We have visited so many places on our trip and I’ve been looking at the different levels of detail as we go along. Some places let the architecture speak for itself while others have such elaborate room decorations that it’s hard to know where to look. Sometimes I find myself staring at ceilings for minutes on end, and sometimes I can stare at a blank wall just to see how it might have been made.
The Opera Garnier is one example of high levels of decoration. It was so decorated and had so many levels to visualize that it was hard to know where to look first. When we went to the Chateau Vincennes the day after, the decoration was near none, but still had so many places to look and think about. Some of the prison cells had paintings on the walls that made it slightly more decorated, but overall the idea was to have the buildings serve a purpose.
As well the chapel at Vincennes was very simple but still decorated. The stained glass was pretty, but not nearly as ornate as some other churches. When compared to the Saint Chapelle, which had so many different levels of detail and places to look, it was a simple vibe.
For Bastille day, it seemed like many people had different ideas for what they were going to do. I was in a group that decided to go to the fireworks on the 13th instead of the 14th. It was way more chill and we were able to hang out and have a picnic while watching a firework show with music. It was hard to know where to look because of the closeness we had to the fireworks, and the amount of fireworks going off. But it was definitely a more enjoyable experience than attempting to go near the Eiffel Tower…
On Bastille Day, I went to the Pantheon and the Luxembourg gardens to read. The Pantheon had a lot of decoration from the architecture to the paintings on the walls. Also on Bastille day, they had a little quartet that was playing some tunes at the Pantheon. It was lovely to just sit and listen to the music (with great acoustics might I add) while staring at the building surrounding.
I have been enjoying the simple picnic dinners at a park, and vice versa with the sit down restaurants where they don’t let you leave for two hours. I’ve found that taking meal times slower and actually having meaningful conversations with those you are sitting with is quite fun and I’m looking forward to more!
Au Revoir from Ellie in Paris