A treat for eyes and ears

It was a treat for the senses. Music had percolated every nook and cranny of the street, eyes met walls, an endless canvas for art and it was hard to prevent my feet from dancing away. This was my first trip to Europe, and the chosen city was Paris. Born and raised in New Delhi, I had covered almost all of Indian subcontinent in my travels over a decade. The beauty of the Himalayas, Western Coast and Ancient architecture had never failed to amaze me but I will never forget the first day I spent in Paris.
I had just entered the subway (intra-city train) to get to my hostel from the CDG airport, when a group of musicians with infectious enthusiasm and smiles had entered the train. This was the best welcome I had ever received in my travels. It was established within minutes of departing from the airport. After five or it was fifty minutes of trance, the kind talented musicians had offered, I noticed that none of the commuters were wearing head phones. It was the most unusually pleasant feeling for me to enjoy the same music with strangers in a city I was visiting alone for the first time. It was also soon established that bringing my otherwise closest company in all previous travels – Ipod had been a waste of my space in the backpack. Paris changed my mantra – Ipod therefore I am.
It was not only all pervasive and omnipresent music flowing in the air constantly, street musicians had stories to tell about the city, its people and food, which I had not found any travelogue I read. This was accompanied with street art, a collective sentiment of the people of the city, equal for anyone to see – young/old/local or tourist. I had grown up admiring Parisians artistes, philosophers and authors but to feel the pulse of the city through its art and artistes was a special experience for me. One I will always cherish.