I didn't know this phrase before I arrived in Paris; I didn't believe it after I arrived in Paris; and I understood it only after I left Paris.
Paris is radiant in its memories of beauty. I've been to Paris 5 times in total***, not counting connecting flights or arrivals, and each time I've had different experiences and rewards.
The first time I went to Paris was in the summer of 2015, when I was still an undergraduate in the United States and went to Nantes, France for a summer program. However, in my confusion, I realized I didn't have a visa to France until the day before my flight. So, I hurriedly traveled to Washington, D.C. to get a French visa. The other students were all Americans and could travel to France for a short period of time without a visa, so I broke away from the group and flew to France alone only a week after school started. I stopped for a day in the coveted Paris and walked all the way along the Seine River by myself, all the way to the bottom of the Eiffel Tower, and then took countless selfies with the Tower. During the trip, I befriended a Sri Lankan flight attendant who was also only in Paris for one day, so we paired up and climbed the Arc de Triomphe together. This majestic structure was built to commemorate Napoleon's defeat of the allied Russian and Austrian forces at the Battle of Austerlitz. At the top of the Arc de Triomphe overlooking the entire central city of Paris, only to see the entire city of Paris 12 avenues into a radial shape to the center of the Arc de Triomphe extends outward, such as the starlight, and is therefore also known as the "star-shaped square". I heard that in order to protect the ancient architecture, the central city of Paris, the house can not be higher than the Arc de Triomphe, so there is no modern skyscrapers in the center of the city, the whole city is full of vintage atmosphere.
The second time I went to Paris was in the winter of 2017, when my husband came all the way over to visit me in France for graduate school. We had a wonderful Christmas Eve in Paris. The banks of the Seine were lit up like a flowing gorgeous silk. Notre Dame was brightly lit, standing on the ?le de la Cité in the Seine, like a dignified and beautiful Virgin, shining white in the darkness of the night. In order to welcome Christmas, Notre Dame has placed a huge Christmas tree on the square in front of the Notre Dame, which is decorated with light blue lights, like a fairy tree in Wonderland.
We enjoyed a delicious French Christmas Eve meal on the cruise ship, eating a meal with several different kinds of cups and bottles in front of us. Then the cruise ship slowly traveled down the Seine River to the iconic Eiffel Tower. At night the Eiffel Tower shines with a golden light. At the full hour, white dotted flashes also appear on the golden coat. Below the Tower is the flowing river and people singing and laughing, and all kinds of hotel moorings are colorful in the darkness of the night, full of festive atmosphere.
From the cruise ship down, coinciding with the midnight 12 o'clock, we went with the surging crowd to the midnight mass in Notre Dame de Paris. We saw that the church was elegantly and solemnly decorated with splendor. A huge wreath symbolizing Christmas was hanging above the center of the church, and the European-style retro chandeliers were all lit up, with people coming to watch and worship. The white marble columns are full of classical flavor in the light of the lamps, as if after a hundred years of wind and frost still tells the glory of the Catholic Church in those years.
The third time I went to Paris was the summer of 2018, and this time I stayed a little longer than usual, spending a bittersweet summer vacation in Paris. My husband was also on vacation at the time, so he applied for another French visa to come to France to be with me for a few days. I moved my family to Paris at that time. We were the first to find a small room in the 5th arrondissement of Paris. Paris is an expensive place, houses can be sold for about 10 square meters, and if it's in a prime location it's still expensive. We managed to book a small room of only 16 square meters in advance on Airbnb (a global B&B booking platform). However, due to the age of the room, we soon discovered a serious problem. That is, the room was infested with bed bugs (bed bugs bed bugs). I was unfortunate enough to be bitten in several packages and went to the doctor at the time due to the skin inflammation that caused a fever and discomfort all over my body. Since this is a highly portable bug, the landlord said the house was uninhabitable and I had to move out. She will hire someone to sterilize the place after I have emptied my belongings. My husband had to go back to school because of the limited number of days he had to travel, leaving me to deal with the pile of luggage.
At the time, the B&B we stayed at was particularly close to the famous Pantheon, and there was a steady stream of tourists. The first time I saw this, I was so happy to be there," he said. But I was alone in this place full of romantic atmosphere to deal with a large pile of luggage ...... I bought disinfectant alcohol from the drugstore, put on rubber gloves and began to wipe my luggage piece by piece. With nowhere else to go, I had to sleep in a hotel for a couple of nights and then find a place to stay for the summer. Unfortunately, I met a Chinese girl while eating noodles and she introduced me to an apartment that I could move into right away, not in Little Paris but in Big Paris, but a safe and clean place to stay. Since then, I've really stayed away from old houses in Paris.
On a happier note, my husband and I went to the Opéra Garnier for a modern dance performance during our short trip to Little Paris. The inside of the Opera House was truly breathtaking in its gilded, vintage splendor. The lightness of the dancers' movements was infectious to everyone in the audience, who were watching attentively with bated breath, and at the end of the show, everyone stood up collectively and cheered and applauded.
Not far around that little B&B is the relaxing and romantic Jardin du Luxembourg, as well as the scholarly Botanical Gardens and the Museum of Paleontology. We also visited the Musée de l'Homme, the Maison Européenne de la Photographie, and three of the most famous art museums in Paris: the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay, and the Pompidou Center. We were impressed by both the beautiful artistic atmosphere and the deep cultural heritage.
Most impressive to me is Monet's "Water Lilies" series, that is a few huge oil paintings, close up between all the patterns are scribbled strokes, blue mixed with green, green permeated with purple, purple and with pink, pink and mixed with some white. Can not be seen close, only when viewed from afar, it is an impressionistic picture of water lilies. It is very much in line with the description of the lotus flower in the "Love Lotus" "can only be seen from afar, can not be desecrated".
The fourth time I went to Paris was in the summer of 2018, when I moved there again, blaming my obsession with the city. During that summer, I was in a bistro in the center of Paris, witnessing with my friends the uplifting moment when the French national soccer team won the overall World Cup. All around, the French were on their feet cheering and dancing. The entire center of Paris had lost its traffic order, only to see pedestrians walking through the middle of the road in groups holding hands and singing the French national anthem, La Marseillaise. Cars honked incessantly. Sunset on the Seine River also came to join in the fun, only to see the gradient of red, orange and yellow on the blue sky, the crimson sunset will be the water of the Seine River reflects a different kind of charming and touching.
The Eiffel Tower will have a fireworks display on the French National Day. The Eiffel Tower is a romantic and lively place where fireworks of all shapes and sizes blossom and fireworks are shot from the tower, accompanied by music of various styles. The crowd was noisy, people sat on the ground in the square in front of the tower, some lovers kissed under the fireworks, and some friends got together under the fireworks. It was a wonderful moment.
The fifth time I went to Paris was in the spring of 2019, I went to Paris with a few international student friends from Scotland, and I went with them to revisit the famous places again, such as Notre Dame and the Musée d'Orsay. The spring breeze in Paris was exceptionally soothing, not too cold and not too hot, and the wind carried the weight of history and culture. I love to see the night view of the Seine River, the dark green branches and leaves revealed in the water waves and reflected in the lights on the water, together decorated with the gorgeous night of Paris. I always look at the flow of the Seine River and its surrounding scenery, every time I go to it has a different beauty, as if it is the water of life in Paris, with a thousand years of history with the bright art and culture, in the slow flow.
Now, leaving Paris, I will think about it, bitter and sweet. That wandering in the famous monuments and art boutique between the romantic unforgettable, that in the hot summer running to move the labor also makes people laugh and cry. It is impossible to describe the deep cultural heritage of Paris in a single article, let alone the scenery I have seen in detail. The city of Paris, especially on the banks of the Seine River, is a place I have traveled to alone, but also with love and friendship. The beautiful Paris, you really like a flowing feast, in my memory slowly flow.
Qifanqi's 5th 28-day writing growth camp is (20) words (2,894) long, with a cumulative total of (29,523) words.
Theme 2 punchline for Week 4: Share an unforgettable travel memory