Walking the City

After reading Paris, or Botanizing on the Asphalt, I was able to further understand my own trip to Paris. In the article, the author, Walter Benjamin explains why it is so important to walk through Paris if you want to truly see it. He goes on to say that the best way to actually become a part of the city is by walking at a turtle’s pace without a hard-pressed destination in mind. There are so many sites that “you have to see” but each forces a path ending with a destination in mind. This movement is completely opposite from Walter Benjamin wants you to see when you want to become a part of the city. It is hard to reconcile these two seemingly different ways to approach the city but both must be used. When coming to Paris, I personally feel that I must see the Louvre and the Notre Dame, even after two other trips doing the same thing. It as if you owe yourself the most amount of time possible at certain sites in the world: if you are nearby, your very soul requires you to go regardless of whether you have been before. But then there is also the need to stroll aimlessly. Walking to find the Eiffel tower or Sacre Coure by merely walking in the right general direction brings you by places and things that would be bypassed when a direct route is planned out. The clear message that the journey is more important than the destination is undeniable as well. I have enjoyed seeing this city of lights through intended routes and random encounters, both have left me with the feeling that I have seen Paris.