We’ll Always Have Paris…
I love Paris.
Really, there are some places that actually do surpass all expectations, and Paris is right in that category. Even when your kids are bitching and moaning about stuff they really have no right to bitch about, it’s hard to be in a truly bad mood when you are in Paris.
I could make the traditional jokes about how rude the French people are, and how they would be speaking German if it weren’t for us. But, at least from my experience, the French have been nothing but hospitable and friendly. And they have shown immense respect for what we Americans did to save them in two World Wars. Just go to the American Cemetery at Normandy, or alight at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Metro stop and you’ll get it. The French probably appreciate us more than a lot of our own soft, whiny countrymen do.
But, I digress…
My family and I got home a few days ago from nearly a week in Paris, and I have a few thoughts on the city. Allow me to assist you as you plan your trip to the City of Lights. You’re welcome…
Random, last thoughts about Paris…
—It’s hot. Might even be hotter than it was in Rome. What is the deal with Europe being so damn hot? I mean, it’s summer, but it only just became summer about two weeks ago. My brain is boiling.
—That said…Many of Paris’ streets are lined with trees so that there is a lot of shade that helps bring the temperature down from 98° to a more-pleasant 92°…
—This city really is a museum, and not just because there are so many famous museums around here. Almost all the architecture leaves you thinking that Napoleon might come rolling up the Champs Elysees at the head of his Grand Armee.
—You should go to the Louvre. But, you only need to go once. There are people everywhere, of course. But, how often do you get a chance to see the most-famous piece of art in the history of mankind—The Mona Lisa—with a mosh pit of people like at a Metallica club show in 1984?
—At least 113% of all Parisians smoke or vape. But, for some reason, you don’t notice it even half as much as you do in Rome.
—If you buy a multi-day Metro pass, don’t let it get within about 25 feet of your phone because your pass/ticket WILL get de-magnetized and the Metro folks will not replace it…I found this out the hard, and ridiculously stupid way.
—There is a lot of good food here. I had escargot three times (one of which was in Tagliatelle pasta) and it was excellent each time. I also had a great steak and one of the best burgers of my life, here. The McDonald’s breakfast menu needs work, however.
—On any random night of the week, thousands of Parisians, and tourists, gather in this field outside the Eiffel Tower just to stay up and watch the thing’s light display. It starts at the top of the hour after dusk and goes on for five minutes. And there are all sorts of absolutely-not-at-all-undocumented people selling ice-cold beer, wine and Champagne from buckets they carry through the crowd. I’m not a Heineken fan, but the €10 I spent on two Heinekens the other night was a solid investment.
—Everyone should visit here at least once in their life…