Paris!

So as some of you know and some of you don't, I spent the last week or so in Paris on a personal adventure and art quest. My accomodations, a flat rented out over the summer, was located in Montparnasse, the neighborhood of philosophers on the southern side of the city. If you ever go to Paris, I would completely recommend this particular kind of lodging because I felt like I really was living in Paris instead of just staying at hotel or hostel as a tourist. It also provides a kitchen with whatever cooking utensils the person chooses to leave available so you can make your own food--very convenient and cheap :).
Anyways, the entire experience was an aesthetic dream. Yes, the museums were fantastic (the Louvre by far being my least favorite, sad to say, just too old of stuff :) but it was the culture that fascinated me the most. It is an entire culture of people that are raised with artistic appreciation and fashionable taste. And how could one not be? Even the seedier parts of the city have beautiful architecture and tree-lined boulevards with benches and parks.
Every day was an overload of the visual senses. There are ancient sculptures or majestic fountains in every plaza. The people dress with taste, even when going on a picnic in the local park, which is a very common experience. Even dining is considered an experience and the food is always presented in an incredible arrangement that makes your mouth water. The bakeries are the best. The colors of the fruit and the pastries make them seem impossible to resist. And of course, the cappucinos come with cocoa sprinkled on top of the foam. Can life really be anymore visually (or tastefully) satisfying? :)
I happened upon modern sculpture gardens mixed in with the old and found the modern part of the city just as fascinating as the older parts. The Modern Museum of Art was by far my favorite museum and the Madeleine Cathedral was my favorite cathedral, not for the architecture but for the surprise modern sculpture I happened upon inside. An assignment had been given to local current artists to create modern interpretations of the architectural and sculptural elements of the cathedral and these pieces were then displayed by and around the elements in the cathedral itself (with explanations that of course, I couldn't read :). The artists used the normal elements of sculpture including metals and plaster but also branched out into cloth and plastic bottles. One copied the inside of some of the architecture using all plastic bottles, another with cloth. Sculptures of Mary, the cross, and the saints were scattered, one of light metal wire suspended from the ceiling. It was absolutely fascinating and by far the best thing I happened upon by chance.
All of that to say, while I would never bore of visiting Paris again and again and again, it is not some place I would like to live. It would become a fashion death trap and far too proper of a social situation for me to ever want to conform to. It is a fascinating way of life to observe but one I would probably find suffocating after the first month. Shoot, the looks of disgust I drew when I burped were enough to tell me that!