Aha moments

I will be the first to admit that it can be very easy to quickly take living in France for granted.  When one passes beautiful architecture and historical site after historical site everyday it can start to make a place seem to lose its luster.  When I studied abroad in Paris stopping by Notre Dame on the way home from school became routine as I did it at least once or twice a week.  But during one of those stops it hit me that there I was, in Paris, stopping by Notre Dame because it’s on my way home from school?!  That sort of moment is what I like to call a “Aha moment”. (It could also be filed under the “Is this real life?” category.)  As I’ve gotten pretty accustomed to the lay out of Dijon, I often pass the Hôtel de Ville (City Hall), which used to be the Palais des Ducs (Dukes' Palace).  (Burgundy was a Duchy after all and Dijon was the capital!  Dijon continues to be a capital- now of the French Burgundy region.)  This evening as I was walking home and passing the Hôtel de Ville/Palais des Dus I had a “Aha moment”.  I stopped in front of the glorious building and wondered to myself how I could possibly be walking past such a historical place where real dukes and duchesses once lived?!  As I stopped to take in the view, I imagined what life must have been like back then and reveled in the fact that so many people have been walking in this very same place for centuries and centuries. As I continued on my normal walk home I headed toward St-Michel, a Catholic church which was built during the Renaissance.  Literally years and years of history (in the form of buildings) only meters away from each other…amazing!  During these “Aha moments” I often wonder if the French ever stop and stare at the centuries old architecture or if it doesn’t really phase them.  I suppose if I grew up in a country with such a long, rich history I probably wouldn’t think too much of it but who knows?  (Disclaimer: I’m not saying that the U.S. doesn’t have a rich history but in my opinion Old World history vs New World history is barely a competition…and yes, Old World wins in my book.)  The bottom line, and why I decided to post about this, is because I think what I love most about Europe, and these "Aha moments", is the feeling of knowing so much history is and has been here which then gives the sensation of being part of something much bigger than oneself. 

Word of the Post: l'histoire -- history

Palais des Ducs
(click on the image to get a better view!)