Halfway through my family’s winter trip to Paris, I felt a sense of urgency to make sure that I took full advantage of the opportunity to be in this bustling capital of the world. Since it would be my last time visiting Paris as a high school student, I wanted to experience all of the fancy, marvelous places that I never got to see in my flat, suburban hometown. At the same time, I will fondly remember planning the family itinerary for visiting all the key spots in Paris from the perspective of being an innocent, wide-eyed teenager.
One of the major spots I wanted to visit was the Eiffel Tower. France not only has a discerning eye for fashion but also has amazing taste in architecture. Everyone might know about the Eiffel Tower very well, but they don’t know why it was made. While planning for Paris, I thought doing so would make the moment more impressive and long-lasting in memory to immerse myself fully in the historical aspects and background.
The Eiffel Tower was built for the 1889 Exposition Universelle, a World Fair, which marked the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. It was supposed to be demolished after 20 years, but it was preserved because of its role as an enormous antenna.
The Eiffel Tower’s appearance, even though both day and night were mesmerizing, I found the view Eiffel Tower at night superior. I continuously searched for the best place to see the tower and found les Jardins du Trocadéro. It was a perfect place to see the overall architectural view without any cut-offs.
The clear navy sky did not seem to have any single hint of pollution, and twinkling lights wound up the tower, creating a captivating luminescence. In front of the Eiffel Tower, I imagined becoming a movie star walking a red carpet. Tower was much larger than I had expected. It could be seen in infinite directions and distances, and every single view was iconic.
Halfway through the trip, we gathered with thousands of people to watch the New Year countdown at the Arc de Triomphe. As the clock approached midnight, more and more people crowded around, and people everywhere filled the atmosphere with the sounds of their laughter and joyful shrieks.
I watched a montage of France’s most visually stunning spectacles on a big screen erected in front of the Arc de Triomphe. It was mainly about the upcoming Olympics in Paris and also displayed the flags of various nations. The trees were lined up like giant broomsticks along the main street of the Champs Elysées. They were decorated with a multitude of colorful lights that illuminated the night sky above us. There was no room, not even for a mouse, as we were all squeezed together.
The countdown began, and my heart pounded like marching band drums. The crowd erupted into cheers as the clock struck twelve, and my family–my mom, my dad, and my brother–tightly embraced one another and welcomed the amazing new year with a smile on our faces.
This year was different from the previous years when my family and relatives gathered at my grandmother’s house to celebrate the new year. We would eat cakes, blow out candles, and watch the New Year’s countdown on live TV— all which were humdrum. I suppose I was not the only one who thought the countdown in Paris was worthwhile as people threw a lot of money into attending this one-time event.
Visiting France at this time, surprisingly, worked so well since I had just acquired the profound historical background of France and its revolution. Understanding the historical purposes of the architecture, like the Palace of Versailles and monuments in the Louvre, facilitated me in becoming more involved in French culture. All of which could be fledgling ideas to those who haven’t studied it before.
Looking at the Palace of Versailles, knowing that it was built from the taxes of the middle and working classes, I thought of how much had to be collected in order to build the magnificent palace.
One of the most famous places in the Place is the Galerie des Glaces, or Hall of Mirrors. Back then, even though producing flat and arched mirrors was very challenging, the Hall of Mirrors was entirely made up of mirrors on both sides. All of which was made possible by the fact that only a single craftsman in Venice could make it.
Using the sunlight as it came in and reflected off all of the mirrors, I believe King Louis XIV was quite brilliant and clever. When the sun sets, the sunlight comes in, and the light is reflected, creating a symphony of light from both sides. The sunbeams reflected from both sides reflect on the chandeliers on the walls and ceiling.
In this influx of sunlight, Louis XIV sat in a golden chair at the end of the room. This was purposely used for meetings with foreign envoys to give a striking impression. King Louis XIV sat solemnly in the light, which would have been intimidating — offering a powerful image of France.
If you plan to visit the Palace of Versailles, you cannot miss the garden at the back of the palace. During my visit amid winter, the garden looked bare and leafless. I did not get to witness any freshly sprouted and vivacious trees, which prevented me from fully understanding the royal’s leisurely and aristocratic life. However, it was boundless beyond words. The lake spread out endlessly and lining up flawlessly.
On one of the last days of the trip, we stopped at the Musée d’Orsay, Musée de L’Orangerie, and the Louvre Museum. I hoped to look at all the pieces one by one, moreover, to keep them in my mind for a long time. However, I failed; there were too many. Nonetheless, I still saw art pieces from some of the most well-known artists.
The works of Monet touched my heart and made me fully understand the majesty of French artwork. At his home in Giverny, he made an artificial garden—les jardins de Claude Monet—as a model to use for paintings. I was most keen on his pieces since they were beautiful, abstract descriptions of landscapes. I felt envious of the French people being able to visit these works in their day-to-day lives and closely.
Visiting the sights of Paris inspired me. It gave me time to recharge myself away from my chaotic life back in California; I experienced a happiness like never before. Even though some people were somewhat detached from the travelers, there were also warm-hearted people, which made me feel a strong bond even with foreigners we had just met.
On Christmas, we met a mother and her daughter in a restaurant who sent us a bottle of house wine without any strings attached. It was a very touching and comforting memory. We started to have a short conversation with each other and wished each other well for the New Year. It turned out that they were from Singapore, which made me think of my own favorable memories from my trip to Singapore seven years ago.
Even though it’s easy to assume that strangers are mainly concerned with themselves or doing things for their own benefit, I experienced the opposite in Paris. Through this encounter with this mother and daughter at the restaurant, their contribution was unexpected, and it made me feel a sense of support and warmth from people I had never met before.
I began pondering about the theory of whether humans are good or evil by nature. It is not the human instinct to be greedy, but modern society has encouraged this quality in us. This simple act of sharing a bottle of wine, even though I couldn’t drink it, gave me evidence to believe that humans are good by nature.
