Hey everyone,
Before I get started, I just want to mention that today (Sat May 25th)
was not the actual day I wrote this blog. I started it yesterday, Friday, and
didn't have time to finish it so keep that in mind while reading this and
pretend that you are in the past. That said, try not to get confused as all the
pictures and stories are from yesterday.
Friday, May 24th:
This post is going to be a little different so, brace yourself.
I'm going to start it out with a story about what happened to me today
after class and how it caused me to wonder into other areas of my district which
will segue into the second focus of this blog post. This will be a mix of my
experience and my own personal feelings by the way so if you are expecting to
read just get a first person view of Paris then you might as well just skip
this post.
One other thing I think I'd like to mention is that from now on I will
be posting nature and site seeing pictures in their original size. The original
size pictures are the huge ones by the way.
Anyways, after class I had a rendezvous with a Bulgarian named Katerina
whom I had befriended last year while taking an intensive French program
through Middlebury College in California (the college is actually located in
Vermont and we were located at Mills college location in Oakland), Midd á Mills
l'école française. So having arrived in France and been here for the year, she
knows more about France and some of the surrounding areas than someone like me who
has been here a full week tomorrow.
So she took me to the Cimetière de Montparnasse (Montparnasse
Cemetery). And I have to agree as morbid as one may think it sounds that I
really like cemeteries, also. Here's one of three pictures I took while there:
First and foremost, you have the peace and tranquility that people dare
not disturb. This is comparable to the quiet section in a library except that
people will willingly try to maintain a reasonable level of silence out of
respect for the dead and not out of fear of getting kicked out even though that
is a potential consequence for breaking this social norm since the land is
specifically designated as a burial ground and not a playground.
Second, if you've been to as many cemeteries as I have in different
parts of the word from various northern and southern regions of the Americas to
other grounds in Europe you'd have realized that they are in no way the same
just like no country or culture is the same. There are elements of similarity
but there will be that since, as I mentioned earlier, the area is specifically
designated for the dead and we all as human beings have similarities just as we
have differences. The most basic similarity I can mention that everyone would
understand is having some form of marker, a headstone, a cross, the star of
David, etc., where the person is identified. I don't want to generalize but I
use this example just because of my particular readers, which excludes most of
the world.
You will see the huge differences that are marked by the cultural
practices and religious beliefs regarding the dead all around the world. If
this interests you, just look up war cemeteries or differences between
cemeteries like Japan, US, Europe (& between these countries), Asia, etc.
Each has its distinction.
Sadly, I've visited areas where the dead don't even have that taken for
granted privilege of being identified and remembered even in death. There
are so many types: Mass graves where one or two crosses will mark 100 or more
stolen lives, grave areas which were designated for specific religious
minorities whose proximity could be as small as that of a typical college
students room which results with bodies eventually being buried on top of each
other and tombstones being spaced only inches apart to represent this stacking
of bodies.
Thirdly, if you have any appreciation for world renowned buildings and
other physical structures both ancient and modern like the Eiffel
Tower, Pyramids of Giza, Statue of Liberty, The Freedom Towers, the Coliseum
in Rome, and to stick my point I will end with the Taj Mahal (since it is, in
effect, a mausoleum which is an elegantly made tomb for a highly respected or
rich person), you will appreciate cemeteries since they employ the same type of
architecture to create a unique type of beauty that is made to last the
lifetime after death. So apart from the peace, culture & tranquility that
cemeteries offer, they offer a unique beauty portrayed in their architecture.
We see this in the fact that we have catacombs, mausoleums, ossuaries,
monumental cemeteries, lawn cemeteries, Calvary cemeteries, columbarium walls
which reflect the more modern use of cremation instead of burials & many
more.
To end this part I just wanted to say that I had never actually heard
someone say that they really liked cemeteries. It's usually reactions of fear
that I hear. I hadn't ever said either that I liked them but after thinking
about what my friend told me and reflecting on the fact that I've been to so
many I started to wonder the reason for going to them and concluded that it was
because I like them, also.
The following part and picture are more personal and have less to do
with Paris and France and more to do with myself.
The picture is on a little road that separate two of I don't know how
many parts of the cemetery (remember I said we did not have time to see the
entire cemetery). I'll explain under why I took this picture.
I would like to say that if anyone, may it be teachers or students from the Pathfinder days is reading this post, they will understand exactly what I mean by the Hall of Trees.
The Hall of Trees was very well known by all Pathfinder students, teachers, alum & the like and this is partly why I took the picture here because of the symbolic and personal meaning that Pathfinder had for me. Obviously this one is much bigger than the actually Hall of Trees at Pathfinder but then again so am I in comparison to the Pathfinder days. There are still, however, the walls that enclose the small area (a road here instead of a walking path) and the arching branches that cloud out the already grey and depressing Parisian sky :(The environmental depression that has plagued Paris for some long time now made me realize that I shouldn't be waiting for a nice day to go out to explore, see, and familiarize myself with the city. So, after bidding goodbye to Katerina, I continued walking around near my house to a park that I had wanted to check out on a nicer day but figured it would give me something else to write about. This is the biggest park near me: First picture is a hybrid map from my iPhone so you can see the entire park and where I walked.
I want to say though that seeing the park on a grey day is much different than seeing it on a bright and sunny day just as would be seeing a cemetery. The lack of liveliness and people just creates another equally enjoyable ambiance in which one can just as easily be relaxed. Areas and landscapes are, in the opinion of most, better to see when the sun comes out to accentuate the overt beauty but I walked around at a time during which people tend to avoid these spots because of its gloominess. I must admit though, stepping in puddles is not fun nor is not being able to sit any for fear of walking back wet and uncomfortable. That said, I, too, would normally fall into the same mindset as everyone else but not today!
The calm you rarely experience in more regularly populated areas can more so be appreciated here since there is a lack of kids running around & screaming, birds and other animals making noises, etc. I found it very interesting the mixture of nature and man in this park. The fact that it is a manmade park shows the presumption that people will be there so when there aren't, it is a completely different experience.
The trees you see to the right hide a series of various sized paths for running, walking, and for ducks. You're probably confused on the last one but I did see a mini duck-sized path with an actually duck coming out of it so I'm not crazy.
Here's a photo of the inside of the forested area of the park:
I guess there isn't much I can say about my day since it has consisted so far in going to class, going out with a friend, and then going home. Actually there is something I can mention that would pertain to potential future visiters. I will continue after the following photo and a couple words to accompany it.
The structure has “Vente á la Criée.” I wish I could tell you it's historical or modern significance but I do not know that.
Unfortunately I did not venture off into the most southern part of the park which consists of several other joints of small buildings. I've written a lot here though so I'm sure you won't mind.
Now for students of l'école française:
At the little bistro called Cojean across from Victor Hugo right before l'école l'etoile which everyone passes before there is a breakfast deal for €6,50 which I know seem like a lot since right now the equivalant is $8-9 for an orange juice, a breadstick, a fruit mixture thing & a tea but you have to remember that the French do not eat much for breakfast. Something like this is typical for them.
Another example would be milk/coffee with two pieces of toast with jam or for dipping possibly or with jam and a juice. Sometimes a single serving of eggs may be eaten but it all depends on the person. For example, at my appt here Bruno will cut himself two pieces of bread (a Parisian bread which can be bigger than the typical loaf one might see in the states or else where with a much, much harder crust) with a butter spread and then a cup of coffee. That is all.
Me, I like to have just two eggs with two pieces of toast & hot chocolate with a milk base NOT water. Here, in Paris, I am now eating the following:
It is almost the same. A fruit, one egg, one piece of toast with jam, a glass of juice & a glass of hot chocolate milk. Yum!
By the way, the loaf of bread in the top right corner is the bread the Bruno eats.
That's it for now folks. If I haven't lost your attention yet then keep following my blog! Next post will be in a couple days where I will talk about metro life, what a TRUE public bathroom is in France, some things I probably shouldn't have done & petits discretions that you would not notice unless you were to pay close attention.
Until next post!
Salut!
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