As I conclude my two week stay in Paris, I have a few observations that are random and not necessarily connected.

The professionalism of French waiters is striking.  At the same time, their occasional coldness in their interaction with their customers is shocking.

The importance of meals, especially lunch, stands out. The time for which is almost sacred; it cannot be overemphasized.  Many religiously take two hours for lunch.

The role that walking and two wheel vehicles play in most Parisians daily lives is something to behold.  There is more space dedicated to parking bicycles, motorcycles and scooters than there is set aside for cars.

I was struck by the lack of heavy set, fat people which stands in stark contrast to what you see in America.  Or said in a more positive way, the relative slimness of Parisian citizens is noticeable.

The importance and the value the French put on children impressed me.  Kids are really important in the French culture.  It shows in the way parents walk with their children, in the way strangers respond to children, and in the nation’s policies on what age school starts, and what tax incentives are provided for couples with kids.

I was surprised by their practice of separating the toilet from the other bathroom functions such as washing and showering.  They do not want to put both functions in the same room like we do in America.  The toilet in my apartment in Paris was as far away from the “bathroom” consisting of sink and bathtub/shower as possible.  And it was difficult to find.  The toilet was in a little bitty closet next to the apartment’s front door.

I fell in love with the importance Parisians attach to being able to walk every day to collect the food for that evening’s meal.  And do this all from their neighborhood shops that sell vegetables, meat, fish, bread and wine.

I was not aware that too many tourists can be a problem, and that it is now becoming a serious issue. I was there in the middle of May and the number of tourists was unbelievable —  so many Americans finally escaping Covid restrictions, a new middle class in India that is beginning to travel, and with China finally just a few weeks ago opening up travel for its citizens.

It seems that everyone (and of course not everyone, but…) wears a scarf.  Women and men both wear them.  The women as fashion statement, a stunning accent to their outfit.  For the men it is about attitude.

Bottom line, nothing can beat just sitting at a table outside a restaurant, just sipping a cup of coffee or a drink of some kind.  Just taking the world in, watching the world as it passes by.

Immigration is a real issue in France as it is in the United States.  There are significant number of immigrants from North Africa and countries in the Middle East.

 

The homeless in Paris are not downtown but rather in the suburbs.  This is totally different from cities in the United States.  The cost of housing downtown in Paris is so great that the poor have moved to the surrounding suburbs.  In addition, the French government has a very aggressive program to get homeless a bed to sleep in plus some supplemental services plus $ 600/month spending money.  Most of these beds and facilities are in the suburbs, not in downtown. There are very few homeless in Paris center.

Open air, outdoor dancing is alive and well in Paris.  Along the Seine River there are several amphitheater-like areas where hundreds of Parisians dance to music during the day and at night.   one amphitheater-like area will be devoted to swing music and dancing.  The next area will be focused on Latin music and dancing.  The next area will be all tango.  The next area will be more traditional ballroom dancing.  And finally one other area will be concentrating on West Coast Swing dancing.

And I have not even had the chance to talk about my French cooking class, or my French language lesson, or my boat ride on the Seine River with my daughter Kelsey.

I could go on, but I think you get the point.  There is so much to take in when you travel.  there are so many interesting differences from what we are used to.  This trip to Paris reinforced to me the value of traveling.  The most significant difference for me from other trips that I have taken was the idea of staying in someone’s apartment, in a neighborhood, for two weeks and not feeling I had to go to all the usual tourist “must sees”.

One final point.  If I had to name one thing that sticks with me the most from my two weeks in Paris it would be the pace of the Parisians.  I fell in love with their pace.  It is a slower pace that what we are used to, or, at least, I am used to.  The time set aside for lunch and other meals, for example.  The time taken to have a cup of coffee or a drink at an outside table at any one of numerous neighborhood sidewalk cafes.  The time taken to engage in conversations with your friends, neighbors and your daughter!.  The pace of Parisians is something to behold and to cherish.