Le Week-end du Patrimoine (Heritage Weekend)

This past weekend I went to Paris to take advantage of what is called “Le Week-end du Patrimoine” which means that almost all monuments and museums plus buildings that are not normally public are open to any person who has the inclination to visit. It happens once a year and it is celebrated all throughout Europe, so all across Europe cities were celebrating their heritage by allowing tourists and citizens alike to view the grand history of the region. Not only was I blessed with the opportunity to do something as extraordinary as that, I was also blessed by one of the most gorgeous weekends I have ever experienced. Paris is a lovely city due to many factors, but it is never as lovely as when the skies are blue and the sun is shining. I had three straight days of nearly cloudless skies and the sunlight that deigned to shine brightly on a buzzing city.
Taking the Friday morning train from Angers to Paris, I had a full three days to be a tourist, which surprisingly allowed us to do many things. Of course, this was now my fourth time in Paris, but I continue to discover new things and always gain a different appreciation for the city. I bought a guide book for the city and I have almost cornered all of the sites to see in Paris, okay, not almost all of them, but a great majority. I love to fold the corners down of the places I have been; I think my goal-oriented quality has transferred over to my sense of tourism…check! Well, my friend from North Central and I started out our trip with a walk through one of the quarters with which I was not extremely familiar, Montparnasse, but I thought that since Montparnasse is our train station, it would be nice to get to know what is around it. There are two sides to Montparnasse, the tower and the newly constructed and ugly modern monstrosities which are very industrially and commercially inclined and then there is the older part where the apartment buildings are flanked in lovely balconies (the majority of which are actually mock) and traditionally Parisian shutters and flower boxes as well as many restaurants, bakeries and theaters. We could tell that it is very much a nighttime district as it was quite deserted in the later morning.
After arriving at my friend’s studio in the suburbs of Paris and dropping off our backpacks (this time we were both carrying only what we needed that fit into too small backpacks and our purses…it made me want to always travel with only a knapsack – more of a feeling than a reality for my future), we decided to leave to go see the park called Bois de Boulogne, a park on the outside of Paris that reminded me a lot like Central Park, even the area that surrounded the park was very sheeshy and I could tell that we were not in the cheap part of the city. It was so pleasant though, with everything you could want in terms of one’s domestic needs: grocery stores, bakeries, repair stores, etc. It is always nice to go and be with the locals for a while and get away from the touristy sites. Although I had somewhat of a map in the guide book I had purchased, we got lost in the park and ended up staying for about three hours, which was truly lovely and not at all unfortunate. On days like that one, I do not mind getting lost nor do I mind walking a little more than expected. The next leg is where I really started to fatigue and feel like the 80 year old who lives inside me (the one who eats prunes, dresses in clothes from the 60’s and 70’s because she never did modernize, and says things like goodness gracious). Taking a metro all across Paris, I had us get out of the metro to find a bakery where I could buy something for my hungry stomach, but unfortunately after buying the bread, we walked the wrong way down the street, had to turn around only to find out the Chateau that we searched was not as close as I had perceived on the map. The poor girl who was traveling with me, she took it all in stride and did not complain once. That is what I like to see because with me, one never knows what is going to happen. I mean, I never know, much less the people who are following me; for this reason, I have never really understood why I am always the one leading the group. I think it has something to do with my decisiveness and the fact that I generally know where I want to go – whether I get there is always a different story. Arriving at Château de Vincennes, I was really happy to see that it was in fact worth the walk and the pain that was throbbing in my knee.
During the two days after the walking adventure (something like ten miles or more that we easily walked in six hours of being in Paris) we saw some unbelievably wonderful sites: the Panthéon, the Madeleine, the Invalides, the Petit Palais, the Place des Vosges, the Place de la Bastille, the Assemblée Nationale, the Senate, and the Orangerie. If I had to choose a favorite I would say the Assemblée Nationale or the Place des Vosges. Despite the fact that this was an extremely extraordinary weekend, we only had to really wait in line for the Assemblée, which lasted maybe 30 minutes if that. Both the Senate and the Assemblée are only open to the public on this weekend. I felt pretty special that I was able to get admission into these grand buildings. What surprised me most was the fact that they were truly filled with an immense amount of splendor. I mean, in the U.S. the capitals of each state and the facades of the Congress and Senate buildings in D.C. are pretty spectacular, but compared to these two buildings, the American buildings look like housing projects. I have never seen so much gold guild and lustrous ornamentation like that in an official building. Of course, I have seen similar things in châteaux like Versailles or in theaters, but never in a government building. It was quite impressive, and not only the sight of the buildings but also the manner in which the people who were keeping watch over the proceedings and had arranged the visit was quite impressive. We were instructed to follow the roped course throughout the buildings to keep the people moving and to give some order to what could have been a free-for-all.
Although small, I really enjoyed the Orangerie, which houses a large collection of Impressionist artwork and most significantly eight large paintings from the series of Monet called “Lily pads.” They were giant-sized canvases that had been in that room there for so long that it was almost impossible to notice that they were in fact painted on canvas and not onto the wall. The curator explained that the paintings had been painted to symbolize peace and were painted in a style that permits the onlookers to see the different seasons and the nuances behind the changing of the weather and of time. Monet wanted his paintings to bring a sense of peace, so when they were transferred to the Orangerie, which is on the side of the Seine and positioned in the famous Tuileries gardens, a room was constructed to go right in front of the two rooms where the paintings were actually placed. This room was simply a completely white oval room, which upon entering, you’re a little confused over why it even exists, maybe going as far as to say like I did, “What a waste!” However, after hearing the woman say how Monet wanted his paintings to bring and symbolize peace, the white room or cleansing chamber made sense. While looking at the paintings, I almost felt like I was under water…a combination of the paintings themselves and the construction of the ceilings which contained a hole in the center that was covered by a thin film of material which inspired the underwater impression.
No trip of mine would be complete without a little drama or some unexpected happenings. Well, my friend and I stayed with one friend the first night and another friend and her family the second night. The friend at whose house we stayed the first night offered to keep our bags for us while we were off sightseeing because he intended to come over to the house and have dinner then go bowling with us. He decided to not have dinner with us but still wanted to go bowling. He told us he would likely be to the bowling alley by 11:30 pm at the latest. The time came and went, and there was still no sign of him. We tried to call him, but there was no answer, so we just decided to let the matter drop and hope all was well. Amazingly, my friend comes sauntering in right as we are getting ready to leave, shoes- returned-money-paid ready to leave. He told us that he got lost, which meant it took about double as long to get there, but in fact, he left at 11:30 pm rather than getting to the alley at 11:30. We played another round for him, so $40 later for each person (an almost unheard of amount in my mind for bowling), we left the alley, jiving to techno music and American remixes. What a weekend and what an opportunity. This was definitely my best experience in Paris thus far and I know that I have yet more times to profit from one of the most beautiful cities in the world.