I believe that pretty much everyone who lives outside of Europe has this certain expectation for all the cities. I know I do; I truly think it’s a magical place. I dream about visiting so many countries in Europe: Italy, the UK, France, and so many more. However, maybe they’re just expectations from what I’ve read and seen through the media. In “Fountain,” by Ari Banias, he captures observations about living in Paris. He negotiates his idea, mythology, and history of the city and the expectations of how you experience it vs. how it’s actually experienced. In the poem, he pays attention to the smallest details and what was occurring next to the sites.
Banias noticed “Behind the cathedral, vulgar black felt stapled in the raised flowerbeds to mask their frames” and was amazed by how right next to the ornate cathedral, there could be a human imperfection which was very in contrast (Banias). “You recount the history of the French garden. From above, I see tight rows of trees beside threadbare grass.” (Banias). He is talking about how while France is historically beautiful, there are other beauties surrounding the wonders that people aren’t so aware of. His voice and tone is very nuanced, but also presented with a sort of detachment. I believe that Banias was able to write such a detailed poem because he was aware of his surroundings and looked at the bigger picture of the city.
The Cathedral
Have you ever encountered Europe’s beauty?
I totally agree with your first sentence. I think people have very romanticized views of European cities, though they are amazing they do have flaws like any other place. I've wanted to go to Paris since I was like five years old and I got to go last December. It was every bit as magical as I had expected, but not in the same way. It's not perfect, there's a lot of smoking and like most cities it's very crowded. But there's an urban charm and nice lots of character to compensate.
ReplyDelete"the expectations of how you experience it vs. how it’s actually experienced" I think this is so true! When you have this fairy tale image of a place, it can't possibly live up to those ideas! We need to learn to expect it to be a place, not just a fairy tale, and love it for what it is.
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