really didn’t realize that it would feel like home! I think it has something to do with the air here. The air in Paris (like the air in Rennes, so possibly just the air in Northern France?) tumbles down the streets in damp gusts that carry the scent of cigarettes and- I kid you not- paste. There’s just something about the air here that always smells a hint like glue, and for the life of me I don’t know why. By far the best characteristic of French air is that even submerged in this cigarette/paste dampness, you are only ever approximately ten minutes away from passing by a boulangerie or patisserie where tout a coup you’re overwhelmed by the smell of golden warm, yeasty, sweet goodness as it fills the sidewalks. Following this same France-feels-like-home theme, thus far the most comforting places in Paris are the ones that used to be a part of my daily routine back in Rennes in 2016. For instance, I love going to the Carrefour (one of the major grocery store chains) and browsing the aisles- I’m also buying the majority of my food from the grocery store as an effort to remain on budget (you can get a good dinner of shredded carrot salad and couscous for a whopping two euros). Beyond browsing grocery stores, I pretty much spend the entirety of my time walking. I usually take the metro back to my hostel at the end of the day when I’m getting cold and a bit weary, but otherwise I walk and I walk- which I firmly believe is the best way to genuinely experience any city. Typically I head down the hill from Montmartre to the Seine and zig zag through the arrondissements without really a plan and with only the vaguest of destinations in mind.

The weather changes dramatically by the hour, and in three days I’ve experienced it all. Warm sunshine, sudden showers, and snow. In February Paris is all melancholy watercolors (except for the Seine itself, which honestly borders on chartreuse at this point- not that I blame it as Paris has been existing and growing along its banks for centuries), and it’s distinguished and withheld as a city- decorated in pale golds and frosty greys, sitting self-assured in its own elegance. On one of my walks yesterday I passed by the Palais de Tokyo (after crossing my favorite- and the most ornate- bridge on the Seine, the Pont Alexander III) and went inside, honestly more intrigued by the possibility of a warm room and coffee than history or art. Coffee I did not find, but I did happen upon a charming book filled with reproductions of paintings by my favorite artist, Marc Chagall, paired with various quotes of his. Despite the fact that Marc Chagall was a fiercely talented Jewish man from Russia and I am a winsome Protestant from Connecticut, I have always felt an affinity to him. As I was reading through this little book, one excerpt brought over from Entretien avec Georges Charbonnier (1950-1953) felt particularly fitting. It read,

“C’est la vie, l’air libre de France qui m’a etonne, pas l’etre vivant pour moi, errant a travers le visage, les figures des hommes, les nuages, sous les arbres, dans le marche partout l’air du pays, c’etait l’art. Il ne t’oppresse pas mais te donne la possibilite de te souvenir de toi-meme, de ne pas t’oublier. Au contraire, cet air plastique aiguise encore plus ta conscience de toi-meme. Beni soit ce mariage. Tu n’es jamais seul ici dans ta solitude”

(I’m sorry that my lack of a french keyboard-coupled with sheer lazieness- has led me to leave out all accents from this entire post, rendering all the french very grammatically incorrect).

Followed by the translation,

“It was the life, the free air of France that amazed me, not the being living for me, straying across the face, figures of men, clouds, under the trees, in the market, everywhere, the spirit of the country. It was art, It didn’t oppress you, but gave you an opportunity to recall you to yourself, not to forget yourself. On the contrary, that pliant air sharpened self-awareness even more. Blessed be this marriage. You’re never alone, here, in your solitude.”

I’m off to hunt down some falafel, but I’ll write (probably a signficantly shorter) post later in the week! Hope everyone’s having a wonderful Valentine’s Day!