California Livin' Series: City of Paris, France
Hey y'all, California Livin' is back in the City of Lights and that's exactly what we'll be discussing today!
Let's keep this simple.
Things I like about Paris:
The food. Toujours délicieuses. Et très jolie.
The metro. The individuality of each train, the surprise of seeing where I'll end up once I go up those stairs.
Discovering the city. Walking around the streets and stumbling upon a cute little park, finding that perfect restaurant that hasn't been tarnished by tourists (yet), perusing the boutiques and learning that my taste in fashion is actually quite flexible.
The nature, where it can be found. The parks, the Seine, the gardens.
Having a spontaneous conversation with restaurant table neighbors, which happened a surprising (and delightful) number of times.
The power of the pedestrian. Jaywalkers own the streets here, and a few times I have actually seen a large group of them bring traffic to a halt.
Velib, a combo of velo (bicycle) and libéré (free), the bike rental stations located all throughout the city at only one Euro per half hour. Even though I didn't get a chance to use it, I must credit them for being pioneers for the movement here.
Les soldes (the sales) in the summer and winter, where you can get cheap(er) clothes before they go out of season.
The Louis Vuitton store. Duh. Four stories of LV magic. Lotsa Asians in there. Just saying. Guess they like their name-brand. Yes, there is a long line to get in.
Things I don't like about Paris:
The people. Or more specifically, the people on the job. Parisians clearly hate to work, and 90% of the time, if asking for assistance (however politely or in-French you speak), you will be scoffed at or condescended towards. Waiters do not respond to menu questions, police reluctantly give directions, receptionists greet you with blank stares or not at all. When you hear about the rude French, you are hearing about the Parisians.
The attitude. I took French all four years of high school. I think I know my way around the language a little. Yet once again, 90% of the time the Parisians liked to play dumb and make me feel stupid, just so I'd speak in English and get the job done faster. Excuser me, but I think taking the time to speak the native language as a courtesy should be welcomed rather than frowned upon.
The prices. They say Europe is expensive, but I have never encountered more outrageous prices in my life. One girl I overheard said dinner at the finest Parisian restaurant costs a thousand dollars a head. On average, a light meal will be in the range of thirty to forty dollars. No wonder the Parisians eat so many pastries. They only cost a Euro or two each. One of our most memorable moments was purchasing a mango for dessert that cost twenty bucks American equivalent. "We charge by weight" was the excuse. It was delicious, but no.
The air quality. Parisians smoke, yes they do, I know it and so do you. But my skin sprouted up here quicker than ever.
The impatience. As I stated, Parisians are some of the most impatient people. If they can't help you they will (sometimes literally) throw up their hands and shoo you away. No flexibility here - once they say no, "no" it is.
Let's keep this simple.
Things I like about Paris:
The food. Toujours délicieuses. Et très jolie.
The metro. The individuality of each train, the surprise of seeing where I'll end up once I go up those stairs.
Discovering the city. Walking around the streets and stumbling upon a cute little park, finding that perfect restaurant that hasn't been tarnished by tourists (yet), perusing the boutiques and learning that my taste in fashion is actually quite flexible.
The nature, where it can be found. The parks, the Seine, the gardens.
Having a spontaneous conversation with restaurant table neighbors, which happened a surprising (and delightful) number of times.
The power of the pedestrian. Jaywalkers own the streets here, and a few times I have actually seen a large group of them bring traffic to a halt.
Velib, a combo of velo (bicycle) and libéré (free), the bike rental stations located all throughout the city at only one Euro per half hour. Even though I didn't get a chance to use it, I must credit them for being pioneers for the movement here.
Les soldes (the sales) in the summer and winter, where you can get cheap(er) clothes before they go out of season.
The Louis Vuitton store. Duh. Four stories of LV magic. Lotsa Asians in there. Just saying. Guess they like their name-brand. Yes, there is a long line to get in.
Things I don't like about Paris:
The people. Or more specifically, the people on the job. Parisians clearly hate to work, and 90% of the time, if asking for assistance (however politely or in-French you speak), you will be scoffed at or condescended towards. Waiters do not respond to menu questions, police reluctantly give directions, receptionists greet you with blank stares or not at all. When you hear about the rude French, you are hearing about the Parisians.
The attitude. I took French all four years of high school. I think I know my way around the language a little. Yet once again, 90% of the time the Parisians liked to play dumb and make me feel stupid, just so I'd speak in English and get the job done faster. Excuser me, but I think taking the time to speak the native language as a courtesy should be welcomed rather than frowned upon.
The prices. They say Europe is expensive, but I have never encountered more outrageous prices in my life. One girl I overheard said dinner at the finest Parisian restaurant costs a thousand dollars a head. On average, a light meal will be in the range of thirty to forty dollars. No wonder the Parisians eat so many pastries. They only cost a Euro or two each. One of our most memorable moments was purchasing a mango for dessert that cost twenty bucks American equivalent. "We charge by weight" was the excuse. It was delicious, but no.
The air quality. Parisians smoke, yes they do, I know it and so do you. But my skin sprouted up here quicker than ever.
The impatience. As I stated, Parisians are some of the most impatient people. If they can't help you they will (sometimes literally) throw up their hands and shoo you away. No flexibility here - once they say no, "no" it is.
The stinginess. The food portion-to-price ratio is meager, and not only by American standards. The toilets never flush all the way and even the hand dryers don't stay on long enough. No soda refills, ice is a rarity. All trivial in and of themselves but all together it becomes irksome to say the least.
Perhaps the suburbs are more my style.
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