The ISA JournalWhat Is It About Paris?— Well, It’s Not What You Think

Paris gets a bad rap.

It is quite a controversial city—ironically similar in reputation to one of my favorite cities in the world, Portland, Oregon—for phrases like “dirty,” “overrated,” “expensive,” “well, the people there…” and more.

In fact, I was about to entirely skip out on what was to be my last weekend trip I’d take abroad before returning to the U.S. merely based on the fact that I was never a Paris dreamer. But I have always been a spontaneous person, which was quite literally the only thing pushing me to go.

So, it came to be a week out, and I had no plans but a 45 euro round-trip flight. Thoughts swirled about what to do. The Eiffel Tower never really excited me, there wasn’t much nature (which is my thing), plus I had finals to study for.

But, that’s the thing about being abroad and also life—sometimes, you just have to say yes to things you wouldn’t ordinarily do and just go. We only have so much time and so many opportunities to see the world!

So I went.

And you wouldn’t believe what happened: Paris is now one of my favorite cities I have ever seen in my entire life. A place that I was about to not even board the flight to.

While I’ll admit all the tourist attractions were much grander and more breathtaking in person, what made me fall in love with Paris was not really any of these. No, it was in the little details that are hidden within this incredible, beautiful city.

The “Cour Carrée“ of Paris

As my friend and I rode the metro just an hour after I got to Paris and notices the Louvre was just two stops away from the Tivoli Gardens’ Christmas market we planned to go to, so we spontaneously decided to get off. Apple Maps took us into a giant open room of grand pillars, dim lighting, and a tiny glass structure on the other entrance at the end of the hall of pillars.

“This is so cool,” I said to my friend, soon before I realized this was just the entryway to what is actually the Louvre at the end of this hall. It might seem lackluster just in writing, but this is one of the most beautiful, intimate, and thoughtful presentations I’ve seen of a European historical structure. The Louvre slowly got bigger and more defined as we walked through the echoing hall.

While the Louvre was incredible in many, many ways, both of my tours of it inside and out, one of the first things I noticed is the detail of the palace courtyard that it sits in. The square courtyard fascinated me in its parallel to the commonality of plazas/courtyards found all around Spain, my home base while abroad. It was cool to see how another cultures presented a plaza and the architectural style differences.

The Louvre is the main attraction, right? But it only gets better, making it to me arguably just as beautiful to take a moment to observe the great detail in the encompassing palace’s walls and exterior, hand-carved details.

Preserving Details

From its medieval fortress origins to the refined Renaissance and classical French elements added over centuries, to its intricate façades of ornate carvings, statues, and grand columns that embody the grandeur of French monarchy and artistic innovation: These are just some of the details that make Paris so unique.

I soon came to realize that everything in Paris has a “grand entrance.“ Not only are its tourist attractions and artwork great, but the buildings they’re in have so much detail and care and effort put in. Not all European countries have put so much focus on details as France. 

Take for example the Studio, pictured above, in the Louvre. While they could’ve just put these incredible humanistic statues in a square room with lifeless walls and called it a day, Paris decided why not put them in what resembles a park where you can have an interactive experience, and from different levels ? (I’m not going to lie, this has always been on my bucket list to see even though Paris was not, and it was as amazing as it looks in pictures. The art feels scary-real in this presentation, but so so cool!)

My Love for Coffee Shops? Yeah, It Just Grew

Coffee shops, cafes, and vintage stores are everywhere. And it’s not just the name of the coffee shop listed on the building; the entrances of these are incredible and a work of art themselves.

Paris isn’t afraid to be different and bold with colorways and design. It is one of the things that I LOVE about the French. It is a reminder to us all that creativity is still needed and alive.

Living In Symmetrical Beauty

The apartments and their BALCONIES. The little plants lining the terraces, the way the light hits them, some with stringed, dainty lights draped along branches and rod iron spindles, and all of their uniformity. They never got tiring to look at, and something I was so fascinated by. Paris takes an ordinary building and turns it into something out of a fairytale.

The Seine at Night

One of my favorite views of European cities is at night, especially the city lights of Paris reflecting and glowing across the great width of the Seine that trails peacefully throughout the whole city. It was one of my favorite things, making me understand why Paris gets its label as a “romantic” city, as it is quite an unreal landscape.

At night, the Seine mirrors the twinkling cityscape in its gentle, waving currents made by effortlessly cruising canal boats. The golden glow of Parisian streetlights dances across the water, while iconic landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame cast their reflections, creating an otherworldly tapestry of shimmering beauty that feels almost dreamlike.

This was so beautiful to me that I actually don’t have a photo because as much as I love photography, I’ve realized over the past few years to put your phone/camera down and LIVE in the moment. This scenery of nightime Paris was so beautiful it couldn’t really of been captured on camera. So, to whoever is reading this, you’ll just have to go and see it for yourself. 🙂

Takeaways

Paris is many things, but it is more than what anyone might tell you. From a girl who never had Paris at the top of her list, to now leaving and thinking about my Paris adventures almost everyday and wanting to go back to the incredible architecture, the best bread and pastries in the world, the creative coffeeshops and vintage stores that seem to be endlessly tucked into every street, inspiring fashion and much, much more, Paris is one that should be high on your bucket list.

It only made me wonder, if the capital is this stunning and lively, what the smaller towns and coastal life in France are like. There is so much to this beautiful country, and a lot left to be explored of this magical city.

Hannah Dres is a student at the University of Denver and an ISA Featured Photo Blogger. She is studying with ISA in Madrid, Spain.