Paris, May 2012
Photo 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.