Ah, what did I do this weekend? Thanks for asking! I walked eleven and a half miles through the gardens of the Palace of Versailles.
No, I’m not kidding.
Thus is the typical weekend in France.
I live thirty minutes away from the Palace of Versailles, King Louis XIV’s extravagant land of palaces, golden gates, and sweeping gardens. The grounds of these castles are no joke, and getting through just its gardens all takes a good full day.
Let me just say, I couldn’t imagine having a house with a garden that takes an entire day to walk through. (Mind you, I live in a cute shoebox on the fifth floor of an apartment in central Paris, so it’s hard to imagine having enough room to kick a soccer ball right now. But, that’s beside the point…) The point is, French beauty explodes on every corner, every neighborhood, and every suburb, whether it’s in nature or the city. Things don’t happen by accident here, and the intentionality of it all is, arguably, its beauty.
This historic energy holds a high standard for its present. After all, it’s not a secret that some of the best art, architecture and writing in the world has come from France. Chic Parisian style, gorgeous pastry shops, and savory intellectual conversations flourish on the streets here, and I feel the energy from this beauty every day.
Living is Paris is encouraging me to be more mindful of what and how I consume and create. Every little choice has the potential to add up to a life of intentionality, just like the work of artists, architects and authors who have lived in Paris before me.