Paris, May 2012Photo Essay

Meredith Miller

This photo was taken at the Grande Mosquée de Paris, the largest mosque in France. It was built in 1926 as a gift to the Muslims from France’s North African colonies that defended France in World War I. Oddly enough, the mosque is located in the Latin Quarter, far away from the Parisian neighborhoods that are home to large populations of Muslims.

This is a picture of us with high school students at the first school we visited, Lycée Marcelin-Berthelot. This school was located on the outskirts of Northern Paris, where many immigrant families and their descendants settle. We discussed with these students their opinions and their personal tales of immigration and race relations in Paris, as we did with the other schools we visited.

During the three weeks we spent in Paris, we had a lot of time to do sight-seeing and really immerse ourselves in the city. One afternoon, I took some time to visit the Pantheon. It was previously a church dedicated to St. Genevieve, the patron saint of Paris, and still has many murals depicting her. Currently, it serves as a catacomb, holding the remains of many of France’s secular heroes, including Victor Hugo, Marie Curie, and Voltaire, among others.

Pictured here is the exterior of the “Institut du Monde Arabe” or the “Arab World Institute”. The institute contains a variety of artwork, artifacts, and information about the Muslim world and the Arabic culture. The exterior, designed by Jean Nouvel, is a pattern of metal irises, resembling design features often found in the Arabic world, that adjust their diameters to maintain proper lighting in the rooms. This can be considered symbolic of the fusion of the old world with modern life in the Middle East.

While we were in Paris, we got the opportunity to spend one of our Saturday nights experiencing the rich music of this band from Mauritania, an Arabic country on the coast of West Africa. The singer’s voice was hypnotic and the melodies were rivoting and intriguing. Later in the night, we were so moved by the music that we began dancing. It was a great way to experience one of the many immigrant cultures of Paris.

As you likely are aware, France is well-known for its exquisite cuisine. At essentially every place we ate at, whether a small café or a five-star bistro, we were in for a delightful culinary experience. One of my favorite dishes to order was steak tartar, which is seasoned ground raw beef. The dish pictured here is a distant cousin of steak tartar, called “salade de fou” or “crazy salad”. It contains thin slices of raw beef, sauteed tomato chunks, asiago cheese, and herbs. It was sensational.

This is the interior of my favorite museum that I visited while in Paris, the Musée d’Orsay. As one of the greatest centers of art in the world, Paris is host to many impressive museums. This building was converted from a train station into one of the most notable museums in Paris. It holds a large impressionist wing, containing the original works of famous artists such as Monet, Manet, and Gagnet.

Speaking of impressionists, there is a town called Giverny, about an hour from Paris, where Monet resided. Here, he had a small house surrounded by beautiful gardens that he both nurtured and painted. The gardens were allowed to grow freely so that Monet could capture their natural beauty in his creations. Pictured here is his lily pond, which he portrayed in some of his most celebrated artwork.

One of the greatest things about Paris was that there was always something unexpected lurking around the next corner. For example, while visiting “Île de la Cité”, the small island in the center of the river Seine that contains many famous landmarks (including Notre Dame, seen here in the background), we occurred upon the “Bread Festival”, where loads of stereotypical French baguettes with a variety of tasty toppings could be purchased.

This is a picture of a few of us Case Western students in the study abroad course (from left to right: Kate Raber, myself, and Kaitlin Cardozo) at a bar that we frequented while we were in Paris. While enjoying a glass or two of wine here, for wine was cheaper than water, we encountered a variety of people, from native Parisians to travelers on a European tour. We truly experienced the essence of Paris and formed some of our fondest memories of it here.