Upon
arriving back in Paris from Venice, it was a stark contrast to the slow pace
and quiet lifestyle of two weeks spent prior. Paris with its busy roads, peak
hour subways, blaring sirens and people begging. But the picturesque Paris is
also there, hidden amongst the boulangeries on every corner, selling freshly baked
goods and the numerous cafes where people pause to have a coffee or two or
three. The antiquity of the city is present in every glance, centuries of history
noticeable in the architecture but often overlooked in a city with so much to
show. Beautiful churches and museums blend into one another as frequent as they
are, whilst kids casually kick a soccer ball against a three hundred year old
wall, which once defended the city. The river Seine, picturesque and a perfect
backdrop to the romantic city of the movies. Near the major attractions the
tourists are many but the sights to see are worth the crowd. Though many a
monument I envisaged standing in open space, untouched and free. Yet in reality
with cars and the roads surrounding, it’s a clear juxtaposition to a time long
past. That there lies the soul of Paris, old and new coexisting, readapted and
repurposed.
