Paris – Day 3: The City of Love?
PARIS
Day 3: The City of Love?
February 17, 2024
The third day started with me trying not to explode in a storm of rage and expletives. As I figured, box breathing had its limits and I could only rise so much above.
My initial plan was to leave at 8AM, but with Kevin wanting to tag along, I waited for him to get ready. Two hours later, predictably, I was visibly annoyed – prompting him to give me a speech about me “stressing him out” and “worsening his anxiety”. It was his barber’s fault. Turns out, despite how “insanely expensive and exclusive” he was, “catering only for VIPs”, the barber had done such a crap job that Kevin now found it hard to leave the house without proper headwear.
The Legendary Tower
Finally having chosen a cap, we could be on our way. And our first stop? It was none other than the much-anticipated Tour Eiffel. We took the metro, which led us to the Champ de Mars, the large public garden at the foot of the tower. The second Paris’s most iconic landmark came into view, I have to admit, I felt quite sentimental. Once again, my French teacher going on and on about her love of France came to mind. She had been right all along…
Finally having chosen a cap, we could be on our way. And our first stop? It was none other than the much-anticipated Tour Eiffel. We took the metro, which led us to the Champ de Mars, the large public garden at the foot of the tower. The second Paris’s most iconic landmark came into view, I have to admit, I felt quite sentimental. Once again, my French teacher going on and on about her love of France came to mind. She had been right all along…
.So… the Eiffel Tower. The wrought-iron lattice tower was built by Gustave Eiffel’s company for the 1889 World’s Fair, based on an engineering concept by Maurice Koechlin and Émile Nouguier, with architectural input from Stephen Sauvestre. Completed in 1889 after just over two years of construction, it stands at around 330 metres today and was once the tallest structure in the world. Although it was initially met with public controversy, it eventually became the ultimate symbol of Paris, French innovation and modernity.
Honestly, it truly is an impressive feat of architecture, engineering and art. While I used to think it looked like a glorified cell tower, my opinion changed the second I stood right in front of it. In hindsight, I can say that it really does live up to its reputation. Friggin’ mind-blowing. And despite not having enough time to climb to the top – thank you, Kevin – looking at the whole thing from directly below it truly did offer a unique view.
The Legendary Museum
As amazing as everything had been so far, the thing I had been looking forward to the most was up next – the Louvre.
Apart from being a famous Lorde song, the Louvre also refers to the largest, and one of the most famous, art museums in the entire world. Of all the things my French teacher used to mention in class, this was the one that had captured my attention the most. It probably had something to do with the glass pyramid and my fascination with anything related to Ancient Egypt at the time.
In fact, throughout all those years, I had kinda failed to pay attention to the grandiose building that surrounds the pyramid – a vast former royal palace that had begun life as a medieval fortress. It was later transformed into a royal residence, before the French court shifted its centre of gravity to the lavish Palace of Versailles under Louis XIV. The Louvre then became increasingly associated with royal collections, academies and artistic display, before finally opening as a public museum during the French Revolution.
Today, the Louvre’s collections include over 500,000 works registered across its online database, spanning ancient civilisations to the 19th century and covering Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and Asia. Divided into nine main curatorial departments, each area focuses on a specific category of art, culture or historical period. For the sake of everyone’s sanity, here’s the condensed version:
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- Egyptian Antiquities: Covers the ancient civilisation of the Nile, from prehistoric Egypt to the Coptic period. Famous works include the Seated Scribe, the Great Sphinx of Tanis and numerous sarcophagi, funerary objects and statues.
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- Near Eastern Antiquities: Covers ancient Mesopotamia, Persia and the Levant before the rise of Islam. Famous works include the Code of Hammurabi, Assyrian lamassu and statues from sites such as Mari and Susa.
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- Greek, Etruscan and Roman Antiquities: Covers art and objects from the ancient Mediterranean world. Famous works include the Venus de Milo, the Winged Victory of Samothrace and the Borghese Gladiator.
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- Byzantine and Eastern Christian Art: Covers artworks from the eastern Mediterranean and Christian East, including icons, liturgical objects and works linked to Byzantine culture.
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- Islamic Art: Spans a vast region from Spain to India, from the 7th to the 19th century. Famous works include the Pyxis of al-Mughira, Mamluk glassware, ceramics, metalwork and Ottoman tiles.
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- Sculptures: Covers European sculpture from the Middle Ages to the 19th century. Famous works include Michelangelo’s Slaves and Canova’s Psyche Revived by Cupid’s Kiss.
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- Decorative Arts: Covers jewellery, ceramics, tapestries, furniture and luxury objects from the Middle Ages to the 19th century. Famous highlights include the Napoleon III Apartments and the French crown jewels.
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- Paintings: Covers Western paintings from the 13th to the 19th century. Famous works include the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, Liberty Leading the People by Delacroix and The Raft of the Medusa by Géricault.
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- Prints and Drawings: Covers works on paper, many of which are not permanently displayed due to their fragility. Famous holdings include drawings by Leonardo da Vinci, Rembrandt and Raphael.
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Wandering around the Labyrinth
Kevin and I planned to spend the entire afternoon there. Whilst that might seem like an excessive amount of time to spend in a museum, I felt like it wouldn’t even scratch the surface. It would probably take months to explore the place in its entirety. In fact, the four hours we spent there still felt a bit rushed, but at least we did manage to see the highlights.
Of those, I would say that the Winged Victory of Samothrace – which I’ve been meaning to get tattooed for ages – and Liberty Leading the People were my favourites. The Mona Lisa? I know it stands for far more than meets the eye, but still, I do find it a bit overhyped.
Other works of art that I particularly enjoyed were the sculptures Centaur Teased by Eros, Athena of Velletri and Diana of Versailles, and the paintings The Wedding Feast at Cana, The Sleep of Endymion and The Coronation of Napoleon. Needless to say, beyond the gorgeous works of art exhibited in the building, the interior design of the Louvre is exquisitely magnificent, with each hall being a work of art in and of itself. Man, do I love museums.
Dinner, Duck Confit and Existential Damage
Famished and drained, we made our way to dinner. I gotta say, French cuisine was quickly becoming one of my favourites – with the foie gras and duck confit leaving me drooling.
After that, we decided to walk back to his apartment. As we strolled along the Seine in the City of Love, with the Eiffel Tower twinkling in the background, I caught myself thinking how romantic it all was – the city once again living up to its reputation.
Whilst the cold night air would have most couples cosying up to each other, I did my best to create space between myself and Kevin. As he polished his Rolex, he rambled on about how badly dressed everyone else was, and how long the walk was, and how tired he was, and how annoying the kids behind us were, and how… You get it.
The more he went on, the more amused I became. There I was, in arguably the most romantic city in the world, feeling completely jaded and devoid of any warm feelings. Was it Kevin, though? Or was I the problem? Was I incapable of just being happy with someone – even for a moment, with someone I might not necessarily get along with? Was I ever gonna allow myself to let anyone else in? Was I capable of being a normal, ordinary human being?
Maybe Kevin wasn’t the problem after all… That’s when Kevin suggested we get a cab instead of walking the remaining kilometre. Kevin was totally the problem.