By Barbara Crownover
In spite of terrorist threats, long security lines at airports, a less than strong world economy and a very strong Euro, tourists still flocked to Paris this summer; and I joined them.
After two weeks of master”s thesis research in Germany and Poland, I became part of the masses in Paris, enjoying this incredible city for five glorious days. Although I have visited Paris well over a dozen times, the monuments still beckon.
The weather was hot, the tourists loud and the pushing and shoving at a maximum at times, but I still couldn”t miss those famous landmarks that attract so many every year.
Each time I visit Paris, my walk is the same. I begin at le Musee du Louvre, with its contrasting architecture of a medieval fortress and palace, and a modern pyramid.
Even though some people use the fountains in front as wading pools, the grace and elegance of the two styles blend to become the monument that the late French President Francois Mitterrand wanted it to be.
After passing through les Jardin des Tuileries and Place de la Concorde, it is an easy stroll up the Champs Elysees. This street is one of the widest boulevards connecting business and residential areas.
The high fashion shops, numerous fast food restaurants, mega-music stores and outdoor cafes on the Champs Elysees, beg you to come in and spend your Euros. With an ice cream cone in hand, I tried to ignore them, along with the exhaust from what seemed like thousands of cars.
At the end of the Champs Elysees sits l”Arc de Triomphe, a monument to the battles won by the Emperor Napoleon. Many tourists use it as a respite from the sun because of the enormous shadow it casts on the ground below and the surrounding boulevards that make up l”Etoile.
I strolled down the Avenue Victor Hugo until I reached Place Victor Hugo. Walking up Avenue Raymond Poincare, I passed an old church that I have passed many times, promising myself each time that I would come back and go into it and quietly and respectfully explore. I have yet to do so, but perhaps next time.
On each trip, my first sight of the Eiffel Tower is always my favorite. Whether it is from le Metro, above the Palais de Chaillot or the Champs de Mars, the most recognizable structure in Paris still brings back great memories of previous trips.
When the Eiffel Tower, designed by Gustav Eiffel, was built in 1889, the Parisians hated it, but over the years it has become a treasure. With its vendors, tourists and lovers embracing beneath it, it has an endearing quality that must be experienced to be understood. I found great fun in photographing the tourists trying to get “just the right shot” to take home and show the relatives.
It has been a two-hour stroll through gardens, up boulevards, into residential areas and past monuments. Yet, even in Paris, one needs to rest.
In July, the sun sets at 10 in the evening in Paris, allowing a perfect opportunity to rest in the little cafes. Most Parisians do just that, and tourists are catching on. Many cafes now have special menus in English just for the tourists, to the dismay of many locals.
But visitors, regardless of whether they speak French or not, should not deny themselves the experience of sitting outdoors, munching on a crusty sandwich, sipping a mineral water and watching Parisian life go by. People go to work, come home, walk with their families, laugh, eat and drink.
It doesn”t matter to me how common or touristy these Parisian landmarks have become. I will always go back and gaze in amazement, looking for the “different” photograph that shows a new angle, lighting or contrast. I will never tire of them, or Paris itself.
