I’ve spent nearly a month in total in the big city. It’s allure is strong and it’s lively and it’s quite the opposite of daily life on the mountain. Here there are new faces, new sounds and plenty of activity in the form of street performers and merchants.
The days were long and while I’ve had a week to recover, I think it officially took me the whole week to recover (though I still have lingering sickness.) I spent long hours (averaging about 10 hours a day) translating and teaching all the while learning new things myself. While I have experienced Paris at night it seemed I took more photos in the evenings this time and perhaps it was the addition of two tourists in my midst I felt more able to stop and take a moment to click the shutter and show off a city that somehow transforms into something entirely new when the sun sets.
Different from other visits in the city, this time was the presidential election. Admittedly I really wanted to go to the Bastille to see the way the French celebrate but because I was so ill I opted for a simple bath and off to bed for me! Not as fun, but probably smart (oh my practical side…) This time, more than ever there were motorcades, demonstrations and also the celebration of the end of WWII on May 8th.