I recently was blessed to take a trip to Paris. I’ve been out of the country before, but this
was my first time outside of North America. It was a fun, eye-opening
experience that made me realize how different cultures are, but yet are still
the same. I’ll break down three things that stood out to me about my trip to
Paris.
The Culture
One of the first things that stood out to me
is the lap of luxury in Paris, soon as you step off the airplane and walk down
the terminal you’re greeted with all the luxury stores you can think of. Gucci,
Burberry, Fendi, Louie any luxury brand you can think of. Next thing Paris is
just like New York City, being the fashion capital of the world and the capital
of Paris it is crowded. Traffic is terrible, think the traffic of NYC,
Washington D.C., and L.A. combined and that’s traffic in Paris. No wonder so
many people walk, bike, or take public transportation.
Fashion!
Parisians take great pride in the way they look. For the most part they are
very casual and low key, but you can tell they put a lot of thought in what
they are going to wear. Their choice of attire is also very modest nothing that
really brings attention to them. Paris is known for access to a
lot of great wine, but Parisians also love to smoke. I was shocked at the
amount of Woman who smoke, and they smoke just about anywhere they can. They
smoked so much I was curious if there are any anti-smoking campaigns in the
country.
Hopping
on the train especially during rush hour, be prepared to throw some elbows to
get on the train. It quickly becomes a madhouse to make the train and feel like
a can of sardines until your next stop. At the mall and need to use the
restroom, be prepared to pay the cashier at the front desk to use the restroom.
Parisians
enjoy their time with their families. A lot of stores and supermarkets are
closed by 8:00 pm. When you’re finished eating at a restaurant, there is no
rush to kick you out the wait staff politely checks on you periodically until
you ask for the check.
For
the places that do open late, such as nightclubs Parisians know how to party.
The Food
Some of the stereotypes ring true,
cafes in Paris are plentiful and appear to be at every corner. Drinking their
espresso and reading a book is in the norm in Paris. Cafes are such a big thing
their McDonald’s have legit cafes in them, on par with Starbucks. There
are crepe stands everywhere just like we have hot dog stands everywhere. This was my first time ever having crepes and
they are quite good. Next to crepes their next sweet of choice is macaroons.
Parisians love their bread, often baked fresh daily. Bread comes with nearly every meal
and there are plenty of sandwich options. There’s so much bread by day 2 of my
trip I was on bread overload and was trying to avoid it as much as I could. There
was one fast food place called “Quick” man their burgers gave McDonald’s a
serious run for their money.
Their food does not contain as much “junk” such as
artificial sweeteners, preservatives, etc. I bought a bag of potato chips and
while crispy, crunchy, and good it’s not as salty as chips in America. Their
sodas do not contain as much carbonation and fizz. Even their ground beef
doesn’t wear you down like it does here. Portion sizes are small but enough to
fill someone up, especially if a lot of walking will be done.
Supermarkets
offer stands where shoppers can squeeze their own oranges for fresh orange
juice. Other than bacon, pork isn’t really an option on their menu(s). Paris
has a strong Asian population which was a shocker to me. That meant there were
plenty of Pho spots and Japanese restaurants around.
The lack of junk
in their food in addition to walking, means a lot of Parisians aren’t obese.
Without getting too political, and knowing the obvious answer it makes me
annoyed as to why the U.S. government refuses to really regulate how much
artificial crap is really put into our food.
History
Paris
has a lot of history. A lot of things I now have the privilege to say that I have seen in
person and inspired me to see more of the world. The Palace of Versailles
which was the home of the French Royals, the various King Louis's during their respective reigns. A massive castle and landscape that
was huge beyond words, makes you wonder what someone could possibly do with all
that land.
The
world famous Louvre which is the world’s largest art museum. Which contained
the original painting of the Mona Lisa painting. Being able to have dinner
inside the Eiffel Tower and see it in person and how tall it really is was awe
inspiring. The
Notre Dame church where I didn’t find Quasimodo, waiting to ring the bell. The Arc de Triomphe which is
busy as hell, good luck trying to play in that traffic. Narrow alleys with
cobblestone pathways. Buildings that have stood for thousands of years, just
the entire history of the city. There was even more places to see that I
didn’t get a chance to.
I
highly recommend that if you can, get out there and see the world. From other
countries versions of ghettos, to where the royals reside or use to reside.
There is so much out there to see, and will make you appreciate what you have
at home, or figure out how to make
things better for quality of life no matter how big or small the initiative is. This trip was truly eye opening for me on just how much is out there, and I can't wait til my next excursion around the world.
