Lately
In the past few weeks, I've been exploring Paris without my camera. (Okay, well, except for my iPhone camera...I'm on Instagram on the regular.) The city has a bit of a hold on me--much more than I thought it would, to be honest--and I'm enjoying spending a little time with it one on one, with only my eyes seeing and experiencing what's going on around me.
In other words, I think I feel like I live here a little bit.
I went through this when I moved to New York (and to London before that, way back in the day). It's a time when the razzle-dazzle of a new place loses a bit of its shine, and starts to emerge as something familiar and comfortable. It doesn't make the city less beautiful; it's actually more so, I'd argue.
One of the first times I noticed I was feeling more comfortable was a couple of days ago, when I broke rule #3 of my Paris Plan. For the first time ever, I walked to the metro wearing earbuds, listening to a song on iTunes. (I know! Gasp!) I really needed the energy of music that day, and the trek to the train station is familiar enough now that I could allow myself to get lost in a song, and give Paris a soundtrack of my own for a minute. It was a bit jarring--especially because I was listening to this jam, which is not exactly a song that is in sync with a stroll along a central Parisian street. But I felt like myself in a city that's unexpectedly feeling more like me on a daily basis. It was weird and wonderful at the same time.
I'm not sure what to do with that feeling. Other than just go with it. But it's nice to find me here, you know?
The Paris Plan - Achieved Today: Rules #14 and 15.
Paris
Reader Comments (3)
Love
Paris is amazing isn't it? I grew up there and took this city for granted. Then, for almost a decade I lived abroad (other european cities and in Africa) until I came back last year. Since my return, I have been taking my time to discover hidden gems in my city, to discover places I had never been before and I am falling in love all over with this city. There are so many secret places... Cannot wait to see where your next one-to-one with Paris takes you :)
Karine
Karine--thanks so much for your comment. How wonderful to fall in love with Paris all over again!