10 Observations of Paris in 1 Week

Just how different can two cities be? Let me tell you just a few things that I have picked up on within one week of arriving in Paris. 1. French people do not smile at each other. Unlike friendly strangers in America that smile if caught making eye contact for too long, Parisians always look past one another on the street and are usually frowning. If one must talk to a stranger, it’s always, “Bonjour” so that you are not considered rude, or the common, “Excusez-moi” or “Pardon” to simply apologize for being in someone’s way.

2. The Metro beats the El, hands down. I have yet to wait more than two minutes for a Metro train and I am absolutely blown away. Some lines, not all, but the one that I have used the most often, are even automatically driven. Also, some lines do not have separation between cars. You can see from the front to the back of the train which is a great way to eliminate crime. While the last Metro stops at 12:45am during the week and 1:45am during the weekend, I still firmly believe that the Metro is far better than the El; especially because a lot of El lines might as well shut down at night with how few and far between the trains actually do come.

3. A lot of French people speak English. The french have mastered the art of teaching their children a new language before their brains develop past their prime linguistic years. I think that most of the people in Paris have an impressive knowledge of conversational English and can help you when you just can’t think of that verb. With this said, I still like to practice my french when I can, but sometime my brain gets a little caught up between both languages.

4. Food is important. Of course, this is already pretty widely accepted in the US, but I would say that it is more important in France. Dinners can last for hours and the food just keeps coming. Appetizers, entrees, salad, cheese, dessert, wine, champagne; it’s great!

5. No need to calculate that tip. Servers receive a living wage so leaving a tip means, “The service was outstanding!” Rather than, “I want you to know I’m not a terrible person.”

6. Pickpockets are very real. Luckily no one I know nor I have become a victim, but even the Metro announces to be careful in high-traffic areas.

7. The toilets flush differently. I don’t know how, I don’t know why. They just do.

8. Parisian fashion is just what you expected it to be. I swear I have seen people wearing things that would not look good on a mannequin but there they are, not just wearing it but making it look like a fashion statement. I hope to start perfecting this talent, but I doubt I will even come close before I have to leave.

9. There is no “warning” for when the crosswalk will turn from walk to don’t walk. Ya know that nice time when the stop walking signal flashes to let you know that it’s about to tell you to stop walking all together? That doesn’t happen in Paris. The sign changes from green to red and there is no way of gauging how soon you’ll be run over by a small vehicle. Luckily, most vehicles are small.

10. Everything is beautiful. You just can’t stop looking around. Everywhere you turn, around a corner, down an alley, out the window, even the stops on the Metro are gorgeous. I’m glad I’m not a photographer because I don’t think that I would be able to let myself get any sleep. There you have it, ten pretty obvious observations. Other than that, jet lag, good food, lots of walking... exactly what you would expect. When something out of the ordinary happens, I’ll let you know. A bientôt!