Day 33: Lime, forest, light, dark greeeeeeeeeEn
- Marlena Skrabak
- Jul 11, 2019
- 4 min read
Updated: Aug 21, 2019
Nature to serve us or us to serve nature? That is the question that I start the day with as I surround myself with green, green, and I think I was missing some more green.
Coffee and orange juice for the morning, I set out on the metro towards Parc Georges-Brassens in the 15ème arrondissement, the center of today’s explorations.
Walking around the park, I ended up getting a little too close to nature as the sprinklers went off right where I was standing. Suddenly, I was trapped in a circle of water with no escape in sight. I cannot say I took a shower before my coffee, but I can surely say that I had one after.
Wanting to get a better feel for an arrondissement that I know very little about, I decided to walk alone towards Parc André Citroën where I was taken aback by the modernness of the architecture and the sensation of no longer being in the Paris for which I am familiar with.
Large glass green-houses on either side, the middle was decorated by little springs of water coming out of the concrete. This reminded me greatly of the relatively new park in Nice, France that spans from Place Massena and onwards towards Place Garibaldi. In the middle, there are similar springs of water that people can walk through and cool off with. I wondered if the Nice park was modeled after this one. Taking a stroll through the modern park decorated with thoughtful green spaces amongst purposeful concrete, I felt it was time to move on towards l’Ile-aux-Cygnes.
Whether I denote this as a delightful surprise or not, I came face-to-face with a tiny Statue of Liberty. When I say tiny, this is relative to the one in New York. Apparently, this mini replica was donated to Paris by the American people of Paris…I find this slightly amusing. Like the one in New York, it stands on a pedestal at the edge of an island but instead with the water from the Seine surrounding it on all sides.
If I remember correctly, when my mom home-schooled me in Paris, we went around looking for all the Statue of Liberties that exist in this city. Surprisingly, there are quite a few.
Then one of my new group partners wanted to do pull-ups. What you ask? Well, not only was there a Statue of Liberty for New York, but there was a small rendition of "muscle beach" for Venice, California. Why this type of representation? I could not tell you. All I know is that I did not do pull-ups with her. I felt it was unnecessary to demonstrate my feebleness to the world.
To add to this experience, I had the opportunity to watch a giant dead bloated fish float its way down the side of the river. I then deemed it time to go. Catching the bus towards Montparnasse, we got off around the Gare to try and find the Jardin Atlantique, a little sanctuary of green atop the Gare itself. Hard to find with legs that were crumbling a little bit, the moment a bench appeared I plopped myself down. Trying to recuperate before the walk back, I had to stop myself and appreciate the jungle around me. I found it almost sad that it was so hard to find. It is places like these in a big city that make it special.
Heading to class, there was a little time to spare which meant a quick run to a boulangerie to grab a slice of bakery-style pizza and another quick run to Carrefour for a package of cherry tomatoes. Let me tell you, I had quite the feast.
Class consisted of a discussion on climate change (i.e. the reason for all the park exploring) and most left with heavy hearts about our current situation in this dying world.
After class, Anna and I headed to Place des Vosges with coffees in hand to enjoy a small amount of free time before the ballet that our class was going to. Taking a small nap in the grass, I felt like I could have stayed there forever. Willingly, I would have accepted that fate.
Making our way to the ballet called Tree of Codes at the Opera Bastille, we were struck by the modern architecture of the building. The inside was equally modern and massive, I was amazed by how high up the ceiling stretched. The second balcony that I sat in was intimidatingly high as well, and I knew I had no desire to be standing up in this space, only sitting.
The dance was modern, and I felt it had so much potential. Personally, I felt like it fell flat, missing the mark a bit. Not that they were not individually amazing dancers but chemistry was missing. They needed to need each other on the stage and yet I felt as if each part could have been done entirely as a solo. Maybe that was the goal, but with this lack of connection, I did not feel the power of dance the way I was hoping to feel it. No goosebumps tonight.
Nonetheless, the experience was something else and for that I am eternally grateful.
After the ballet, we met up with some friends at this Italian restaurant in the Marais called Pizza Sant’ Antonio. I ordered a pizza Burratina. During the eating of said pizza, I melted with content as the cheese overload filled my innards with utter satisfaction.
Spending the evening with these people, getting accosted by a strange man by the Seine who was extremely pessimistic about Paris, it was time to head home. Anna and I took the quick stroll and then I immediately knocked out upon contact with my head and pillow.
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