Europe 2018: C’est la Vie
I am writing this from the Paris airport lounge for AirBaltic. My flight to Riga (gateway to Tallinn, Estonia) is delayed by a few hours and while my laptop still has juice, it seemed like the right time to catch up on the last few days. No point getting upset over the delay, because, really, c’est la vie!
The weather in Paris has been lovely and the skies have been crystal clear. I think I walked 9.5 miles yesterday and over 6 the day before. I love how walkable Paris is and how easy it is to use the Metro. The first time we came to Paris as a couple (in 2010 for my 40th birthday) we took cabs all over and it was a completely different experience. When we came in 2013 for the first house swap, we only took the Metro.
Yesterday I met a female angel investor for coffee near the l’Arc de Triomphe. I’d been introduced to her the day before (via email) by Morgane of Tech Stars Paris. I’d told Morgane what I was working on and she said I had to meet Imene and she was so right. Imene is working on activating more female investors and getting more capital into the hands of female founders. We are going to find a way to join forces making this a true, global effort. This was serendipity at its finest.
It seemed only appropriate that after a conversation about funding women that I see the Lime Scooters I’d read about earlier in the week. Bird Scooter had raised $150M earlier this year and is raising another $300M. How is it that an electric scooter company can raise this kind of capital and female founders addressing true market needs and demands can’t raise $1.5M on $5M valuations? This kind of thing makes me crazy.
The ones above were parked in front of Eglise St Germain L’Auxerrois, a cathedral I hadn’t been in before. To eliminate my own negativity around the lime green electric death machines, I decided to walk into the cathedral and was blown away at the beauty (and by the fact I’d never stumbled by it before…it’s right around the corner from the Louvre).
I’d hired a guide (recommended by my friend Anita) to do a walking tour of the urbanization of Paris and an in-depth review/discussion of the works of Delacroix (the Louvre had a special exhibit). We met on the Pont des Artes. This used to be the ‘lock’ bridge but the locks have been taken down because they were too heavy and were compromising the integrity of the bridge.
Apparently this is a good spot for a picture. All I can say is that I am glad I brought a hat because it was a sunny and warm day…just perfect.
I’d forgotten what Paris is like in June/early July. There are a lot of people here. I am so glad that I’ve done most of the tourist spots and feel for those that are visiting for the first time. This doesn’t begin to show the number of people there. It’s still absolutely gorgeous.
Next week is fashion week in Paris so a stage was being set up on the back side of the Louvre. I started here with my guide Cecilia who explained to me how the Louvre was built over time and by whom. I now understand the various different monograms throughout the Louvre both inside and outside.
Bees are a big deal not just in our part of the world. Cecilia said that she’d never noticed the bee boxes on the back side of the Louvre but did say that more and more of them are going up on rooftops in Paris. This field of flowers seemed perfect for the bees.
We pushed our way through the Louvre to the Flemish masters so Cecilia could show me the Rubens and Rembrandt, both of whom influenced Delacroix. It was fascinating and I enjoyed being able to talk about art, history, and the evolution of various artists and their works of art.
We escaped the crowds of the Louvre and made our way a few blocks away to the Palais Royale. This was another area I’d never been to and with it being only a few blocks from the Louvre, I was really surprised by this beautiful gem. This is where the locals go for picnics, reading, relaxing, shopping, and dining. Cecilia shared with me the fascinating history of the area as we moved to some of the covered walkways and discussed how Paris was built and evolved over the centuries.
We ended up walking by the restaurant I’d had lunch at the day before when I accidentally walked into Galerie Vivienne. These galeries were designed so that women could walk from one part of Paris to another (doing some shopping) without having to get their dresses and shoes dirty on the streets.
We walked past a few traditional Haussmanian buildings and I got the history behind the way these buildings were designed and built. Cecilia studied architecture and she said that Haussman is still revered to this day due to his holistic planning and conceptual design of the city. The buildings were designed to be homogenous (with a catalog of items for architects to choose from) in order to set the stage for the monuments and major attractions of the city. The buildings were designed to allow for people to be seen as actors on the Paris stage. The inner courtyards were designed to bring light into the buildings. The buildings were modular in nature so that if one part had to be removed and replaced, it wouldn’t impact the overall structure. Absolutely fascinating.
We ended on the rooftop of Galerie Lafayette which was a zoo because it was the first day of the July sales. It was gorgeous up there and I loved the garden wall.
I left Cecilia there and walked over to L’église de la Madeleine, one of my favorites in Paris. I chose to have a glass of champagne at the cafe across the street and couldn’t get out of there fast enough. Between the cigarette smoke and the traffic, it was a bit overwhelming for my senses (jet lag is a bitch!). I did get a chance to talk to Zeke and hear about his adventures. He was as far from people as I was close to them and I have to say I was a bit envious for a moment.
But then I went inside and enjoyed the peace and tranquility. While I am not religious, I do appreciate the beauty of the cathedrals. A few years ago, we listened to Vivaldi’s Four Seasons here and it was a magical experience. Ironically enough, they were doing it again last night.
Alas the battery on my laptop is reaching its end and for some reason I can’t charge it here in the lounge (even with an adapter). I am going to check on my delayed flight and maybe grab a glass of wine. I started the day at 5 AM (it’s now 11 AM) and got to the airport way too early (7:30 AM for a 10 AM flight) not realizing the traffic would be light and it would be easy to check a bag and get through security. But I am still smiling!
