Sights of Paris (Part I)
After London, Paris. Don’t hate me for saying it, but at first sight, it felt like going from Peru to Bolivia.
I have never liked Paris. Go ahead, call me a little spoiled French girl, I’m used to it. Saying you don’t like Paris usually makes you get hate look from people who are dreaming to visit the city of lights, and it brings contempt from other French people. They shrug at me, saying: «oui mais bon… c’est Paris quand même !».
I’ve been to Paris a thousand of times, as a tourist, a concert-goer, and a student. The only way I can stand the city for more than a few days is by going full tourist mode. In fact, most of the time, I just pretend I don’t speak French. Parisians see me as an idiot but a foreign idiot, so it’s not as bad in their eyes.
My main issue with Paris is that life is very difficult there. Accommodation is crazy expensive and so are the subway (€1.70 per ride!), food in general and tickets to various attraction. The city is dirty — very dirty. You remember me praising the London tube? Well, in Paris we rode packed subway with no air-con and people puking around us. Seriously.
I think that Paris is resting on its laurels. Because “it’s Paris”, because there are so many sights and because the city was once beautiful and famous, people visit it anyway. Yet locals don’t try to make it welcoming and everything is overpriced. Only in Paris one star hotels at the 7th floor of an old building with toilets outside the room cost €50.00 per night. Only in Paris a sandwich is €10 and a bottle of water as much as €4. And people suck it up — because it’s Paris.
Never mind. I’ll stop bitching and I’ll leave you with the best sights!
You can follow our French trip here on Flickr: France (2010).
 Place Charles de Gaulle |
 I Love Paris |
Arche de Triomphe
Les Champs-Élysées
 Shopping at Dior (not me!) |
 Avenue Montaigne |
 Detail of Pavement |
 Champs-Élysées |
 Notre-Dame |
 Notre-Dame |
 In a Café |
 Banks of the Seine River |
In a Small Coffee Shop
Notre-Dame
Related articles:
Tagged with: Snapshots of France
16 Comments »
2 Pingbacks »
Leave a comment!
I have heard others voice the same opinions about Paris. The problem is that Paris is where you have to go to see the stuff that Paris has. Paris is on my bucket list but for some reason is not something I’m just burning to do.
Haha. I have this idea that if ever I visit France, I would skip Paris altogether and just head down south to the medieval castles. I agree that there are locations around the world that people go to just because it is well-known, and because of that, the prices get hyped and inflated.
@Cynthia — I know, you can find cheaper places. I refuse to pay 4euro for water anyway!
We didn’t stay long in Paris unfortunately, lack of accomodation…
@Jorge Mora — Oh, we had the same problem! I’m used to share a pizza in Canada and in both London and Paris it is frowned upon!
@khengsiong — Most Asian cities are quite polluted, I remember Beijing… it was bad!
@shionge — Parisians are actually nice, especially if you try to speak a bit of French, even if it’s just “bonjour”. Most young people speak at least basic English as well.
@Kirsten — Pollution was bad in both Paris and London, I noticed when I took a shower after a day out the first day — the water was grey!
@Soleil — I think London used to be more expensive but because the Pound crashed, everything is undervalued right now. We were lucky, we got good deals everywhere thanks to a strong Canadian dollar!
@sir jorge — Thank you!
@Sanjay — Thank you for your input! I personally feel safe in Paris but that could be because I’m French, so I know how to assess “danger” if danger there is. Some far suburbs are less than welcoming but there is no reason to go there anyway. Other than that, it’s just basic commonsense, such as paying attention to your wallet and such.
@London Caller — But most young French do speak English, even if they may not practice often. They usually don’t mind speaking a foreign language
@Karla — Thank you very much for your input and praise!
@Yogi — Paris is definitely a place to visit and experience but as a French, I just wish they would make it a bit more welcoming for tourists.
@Linguist-in-Waiting — That would also be a good idea. We always spend a few days in Paris because it’s nice and convenient but I wouldn’t stay for too long.
nice pics ..!!
Beautiful pics! And it’s great to hear. I wouldn’t want to really visit Paris with P, maybe a girl friend, but I do long to see other parts of the country more!!!
I must say in comparison, a sandwich here in Victoria is $8, and water another $2.50 to $3, so Victoria is close behind in prices! We nearly never eat out because of the prices here. Sushi is pricey now too, nearly $12 to $15 for your average salmon roll, california roll. But our streets are clean and rather safe even if you run into a few not so clean people.