Thoughts on Paris a week after the attacks

It's now a week since the attacks, and so much has changed. This is how I feel the atmosphere in Paris has changed over the last week; drastically, but not irreparably.
For one, people are scared, and understandably so. The other day when me and a friend were getting lunch from a place just inside Invalides metro station, a siren went off because somebody went through the wrong barrier. Everyone jumped and looked terrified, including the armed policemen who were patrolling, and during the brief moment before I realised there was no danger, my brain went into overdrive and I was prepared to run.
I'm slowly becoming used to seeing armed police everywhere. Yesterday I was on the métro and turned round to be faced with a machine gun. The policeman holding it was chatting with his colleague, which made the whole thing a lot less terrifying, but a little unnerving all the same.
Now, my bag is always being checked, even before being allowed into a supermarket. Security is being stepped up absolutely everywhere. Also, pretty much every big public event in the near future has been cancelled, including the turning on of the Christmas lights on the Champs-Elysées, which shows how seriously the authorities are taking public safety (and rightly so).

Have my own feelings about Paris changed? Yes and no. Something like this so close to home is horrible, and upon hearing the news that an attack was planned for La Défense (which I walk through on my way to work five days a week) I felt physically sick. This week, it has been hard to feel safe, but I am getting there.
However, I am trying to stay positive. The Paris that I know and love is still there, beneath everything. The lights of the cafés and cinemas of Montparnasse are still shining. This may sound silly, and I apologise if so, but the terrorists have already taken enough. They cannot take the spirit of this city too.

Just three hours before the attacks, I was sitting on the steps of La Grande Arche at La Défense. The whole of the business district was lit up in the dusk, the lights from the skyscrapers glimmering against the backdrop of the purple sky. I could see right to the Arc de Triomphe, with a shimmering column of white and red lights from the traffic going towards it. It was so beautiful that I just sat there and let the city buzz around me. I felt at home, and very, very safe.
The memory of this feeling is what is keeping me calm, and it gives me little nudges whenever I hear a siren, or see that yet another suspicious package has been found on the métro (this past week, this has been happening pretty much every hour, no exaggeration).

On Monday, I made a spontaneous decision to go to the Place de la République for the memorial at noon. It was very moving to take part in the minutes silence with hundreds of others, and to see the monument in the centre covered with flowers, candles and messages of peace and hope.
I also went with some people to see the Eiffel Tower lit up in the colours of the French flag, which was incredible.

Fluctuat nec mergitur- she is tossed by the waves, but does not sink. The motto of Paris has never been more apt.

K x

A sad day for Paris.

After the events of yesterday evening, Paris is in mourning. Having been advised not to go out, I'm in my room trying to concentrate on my essay...which is near impossible, because last night countless people lost their lives for no reason other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Paris feels like a warzone.

Last night, we were all gathered in the kitchen until the early hours checking the news and calling friends. I couldn't believe that whilst we were sitting there, free and out of danger, there was a hostage situation taking place just across town, and people were fighting for their lives.
Although the events that were unfolding were horrific, it was heartwarming to hear that all Taxis were made free so that people could get home, and that people were opening up their apartments to strangers who were stranded. It gave me hope that human kindness was prevailing through the chaos and fear.

After spending a while debating whether it was safe or not, I popped to the corner shop one street away, on the usually busy Boulevard du Montparnasse. Today, however, there was almost no traffic and the few people I did see were glancing around them warily. Usually I would take a leisurely stroll listening to music; this time, I walked quickly, on high alert.

I think it will take a while for me, and for countless others, to feel safe in Paris again, or anywhere for that matter. The very vibe of the city is different, I feel. People are terrified, and for that reason all day I've been hearing rumours of a loud bang here, sirens heard there, etc. Fortunately it was just paranoia and nothing serious, but it just shows how deeply this has affected everyone.

It's also important to pray for the other places in the world where attacks have taken place this week, such as Beirut. The tragedy has not been very widely reported in Western media, and this saddens me. This week I'm going to take time to think and pray for everyone affected, and try and donate to a charity. That way I'll at least feel as if I'm doing something to help, however little.

Thank you to everyone that called, texted or messaged to ask if I was okay. I love you all. I'm thinking and praying for the victims families; it's difficult to feel fortunate to be safe when you know that so many others aren't.

K x

The Montparnasse Tower, Halloween in Paris, and discovering monuments by accident

Another week in Paris, and as usual my fridge is empty (well, the measly half-shelf that belongs to me in the fridge, that is), I have a pile of washing to do, and my library books are sitting on my desk giving me accusing looks as they will soon be overdue. Paris or no Paris, the student clichés are still the same!

Last week I did something I've been meaning to do for a long time; I went up the Montparnasse Tower! A bit of background info before I start gushing about the view; from what I've heard, Parisians consider this tower to be the Eiffel Tower's ugly stepsister. There's a joke that the view from the top is the best, because you see everything except the tower itself! 

However, I actually quite like it. It may not be pretty, but it serves as a friendly marker to me of where my beloved quartier is, and at night it lights up, which the child in me loves. And of course, the view is beautiful! 

I would recommend going up at night. When the city is lit up (bar the Montparnasse cemetery, which is a little creepy), you honestly feel as if you are on top of the world. I have no idea as to how many miles you can see, but as the region is quite flat, everything is spread out at your feet. Plus, the Eiffel Tower sparkles for 5 minutes on the hour, every hour until midnight I believe. Go, and take a friend so you can marvel together about how impossibly beautiful everything is. (My friend Josh was very patient with all my ramblings about how amazing the view was!) 

Another great experience was the super thick hot chocolate from one of the cafés in the Place Des Vosges (I can't remember the name, but it's to your left when you're facing Victor Hugo's house). 

Unfortunately I have yet to find the perfect coffee shop, but the Café Guynemer (rue Guyenmer, by the Jardin du Luxembourg) came pretty close! I went there for a catch up with a girl I knew at college and her friend. They were only in Paris for a couple of days so it was great to meet with them, and explore Montmartre a bit together. It was nice to hear stories about home, but also a little surreal, as it feels as if light years have passed since I was living at home and going to college.

Whoever said that French people don't do Halloween certainly hasn't been in Paris at this time of year! I rushed out to buy a Venetian mask the day of a Halloween party, and ended up queuing for 15 minutes outside a small shop that was stuffed full of people trying to find costumes and decorations. Once inside, claustrophobic was not the word. I'm surprised I even managed to get to the till.

I then had to pick up some ingredients for dinner with my friend, which was also a struggle because out of the three shops I went to, none had bacon! Has bacon not caught on over here, or am I just looking in the wrong places?! Armed with a Venetian mask, a leek and bacon fillets (the only thing I could find), I got on the métro and received some very odd looks. The evening then went as follows; my first experience of Lizzie's legendary bacon, leeks and pasta, then onto a bar on rue Oberkampf to meet up with tipsy British students covered in fake blood. All in all, a pretty good night!

On Saturday, I was faced with a choice; do research for my next essay, or grab a vélib and go on a bike ride all around Paris. Of course, I chose the latter, and spent a couple of hours discovering boulevards and squares that I never knew existed! The 2nd/3rd arrondissement is great for this because there's lots of little side streets to explore. I cycled along in no particular direction, thinking about how I should visit the Porte St Denis, when I turned a corner and there it was in front of me! It's actually pretty impressive, and in an area that isn't necessarily on the tourist radar (please correct me if I'm wrong!), so I would definitely recommend a visit, accompanied by a ramble around the quartier.

Although it's Reading Week this week, I'm staying put in Paris with babysitting duties and a large pile of work to get through.

Bisous, 

K x