When you bring up the city of Paris, France to most Americans there’s probably not a major city anywhere in the world that evokes such strong feelings. People not just at once think of romance and charm on the one hand, however many also envision Paris as extremely expensive, arrogant and unfriendly. People appear to think that language barriers in many other places may be overcome, because in those places everybody will endeavor to be cooperative and respectful. But for some reason Parisians would rather see Americans struggle.
I, too, have strong opinions concerning Paris, and I’d like to talk about some of these as being an individual who has been to the city frequently. For me, the actual charm of Paris is quite subtle. The first time I was there I was totally pleasantly surprised about the architecture. Some of it, including the Arc de Triumph, Eiffel Tower and Cathedral of Notre Dame are actually iconic landmarks. Fact is that there is much more to their wonderful architecture than those recognizable structures. Even with that, subsequent to the first visit I failed to leave with the feeling that Paris held any unusual magic.
It wasn’t until we spent one week inside the Latin Quarter in our third visit did I come to appreciate what Paris has to offer. We still enjoyed time at the vacationer draws including the Louvre as well as le musee d’armee, but also having lunch or wine at a sidewalk café within one of the neighborhoods do you really start to get an understanding of the allure. Plus some of the local neighborhoods have a lot to offer, and generally are relatively quick to reach via the Metro.
Paris is like most large metropolitan areas that started out as a city center and expanded out in the direction of what had been once fairly far-flung hamlets. The Latin Quarter is where the Roman military had been garrisoned during the occupation of Gaul in past centuries, and you can lose yourself in the beginnings of the place. Also, Montmartre and Montparnasse are a couple of others that have a great deal to offer.
I have talked about reasons why people travel to Paris, but let me just speak to some of the concerns people have with the city. Are Parisians in fact arrogant and unfriendly, and will you be abandoned should you not be fluent in French? To answer the 2nd question, you certainly needn’t be fluent in French to experience Paris. But being able to utter a few words like hello, good evening and thanks go a long way to indicate you respect them in addition to their language.
As for them being unfriendly, I have not found them to be more unfriendly than folks somewhere else. But there may well be jerks anywhere; it’s not only because they’re French. However the French are not the same by nature than most Americans. Possibly because of their extremely trying history of the most recent number of centuries they’re more socially reserved as well as cynical. Americans commonly will be more open as well as upbeat. I have not found that typecast of the arrogant French as part of their culture.
JIM O’CONNELL
