Moved: Emotionally and Externally

Fatigue commenced. The first few nights remained fairly sleep-less, but I trekked on. Everything we were about to endure for the first few days I knew was going to take every single breath of mine away. My thoughts did not prove wrong about the days to come. The first place we encountered on our trip was the famous, Notre-Dame. 

To sit outside of the front exterior façade and examine the architecture and ornamentation – was seemingly not real to me. I believe the scale was just too large to grasp at the first glance of it - the structure is massive compared to any other structure I have encountered before.

It wasn’t until I took a stroll to the other end of Notre-Dame that I really began to appreciate its entirety. Beauty, it exuded pure beauty. Not only from the outside, but also from the interior architecture and decoration, as well as the views from the near top. Breathtaking, indeed.

Notre-Dame (May 18, 2013)

-       I was particularly intrigued with the tourists in the area - and how they were posing for pictures. They stood on the concrete blocks in-front of the Notre-Dame, twisting their hips, shuffling their feet, pouting their lips, and adding the last touches to what they thought would be the perfect photograph of themselves in that moment of time.

It’s interesting to capture the moment where someone is posing, but they don’t know you are there, maybe their nerves are less prominent, maybe just as present in front of the camera closer to them. Whatever may be true, this method of capturing people in a space sparks an interest in me...Why are they here? What brought them here today - are they the same reasons? What makes this building so important to them individually they come so far away to see it, and then pose for it?

To digress from day one, we concluded the evening all together with a dinner at Bouillon Chartier. When we left the restaurant, you could tell the loyalty the restaurant goers had for the place. I see this fitting for how wonderful the food was,  and the pleasant service as well. The line looked as though it could have been at least a two-hour wait. 

Bouillon Chartier 

Day 2: Versailles Visit 

Versailles - It exudes extravagance to the ultimate degree. From the gardens to the architecture, the decorations, and the massive scale of most objects that inhabit the landscape of versailles, the palace couldn't be anything but indulgent. 

Day 3: Louvre Visit

The visit to the Louvre was highly inspirational. I felt the interior architecture of the space (Especially the entry, and Islamic Arts space) and exterior moving me emotionally in ways I have yet experience before. I was nearly overwhelmed to tears – of joy of course, by the elegance of the Louvre. Awestruck in these very moments, this moment of elation was barely conceivable to me, however, the dialoge thus being created in my head, I wanted to stay forever.