It’s easy to get nostalgic when the beam of the Eiffel Tower swings over a darkened balcony in Montparnasse. I’m looking out my window over the sloping roofs on Boulevard Raspail that come into focus moment by moment under a shimmer of Parisian light.
I have completed my first day of classes at the Sorbonne, immersed in French language and literature. The phonetics professor told me I have a ‘petit joli accent’ when I asked him how to improve my French “r’s” — the dreaded consonant for any foreigner. Not satisfied by his response, I’m watching every YouTube video I can find to improve that elusive sound at the back of my throat to help me sound like a native.
Montparnasse, a bustling student area filled with patisseries and cafes, is so reminiscently French, I actually pulled several French fries out of my chicken burrito (the special of the day) at a patisserie that won the prize for the best baguette of Paris in 2018.
As I walked back to my hotel (temporary lodging before my apartment becomes available), I passed by La Closerie des Lilas. Closing my eyes, it was as though Hemingway was seated outside, with a cigarette between his lips and head bent over a stiff drink, as he listened to Fitzgerald read him The Great Gatsby.
Conjuring images of favorite ghosts from the past is never a challenge for me, and neither is wandering these streets littered with memories of a golden age in Paris from decades ago.
Best Baguette of Paris 2018
Mahmoud M’Seddi – Boulangerie 2M
215 Boulevard Raspail, 14th
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