Friday, July 01, 2011

Paris in July: Get on a train to Paris

Quote from 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson:

Envelope #7

Dear Ginny

Head for the train station. You're getting on a night train to Paris.

At least, I'd like you to get on a night train to Paris. They're really nice. But if it's day, get on a day train. Just GET ON A TRAIN.

Why Paris? Paris needs no reason. Paris is its own reason.

Stay on the Left Bank, in Montparnasse. This area is maybe the most famous artists' quarter in the world. Everyone lived, worked, and played here. There were visual artists, like Pablo Picasso, Degas, Marc Chagall, Man Ray, Marcel Duchamp, and Salvador Dali. Writers too, lik Hemingway, Fitzgerald, James Joyce, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Gertrude Stein. There were actors, musicians, dancers ... too many to name. Suffice it to say that if you stood here in the early twentieth century and you started throwing rocks, you would hit a famous and incredibly influential person who helped shape the course of artistic history.

Not that you would have wanted to throw rocks at them.

Anyway, go now.

I have to insist that you go to the Louvre immediately. You can get your next assignment there, in the proper atmosphere.

Love

Your runaway aunt.


I would love to be getting on any train, or plane in my case, to Paris! I do have memories of when I visited what seemed like an eternity ago, but I would love to go again!

4 comments:

  1. In my daydreams all the Greats are still in Paris, living in a kind of parallel universe. :)

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  2. Paris is one of the places I long to go at some point. The culture, ambiance, and monuments make me hungry to visit. This was a great quote by the way!

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  3. Awesome! I have this on my shelf and need to take a peek at it.

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  4. This is actually in for me at the library. :)

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