PARIS!. Review on Paris

Its better in Paris. In many ways this is the truest thing about the city. Aesthetics dominates life in Paris. So it is no wonder that the visitor is simply dazzled by all that meets the eye. From the moment you land at the airport you are taken in by the obviously(not flashily) well-dressed people around you. Logos of brands flash at you from every other T-shirt, jeans and bag. A decidedly glamorous population.

The city is divided into 6 zones in concentric circles. The public transport system is very easy to use. On your daily pass, you can use the tube as many times as you need to. We stayed in the suburbs as the couple we were travelling with was staying nearby at their friends place. Sevran beaudottes was a charming area full of pretty houses. The Accor hotel we stayed at was very basic and functional – but since it was next to the metro station and we only needed it to sleep in, it made a lot of sense for us at 48 euros per day.

On the first day, our friend's host, Khalid bhai, took us along with his daughters to visit Versailles(pronounced vehsaii) Palace. Around 50 years old, Khalid bhai has been in Paris since his early 20s. He has been reasonably successful and  we were all most impressed by  his kids. 2 girls and 2 boys, they were really well-behaved and good-natured. Aamir and Yasser cheerfully showed us around Paris’ most interesting areas and gave us their own perspective, as students, of the place. Their French-accented hindi was so cute, especially when their hindi was actually pretty good and they each had their takiya kalaams which cropped up in every sentence – “ who kehte hain na.” and “kya naam hai.”.

Versailles is a gigantic and beautiful palace – the house of all the kings Louis of France and home also to the ill-fated Marie Antoinette. Thousands of statues and paintings, all unbelievably beautiful, people it now. A French guide was gving out many interesting anecdotes to a troop of American tourists about the monarchs and their fancies.  The view from many of the rooms in the palace is of gardens and lakes, all manicured and maintained immaculately – till the horizon. No wonder Antoinette couldn’t grasp poverty as a concept! We saw the Eiffel tower in the evening. The queue was snaking along very slowly and it took us an hour to get the tickets to the elevators. But it was well worth it. The view was marvellous and so was the feeling that you are experiencing something the French are so proud of. The fact that the French are really respectful of genius and individual ambitions stemming from it are evident in the way they preserve this piece of history.

The next day we went to do some window shopping at Gallerie Lafayette,  a very stylish building that houses all the known brands. Even I succumbed to all that and ended up buying  Diesel shoes.(Although now that Iam back and sane again, I really think buying beautiful clothes and accessories should not mean flaunting brands, unless of course you are French. Which is perfectly understandable.) My favourite evening in Paris was spent around the Notre dame Cathedral. Impromptu performances by youngsters  in the evening made it very memorable. A roller blading performance which was very good and a magic show which was pretty professional and was high on showmanship. The Magician had a very receptive audience in the street, or rather bridge over the Seine. He even took a dig at the English saying that “ for the English people, remember, five euros is good”. The French are apparently historical rivals of the English and many till now have refused to speak the language(when their own is so obviously superior). But we met a few people willing to make the attempt and not take offence. Of course we always had Aamir and Yasser so we did not have to approach the locals for directions. If you know French, things are definitely much simpler. At the very least do respond appropriately to the bonjour and merci that you will hear everywhere. We also took a boat cruise along the Seine, from where the Eiffel tower looked so shimmeringly lovely that I was moving from one side of the boat to the other to stare at it. Paris has a peculiar flat appearance that makes you feel you are perennially getting a wide-angle view, far into the horizon. The city is planned to, what else, high aesthetic standards. And everything is suitably aligned – not in a monotonous fashion but in a very complimentary way. Most structures are at least a couple of centuries old and retain their glamour.

The third day had us visiting the all-important Louvre. Ideally you should devote three days to this adventure. But if you have limited time like we did, just go for half a day and see the important(read the Monalisa) things. There is really much to do in Paris. On the Monalisa(La Jaconde to the French), many  people are disappointed when they get to see it finally. I for one lost none of my admiration, but the gigantic “last supper” that faces the monalisa on the opposite wall is heavily detailed and is also something one can gaze at for a long time. We caught the late Lido show at 11:30 in the night – I was yawning actually throughout the show and the Indian Exotica drama with a troop of men dressed as Ganesha was insulting. How would the French feel if we used Jesus as a prop? Theatrical pageantry I get a lot of – from Bollywood. But the topless, perfectly poised, figured and coiffed women would probably appeal to the men. Anyway, later at 2 o’clock in the night, it felt very good to tramping through champs de elysee. And not to worry, because Paris has a system of night buses which serve late-nighters.

The next day we again went to La defense, a “new” area full of modern structures of steel and glass. You can see the Arch de Triomphe from here.The mall here is an interesting place. One thing about Paris is the romance that pervades the place. Everywhere you’ll find couples “elegantly” making out.  And no, I didn’t look like I was looking. At the bridge near Notre dame, one particularly attractive couple was asked by a female(probably English) tourist if she could capture them on her handycam. No problem, the couple’s amour was worth capturing after all. They could understand that. All this adds a delightful romanticism to the city. And to think that cops call up the parents of couples they “apprehend” in apna bandstand! Kya uncool hain hum!

I left Paris with an appreciation of the sheer effort that goes into keeping life always beautiful. So beautiful that you don’t want to go home. You just want to be out on the streets. Like someone said, life is played out as a very public drama in paris - gaze and be gazed at!