I lied - I still had time to get this post in before we left the hotel.
This is the first time I’ve been to Paris since 1992. So I was wondering what my impressions were going to be.
Coming here is like putting on some comfortable old cloths. It just feels very good and easy. I slip back into being able to get around town, talk to people, move and communicate. There is a familiarity as opposed to disorientation.
I think a big part of this is the neighborhood we’re staying. It’s not a tourist area at all. You can tell this when you walk around and stop in the various cafés, bistros, and brasseries. So there is a relaxed feeling unlike the high tourist areas we visited during the day.
Paris seems to be softer. The same city but with some of the sharp edges sanded off. The attitude toward English is one biggie. In the old days, they would ignore you rather than make any attempt at dealing in English. And they would correct every word of French spoken to them. Now there seems to be an acceptance and not a begrudging one either. And when I speak we as often as not end up with some conversation that includes both French and English in an easy kind of way. Certainly no one was keeping me from speaking in French.
No more old Frenchmen in blue cleaning the streets. Now there are gangs in green with lime green safety vests and they are most often of immigrant derivation (Africa and North African).
The food actually seems to be a bit better. When we were here in the 90’s there was comments about how things were deteriorating. But we were very pleasantly surprised. And as I’ve reported, we’ve found numerous places with real old school stuff.
I still love walking around Paris – truly an artwork of a city and a feast for the eyes.
4 comments:
When I visited Germany this year (for the first time since 1997) I was also happy that it felt familiar. I had been apprehensive, but it turned out that I felt very at ease, except for when I had to use a public phone to text someone. That hadn't been done back in 1997, and it took some figuring out.
Dude, you should move there and give tours to Americans. It's right up your alley and you'd love it!
Good to hear things have softened up a bit. That was always the impression that I got from people who talked about France - that people were rude and didn't want to deal with Americans.
I never would have made it in '90s Paris. I would have been eaten alive. I'd still like to go at some point before I die, though.
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