City of Light, City of Dreams

by Delerine Munzeer

Perhaps the powers that be were in a benign mood when they decided to bathe Paris with soft golden sunshine mitigating the crisp and chilly air, prompting many Parisians to inform the writer that we were experiencing "June weather in April." Whatever the reason, it allowed us to leave our umbrellas in our suitcases,

 and venture forth to discover the French capital in the most comfortable circumstances.

Of course Paris is rich in museums, art galleries and monuments, the Louvre, Eiffel Tower and Pompidou Centre among the most popular sights, many of them having miraculously survived wars and revolution - some of them for a thousand years or more.

But to me, it was the romance of a boat ride along the River Seine that would probably stay etched in my memory for a very long time.

I had always had a penchant for the tune "Under the Bridges of Paris," and still recall the words of that old song - "How would you like to be, down by the Seine with me, under the bridges of Paris with you, I'll make your dreams come true..." But I had never understood exactly what it meant until I embarked on a massive "Bateaux Mouches" or pleasure boat and sailed along "under the bridges" - stunned by their beauty and the intricate sculptures adorning each one.

Practically every building of note in Paris is either along the river bank or within a stone's throw of it, from the Eiffel Tower and the Musee d'Orsay to the Louvre and Hotel de Ville. I had read that the French music-hall star

Mistinguett once described the Seine as "a pretty blonde with laughing eyes."

The river most certainly has a flirtatious quality to it, but the relationship between its flowing waters and the city of Paris is far more tenacious than a mere dalliance. Paris is also a city of churches - one can hardly walk down a street without coming across a grand and very old church, each one with a unique history of its own.

Being able to celebrate Easter Sunday Mass at the Notre-Dame Cathedral was the highlight of our visit to this city. Spectacular is the only word I can use to describe this most extraordinary monument with its 90 mt. spire and world renowned flying buttresses.

Construction on this work of faith had commenced in 1163 but it was not completed until 1345, making it range in style between Romanesque and Gothic. The hushed interior contains many chapels, tombs and statues. The sacristy on the south side is where the treasures of Notre-Dame are kept - medieval manuscripts, religious

 items and relics including the Crown of Thorns.

Sacre-Coeur is a white neo-Romanesque-Byzantine edifice built in honour of the 58,000 dead of the Franco-Prussian war. Priests still work in relays to maintain the tradition of perpetual prayer for forgiveness of the horrors of war and the atonement for the dead. The square bell tower houses one of the world's heaviest bells - "La Savoyarde" - which weighs 21 tons.

The Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal is where the body of Saint Catherine Laboure lies visible for adoration by the many thousands who pass through its hallowed portals everyday.

The Opera Quarter was another area in Paris that magnetically drew us to its attractions not once but many times during our stay in the city. It has been said that the whole world will pass you by if you sit for long enough at the Cafe de la Paris located opposite the Opera National Garnier. This might be a slight exaggeration, but it certainly seems possible when one sees the massive flow of humans passing by.

The fact that this area is also lined with department stores, is an added attraction. The Galleries Lafayette drew us like moths to a flame - the beautiful bags and accessories created by Louis Vuitton, Chloe and Longchamp, jewellery dreamed up by Chopard and Chanel, eyewear by Prada and Christian Dior, cosmetics and beautiful silk scarves were mind - boggling to say the least.

Savouring sweet Nutella Crepes and the variety of choices from regional French to North African and Lebanese cuisine, was a delight in this city often described as the Capital of Gastronomy.

Riding the Carousels which seem to dot Paris proved to be enticing not only for my children and my little granddaughter - my husband and I too climbed aboard and rode around, enjoying the experience of forgetting ourselves for a moment and truly enjoying the sheer pleasure of music and movement.

Strolling down the Champs-Elysees and climbing the 284 steps to the terrace of the Arc de Triomphe, the ultimate symbol of Napoleon's military might; observing with considerable awe, the vast beauty of the Musee du Louvre which started out as a medieval castle; drinking in its treasures including its star attraction - the Mona Lisa; taking in the unique addition, the Louvre's glass pyramid which is like a gigantic cut diamond and recalling the explanation given to its creation by author Dan Brown in his controversial book - "The Da Vinci Code"; standing in a queue for over two hours before riding up to the top of the Eiffel Tower from where we stood in awe, admiring the view of the city spread before us - these were just some of the delights savoured during our holiday in Paris.

And it was sheer good luck I learned after and not before I undertook the expedition to the Eiffel Tower, that this cast-iron structure created by Gustave Eiffel for the 1889 Exposition Universelle, sways no more than 6 to 7 cm (2.5 inches) in high winds!

I could go on and on but a description of this city would be incomplete without mention made of the women of

 Paris! Being used to seeing the rather casual style of dress adopted today by women in general in most parts of the world - jackets and pants, jeans and cotton shirts or sweaters being the most favoured, what I noticed with great satisfaction was that most women in Paris were very elegant in their choice of attire.

And it did not seem to matter whether they were the young and trendy or of an older vintage - most of them had at least one high quality accessory to set off their chosen attire. It might be an antique piece of jewellery, a designer bag or scarf, but they were all perfectly colour coordinated and extremely elegant.

Embarking on this "Parisian Holiday" with some trepidation, having been informed that if one does not speak the language, a visitor might not be made to feel very welcome, I soon realised that this reputation is undeserved. Maybe we were lucky, but all we ever encountered were very pleasant and helpful Parisians who volunteered to assist us the moment we whipped out a Metro map or a guide book.

We discovered that the food and wine are just by celebrated. French culture, literature, art and architecture are profound. In fact, whether you might be in search of a sensual or cerebral experience, Paris is a city in which anyone might feel completely at ease...