Une Australienne dans Paris
There was no song and dance per se. However, music, sparkles, a rich light and dark history and a lot of style revealed itself over four days.
Paris is a place that inspires passion and elicits strong opinions. Friends and family express nostalgic sentiment and deep reverence, others fiercely dislike the place. I needed to experience it for myself.
I decided my strategic approach would be non-verbal . A smile, my hand on heart and a ‘merci’. To wear something that made me feel fabulous and walk at the same pace as the local women. Although some awkward exchanges ensued and a gruffness at times, everyone was very welcoming of this 50-something broad-accented, smiling Australian woman on her own in Paris.
Park Road vs Champ de Mars
I came of age in Brisbane, Australia. My home city built its own homage to Paris for World Expo 1988 at Milton, a cringe-worthy miniaturisation of the Eiffel Tower that Paris had built for the World’s Fair in 1889. Perhaps, this is why I had low expectations and I was caught off guard by the majesty, beauty and power of the iconic real deal.
My hotel was in the 7th arrondissement (district) on Rue Amelie. I renewed my appreciation of ‘french doors’ as they opened over the courtyards and rooftops to a view of the Eiffel Tower. At dusk 20,000 gold light bulbs illuminate the tower until 11.45pm sharp.1 At what felt like a spontaneous moment in its evening performance it dances to life and sparkles. I was completely mesmerized. Beautiful.
In my pre-reading I learned that medieval Paris was built upon ancient temples honouring the Egyptian goddess Isis and god Hermes (to the Greeks) and/or Mercury (to the Romans). As a duo they were considered the ‘messengers of the gods’ and the ‘keepers of the crossroads’.
On the first morning I went to pay my respects to all of them alongside St Genevieve, the Patron Saint of Paris. I could feel the faint pulse of an ancient city as I navigated scores of crossroads, epic roundabouts, closed sidewalks and decoded street signs to reach my destination - the Church of Saint-Sulpice.
I then flipped the vibe and spent the afternoon shopping at Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche. What a treat! After years working in a department store in my youth I deeply appreciate excellent customer traffic systems, informed service and the creative art of visual merchandising. I browsed the smaller boutique labels and marvelled when my over engineered hair clip purchase was lovingly wrapped in extravagant tissue and ribbons.
Shopping is exhausting and I needed to sit down. I chanced upon the best cafe dining experience I had. In Paris middle aged women drink champagne with their lunch on a Monday - the house drop was Moet. Lovely.
Cafes, of course, are the best locations to linger and street watch. Highlights:
if you clock not one, but two fashionable twenty-something women in different districts using high-gloss plastic buckets as handbags, is it a fashion trend?
best in show for the older gentlemen was the fellow strolling in a 3-piece rust coloured corduroy suit accessorised with a mahogany beret and magnificent cane.
the pop up brand activation staffed by middle aged women - all wearing well cut navy suits and ballet flats giving out free magazines in branded calico totes.
The visibility, and demonstrable respect, of older women in Paris was heartwarming.
A day was dedicated to art and culture. I narrowed my focus to two experiences. An art museum and a classical music recital.
I wove myself around the streets and bridges to avoid the protests that shut down the city during a meeting of the OECD. Eerily, the only sounds in the city that day were protesters’ chants, police sirens and bicycle bells.
Des Cheveux & des Poils at the Musee Des Arts Décoratifs Paris was an ‘exploration of hairstyles and hair care through the centuries, and how styles communicate social and cultural codes.’ How could I resist! #allaboutthehair
Colonisation and Art Museums
Earlier in my stay I had stumbled upon the SONGLINES Tracking the Seven Sisters exhibition at the Musee Du Quai Branly. Huge in scale and centring the practices of Aboriginal curators from the Martu, NPY and APY communities. It was breathtaking and self-determined.
In contrast the Musee Des Arts Décoratifs is ripe for a reckoning with the harm of colonisation caused by France. The antique jewellry collection was jaw-dropping. Beautiful gems and semi-precious stones plundered from Africa, South America, Asia and the South Pacific. It was there in the small print.
The exploration of ‘hair history’ was expertly curated and inclusive of so many aspects of hair-culture. Styling, colouring, men and women’s body and facial hair - all venerating the substantive French influence on the culture of hair, all white folks.
It wasn’t until the very last exhibit after walking two full floors of the museum that the curator acknowledged a single standpoint of a person of colour. Black women’s hair can be a signifier of their ongoing struggle for equality and resistance to oppression and colonisation. The digital piece by Laetitia Ky featured a dozen images. These were the two that really made the point.
That evening I walked through the Latin Quarter to locate St Ephrem Church. Scheduled within the Paris Chopin Festival, soloist Adrien Polycarpe performed Chopin, Schubert, Satie and Beethoven piano classics by candlelight. Exquisite.
On my final full day I explored whatever crossed my path at a leisurely pace. Over 1000 statues decorate Parisian streets and parks. This Joan of Arc statue was a personal highlight.
Did I fall in love with Paris ? No.
Would I return to France? Maybe, in five years. (If I could road trip around the regions with a fluent French/English speaker with shared interests.)
Apply within.
BYO plastic bucket.
Eating - last minute entry! I arrived in Spain today and this grilled sea bass I just devoured in the restaurant at the Parador de Santiago de Compostela after arriving made me emotional it was THAT good.
Listening - Middle Kids have a new track Bootleg Firecracker that I have on repeat alongside a wonderful emotive 80s-synth vibe from by Sarah Stockholm - Wonder
Reading - the debut novel Hydra by Australian writer Adriane Howell
#walkon2023 Step Count - accumulative total 549,414 steps (as at 8 June 2023)
Next - a couple of days in Santiago de Compostela and then a train journey adventure to San Sebastian onboard the Transcantábrico
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/sep/11/eiffel-tower-lights-turned-off-earlier-energy-crisis
I would agree re Paris. I do like France and of course Paris, however I prefer the oomph of the Spanish and Italians...a splash of red wine, olives, espresso and tapas..