The hostel breakfast was simple, but fulfilling and very French (imagine the contrast to airline food on a Malaysian Airlines flight). We walked through the streets of Paris taking pictures of anything that looked interesting, but knowing we would never be able to explain what it was. Everything is like that in Paris.
We kept going, admiring everything, occasionally getting trapped between avenues of traffic. Eventually we arrived at the Louvre, a lot bigger than anyone had imagined: Thousands of people running about, huge hallways leading in every direction. It looked like an airport, and I had seen enough of them.
We broke up into pairs and went exploring. Of course, our eventual goal was the Mona Lisa (La Joconde) but Gen and I had no intention of looking for it. Instead we went through the first passage we found. Maybe in another museum, you could look for hours and find lots of interesting artwork, but generally nothing of cultural significance. La Louvre, however, is a little different. The first passageway was filled with artefacts (mostly Greek statues) some more than a thousand years old. Even the rooms were pieces of art. Muriels lined the walls and ceilings with every detail taken as an opportunity to impress. They did. After dwindling our way around through various masterpieces (casually sitting about and crammed together) we stumbled on the Mona Lisa. A room dedicated to an A3 portrait of a beautiful woman, but somehow more. She brings millions of people there a year. If I was famous like her, I would be smirking about it too.
Gen and I decided to get une café, but decided we wouldn’t have enough time if we did, so we turned around and walked back to the lobby. Twice before we had walked past ‘Viva La Vida’ but this time we saw it. If ever a piece of art defined the French spirit of defiance, it was this. *Get me to tell you about it in person
Lunch was served in the Louvre, and then we went walking. Past novelty condoms, bass-booming carriages, immaculate fountains, gardens and incredible bridges all down the seine. We boarded our tour boat and spent the next few hours admiring all of the best French architecture. We made our way through Paris to the Avenue des champs Eleysees and the Arche de Triomphe. I easily could have spent weeks exploring all the different shopping wonderlands, but time was short and our credit was not limitless. We walked all the way to a little self-service restaurant called Flunch. It was all below ground, and right next to Musée National d’Art Moderne (Nation Museum of Modern Art). Talking to the Employees became surprisingly easy, but not effortless. I was able to get a meal out of it, so obviously I did something right.
The graffiti in Paris is a form of art which we admired as we walked back to the hostel once more. This time I was not passing out. Actually I stayed up late swapping stories with my new-found Amis and talking about the languages which brought us here.
Ned
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