Sunday October 31 I decided to walk. Walk through Paris with no particular plan. Armed with my camera, good walking shoes, and my map of the city, I walked 10 miles in the rain and sunshine soaking in the beauty and surprises of the city. Starting with mass, lunch in Tuilleries, a storm in Champs Elysees, a middle finger from a taxi driver at Arc de Triumph, a kind gesture by the Eiffel Tour, and tired feet in the metro, today was an intimate exploration of the city I love.
Mass at L’eglise St. Roch
Today I slept in. After I got my much needed rest, I consulted my phone and searched for Catholic churches where I could listen to mass. I found that St. Roch’s Church had mass at 12:15. I left the hotel and walked down to Opera Garnier, then down the Avenue de l’Opera towards the Seine. The sun was shining yet a cold breeze swept the streets. People were drinking their morning coffees and tourists were bustling up and down the avenue with their cameras out. I turned right at the lively Rue St. Honnore just as I heard the church bells. Inside St Roch I walked to the deepest part of the church where the priests was getting ready to start the mass. The choir began to sing and I found a paper with all the songs. I followed along and responded to the prayers in Spanish. It is in this moments that I understand the meaning of the Universal Church. Traveling solo, I’ve begun to appreciate listening to mass.
Lunch at Tuileries
The park of Tuileries was not far. Only a block away. While I was at church, it had begun to rain. The streets were wet and a bone-chilling wind attacked from all sides. When I entered Tuileries from the north entrance, the ground was muddy and the gray skies threaten to unleash more rain. With the elegant Louvre as a backdrop and in complete defiance of the elements, I ate lunch outside at an outdoor café… I made sure to pick a table under an umbrella. 😉 After eating my ham, cheese, and egg galette Breton (similar to a crepe but made from buckwheat which makes it gluten-free) I ordered a café crème (coffee with milk) and read a few chapters of Rules of Civility by Amor Towles. The wind picked up with icy confidence. Undisturbed, I continued to sip my coffee and enjoyed some superb people watching. Then I began to watch the city.
The Beauty of Paris
I wish I knew more about architecture so I could be able to describe in exact detail the beauty of the Parisian buildings that peek behind the Garden of Tuileries. Yet I think that even if I could describe it in the correct architectural terms, the words would fail me. Because it is not just the buildings that make you stand in awe, it is the perfectly manicured trees cloaked in yellow and brown leaves. The hordes of tourists speaking in different languages looking starry eyed. It is the grandeur of the neighboring Louvre both as art icon and historical palace. It is the elegance of the citizens. It is the smell of pain au chocolate and coffee. Paris is beautiful, but it is beautiful to everyone in its own way.
Auuuux…Champs Elysees…
As I walked out of Tuileries and east towards la Concorde, the rain began to fall. Slow yet icy. I continued up towards Champs Elysees, then the sky opened and a cold, relentless rain poured down. I thought of stopping and having a petite pause (a small pause for a snack), but with the Arc de Triumph beckoning from the distance, I decided to continue, meanwhile humming “Champs Elysees” by Joe Dassin. There is a verse in the song that says “Au soleil, sous la pluie, a midi, ou a minuite il y a tout que vous voulais aux Champs Elysees” (in the sun, in the rain, at noon or at midnight, there is everything you want in Champs Elysees). My jeans were soaked, but once I reached L’Etoile and was face to face with the Arc, the rain stopped. Umbrellas away and picture time!
Honk, Honk… a Middle Finger from a Taxi Driver?!
I circled the Arc de Triumph to the south and crossed toward Avenue Kleber. As I crossed with the rest of the tourists, I turned to my right and saw the line of vehicles waiting at the light with the Arc in the background. In one split second I decided that it would make a great photo: a line of cars staring directly at the camera and the Arc looming behind. I snapped the picture with my camera and continued on to the sidewalk. I turned on Ave Kleber and headed south to reach Trocadero. As I walked staring over the buildings to see if I caught a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower, a heard a honk. I turned and saw a taxi. I recognized it as the taxi at the front of the line of cars that I had photographed. I was going to wave at the driver when I saw him throw his middle finger in the air in my direction with a vulgar amount of gusto. WTF! Was it because of the picture? Did he think I was photographing him in particular for some devious reason? I had the urge to raise my camera and take a picture in defiance, but he received a few honks of his own since he had stopped traffic and the rest of the motorists were none too pleased. He sped off and I was left wanting to return the finger, but what for? Who would have thought that the night before I had a secret admirer buying me drinks and saying I had beautiful eyes and now… I had some pissed off taxi driver throwing me the finger! Oh, well… c’est la vie!
Souvenirs for Days and the Equilibrium of Karma… maybe?
You know what is so awesome about Trocadero? The view of the Eiffel Tower. It is the best place in all of Paris to see it and take all the pics your heart (and Instagram) desires. When I arrived, I snapped my camera full force. There were people everywhere. Families, groups of young women, sellers of souvenirs, gendarmes. It was intoxicating!
The downside of traveling solo though is that you have no one to snap pics of you. You must rely on the kindness of strangers and really good selfie stick skills. I asked a young woman if she would snap a few pics of me with the Eiffel Tower. She began snapping away at different angles. Behind her a black man selling souvenirs suggested that I should pose with my hip out and my arm extended above me with my hand down like a hook. It would look like I was holding up the Eiffel Tower. The young woman and I exchanged looks. He came forward and offered his services. My first reaction was no. I mean, I’ve heard stories of people running off with your phone. He insisted again. Something told me to trust him. I mean, was he going to run away with my phone and leave his stuff behind? Maybe… but maybe not. I decided to trust. He took the phone with a smile and like a professional photographer directed me how to pose. He got on his knees and found the perfect angle. Et voila! Some really cool pics! As a thank you, I said I would buy some souvenirs: two Eiffel Tower key chains, one for each of my sisters. He added one and said 3 for 3 euros, and I accepted. I pulled out a 10. I didn’t have anything smaller. He countered by giving me a large Eiffel Tower and said all that for 8 euros. I accepted. I handed him the 10 and while he was searching for change, I said he could keep it all as payment for the photo. He said no. That the picture was for free. I said no, so he grabbed a handful of key chains and gave them to me. Now, I have souvenirs for days and an awesome picture! You hear that, family? You are all getting key chains of the Eiffel Tower!
Long Live Napoleon
I descended Trocadero and walked to the Eiffel Tower. I circled it and admired it from all sides. The lighting was perfect. It was the golden hour before the sunset. I kept walking past the Champs de Mars and L’Ecole Militaire. I took Avenue de Tourville and stopped at Invalides. Invalides is a building with a beautiful gold dome, where Napoleon is buried. On a different trip, I went inside to visit the tomb of the Emperor of the French. This time, it was too late to go inside, so I waved. Not everyone likes Napoleon, but I do. Some say he was a tyrant and an egomaniac. This might be true, but I also see myself in him. It’s not just the stature… I mean don’t get me wrong, he is proof that short people can do great things 😉 Napoleon was an outsider. He was born in Corsica. When he came to France to study in L’Ecole Militaire, the other soldiers made fun of him because he had an accent and could not speak French well. And yet, he rose through the ranks and not just became accepted by the French as one of them, but as their emperor. He became the Emperor of the French! I find that inspiring. He is proof that immigrants can not only better a country, but they can transform it.
Next to Invalides, I wanted to wave to another “friend.” In the twilight hidden behind well-manicured trees, I saw the rounded back of Rodin’s Thinker. Oh Paris… what a city where you can turn left and gaze at Napoleon’s magnificent resting place and to your right, you can catch a glimpse of one of the most popular sculptures in the world.
As I rounded Invalides down Esplanade des Invalides and night descended over Paris, the Tour Eiffel began its shimmering light show.
My walk ended where it began: at Place de la Concorde. I had walked a total of 10 miles today. Now, I’m back at the hotel where I merit some well-deserved rest.
