Le Coup de Foudre...Paris

I titled this essay Le Coup de Foudre, which is a phrase the French use to say “Love at first sight.” That’s how it happened for France and me. One look and I was completely captivated. This essay shows two very different views of this beautiful country: the naturalistic landscapes of  Versailles and the juxtaposition of nature and humanity in the city of Paris.

The Queen’s Hamlet was a miniature village built within the gardens of Versailles as a retreat for Marie Antoinette in the 1780s. It is said that Marie Antoinette and her servants would go there and dress up as milkmaids and peasants to escape the formalities of the court.  I loved the charm of this little village and the story behind it.

It was such an enchanting little village, I couldn’t get myself to leave. It made me think about the places I go to get away from the normal pace of life. I think it is incredible that she was able to build her very own make-believe town where she could pretend she was something she was not for a while. I think I did that Just that as I strolled past what felt like fairy tale cottages. 

I was so drawn to all of the tall trees in the gardens of Versailles. I loved how they are perfectly lined up in a straight line but their individual branches still twist and wind in their own directions; they still

have their individuality. 

I was going for a walk at sunset and just had to stop to take a picture of the Eiffel tower and the bridge over the Seine. The yellow reflections of the lights made great complimentary reflections on the blue water. The purples and pinks of the sky were breathtaking.

One morning as I walked to our new hotel, I spotted the Eiffel tower in the distance. I loved the hazy effect the clouds had on the structure. It was neat to see the trees stand out as darker, bolder images, and have the tower as more of an afterthought in the background. It reminded of the concept we talked about in class where nature is dwelling alongside the structures of man and will eventually overtake them. I used a sepia tone effect that emphasized the stark contrast between the light shades of the sky and Eiffel Tower and the dark branches of the trees.

This picture of the Eiffel Tower really captures grandeur of the structure at night. There was actually a tree in the bottom left-hand corner of the frame but it didn’t show up in the picture. Unlike the previous picture of the tower in the morning, this picture emphasizes the power of man and the way we dominate nature.