Flâner-ing

According to the Larousse, the French verb flâner means

a. se promener sans but, au hasard, pour le plaisir de regarder

b. paresser, perdre son temps

or, very roughly translated,

a. to wander about without aim, for the pleasure of looking

b. to loaf around, to lose time 

Flânering was certainly one of my favorite Parisian activities. That is not to say that I am a natural flâneuse. On the contrary, as most my friends could probably tell you, I tend to walk rather briskly and with a purpose. Loafing? Losing time? Unthinkable.

Then came Paris. For the first time in my life, I found myself in a place where walking as a part of daily life (not as exercise) is both feasible and pleasant. Growing up, it would have taken me about three hours to walk to school. Not feasible. To walk to the nearest store, I would have to stumble along the shoulder of the state highway. Not pleasant.

In Paris, however, I could cover half the city in around two hours (feasible). And I was always sure to pass pretty buildings, shops, and parks (pleasant). Also, avoiding the metro is always a bonus...
And so it happened that I passed many afternoons just strolling about the city. This gave me time to reflect and also to smile over small, quirkly details of the city.

To ponder the fascinating decor of the Louvre.

Or even just to savor leaf prints on the sidewalk

I would sometimes pop into a few art galleries, especially around St. Germain de Près.

But at the end of the day, can anything beat a stroll along the Seine as afternoon softens into evening which slips into night?

I think not.

Light

During the summertime, I love to lie in the hammock and watch the sunlight play in the leaves of our sugar maples. Dazzling. 

Indeed, I've always found it easy to appreciate light as it dances on waves or kisses flowers or splashes over the Appalachians. 

But Paris taught me to appreciate light in a new context: the manmade world. Obviously, I've seen light on buildings before this semester. But I never really saw it. 

What changed? Well, I spent a lot of time with the Impressionists during my art course. Their obsession with light is contagious, so quickly I became more attentive to that element...in the context of a big city where "nature" does not abound. 

And here is what I found.

 unknown building on Ile de la Cité

Petit Palais

 Notre Dame de Paris

Jardin de Tuileries

These sights took my breath away and taught me that a city can be beautiful.

Home Again

Evidently, I have not been the most faithful blogger as of late. What can I say? Experience took precedence over reflection for a while.
But now that I am back in the States, I fully intend to finish documenting my adventures!
First, a few thoughts about my return. I wish I could say that I was ready to leave, that I was deeply yearning for my native land. But alas - I wasn't. While I dearly missed my friends and community back home, I did not feel ready to leave Paris. I still had a mile-long list of museums to visit, quartiers to explore, plays and concerts to see. But even more, I wanted to establish a real life in Paris. As a semester-long study abroad student, I felt like a hybrid between a tourist and a resident. I had just begun dipping my toes into the community (making friends, establishing routines, getting around without a map...) when I left.
That said, I am immensely grateful for the time I did get to spend in Paris. My experiences pushed me to grow in so many ways. It gave me the Large Quantity of Books feeling. You know, that feeling you get when you step into a bookstore or library and realize that
a) there is so, so much to discover
b) one lifetime just isn't enough to discover it all

These two realizations provoke a queer mixture of awe, frustration, and excitement. Welcome to my life in Paris.
Without promoting the frillyfrooha Hollywood image of Paris, I must say that there is something truly special about the city. The definition of that "something" is a little different for everyone. For me, it's all bound up in moments like this...

Albeit short, my time in Paris was rich and beautiful. I know that this experience will remain nestled in my heart just like my time in Nicaragua, the Stapleton internship, etc...
For the next few posts, I've planned a sort of toast to Paris to celebrate a few of the things I loved most about the city. Enjoy!