Monday 17 November 2008

Left vs Right Bank and other thoughts

After a lovely weekend strolling around the 1st arrondissement in Paris, in the place de la Madeleine and rue St Honore, through the Tuileries, and after a lovely lunch there today with some lawyers at my firm, I thought to myself how gorgeous the right bank of Paris is. This is somewhat of a revelation because I always thought I was more of a Left Bank kind of gal. More studenty, more arty, more inclined to love winding streets and secret squares than long wide boulevards with their smart shops. I realised how much I have changed since I last lived in Paris, that I know the left bank so well now,and its tiny pavements can frustrate me, and those secret squares aren't so secret anymore. I realised that I have grown up and prefer the orderly, chic, right bank. I realised that there is a Paris that I have yet to discover, that I am older, that my tastes have evolved. I also realised (begrudgingly) that my enchantment with Paris has waned since those old days when I dreamed of living in this great city. I know, I'm probably taking everything for granted, aren't I? I have grown up though. Flashing lights, the allure of chic cities... it's all well and good but any place, no matter how magical, can become dry when the people that you love aren't there. I realised that there is nowhere in the world that I could love more than my home.

The famous Deux Magots cafe in Saint Germain, a chic area in the Left Bank where I was very fortunate to rent a tiny studio four to five years ago:



Palais de l'Elysee on the right bank:

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