Friday, September 11, 2009

Our Lady of Paris

Last night after dinner, I decided to go for a walk. My friend, Paola, suggested visiting the courtyard of the Louvre after hours, so that was my goal. I set out along the Seine and immediately paused to admire the beauty of Notre Dame at night. What a wonderful sight. I ended up inside Notre Dame, and they were playing a documentary about the building..inside the building. My favorite part was when they played the sounds of the ancient bell called Emmanuel, which rings in F-sharp. The sound recording reverberated throughout the building, and it was beautiful.

After the film, I walked to the Louvre and watched tourists take pictures in various poses and watch the Eiffel Tower sparkle on the hour. Arriving at the Louvre, I passed a man playing a saxophone in a corridor. The sound was magnificent in the space. I found a spot to lie down, and I spent some time listening to the moving water of the fountains and staring at the pyramids projected onto the night sky. It was very relaxing.

After the Louvre, I walked along the Seine back to my apartment. At one point, I saw 5 or 6 people looking over the ledge to see the lower walkway by the Seine. As I approached, I could hear a band down there. I peeked over too. There were about 10 or 12 young adults playing various instruments in a circle: 4 trombones, a drummer, a tuba, a couple of french horn, a few of trumpets. They played fun, fast music and even sang a bit. They ignored us watching them from of above, but we couldn't resist clapping to show our appreciation.

I then walked along a pedestrian bridge that was packed with groups of young people drinking wine/beer, smoking cigarettes, laughing, and having a general good time. I crossed the Seine and continued back toward my apartment. I took a small detour down a narrow, very bright street which was packed with restaurants and tourists. It was fun to see the bright lights and the various foods being offered.

Finally, 2.5 hours after leaving my apartment, I made it back for a deep sleep.

Today, Paola and I have plans to go to the cinema or watch movies at home. Should be fun. Right now, I'm watching Melrose Place dubbed in French, which is something I think every American should experience.

3 comments:

-sanna- said...

When I was young (let's not talk about how long ago that was) I was au-pairing in Germany and watched Dallas dubbed in German. I thought it was a german series because the language fit so well (they didn't broadcast that in Finland just then).
Nostalgy aside, your french visit sounds lovely!

YogaNerd said...

Hi Sanna,

I love this story of watching Dallas dubbed in German! What a crazy show Dallas was!

so far my French visit has been a whirlwind. I've been focusing on getting lodging, language courses, and a residence card. The past couple of days have finally felt relaxing. I'm finally feel like I'm in Paris. I'm lifting my eyes and saying, "Oh, hello Paris". :D

Anonymous said...

yay. the eiffel tower sparkling. :-)