Sunset

Yesterday, for the first time in a long time, the sun came out in Paris. Wintertime in Paris can be quite drab. The weather is just cold enough not to snow, but cold enough to be uncomfortable. It rains nearly everyday. I think I said this in another post, but it has been a strange experience to be in a foreign place long enough to watch the seasons change. It is an aspect of being in a foreign country I have never been able to experience. There are many things that I am experiencing for the first time in a foreign country, but one I have enjoyed is watching the seasons change. I also have a fair amount of time on my hands, so I can sit and take notice of what is happening around me. I came at the end of summer. It was mild, breezy and sunny often. As summer turned into fall, the leaves became hues of orange, red and yellow resplendent with beauty. It became colder. Maybe the perfect cold weather. Cold enough to wear a scarf and a nice jacket. The sun shone some but not as often as the summer. And, it started to rain a little bit more. Right now, it is winter. The sun doesn't rise here until 8:30 or 9:00. I rarely watched the sunrise when I lived in the states. Only while backpacking was I ever up early enough to actually see the sun rise. Here, I am up early enough to watch it rise often. Yet, it never rises brilliantly. The sky is to mulled for the the colors of the sunrise to actually shine through. By 5:30 or 6, the sun is already going down. Again, this going down is just simply the change from light gray to black.
Yesterday evening, the sun set. And, it was soothing. The day began as usual. The black changed to gray in the morning. But, by noon, the sun came out. You could individuate the white clouds from the deep blue. The sun actually warmed me as I read in the park in front of the Musee de Moyen Age. I left Paris at about 5 o clock in the evening. The RER B from Paris to Massy is above ground after you leave the Paris city limits. As the train emerged from the covered station of Cite Universitaire, I got a glimpse of the blue changing to orange in the Western sky of the Ile-de-France. I watched out of the window of my car with anticipation. As we passed by building after building, occasionally I would get another glimpse. This time it looked pink. We arrived at Gentilly, another covered station. I watched out the window eagerly because I knew once we emerged, there wouldn't be any other covered stations, just an open view of the sun setting without being masked by the gray of the clouds.
Watching the sunset in Paris, I felt a continuity of experience that has been uncommon since I have been here. It is rare to find things living in a foreign country that strongly connect you to your past life in another country. However, this experience is not unique to moving countries. It happened with me when I moved to Oklahoma. It happened when I moved to Yellowstone. It happened when I lived in Colorado. Those places are more like my home in St. Louis, but not being in St. Louis, I still felt somewhat alien. Watching the sunset is something I loved to do even in St. Louis. Usually, it was nothing more than taking notice of the sun setting as I drove on Highway 40 over highway 141, or the good view of Chesterfield Valley as you exit highway 40 and wait to turn left on the Parkway. When I watch the sunset anywhere in the world, it is something that reminds of home. However, each time I watch it in a different place, it is also unique. Watching the sunset over the southern suburbs of Paris is different than watching the sunset over the Lower Geyser Basin in Yellowstone. Both of these are different than watching the sunset over the West County Suburbs of St. Louis, but there is something of a continuity. Being able to watch the sunset yesterday evening was a tremendous comfort. For that train ride home, I didn't feel quite as far away from home. Even if it was just for a short train ride home.