Paris

April 3, 2012:

The beauty of Paris is so striking, a giant masterpiece. The most visited city in the world is famous for the Louvre; the Eiffel Tower; The Avenue des Champs–Élysées; Sacré–Coeur, the Grand Palais; and Napoleon’s tomb. But it seems Paris’s greatest claim to fame is its fashion, which somehow seems to be out of reach, style-wise, for the rest of humankind.

Louvre Museum

After spending one day in Paris with my mom she flew back to Canada and I was back in solo mode, exploring Paris on my new Stereo skateboard, stoked to cruise the concrete while avoiding the cobblestone. Standing still as I watched people pass by, I focused on the decorative architecture to allow its true intricacies to penetrate my consciousness, inducing a state of awareness that is so rare. What a feeling of bliss follows when my mind presses pause to let me enjoy the moment.

Opera National de Paris

After daylight had vanished, a search online revealed there were only four hotel rooms left available in Paris.  The Grand Hotel De L’Europe had the cheapest room and was the closest to the train station for my upcoming journey. The lobby was quaint, and the chatter of down-to-earth people exuded an authenticity that reminded me how it’s really the people that drive my curiosity.

Sacre-Coeur

After settling into the hotel, I grabbed my board and surfed the concrete en route to Sacré–Coeur. The church is situated on the highest geographical part of Paris, so the view alone is enough to capture the attention of even the ultimate ADHD mind. The crowd, a mixture of tourist and Parisians, was vibrant; street performers, artists, shops and delightful cuisine easily satisfied everyone’s interests. One acrobatic street performer caught my attention as he scaled a light pole and juggled a soccer ball; his precision would inspire jealousy in even a Cirque du Soleil performer. Many artists lining the streets offered caricatures; it was fascinating to watch their creation mirror the inspiration sitting beside the canvas.

The market square had a dense nucleus of outdoor cafés and I settled on one, which featured waiters donned in similar chapeaus, ties and suspenders. My dinner date was a copy of the Tao Te Ching, an eight-one-chapter classic of Chinese philosophy written by Lao Tzu (although the actual source is a topic of debate). This text provides the opportunity to challenge your preconceived notion of “The Mystery” that we are all living:

I decided to copy down a few passages and allow them to percolate in my mind.

“To know when one does not know is best.

To think that one knows when one does not know is a dire disease.

Only he who recognizes this disease as a disease

Can cure himself of the disease.”

I feel like I need intensive treatment. I guess that passage provides the first step?

“It is because every one under Heaven recognizes beauty

as beauty, that the idea of ugliness exists.

And equally if every one recognized virtue as virtue,

this would merely create fresh conceptions of wickedness.

For truly ‘Being and Not-being grow out of one Another;”

My brain starts to feel a vice-like grip tightening around it as I try to understand what I’m reading. No pain, no gain, right?

“We pierce doors and windows to make a house;

And it is on these spaces where there is nothing

that the usefulness of the house depends.

Therefore just as we take advantage of what is, we

Should recognize the usefulness of what is not.”

Enough philosophy for one day!

I wrote the first half of this blog entry at a coffee shop with a view of the Moulin Rouge. What a stark contrast between the sacred hill and the sex-filled streets below. It highlights for me how we all have lightness and darkness in our being, and only when you shed light on the darkness will that darkness disappear. I finished this entry in the Bistrot du 9eme, a pleasant stop where a mocktail is 6.80 EUR. Welcome to Paris.

April 4, 2012:

Enjoying a day as if it is a lucid dream is a rare pleasure, but skateboarding through Paris with several goals and no timeline necessitates a check-in and the reassurance that I’m in waking life. The morning began with a venture to purchase my train ticket to Amsterdam—seat secured for a 12:25 departure tomorrow. Trains are my favorite form of public transport: its smooth flow, the escape it provides from mind-numbing traffic, and its incredible view of the countryside.

I found my breakfast at a market on Boulevard du Magenta and paid 3.50 EUR, the cheapest and best meal I have had in Paris thus far. You have to escape the tourist areas to avoid being gouged by food prices. Plus, the people who operate these out-of-the-way businesses also have a joy about them that seems to come from their actions, not the resulting money.

After fueling up, I jumped on my skateboard and cruised the backstreets of Paris. Weaving through the traffic of people, scooters and trucks kept my attention fully occupied, but I finally found a place in the city where I could enjoy my place in the madness. I made my way to the riverbank and followed it toward the Eiffel Tower. The visible history I see on either side as I head toward the Seine river—the Louvre on my right, the Grand Palais on my left; the Champs–Élysées on my right, Napoleon’s tomb on my left—make all points of vision equally dreamlike.

Tombeau de Napoleon

Having coffee while I observed the Eiffel Tower, a symbol of Paris since its creation in 1889 for the World’s Fair, I could only imagine the horror artistic Parisians would have felt had they been informed it would become a permanent fixture of the city. This monument received a lot of criticism from the Parisians due to its gauche nature, and really, this phallic symbol does clash with the delicate, feminine, artistic vibe present throughout the city. It was only supposed to serve as a welcome gate for the World’s Fair, but due to its popularity amongst tourists and the recognition it gained around the world, it remains—for better or worse. It is now the most visited fee-required monument in the world.

There is no end to the hustle of vehicles moving along the circular streets like a dismantled merry-go-round; its efficiency is obvious and perplexing at the same time. It’s incredible what people can adapt to.

I never saw one note left under the wind shield wipers!

April 5, 2012:

I’m writing this on the train from Paris to Amsterdam. I have to double-check my ticket…yes, that’s what it says. So stoked. The train took off on schedule almost to the second. It offers great space, and the people-watching it provides is unreal. I hope the future brings affordable trains for public transport in Canada.