Today began as a positively balmy day in Paris as temperatures rose well above zero and even peaked in double figures: a perfect day to be out and about. As the days go on Paris reveals its complexities amongst the simplicity of a city built on layers of antiquity along a river that murmurs past the buzz of ideas at one of the major crossroads of Europe. A ‘city of love’ where once, in the Place de la Concorde, hatred for the power imbalances of the Ancien Regime saw Monsieur Guillotin’s invention lop off the heads of thousands. An incubator for ideas and a place for learning from each other: where Hemingway rubbed shoulders with Picasso. James Joyce once lived around the corner from where we’re staying; just a short walk from the remains of a Roman amphitheatre.
In the midst of this, there is still the pulse of humanity and the identification with those causes that unite peoples. The World Cup final, played last night against the backdrop of controversy and protest; threats of boycotts and retaliatory actions from totalitarian terror teams were subdued as the great spectacle of two teams of players at the peak of their skills fought out a match that will no doubt become legendary just as the ageing master Messi sees the baton of brilliance being passed to a young Mbappe. In a lucky coincidence, both play for Paris Saint Germaine and we’re now hoping that we can get to see them play again in their familiar numbers of 10 and 7 respectively.
As Napoleon Bonaparte reestablished a French Empire, Louis Vuitton, who had arrived as a very young man in Paris in 1837, was hired as a trunk maker and packer for Eugénie de Montijo, Empress of France, who charged him with the responsibility of “packing the most beautiful clothes in an exquisite way.”
Today, at the Louis Vuitton Dream exhibition we saw the results of that exhortation to combine functionality with beauty and a striving for the exquisite. A guitar case, a DJ’s disc box, trunks and portable make-up studios along with playful takes on blending the themes of things and thoughts.
The past days of transport for those who could afford it saw the need to be able to transport the trappings of style and utility. When one was travelling to be part of the season in a fashionable destination then one wanted all one’s best things to be along for the ride. As the type of ride changed from dusty coaches to steamers and trains then the possibilities evolved along the way.
As the motor car rose as a means of getting about, then Louis Vuitton looked for design ideas that complemented the ethos of simplicity and beauty. A round box was designed to fit inside the spare wheel carried on early automobiles as a place for the chauffeur to store tools and personal effects. No square box mounted on the running board, these round boxes were a triumph of design: a Louis Vuitton trademark.
And, so it went on: backpacks from which an umbrella sprouted, just the thing for making way through bustling crowds on a Paris street: hands free for bags with the names of famous couturiers emblazoned on the side – Yves Saint-Laurent, Chanel, Dior, Givenchy, Lanvin, Hermès.
Not a house to stand still, Lous Vuitton launched collaborations with designers across the world. Their ideas combined with the ethos of Vuitton saw a huge range of goods, from handbags to skateboards and puffer jackets take on a style characteristic unlike others.
None of this comes cheap however. To take home something as special as some of these items means hundreds and thousands of Euros changing hands.
We decided to round out our visit by sampling the wares in the cafe attached to the exhibition. Here we could take in the scenes of the Seine outside the window and Pont Neuf with the tricolour fluttering as we shared pastries that, like the objects inside combined beauty and a rich functionality: created by pastry chef of the year Maxime Frédéric
Having fortified ourselves with coffee and cake we were ready to head out into the streets again, where cars and cabs, pedallers and pedestrians hurried about their business with the familiar tower in the background and an entry to the Metro, that maze of arteries below the city, add sights to the city that have, in their colour alone, something that is quintessentially Parisian.
Just up the street, past Uniqlo and Zara, and across the square crowds of people mingle around the multi levels of the massive Westfield Les Halles shopping centre in the shadows of the massive Saint-Eustache Church, a Gothic building where architecture demonstrates another of the ideas of time, the flying buttresses that spread the load outward and make the reach toward heaven that little more elevated.
Down below, in the centre of the pit of commerce a huge Christmas tree sits atop Santa’s throne where, just like many places around the world, lines of children and their anxious parents wait their turn for the chance to have their picture taken.
We find a quiet restaurant to enjoy a late lunch/early dinner as we wait for the light to fade and the darkness to bring the city lights to life. It is then, as darkness falls, that the magic of Christmas in winter begins to reveal itself fully.
Around the corner and along past the massive Pompidou Centre we find the city hall: the Hotel d’Ville and its square; filled with lights and sounds and the bright eyes and faces of a host of children captivated by the carousel, the climbing wall and the fascination of lights. There is a warmth amongst the people here; united in feeling the goodwill and fortified by the vin chaud on sale at 5 euros for a paper cup full: a bit like drinking molten Christmas pudding – hot wine with spices.
It’s only a short walk to the banks of the Seine and we enjoy the fact that the temperature has now risen to 11 degrees as we walk eastward toward the metro station at Pont Marie.
Where Pont Marie crosses the northern branch of the river to Ile Saint Louis we find Louis Philippe, a nice warm bar where we can enjoy a last drink and another session of people watching before walking the further hundred metres or so to the Metro. A 2 minute wait and we’re all aboard for the few stops back under the river to Place Monge.
Tomorrow we’re off to the Gare du Nord to catch a fast train to Amiens, in Normandy, where just one of the many regional Christmas markets beckons.