France in Frames: Street Scenes, Candid Moments, and Travel Stories

Paris. The streets smell like bread. The city simultaneously gives me a creative itch and scratches it.

It is May 2024. A brisk breeze wraps around the streets, which are lined by lovely, fashionable architecture; shops that beckon with colorful macarons and a limitless variety of cheeses; and a burst of movement, liveliness, chic fashion, and creativity.

This was my "revenge" trip, a return to Paris seven years after my original trip there. In 2017, I'd come to run a 10k and half-marathon at Disneyland Paris with a couple of Disney friends, and we'd spent only five hours in the City of Light. Have you ever spent such a short amount of time at a dream destination that it actually angered you?

In "revenge," I allotted a day for each hour I'd previously spent. (Five days, for those of you doing the math.) Much better.

My high school friend, Beatriz, moved to Paris long ago, long enough to now properly call her a Parisian. She is the one constant between these two visits, and she's not just a lovely person but also a wonderful friend, who opened doors to Paris that I otherwise wouldn't have explored.

If you've been following this five-month backpacking journey, then you may be thinking, "Wait a minute. Paris? Does that mean the Asian leg of your big trip is done?" Well spotted! Yes. We've reached the European segment.

Traveling through Southeast Asia is incredibly cheap for Westerners. Beatriz's advice to me was to begin my European journey in Paris, which would be undoubtedly the most expensive city I'd visit. And boy, was she right.

I stayed in a hostel (The People Paris Marais) in a great location in the city for about $50/night. One of my favorite parts of traveling is meeting people and learning from them. I was lucky to meet two lovely ladies in their late 60s, Mara and Elizabeth, who shared the hostel room with me. We had long talks about life, love, and art. Elizabeth is a professional painter who invited me to a life drawing class. We'll return to that later!

If you went to Paris and didn't visit the Louvre Museum, did you really go to Paris?

If you are planning a trip to Paris, I would highly recommend you purchase tickets for the Louvre well ahead of time. But if you're like me and didn't plan that far ahead, there's still hope for you! I bought Louvre tickets the day before from trip.com.

What a museum! I spent nearly four hours traveling through the periods of ancient Egypt, Rome, and Greece. I had to take frequent breaks to manage the mental fatigue of getting my mind blown again and again by seeing artifacts, art pieces, and paintings I'd only ever seen in textbooks and pictures.

But the crowds at the Louvre were really something else! Museum-going turned into people-watching. And as a photographer, I love a photo challenge. So, I present to you my photo series called: People of the Louvre.

I walked through all three wings of the Louvre, being the perfectionist and completionist that I am, but I spent most of my time in Denon and Sully. What a spectacular museum, truly.

The inside of the museum is not the only impressive exhibit. I returned a few times at various times of the day to marvel at the gorgeous architecture. Places often feel entirely different, sometimes unrecognizable, from day to night. Paris reveals itself in these small details as the City of Light, but it is indeed truly the City of Love in that I've fallen so absolutely in love with it.

As you can imagine, or perhaps even already know, traveling can be exhausting. During this five-month trip, I gave myself at least one day a week to veg out, do nothing, relax, avoid burnout. (Yes, burnout can happen from traveling!)

One of the most effective travel strategies I incorporated into this trip and have used in every long-term trip since is this: Each day, I plan only one or two things that I must see or do. This is opposed to the strategy of cramming in a long itinerary for each day, which is exhausting (though, fine when you're traveling for a short period of time, like a week or less). So, I would pick one or two things for the daily agenda, and everything else in the day? Just walk around, go with the flow, see who I meet, or flow where the journey takes me. The best things often happen in that space between.

Speaking of the space between, here are some of those beautiful moments that bloomed from that space.

I met a Korean guy at my hostel one of these days, and we ended up hanging out twice. As a solo traveler, it was fun to talk to a new person and explore the city with a buddy. You can always learn something from someone, eh?

He knew a good spot for taking pictures of the Eiffel Tower, so after a few hours of hanging out in Montmartre, we swept off to a residential street lined with apartments more expensive than my life and a gorgeous view of the sparkling icon.

We took approximately a million photos for each other. I felt like an Instagram boyfriend. 😜 Gazing at the tower, I watched the Olympics signage going up and recalled my original visit in 2017 when the decision was made by the International Olympic Committee to award Paris with the 2024 hosting rights.

Meanwhile, Parisians were not confident about the ability to successfully host the Olympics in 2024. "I look forward to the inevitable Netflix documentary about this Olympics," Beatriz half-joked with me. "If you swim in the Seine, you'll probably grow a third arm." Even though the government was cleaning the Seine so it could be used by athletes during the water games, Beatriz was not the only skeptical citizen I'd met. I'm still waiting on that Netflix documentary!

Remember Elizabeth, my hostel roomie friend who paints? Well, when a new friend invites you to a thing you've never done, it's time to say yes to new experiences!

I met up with Elizabeth and Mara in Montmartre for a life drawing class in a bar. We descended into the basement, where a circle of chairs had been prepared for the couple dozen artists who had signed up for this session. I'm a photographer, not a painter or a sketch artist, so I really had no idea what I'd signed up for. Imagine my surprise when the model in the center of the room dropped her gown, standing stark naked in front of all of us. She held poses for short periods of time (about two minutes, five minutes, ten minutes) and then posed for a 20-minute session.

I sat next to Elizabeth, and she furiously sketched and painted. Watercolors were her medium of choice. She taught me the basics in a whisper in the quiet room. Bodies are just shapes. Sketch a circle to resemble the rib cage and a box for the pelvis. Make them light and proportional. Add the lines and curves. Add the details later. Thanks to her, my sketches didn't look too bad!

After the class, we all went up into the bar. The model got dressed and joined us at a table as the artists revealed their work to her. Each one of us shared. After the presentation, I approached the model and discussed with her what it's like to let go of one's fears.

"I think it's harder to draw than to be nude," she said, much to my surprise. "If people see you naked and tell you you're ugly, what can you do about it? There's nothing you can do about it!"

For the record, she is beautiful, and I hope no one has ever called her ugly. Perhaps someone would say the same thing about me, though. But all I could think was that if someone called me ugly, I'd likely internalize it and feel sad or anxious. Reflecting more upon her reviews, I suppose she's right, though. You are who you are. You just have to accept it.

The beauty and charm of Paris is within its creative spaces, its creative people, and the strong, proud value of art. I don't remember who recommended 59 Rivoli to me, but within this cultural art space, you could feel the city's heartbeat.

This five-ish-story building is filled with art studios where you can watch the artists at work, and talk to them if you're lucky! I had a nice conversation with an Italian mosaic artist, in Spanish, as it was the common language between us. I could tell from these artists, especially the ones who were newer to the space, that this was incredibly meaningful for them. A dream come true to have their own studio. A dream they worked for avidly.

When I was younger, especially in my 20s, I had an air of "I can aspire to anything; I can do anything; I can learn everything" in my mind. Perhaps it stemmed from a bit of youth, naivety, Americanness, slight mania, curiosity, learning fervor. Who knows? Now, in my 30s, I know my skills, my strengths, my weaknesses, that there are things I know absolutely nothing about (and I don't even know it). I look at these artists with awe and admiration. My career has been in marketing and education, and at some point in my life, I picked up a camera, through which I create images based off of things that exist before me. These artists have careers, but throughout their lives, they have picked up paints and other materials again and again, day in and day out, and transformed their visions and ideas into tangible recreations. That's pretty dang cool. I would have no idea how to make the things they do.

It was here in this city that I realized something I do not know and was gifted with a totally new perspective of life and art.

In the Museum d'Orsay, I came face to face with Impressionist paintings. Mind you, it's not the first time I've stared at a painting, but there was something special about this time. Maybe I just needed 35 years to marinate in artistic naivete, but I discovered a new sense of wonder and awe while looking upon paintings that could be mistaken for photos from a certain distance.

It wasn't the paint, the colors, the mastery, that gave me pause. It was the humanity -- seeing the strokes, the marks of and swoops and sweeps of paintbrush fibers, the layered texture of paint. I could imagine the human hand holding the brush, the furrowed brow, the artist's eye. Perhaps a trained artist could look upon this and study how it's done. For me, with no knowledge of painting whatsoever, but a depth of knowledge in photography, I was more amazed by the "light" in the art, and the vision.

Dead men tell no tales -- or do they?

Every Parisian seems to have their own story of sneaking into the catacombs, picnicking in the dark tunnels, partying below the city, and maybe even a horror story of a flashlight nearly running out of battery or a candle wick deteriorating quickly before exiting the underground.

I had imagined all of this was taking place amongst the company of skeletons, but no, silly me. Thankfully, Parisian recreation is not that macabre.

But if you are curious about the macabre, descend 20 meters with me.

Perhaps you already know some history of the Catacombs of Paris -- a story of health concerns, overcrowded cemeteries, and sinkholes. Perhaps the grisly art formed with the skulls of strangers past piques your interest. Perhaps death scares you. Perhaps not. Nevertheless, this strange world behind your feet in the most romantic city has a mysteriousness and symbolism to it that you'll never find above ground.

All these years, there was another postmortem Parisian site on my list -- Père Lachaise Cemetery.

You might have a couple questions.

You: OK, first of all, Michelle, are you OK?

Michelle: Totally fine! And sane -- I promise.

You: Ehh, that's debatable. What's with all the fascination with death?

Michelle: Let me clarify a misconception here -- I'm not fascinated with death. I'm fascinated with catacombs and cemeteries.

You: Uh huh. I think you need your head checked.

Michelle: Do you like museums?

You: **ready to call the authorities**

Michelle: What about stories? Do you like those?

You: Of course! That's why I'm reading this incredibly-written, insightful, wise blog post you've put way too much time into creating for us lovely readers.

Michelle: Wow, you are so very kind. First of all, thank you. Second of all, that's why I like catacombs and cemeteries.

You: Because you're so humble?

Michelle: Not just that. They're also wonderful places to learn about history, dig into people's individual lives and stories...

You: I see what you did there.

Michelle: Thank you. Also, think about it. Do you enjoy spending your spare time in cemeteries? They're called places of rest for a reason. They are peaceful and often the only urban green spaces you'll find. Because people tend to avoid them, they're great refuges for wildlife to grow and thrive.

You: So, you like the nature.

Michelle: Yes. And this cemetery is also a great tourist destination.

You: **preparing again to call mental health professionals**

Michelle: Hear me out! There are more than a million people buried there, including Jim Morrison, Edith Piaf, Chopin, and Oscar Wilde, and there are several monuments in tribute to the World Wars, the Holocaust, and more. And the graves are actually really cool.

You: Pics or I won't believe it.

Here are a few!

Whether or not I convinced you how awesome cemeteries can be, let's move on to more lively places.

One of the best pieces of advice I get from locals in Paris was to watch the sunset from Montmartre.

If you're not sure what Montmartre is, I'll tell you: It's a place you absolutely need to check out when you visit Paris.

It's a neighborhood on the top of a hill in the city, which means that it has a gorgeous view of the city with the perk of being within it.

A church graces the hilltop. Stadium seating allows you to rest with a view that your eyes will drink up. Buskers put on quite the show up there, a mini concert as the heavens change colors above you, and the sun takes its daily rest.

I was fortunate to also find a play troupe performing atop the hill. I don't know what's more Paris than that!

The picture below resembles how many people look after consuming all the bread, cheese, and wine the city has to offer, and then checking their bank accounts.

This lovely photo also indicates the boundary between the Paris and Bordeaux portions of this trip. As I journaled on the inter-city train, I reflected on life (as one does).

"I take a moment now as I'm on this train from Paris, a city I've absolutely fallen in love with, to Bordeaux, a place in France I've never been, to recognize that I'm doing something I've always dreamed of -- traveling to new places. And I'm doing things I've never dreamed of -- traveling for a long period of time -- alone!

"I have made friends around the globe, and they have opened a network of more friends and people to me.

"I have learned to love myself, to be alone with myself, and really enjoy my own company.

"I have learned to be steady in my body, even when there's turmoil of emotions, feelings, sensations, hormones, pain, anything. I have the ability to sit in it, identify and acknowledge the emotions, and stay steady.

"I have learned that I have an ability to make friends and meet people that is perhaps unusual for others.

"I have learned how to take off my rose-tinted glasses, to see the realities of the world, even when it's difficult. I'm learning to accept this and somehow balance it with the eternal optimism and silver-lining hunting that I have had and done for most of my life. I'm learning to bring that part back to the foreground of my mentality because sometimes it gets lost in the shadows of depression.

"I've learned that I can live anywhere and adapt to any culture and society.

"In France, I learned how much I really do value creativity and how I'd like to embrace this value in order to create sustainable happiness in my life, if not in my city or country (because I don't think Korea values creativity in everyday life), then at least in my own life (finding a community of creatives).

"I've learned that people are very important, and you should surround yourself with people who lift you up and who are different than you and who make you feel good. But you should be careful not to invest your time into people who don't invest well into you. But you should also be careful of loneliness and spending too much time out of the company of others. And sometimes, to find good people, you have to move around, but really, you should try to meet as many people as possible because it gives you a better chance of finding good people, it gives you perspective in life, and it helps you develop various personal skills, including empathy."

Onward to Bordeaux! (Where they apparently let anyone have a driver's license, even dogs.)

Immediately upon entering the hostel and rushing to the loo, I quickly, and unfortunately, learned that many people do not knock before entering a bathroom, as a French woman walked in on me and said something in French that probably meant "oopsies," but sounded to my untrained ear as "oolooloo!!" as she slooooowwwwllly closed the door while sustaining eye contact with me until I had to yell, "CLOSE THE DOOR!" so I could finally exit this horrible, enduring moment of shame.

These last few photos represent countless lovely moments:

• Meeting my HelloTalk friend, Martín, and his girlfriend, Elise

  
  

• Making friends with Angel, an American who had just retired from the Marines after 11 years of service. Together, we had a great conversation about the state of the US and its problems, about how people should reflect more, have more awareness, and set goals for what they want, but how that's difficult with the cycle that people are stuck in. Being outside of it gives you more perspective. We also had a meaningful talk about politics without even name-dropping any politicians. It made me think of the Singapore Grab driver who said we (Americans) need to talk more, and I think this is exactly how: by talking about the heart of the issues, the problems and causes, and goals and solutions.

• Visiting Cité du Vin, a wine museum. For me, as someone who doesn't drink, it was interesting to learn how wine is made through fun interactive exhibits!

• Visiting a cool digital art center (Bassins des Lumières) within an even cooler (for a history nerd like me) WWII German submarine bunker. (Pro tip: If you're a teacher, save your teaching license to your phone for easy access when you visit museums like this in France, or anywhere around Europe, so you can get discounted or even free access.)

And that's it for France! As always, thank you for joining me on this incredible journey! If you made it to the end, comment with which photo was your favorite to enter for a free giveaway!

And next? Nos vemos in España!