It was a strange feeling; sat at my computer in bedroom, surrounded by bulging boxes, bags and suitcases as the liquid sound of a string trio, blended with the hubbub of the Saturday market, floats through my window on a very welcome breeze. The days leading up to my departure from Paris were been hot, sticky and stormy, compounding the usual stresses of everyday life and leaving everyone's nerves frayed and balanced on the knife edge between depression and explosion. Perversely enough it has been in this last month that I have discovered that, even here, there are little islands of calm where you can forget it all and just be happy in your own company.
This journey into a peaceful Paris began with the purchase of a little book called "Paris au Calme". Now, the titles of many guidebooks often promise much: great views, happening nightspots and bargain shopping amongst them, without actually delivering on said promise. Even "The Secret Gardens of Paris" sometimes fails on both counts, including les Tuileries and the Jardin de Luxembourg, hardly secret and more like jogging tracks than gardens. "Paris au Calme", however, does exactly what it says on the sleeve.
Paris is seemingly dotted with oases of solitude, all the more appreciated because of where they are. Two of the most serene are gardens found enclosed in the inner quads of two of Paris's major hospitals, that of Hopitale St. Louis, a stone's throw from bustling Place Republic and La Pitié Salpêtrière, the capital's largest, barely a few doors up from Gare d'Austerlitz. Those of you who associate hospitals with poor food, the stink of disinfectant and the threat of MRSA would be pleasantly surprised.
St Louis was founded in 1607 to ease the burden of the Plague on nearby hospitals. Now, however, its drooping pines and 17th century walls now protect those within from the fumes and decibels outside. Toddlers trace ancient footsteps around shaded corners, while mothers and nannies take a minute's repose from the stresses of la vie quotidienne.
La Salpêtrière has seen some historic medical breakthroughs, including Paris's first vaccination in 1800 and the world's first heart transplant in 1968 and was also the place Lady Diana drew her last breath. By the time of the Revolution thousands of women (of ill repute) had been partnered with convicts and sent to populate "New France". I wonder if the settlers knew what was coming. However an even greater claim to fame, in my opinion, was that for a glorious hour and a half inside its statue-strewn quad I couldn't hear the sound of a single car, bliss!
Back now in rural Kent, I have so much peace I'm almost longing for sirens again...no, I don't think I'd go that far.
No comments:
Post a Comment