It's a well-known cliché that people find love in Paris. It's actually a clichéd story that my parents have. But for me, and probably many others, Paris itself was like a first love. I had dreamed about it and knew about it before ever visiting, and when I eventually did, everything about the city clicked. I felt as though I belonged somewhere, where the cafés are always busy and the buildings look pretty even in the rain. One might say that it is due to the effect of rose-tinted glasses that we have this outlook on the place, but I really do think that if you are meant to be somewhere, you will feel instantly at home. Although Paris isn't the only city that I feel at ease in, it definitely was the first. And like the myth of a first love, everything about my initial visit there was both exciting and instinctive.
I recently got back from my second visit to Paris, in which it rained for all of the four days I was there, and even though I was momentarily blinded by rain drops on the way to Sacré Coeur, it was still as beautiful a view as ever from the top. A view worth being blinded for. It may be due to the history my parents have with Paris but I've always felt a far-from-normal connection with the occasional prints of the Eiffel Tower in Ikea. And even after hanging multiple on my bedroom walls, nothing beats the real thing. It's a tourist attraction of course, therefore making it not very Parisian to visit, but it's symbolic of the unexpected things in life that we fall in love with. Instead of being torn down, the Eiffel Tower has become a famous image internationally, and a beloved destination in the eyes of those with "Instagram goals".
In comparison to my first ever trip, this one showed me a gloomy side of Paris that still failed to disappoint as it probably never will. I would have been happy to sit in Café de Flore all day - another spot on the more touristy side - and watch the Fashion Week attendees float in for a jug of melted chocolate. And although that St Germain-de-Pres area may be more on the idealistic side, I discovered the places of Paris that I could really call my own; the places that I dream of seeing everyday on my daily commute.
The worst part, however, isn't the two hour delay on the Eurostar or the rush through King's Cross to the next train. The worst part is coming home to a place that is nowhere near as mentally and creatively stimulating, or as fun and lively. So for the next week or two I'll be in a permanent daze of reminiscence, trying to work out a way of escaping the distance that separates me from my first love; Paris.
G.
Image: Instagram@georvxa
Image: Instagram
It's a well-known cliché that people find love in Paris. It's actually a clichéd story that my parents have. But for me, and probably many others, Paris itself was like a first love. I had dreamed about it and knew about it before ever visiting, and when I eventually did, everything about the city clicked. I felt as though I belonged somewhere, where the cafés are always busy and the buildings look pretty even in the rain. One might say that it is due to the effect of rose-tinted glasses that we have this outlook on the place, but I really do think that if you are meant to be somewhere, you will feel instantly at home. Although Paris isn't the only city that I feel at ease in, it definitely was the first. And like the myth of a first love, everything about my initial visit there was both exciting and instinctive.
I recently got back from my second visit to Paris, in which it rained for all of the four days I was there, and even though I was momentarily blinded by rain drops on the way to Sacré Coeur, it was still as beautiful a view as ever from the top. A view worth being blinded for. It may be due to the history my parents have with Paris but I've always felt a far-from-normal connection with the occasional prints of the Eiffel Tower in Ikea. And even after hanging multiple on my bedroom walls, nothing beats the real thing. It's a tourist attraction of course, therefore making it not very Parisian to visit, but it's symbolic of the unexpected things in life that we fall in love with. Instead of being torn down, the Eiffel Tower has become a famous image internationally, and a beloved destination in the eyes of those with "Instagram goals".
In comparison to my first ever trip, this one showed me a gloomy side of Paris that still failed to disappoint as it probably never will. I would have been happy to sit in Café de Flore all day - another spot on the more touristy side - and watch the Fashion Week attendees float in for a jug of melted chocolate. And although that St Germain-de-Pres area may be more on the idealistic side, I discovered the places of Paris that I could really call my own; the places that I dream of seeing everyday on my daily commute.
The worst part, however, isn't the two hour delay on the Eurostar or the rush through King's Cross to the next train. The worst part is coming home to a place that is nowhere near as mentally and creatively stimulating, or as fun and lively. So for the next week or two I'll be in a permanent daze of reminiscence, trying to work out a way of escaping the distance that separates me from my first love; Paris.
G.
Image: Instagram@georvxa
Image: Instagram
.
Monday 6 March 2017
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Diary /
Photography /
Travel
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