“If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.”

Ernest Hemingway

Living in Paris in your 20s is an indelible experience they say (never mind that am inching closer to the next decade of my life…still in my 20s). As I read A Moveable Feast on the flight to Paris, I looked around the deserted plane and wondered whether it’ll be the same for me. COVID-19 has changed all perceived notions of travel, living and planning itself. Leaving behind my city, Delhi, had not been easy – family, friends and familiarity. All for a new beginning. One that I had worked for all my adult life.  

Given that this is my travel blog, I found myself struggling to find the peg for a piece on Paris. How do you write a travel blog for a city that you actually are a resident of? Also, hasn’t enough been written about the City of Lights? Could I really give a new perspective to the euphoria of first spotting the Eiffel Tower or the magic of The Louvre? So, as I mulled over this and basked in the beauty of the city, before I could realize it, a month had passed. 

When you are a resident with a defined period of stay in a city, you straddle the world of a local and a tourist. It is at this crossroad that you really indulge in the city. Or perhaps, the city indulges you. Certain icons of Paris, such as the Eiffel Tower, The Louvre, Champs-Élysées, Notre Dame and Sacré-Cœur make it to every traveler’s itinerary, whatever be their interest and purpose. So, in hindsight, it is not surprising that on my first weekend, I was no different.  

As any overenthusiastic tourist, new in the city, I began with the pilgrimage walk from The Louvre all the way to the Arc de Triomphe. An hour’s walk through the Tuileries Gardens, Place de la Concorde, the Petit Palais, Grand Palais and the Champs-Élysées, it is a walk through history, culture and the postcard views of Paris. 

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The Louvre needs no introduction. One of the most visited museums in the world, it is housed in an ancient royal palace. Today however, the glass pyramid in the Court Napoléon has come to symbolize the Louvre as much as its prized possession, the Mona Lisa. Built by architect I.M. Pei in the late 20^th century, as part of President Mitterand’s Grands Projets, the 21^st century has seen the museum flirt with the idea of satellite museums and exhibitions around the globe. As a starting point, Louvre sets the tone for the journey that is Paris. Historic, yet contemporary. Staid, yet experimental. Constant, but changing. Avant-garde in every way! 

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The scenic beauty of the walk, with quick diversions to the river Seine, is beyond words for the uninitiated. The grandeur and extravagance of the architecture is matched by arboreal elegance of the wide boulevard. Not a leaf out of place, not a stone discolored. It’s almost too perfect to be true. Just as I was drowning in awe, I found myself facing the Petit Palais. The magnificent entrance is like a doorway to heaven…for why waste something this exquisite on mere mortals! With perfectly manicured gardens on either sides, across the road is the relatively underwhelming Grand Palais (you wonder if the French switched the names by mistake) and to the left you have the quintessential Parisian bridge, Pont Alexandre III. Take a break by the river and let the splendor sink in.

Then from here, walk to Arc de Triomphe through Champs-Élysées. A busy market street, it is bustling with stores, cafés and activity. You may indulge in retail therapy with the latest brands housed in what are classic Haussmann buildings, set apart by their yellow stone façade and uniform height. At Arc de Triomphe, do stay for the wreath laying ceremony that takes place at 18:30 hours. 

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Unlike the straight path of this walk though, Paris ought to be discovered in the shape of it’s celebrated dish i.e. escargots (snails). The arrondissements (administrative districts) are arranged in a spiral, starting with 1 and counting up to 20. The Louvre, where we began, is in the 1er arrondissement, while the Arc de Triomphe straddles the 8e, 16e and 17e arrondissements. Don’t worry, you haven’t walked all of Paris! Yes, the tourists would care little for this information, but as a resident, knowledge of the arrondissements is critical. Each of the 20 have their own characteristics, their niche resident population with their socio-economic status and a set of rules for dos and don’ts. Just as important as the arrondissement is the side of the Seine river – Rive Gauche or Rive Droite? It is important to be on the ‘right’ side of the river…

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Paris is as confusing as it is enchanting. For example, there is no ‘downtown’ Paris. It’s all central. Or it’s all periphery. It’s all a matter of perspective. Speaking of which, someone recently mentioned Emily in Paris, a Netflix show that is currently trending. A newbie, I found myself watching the show hoping to empathize and revel in the journey of the protagonist in Paris. While I’d like to refrain from commenting on the show, it’s just one perspective (an American maybe) on Paris perhaps. Setting aside the clichés of gourmet croissants, language arrogance, fashion Nazism and promiscuous relationships, there is a lot more to discover. 

As an Asian in Paris, there are many a thing that make sense, while others that leave you stumped. For example, the walk from the Louvre to Arc de Triomphe cuts across centuries of history. While historicity isn’t a novelty, the ability to live with it in harmony in the present is admirable. Similarly, the French do take pride in their language, but increasingly are embracing English, thereby respecting heritage without arrogance. So yes, as opposed to the common perception, you’d actually come across more people who would gladly practice their English with you, rather than discredit you from the word go for not speaking the language. So much like its weather, on days Paris is warm and nice, and on others cold and dark (more on the weather next time)!

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Things like these and many more are mysterious and you need to commit yourself to the city before it unravels itself. Perhaps, it’s part of the enigma that is Paris. As I struggle to find my feet in this city, which is as overwhelming as it is at times overbearing, one thing is for sure, much like the French escargots, Paris is an acquired taste!