I have spent almost the last 24 hours in airports or airplanes, and then upon arriving to Paris finally at 2 in the morning Colorado time, I spent about an hour at the baggage claim and then another hour in the car with a crazy French man who seemed to enjoy putting us in near-death situations. But clearly, I am alive, and so after another hour or so trolling the streets around our rented apartment, I have compiled a list of what makes you blend into Paris.
1. Wear black. Any dark, lifeless color will work, but black is obviously the most chic.
2. Smoke. Everywhere.
3. Wear black, boring, but expensive, shoes. Simple but expensive ones will do as well, and so will strange looking boot things. I’ll have to do some more observing for this one.
4. Be perpetually eating in a cafe, drinking tiny cups of espresso.
5. Always be in a hurry, if you’re not in a cafe. It doesn’t matter if you have somewhere to go; pretend or prepare to be glared at.
6. Look down at tourists, especially when the are speaking American, and especially if your booth at a restaurant is right next to theirs.
Paris is different than what I expected. When we first arrived, it looked like really any other city, except that the cars were a lot smaller and everything was in French. But even now, in an apartment directly overlooking Notre Dame, it seems very much the same.
I think this may be a problem with my way of perceiving Europe. See, I love Europe, or at least the idea of it because I’ve never actually been before. I hate the town I was brought up in, and I’m excited to travel and see the world. And because of this strong desire to leave home, I think I look at other places, especially places in Europe, as these magical anachronisms. I think I sort of expected people to be happier looking, and the shops and surrounding areas to be more old fashioned and timeless.
But it’s not. Paris is like any other modern city, with a few old-looking buildings interspersed amongst the new stainless steel contraptions.
I can’t deny the beauty of the little bit of Paris I’ve seen, however. The architecture is stunning.
Hopefully, tomorrow, after I’ve slept, I’ll be able to appreciate the city more. But for right now, it’s just a city. A gorgeous city. A foriegn city. But still just a city. I’m enormously grateful I’m here, because any vacation is a welcome one, but it hasn’t quite… clicked with me yet.
lucky…. just lucky.
Being a lady who has traveled, I’m going to have to respectfully disagree with you. Paris is different from Prague is different from London is different from St. Petersburg is different from New York. There’s no way you can classify any metropolis as “just another modern city.” The only thing that’s similar is the fact there’s more activity than podunk Grand Junction. Cities have completely different people and ways of going about business- you just have to look a little more closely and appreciate the differences. Hopefully being there a little longer will make that clear. : )
Paris is awesome, just give it a chance:)
It’s not quite as good as the French countryside, but it has much more stuff to do, so have fun!