In a small art gallery on the Rue Saint-Louise en Île, we first heard the expression: L'Espérance. The gallerist walked us through austere works of art that he explained captured the French ideals of L'Espérance; hope without the limitations of time, he explained further. “Not to be confused with ‘espoir’,” the gallerist clarified the French word for hope. “But rather a feeling of espoir that cannot be stopped.” Surrounded by beautiful minimalist paintings of the female body, posed as if dancing, but with melancholy half grins; I thought the artist had captured the principal well.
Leaving the gallery, we made our way across the bridge, onto the second island, and towards Notre Dame. Nearing the historic Cathedral, the expression stuck with me. In 2019 the Cathedral was engulfed in flame, either due to an electrical mishap or a cigarette left behind, knowing the French it was likely the latter. The world-renowned rose windows were not permanently harmed, but even today still sit blackened by the smoke. Looking up at this rather gloomy sight, I thought more and more about why the French needed L'Espérance. The Cathedral is unfortunately closed to visitors, and likely will be for years. After a few minutes of staring up at the ominous gargoyles, and sadly not spotting The Hunchback of Notre Dame that Victor Hugo promised lived up there, we moved on to our next destination.
We arrived at the Musée du Louvre, where we were met with stares from famous French writers and philosophers that are engraved on the museum walls. One of those faces was Jean-Jacques Rousseau, a famous philosopher, and author of “The Social Contract,” among many others. His writings were later a big inspiration in creating the U.S constitution. A quote of his appeared in my mind as we shuffled around trying to find the back of the line, the large crowd causing us all to bump into one another, “the general will is always in the right, but the judgment which guides it is not always enlightened.” After about thirty minutes, we made our way into the glass pyramid and down into the museum.
We made our way through beautiful marble statues, most originating from Greece. One piece that stood out among the others was The Winged Victory of Samothrace. Atop a giant ship made of stone sits the winged statue of the goddess of victory, Nike. This statue used to sit on the island of Samothrace, although its true origin and maker are unknown, it now sits at the top of a grand staircase in the museum as a nod to her place on the island. She serves as a great reminder of what victory means to the people of France, and as victory is born from hope, a great reminder of L'Espérance.
While the marble carvings, Egyptian statues, and DaVinci paintings are all an amazing sight, The Napoleon III Apartments stood out the most. The wealth of the second empire of France was astounding. It seemed unimaginable that people would gather for parties and feasts in such luxury. The wealth displayed in Napoleon’s wing, of what was once the Louvre Palace, along with other French Palaces such as Versailles, is unmatched by any wealth displayed to this day. The crystal chandeliers and paintings of Napoleon III’s wife in beautiful gowns made me feel very underdressed. So, we decided that it was a good time to go back to our Airbnb and change for dinner.
At Le Meurice, chef Alain Ducasse prepared a delicious meal for us. Our first course was an assortment of nuts, bread, and olives. Followed by our main meal of foie gras pâté, chilled spider crab, and roasted Lacaune lamb. But the main attraction of Le Meurice is the dessert. Chef Ducasse’s line of fruit-themed desserts was the highlight of the evening. The ambiance itself makes you feel as though you have gone back in time, but these modern desserts will launch you back into the present. The beauty of the interior design made me feel as posh as Napoleon III.
To finish the night, we made our way to the Eiffel Tower. Arguably the most famous building in France. The Tower was built to mark the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. Taking an old rickety elevator to the top, which was honestly as scary as Disney’s Tower of Terror, we luckily made it up without any drops. Overlooking the entirety of Paris, we could pinpoint exactly how far we had walked that day, which ended up being a total of fourteen miles. My feet certainly burned, but the lights glowing from Paris beneath us helped me to ignore the pain. Good shoes are essential for traveling to Paris.
Standing on top of the Eiffel Tower, surrounded by people from all over the world, hearing many different languages, and seeing different styles of clothing and hair, it made sense that Paris would be the place to inspire L'Espérance. Everyone had journeyed to this exact spot to see and do the same things. In a way, this bonded everyone together in a shared interest. The revolution and war endured in the late 1700s were the inspiration behind L'Espérance and created a dream of peace that is shared by each country in the world today.