A Walk in Paris

“Paris… is a world meant for the walker alone, for only the pace of strolling can take in all the rich (if muted) detail.” – Edmund White

Salut les lecteurs et bienvenue, je m’apelle Joella. Have you ever had a pop quiz? I’m pretty sure almost everyone can answer this question as yes. But have you ever had a pop test? Yes, you heard me right..POP TEST. I didn’t even know there was such a thing until today, when I had an unexpected test in my Boost Your French class. It was kind of funny because the teacher announced the test and everyone looked at each other and then at her in confusion. Pray for me 😭😷.

But, back to our regularly scheduled program, having adventures in Paris. Today is Wednesday which means tomorrow starts my four-day weekend #litty. So far, this week has been relaxing. I’ve taken my time to walk through the streets of Paris and little “cities” outside of Paris and admire everything. When Edmund White said that only the pace of strolling could take in all the rich details of Paris, he was right. Speed walking down the street of any city, not only Paris, interrupts one’s ability to capture and admire all the little details of the city. This week I took my timing while walking to school and I’m confident that in a few months I will still be able to visualize the streets and Haussmann buildings.

 

This week my cultures class went to Les Passages Couverts et galeries de Paris, which just means the covered passages and galleries of Paris. Les passages couverts were built in the early 19^th century and are mini shopping passages. The passages have boutiques, restaurants, and theaters and there are about 20-25 of them all around Paris, some leading right into each other. I won’t even lie and try to name which passages my class went to because I don’t remember (and the teacher didn’t tell us, she just led us to them…) but I do remember that each passage was different and the stores had a lot of interesting things that you probably wouldn’t find in big shopping malls. My favorite shop was a candy shop (whose name I don’t remember) with chocolate and cookies, it smelled like fairy tales and the samples tasted like happiness. But you see, the way my bank account is set up, I didn’t have the funds to purchase anything although I plan on going back before I leave Paris. There was also another store called aBis (I only remember the name because I was given a business card) and the store had these cute mini music boxes that I also wanted to buy, but alas my bank account. No worries, I will be back to collect my items. All in all, it was a good culture trip. It was a lot of walking but because les passages are not as touristic as the Louvre or the Eiffel tower I was able to see more Parisians than tourists and really experience the culture.

This marks the end of this journal but not to worry, I’ll have more stories to share after this four-day weekend. As for now, I’ll give you another secret to being French: Your taste buds must appreciate the taste of coffee, wine, and baguettes. I have noticed over the past couple weeks that there is a large amount of coffee shops in Paris. There are two across the ESCE campus that are on the same street. The French love their coffee and wine, can’t forget about the wine. For example, an acquaintance I met told me that he drinks wine EVERY day when he eats dinner, like its water #shook. The same goes for baguettes. Every day on my way to school I never fail to see at least 1 person carrying around a baguette. It’s a sight to see. To end the journal, I’ll leave you with a new word: bisou which means kiss 😚.

Until next time, xoxo Joella.