Part three: Gems of life and Europe  

Raana Haiderbdnews24.com
Published : 19 Sept 2017, 02:33 PM
Updated : 19 Sept 2017, 06:53 PM

After the first and second part...  
 
As we ‘Brexited’ the island on the Eurostar train crossing the English Channel on to Brussels, the heart of the European Union;  the unravelling complexities and the monumental impact of the 'Leave' verdict was impossible to ignore.

The United Kingdom joined the European Union in 1973. A political earthquake; a rocky road now lies ahead for Brexit. Upsetting all predictions, the robustness of the French presidential elections that ushered the victory of 39-year-old Emmanuel Macron has revitalised the European Union.

Also upsetting all expectations, across the Atlantic, a tumultuous Trump presidency keeps one guessing about next eruptions as he stomped the ground to the beat of his loud drum.

With the map of global politics redrawn as a result of a series of unexpected results, we certainly live in interesting times. Having made the underwater channel crossing a number of times before Brexit, I thought about the monumental and visionary undertaking it was in connecting the British Isles to the rest of Europe.

Yet another version of a famous wartime poster. Photo by author

The Eurostar train opened for business in 1994. And now we were crossing a continental divide. Travelling economy class, famously termed 'cattle class' by Shashi Tharoor, a remark that made headlines in Indian media, the Eurostar interior looked a tad tired and wee weary. In comparison, the continental Thalys trains were smart and sleek. At the end, rail trail is about the romance of slow travel.

Tragically, European cities have had more than their share of grief and tears this year. A series of terrorist attacks has hit London, Brussels and Paris in recent months - the three capitals we visited in the month of May 2017.

The ubiquitous British saying: 'Keep Calm and Carry On’ comes to mind. The phrase was coined by the Ministry of Information in the form of a poster in 1939, part of morale building campaign during World War II. An original poster sold in 2016 for more than 20,000 Pounds Sterling. And the 'Keep Calm....' motto has initiated its own inventive ends. Creativity holds no bars.

Waffles of Brussels. Photo by author

Last year, in the Lake District of England, in one of the Oxfam charity shops, I could not resist purchasing two pink coasters with the message: 'Keep Calm and Eat Cupcakes’. As I munched on a Belgian waffle treat, a 'Keep Calm Stay Single' card stared at me from among objects on display in a Brussels shop window.

Well, while travelling, and deciding where to go and what to do, one often meanders into marital missteps and I could not resist a bemused look while taking in the message. Even in Sydney, I simply had to purchase 'Keep Calm and Shop.'

A large visible security presence was apparent at the Gay Pride Parade in Brussels. Yet, it appeared to be more of a crowd management issue. The parade drew huge crowds from Brussels and beyond.  Singing along 'Happy' by Pharrell Williams, we all were happy as we moved to the beat in bright sunshine. It was all very gay. Excuse the pun. Once upon a time, 'gay' meant simply happy, cheerful and full of mirth.

In today's travels, one's vulnerability appears exposed; travel anxiety.  We know of the fear of flying. Now, there is the fear of travel; the scourge of violence. Whatever happened to tranquil travel? One just could be in the wrong place at the wrong time. It could happen anywhere, anytime. A matter of chance, destiny and fate.

'Memento Mori' in Latin translates to 'Remember you must die' - a reminder that death could arrive any moment. In Dhaka, we commemorated the first anniversary of the dastardly terror attack on July 1, 2016. Ten days after a van ploughed into people at London’s Westminster Bridge, we were buying tickets at the Westminster Pier below on the River Thames for an hour's boat ride to Greenwich Village. At the Westminster tube station, in the window of a news agent; my eyes caught a glimpse of a gem of the card: 'Keep Calm and Continue Working I am on Holiday in London.'

"Architecture is about finding (a connection) between place and form. The building gets defined as much as the place and, like a sponge, may absorb the context and gradually enter public memory." So observes Verendra Wakhloo, a New Delhi-based architect. 

Such is the contextual connection of the monumental monuments that so characterises Paris and reinforces its enduring appeal. Its charm transcends the cliché. I lived in Paris in the mid-1950s when my father was posted at the Embassy of Pakistan. Its location was just off one of the lanes of Les Champs Elysees; it was Rue Byron, named after the English poet and politician. 

The Napoleon-built Arc de Triomphe crowns the higher end of the most beautiful avenue in the world; as does the Egyptian obelisk at the lower length - a perennial aesthetic vista. I lived once again in Paris in the late 1990s when my husband was ambassador of Bangladesh to France. 

The intervening decades has seen me touchdown often in the City of Light - an unending renewable experience; forever changing yet forever remaining the same.  And as always, an excuse to resort to repeat refuels at pavement cafes. Be it Raison d'etre or indulgence. An espresso, and why not an accompaniment too! A mouth-watering macaroon to go with some people-watching. A bit of slowing down. C'est la vie. And just to remind you of the passage of time; Disneyland Paris was celebrating 25 years of fun and fantasy.

The Louvre from outside. Photo by author

Familiarity also breeds affection; a comfort-zone. One can never tire of taking in the central courtyard of the Louvre. Without fail, a perfectly framed photo-setting; cinematic splendour. The three arms of ornate grandeur embrace the glass pyramid structure designed by IM Pei who turned 100 years old this year.

Sure enough, the surrounding setting is all about ‘more is more’. In juxtaposition, the centre core lies in the sphere of ‘less is more’. A structure and silhouette in complete symbiosis; austere and elaborate; classic and contemporary.  The luminosity reflected on the glass panels is testimony to the City of Light. 

Every time my gaze fell upon this exquisite landscape, it celebrated human ingenuity. In reference to Claude Monet's paintings, the French writer Georges Grappe unforgettably remarked: '...Light is what populates the universe with imponderable atoms, it is the adornment of an eternally renewed poetry.' And so it is...

Looking through a window in Louvre. Photo by author

A tranquil tribute exhibition is the 'Jardins', or gardens, at the Grand Palais. Aptly named, for the venue strikes a chord to Goethe's words: Architecture is frozen music. Built in 1900 for the Paris Exposition Universelle, its classical opulence dons a crown of a steel-framed glass roof; said to be the largest in the world. Anything and everything related to nature is on offer in the form of installation art, botanical prints, landscape paintings, garden design as per Versailles, video visuals, gardening instruments - the lot. 

And I stood before Monet's 'Water Lillies' in utter absorption. Twenty-year-old memories came flooding back as I reminisced about our visit to Giverny, Monet's beloved abode of inspiration. 

Former French president Georges Clemenceau, Monet's friend and patron for over fifty years, tells us that "...this is where Monet came to refine his sensations, making them as sharp as possible. He would remain here in his armchair for hours without moving, without speaking, peering at the undersides of passing and sunlit things, trying to read in their reflections the elusive glimmer where mysteries are revealed. Speech is disdained to confront the silence of fleeting harmonies. Is not seeing understanding?..." A comment of in-depth Zen dimension.

An indulgent gentleman at the Grand Palais let us into the Auguste Rodin exhibition boutique. The exhibition marks the centenary of his death. We viewed models of the works of the most celebrated French bronze sculptor. On sale are the one and only 'Thinker' and 'The Kiss', two of Rodin's most renowned sculptures. Copies come in 'small, medium and large' sizes; alongside scores of books, pens and posters, not to forget the ubiquitous Rodin T-shirts.

The mega manifestation is the masterfully curated 'From the Great Moguls to the Maharajahs, Jewels of the Al Thani Collection' exhibition at the principal 'salon of honour' under the glass dome of the Grand Palais. The perfect marriage of form and function was the setting of the bespoke luxury belonging to the Al Thani royal family of Qatar. Over five centuries of the finest Indian jewellery; over 250 breathtakingly beautiful hearts of stones are on view. As expected, items from Hyderabad, Lucknow and Rajasthan dominate.

Three spectacular bejewelled brooches from Murshidabad remain uncommon. The finest traditional Indian craftsmanship produced the mystique and mind-boggling collection of male adornments. As the Maharajahs of Indian Princely States travelled and were exposed to western tastes and lifestyles; they developed a fascination for creations by Parisian jewellers like Cartier. And all these customised jewelleries are exhibited within a backdrop of detailed Indian historical framework, starting from the sixteenth century and moving well into the twentieth century; tracing historical milestones along the way.

Disembarking at the Alma-Marceau metro station en route to the Palais Galliera to view the exhibition on Dalida, the late singer; a number of people continue to hover around the golden flame sculpture at whose base were flowers left behind by visitors. The site stands above the Alma tunnel where Princess Diana died in a fatal car crash on Aug 31, 1997. This year commemorates 20 years since her demise. 

We were living in Paris and had crossed the Alma bridge across the Seine the same night. Only next morning did we come to hear of the tragedy. The next few days were spent before the round-the-clock coverage of the sudden death at the age of 36 of Diana, princess of Wales.

Those dark days brought back memories of the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963. We were then living in Washington DC. For days we were glued to the black and white television. For both events, the world over - people recollect 'where were you when...?'  The 'People's Princess' has an unofficial memorial site in Paris. People have adopted the 'Flame of Liberty' which was constructed in 1987 - ten years prior to her death - as her commemorative site. 

The golden flame structure was in fact built to celebrate a centenary of Franco-American relations on the occasion of the 100 years anniversary of the founding of the International Herald Tribune (IHT) newspaper that was printed in Paris in English and had a global readership. I started off by reading the cartoon strips: 'Beetle Bailey', 'Dennis the Menace' and 'Peanuts' as a child living in Paris in the mid-1950s. They remain as favourites. Few years back, the IHT was bought by the New York Times. Decades later, I read the same daily online.

Around the Mediterranean rim countries; Dalida, a Cairo-born of Italian parentage, French resident, actress and multi-lingual singer remains a household name. Dalida, the glamorous star par excellence committed suicide in 1987, 30 years ago at the age of 38. 'Quand on dit 'je t'aime', on veut dire 'aime-moi' (When one says 'I love you', one wants to actually say 'love me.)

Dalida's dresses. Photo by author

These poignant and yearning words of Dalida are inscribed above the visual vestiges of her glamorous career yet remain so revealing of the emptiness of her personal life. Palais Galliera, Paris' leading fashion museum pays homage to the mega-star with an exhibition of more than 200 of her flamboyant and iconic wardrobe and accessories, styled by the haute couture designers of her day.

Mostly designed in the 1950s, she was also a hip member of London's swinging 1960s with clothes to prove it. The collection was only recently donated to the famed fashion museum by her brother. The commemorative exhibit includes the accompaniment of her timeless songs. Crowds of us visiting sang along.

Included in the nostalgic display is the golden dress she wore for her performance in Tehran in the 1960s before the Shah and Shahbanu of Iran. I used to listen to her songs while I lived in Iran from 1999 to 2002. My introduction to her music dates back to the late 1960s in Beirut. And only two years ago at the Istanbul airport I bought her CD. Dalida's magic and music endures.

The Atomium in Brussels. Photo by author

The Atomium in Brussels, a collection of nine connected atoms of iron, appears as good as new as it did when I first saw it. Gleaming in the spring sunshine, the 102-metre tall engineering feat was designed as a triumph of art and science; the manifestation of 'Art meets Engineering’. My father drove us from Paris to Brussels to see this architectural wonder at the Brussels World Fair. The year was 1958. Here is the city's epic icon negating its vintage standing. Although it underwent a lengthy period of cosmetic renovation from 2004 to 2007, as in the case of the Eiffel Tower built for the World Fair in 1889, the Atomium was never dismantled and remains the iconic narrative of the city. 

In May 2017, in the boutique shop at the base of the gleaming structure, I spotted posters of Belgian Sabena Airlines; images of smartly suited, blue-eyed, blond air hostesses. Not having heard of Sabena Airlines in recent years; I asked the long-haired middle-aged salesman - if it still was in operation. He declared no. I continued: “Well, it went the way Pan Am, TWA, BOAC…” He replied: “Madam, you appear to know much”. My reply: “I guess I have been around for a bit."

All along this trip, I felt an inner narrative speaking to me; awareness of the impact of my stretch of time over Time. I was conscious of my sharing a slice of a larger world; often way beyond physical constraints. Memory milestones remain sharp. Is it not about taking the road often travelled that yet promises discovery, intrigue and revelation to the yet another traveller within you? Wandering from within? The immortal words of the Roman poet Horace spoken some two thousand years ago still resonate: 'Carpe Diem' (seize the day). I now also comprehend the veracity behind the meaningful words coined by Anais Nin, the French-Caribbean essayist: 'We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect.'

Raana Haider is a writer with particular interest in the arts, architecture, literature and travel.