I see Paris, I see France…

Being my third trip to Paris, I was appreciating the “City of Light” in quite a different way this trip owing to a longer time spent in this historic capital. The first time here was as a teenager with 99 other high school concert band members, so my level of appreciation was more from being able to escape the farm and see the world for the first time. That trip was orchestrated (pardon the pun) with tight schedules and little opportunity to explore but I do remember celebrating my 17th birthday here which seemed somewhat exotic. My last trip to Paris in 2015 was just a four-day stay junket following a transatlantic cruise, so there was little time to enjoy Paris except for a few highlights; it did, nonetheless, provide more of a taste of the culture, architecture, history, and cuisine the city has to offer. It also provided more of a context to my readings on French history, particularly those relating to the revolutions, continental wars, and WW2.

For this visit the stay started with 10 days in Paris and then another 4 days in Caen - this allowed plenty of opportunity to explore the many boroughs (arrondissement en Français) of Paris. Each of the numbered arrondissement represent outward growth of the city to the right and left banks of the Seine (orientation is based on facing east to the Atlantic coast of France) centering around the Îlse de la Cité where Notre Dame Cathedral is located. Our apartment was situated in the Marais (Arr’t 3) that was the old Jewish quarter originating in medieval times and, sadly, resettled by non-Jews after the Nazi deportations. Ironically, it has become one of the main areas ("village”) of another persecuted population - the LGBTQ+. There are a few reminders of the original Jewish presence in the Marais, including two memorials, but many of the Jewish diaspora that eventually returned settled further out from the city center. The Marais spans both Arrondissement 3 and 4, and is ideally situated for walking, access to transit, and many eateries, boulangeries, and other shopping…oh, and wine. Within a two-block distance of our apartment we had everything needed for meals out or in and literally everything one could need.

Paris is a very walkable city, especially when it is low tourist season - our timing here was intentionally planned with that in mind so that our air travel and apartment were off season (much cheaper), the city less crowded, and there were virtually no waits in lines during the weekdays. As well, it is a cooler time of year with Spring buds coming out and greenery starting to appear, so much more comfortable for long walks. The timing also coincided with a dear friend being here for 3 months that afforded much time for coordinated explorations and quality time together (the novelty of meeting up with a friend in a foreign and exotic destination was pretty cool, although after almost 5 years in Winterpeg even Vancouver is now exotic to me). During the course of our visit, the step count averaged about 21,000 per day so there was plenty of exercise calculated into the daily calorie intake of dejeuner and obligatory baguettes, cheese, and other cochonneries. It amazes me that obesity does not seem to be a huge problem in Paris or France, in general, but they do tend to eat smaller portions (except for dejeuner) and either walk or bike everywhere.

A huge difference in Paris from when I was here in 1980 is the general cleanliness and fewer overt numbers of persons who are poor or homeless, although we did see a few tent communities along the banks of the Seine or under bridge archways. I had noted this difference in my visit of 2015, but since then many other transformations have taken place with the 2024 Olympics. I daresay that there seems more of a pride in how Parisians represent their city as, in addition to the work done to keep the sidewalks and streets clean, the people seem much more welcoming and polite. In fact, on this trip so far I can only recall one server who seemed to (giving benefit of the doubt) be having a “bad day”.  Almost everyone was happy to engage and genuinely seemed proud of the work they did, whether waiting on tables, helping tourists navigate the train system, or just providing directions. The other thing that was pretty awesome was that, unlike at home, there was not the same insecurity around the French language - almost everyone service had at least two language (usually French and English), but frequently we heard Spanish and German on the metro and train platforms. It was quite amazing how other languages were incorporated into company names, sometimes tongue-in-cheek(y)…such as the Boeuf & Cow restaurant.

And speaking of transit, France has mastered the art of efficiency and timeliness here similar to my experiences in Italy and Spain. Whether the bus, metro, train, boats, or planes everything is well-organized and scheduled to the minute…not exactly the experience with VIA rail (or Air Canada) in Canada 🤭 Passes are easy to figure out when you get the hang of it, although one must pay attention to the jurisdictions of each division of the transit system - while integrated and carefully choreographed, there are municipal, local, and regional transit systems that may require a different pass or booking…and a different kiosk. Signage was mostly OK for navigation but in the bigger stations (e.g., Gare du Nord) the hub is so big that there are three or four levels to the station (metro, alone, may occupy the two lowest levels, then the regional train system above that, and the Eurotrain system [international] above that). It is rather fun to watch the dance of regular commuters, day-to-day users, and lost tourists on the platforms - that is, if one is not too stressed out by the organized chaos and neck strain staring up to the monitors that designate the platforms.

During our time here, thus far, there has been much to see and explore, from large plazas and parks to the classic iconic sites (e.g., Notre Dame Cathedral and Eiffel Tower) to hidden little delights of medieval backstreets and shops. I think the only big drawback on this trip was the poor air quality on some days - one could see the haze and, in my case, feel the impact on lung function (good thing I brought my inhalers!). Aside from that, I would say that this trip was much more a true relaxing vacation than I have had in a very long time. And, as I will share, there was a lot of ground covered and many sights (and sites) thoroughly explored.