Paris, je t’aime

Yesterday I wandered through the streets of Paris. The sun illuminated the golden statues on the roof of Opera Garnier, a sight I’ve passed many times, and I thought about how a city changes between visits.

Ghosts of arias past.

During the nineties I got lost in the northeastern suburbs. During the 00s I sang from the stage of Moulin Rouge and imitated Quasimodo the hunchback in Place des Vosges.

For some strange reason they decided to let me back in the country after all that, and here I am.

Street spirit.

Even though the city itself is changing, as well as the inhabitants, I believe most of the perceived change is coming from within. I am certainly not the same person as I was on my first visit to Paris. This is one part of my love for traveling, to see familiar things through new eyes.

“Paris is the beautiful jewel in France’s crown, unshamedly snobbish and outrageously rude. Parisians are renowned for their rudeness. Once they hear a foreign accent or French rural dialect they react like you are infectious.”
— Marc Almond, In Search of the Pleasure Palace (2004)

Chasing ghosts can be a disappointing experience. One might as well discover that the former magic simply is not there anymore. We often try to recreate something that can’t be recreated. What makes the difference is mostly about the company, not the surroundings. And people always change.