A moveable feast - Paris

The theme of this week’s check-in was “Sharing an Unforgettable Travel Memory”, so I looked through WeChat Moments and suddenly recalled more than one unforgettable trip, including the beautiful retro Paris and the sunny beach of Cannes. , there is the misty Suzhou in the south of the Yangtze River, and the classical and pure Putuo Mountain... So I want to write a series of unforgettable travels to make up for the regret that I have traveled all over the country for so many years but forgot to record them in writing in time.

Before I went to Paris, I didn’t know this sentence; after I arrived in Paris, I still didn’t believe it; it wasn’t until I left Paris that I understood this sentence.

Paris shines with beauty in memory. Not counting the number of transfers or entry, I have been to Paris 5 times in total, and each time I had a different experience and gain.

The first time I went to Paris was in the summer of 2015. When I was an undergraduate student in the United States, I went to Nantes, France, to attend summer classes. However, I was so confused that I realized that I had not applied for a visa to France one day before the flight took off. So, I hurried to Washington to apply for the legal signature. The other classmates were all Americans and could travel to France for a short period of time without a visa, so I broke away from the group and flew to France alone a week after the semester started. I stayed in Paris for a day, which I had long dreamed of. I walked all the way along the Seine River to the bottom of the Eiffel Tower, and then took countless selfies with the tower. During the trip, I met a Sri Lankan flight attendant who only stayed in Paris for one day, so we boarded the Arc de Triomphe together. This majestic building was built to commemorate Napoleon's victory over the Russian and Austrian forces at the Battle of Austerlitz. From the top of the Arc de Triomphe, you can overlook the entire central city of Paris. You can see the entire 12 streets of Paris in a radial shape, extending outward from the center of the Arc de Triomphe, like stars, so it is also called the "Star Square". I heard that in order to protect ancient buildings, no house in the central area of ??Paris can be higher than the Arc de Triomphe. Therefore, there are no modern high-rise buildings in the central area, and the whole city is full of retro atmosphere.

The second time I went to Paris was in the winter of 2017. My husband came all the way to visit me when I was a graduate student in France. We had a wonderful Christmas Eve in Paris. The lights lit up on both sides of the Seine, like a flowing gorgeous silk. The brightly lit Notre Dame de Paris stands on the ?le de la Cité in the Seine River, like a dignified and beautiful saint, shining with white light in the dark night. In order to welcome Christmas, a huge Christmas tree was placed in the square in front of Notre Dame de Paris. The Christmas tree was decorated with light blue lights, making it look like a fairy tree in a fairyland.

We had a delicious French Christmas Eve meal on the boat, with several different kinds of glasses and bottles in front of us. Then, the cruise ship slowly moved along the Seine River and came to the foot of the iconic Eiffel Tower. The Eiffel Tower shines with golden light at night. At the top of the hour, white dots of light will flash on the golden coat. Under the iron tower are the flowing rivers and people singing and laughing. Various hotels and boats are colorful in the dark night, full of festive atmosphere.

After getting off the cruise ship, at exactly 12 midnight, we followed the turbulent flow of people to the midnight mass in Notre Dame de Paris. I saw the elegant, solemn and magnificent decoration in the church. A huge wreath symbolizing Christmas was hung above the center of the church, and European retro chandeliers were lit. Some people came to watch, and some came to worship devoutly. The white marble pillars are full of classical charm under the lights, as if they still tell the glory of Catholicism after a hundred years of wind and frost.

The third time I went to Paris was in the summer of 2018. This time I stayed longer than before and spent a bittersweet summer vacation in Paris. My husband was also on vacation at the time, so he applied for a French visa to come to France to stay with me for a few days. I moved my family to Paris at that time. We first found a small room in the 5th district of Paris. Paris is a place where every inch of land is precious. A house of about 10 square meters can be sold. If it is in a prime location, it will be expensive. We finally booked a small room of only 16 square meters on Airbnb (a global homestay booking platform) in advance. However, due to years of disrepair, we soon discovered serious problems. That means there are bed bugs in the room. Unfortunately, I was bitten several times. At that time, I had a fever and discomfort all over my body due to skin inflammation, so I went to see a doctor for consultation. Since this is a highly portable insect, the landlord said the house was uninhabitable and I had to move out. After I emptied my luggage, she asked someone to come and disinfect it. Because of his limited travel days, my husband had to go back to school, leaving me to handle a lot of luggage alone.

The B&B we stayed in at that time was very close to the Pantheon, a scenic spot, and there was an endless stream of tourists. Every tourist has a satisfied and relaxed smile. But I was handling a lot of luggage alone in this romantic place... I bought disinfectant alcohol from the drugstore, put on rubber gloves, and started wiping my luggage one by one. With nowhere to go, I could only sleep in a hotel for a few nights and then find a place to stay during the summer vacation. Fortunately, I met a Chinese girl while eating noodles. She introduced me to a house that I could move into immediately. Although it was not in Little Paris but in Grand Paris, it was still a stable and clean place to live. Since then, I have really stayed away from old houses in Paris.

To be happy, during our short trip to Paris, my husband and I went to the Opera Garnier and enjoyed a modern dance performance. The opera house is really splendid, retro and gorgeous, which is amazing. The dancer's light dance moved everyone present, and everyone held their breath to watch it carefully. At the end of the performance, everyone stood up and cheered and applauded.

Not far from the small B&B, there are the relaxing and romantic Luxembourg Gardens, as well as the academic botanical gardens and the Museum of Paleontology. We also visited the Museum of Mankind, the European House of Photography, and three famous art museums in Paris: the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay, and the Center Pompidou. The beautiful artistic atmosphere and profound cultural heritage left a deep impression on us.

What impressed me the most was Monet's "Water Lilies" series. They were several huge oil paintings. When you look closely, all the patterns are scrawled brushstrokes, with blue mixed with green and green in between. Permeated with purple, the purple is mixed with pink, and the pink is mixed with a little white. When you get closer, you can't tell why. Only when you look at it from a distance, it's an impressionistic water lily painting. It is very consistent with the description of the lotus in "The Theory of Love of the Lotus", "It can only be viewed from a distance, not played with."

The fourth time I went to Paris was in the summer of 2018. I was determined to move to Paris again because I was too obsessed with Paris. That summer, I witnessed the exciting moment when the French national football team won the World Cup championship with my friends in a bistro in the center of Paris. The French people all around stood up and cheered and danced. The entire center of Paris has lost traffic order. Pedestrians were seen walking in groups in the middle of the road, holding hands and singing the French national anthem "Marseillaise." The sound of car horns is endless. The sunset over the Seine River also comes to join in the fun, with red, orange and yellow gradients appearing in the blue sky, and the red sunset setting off the water of the Seine River in a particularly charming way.

On the French National Day, there will be a fireworks show at the Eiffel Tower. I saw fireworks of different shapes blooming over the Eiffel Tower, and some fireworks were also ejected from the tower, paired with various styles of music, making the scene extremely romantic and lively. The crowd was noisy, and people sat on the ground in the square in front of the tower. Some lovers kissed under the fireworks, and some friends gathered under the fireworks. It was a beautiful moment.

The fifth time I went to Paris was in the spring of 2019. I went to Paris with a few Scottish international student friends. I went with them to revisit places of interest, such as Notre Dame de Paris and Orsay. museum. The spring style in Paris is extremely refreshing, neither cold nor hot, and the wind carries the depth of history and culture. I love to watch the night view along the Seine River the most. The dark green branches and leaves reveal a little bit of water ripples and the lights reflected on the water complement each other, and together they decorate the gorgeous Paris night. I never tire of looking at the flowing Seine River and the scenery around it. Every time I go there, it has a different kind of beauty. It seems like the water of life in Paris, with thousands of years of history and brilliant art and culture, it is slowly flowing. flow.

Now, after leaving Paris, I will think of it, both bitter and sweet. The romance of wandering among historical sites and artistic masterpieces is unforgettable, and the fatigue of moving around in the hot summer is also laughable. An article cannot explain the profound cultural heritage of Paris, let alone describe the scenery I have seen in detail. The city of Paris, especially the long banks of the Seine, has allowed me to visit it alone, as well as with love and friendship. Beautiful Paris, you are truly like a moveable feast, flowing slowly in my memory.

Qi Fanqi’s 5th 28-day Writing Growth Camp Chapter (20) (2894) words, totaling (29523) words.

Check-in for Week 4 Theme 2: Share an unforgettable travel memory