Your cart is currently empty!
Birthday in Paris!
#travel #paris #experience #birthday #halloween
A walk about Paris will provide lessons in history, beauty, and in the point of life.
Remember when, a few weeks ago, I told you my birthday is on October 29th? So, what’s better than traveling on your birthday? Going on the same trip for your birthday and Halloween! This was actually a lucky coincidence – the trip was supposed to be 3-days long (flying on the 28th to and the 31st from Paris). Luckily, the air carrier moved our return flight one day back, with no additional cost – I cannot thank them enough! My biggest birthday wish was not necessarily to visit Paris – it was to humor the child within and go to Disneyland. This time I was not solo, so I want to thank my companions for granting me this wish.
Paris is one of the most fascinating places I’ve visited, and I cannot wait to tell you all about it. From a West European city, I was not expecting to ever discover anything grandiose or out of the ordinary. In fact, I believe I told you all of Europe looks pretty much the same to me – probably because this is where I grew up. The city of Paris, on the contraire, was a complete surprise in this sense. My main question was where they found so much place to erect all the enormous buildings and monuments! I had a similar feeling to the one from The Bund in Shanghai, much more than a feeling from Berlin, Vienna, Budapest or Prague.
I’m sorry to say that, in 4 days, I was barely able to traverse and visit a part of the center of Paris – with only the majority of important monuments. If I would decide to make a TOP 10 things to do in Paris, I would probably need a TOP 20 of things I missed in the city. Despite well connected and organized public transportation system, the surface of the very center is so spacious, there is no possibility to see everything in only 4 days – especially if you spend one whole day in Disneyland (NOT ENOUGH!) and one in Versailles. But instead of going through everything I didn’t get to see the first time visiting, I’ll emphasize what made the spirit and atmosphere of this majestic city so special and individual.
First of all, of course, FOOD! We all have that one friend, who eats an equivalent of five normal meals in one go, only talks about food, and doesn’t gain weight. If you don’t have a friend like that, this is you. I guess it’s my luck I don’t have a friend from this category. Now I can tell you all about the food culture in Paris!
I thought I would never like it – croissants are full of pastry, breakfast coffee is short, and it goes together with a small orange juice. And there’s baguettes with butter and fruit jam. Definitely not my cup of tea! For some strange, unbelievable reason, the croissant and baguette pastry are so easily digestible, and the taste is exquisite! This type of breakfast can be found in every single café, so after every few steps. In fact, one day, I decided to try out some brunch. Along with the above-mentioned standard, it also included some vegetable pottage, chicken skewers with vegetables, an egg salad and even a poached pear. What I especially loved about the food is that the portions are just enough – this is a great piece of medicine for those of us who can eat three meals while preparing one. Also, with all the different ingredients, the meal was completely in balance. I realized then this is the kind of food we should all eat, on a daily basis!
I was warned about prices in Paris being overly high. If we talk about food, in all fairness and honesty, one does spend a lot of money on food, eating 2-3 times a day in restaurants. This is a rule of thumb, wherever we are. However, making an average, the prices are not generally higher than the ones in Prague or Belgrade, which are deemed as “cheap” cities. All in all, I can say I was pleasantly surprised. Another fact that blew my mind was that the prices don’t gradually drop as you move further away from main streets and monuments – everything is evenly priced around Arc de Triomphe and in subway Zone 5. I like consistency in life, generally. For people who don’t mind walking for hours to save up some money, here’s a piece of advice – don’t! On the other hand, I must mention that entry fees are charged literally everywhere – churches, monuments, sites of any historical significance. But whether you decide to go in or not, you will have a lot of time on your hand to gain so many culturally distinct impressions.
The diversity of restaurants is outstanding! I’ve seen ethnic cuisines from so many various parts of the world. In fact, the only Chinese restaurant in Europe, where food really tastes like the one in China, is in Lagrange, a restaurant looking at Notre Dame from across the river. A special plus is I discovered this place on my birthday, when I really felt like eating Chinese food.
The biggest impression of Paris that most people have (and that I was warned about) is that it’s awfully dirty. See, this is a great example of a unique experience, and why solo travel sharpens it. I could’ve simply proclaimed “Paris is dirty”, based on what most people said. My experience, on the other hand, is quite the opposite. Not only were there trash cans every few meters/feet, but most of them were not even half-full. Not sure if the custodial service runs very frequently, or this was simply a major coincidence. Also, I do not recall having seen any litter on the streets. In all fairness, I did go around the city center and two very special places in Zone 5 – Versailles and Disneyland. Logically, there would not be any trash in these localities.
Apart from that, most people denied finding Paris to be a “magical” city. In fact, there is a syndrome named after it, Paris syndrome, defined as a sense of extreme disappointment, shown by some visitors of Paris, who believe the city did not fulfill their expectations (this is perceived as a stronger form of culture shock). I cannot say I didn’t feel this in 2022, but it was related to a completely different city, not Paris. In fact, Paris is one of the most magical places I’ve visited so far, ranked together with New York and Shanghai, in my book! You know that feeling of sparkling, colorful butterflies in your stomach, produced by visiting something very special and unique? No? Well, that’s because you haven’t visited Paris yet.
In one of my previous posts, I wrote about how certain cities, countries or areas in general, stay with us long after we depart them. Hong Kong was one of the first such areas on my list. Paris definitely belongs to this category. Although, in Malta, I did meet new friends from Toulouse, who claim their city is much prettier and better. I’ll have to discover this for myself! In the meantime, I understand not all parts of France are equally majestic, and that most of them will leave us feeling different vibes. Provence is known to be a lovely place, Nice and the Mediterranean cost are famous tourist attractions, Colmar is said to be a winter wonderland, Saint-Tropez to be a party capital, but there is also French Guyana – the homeland of the largest European national park (in South America!), and finally my favorite – French Polynesia. I cannot wait to visit all of these places.
Some more interesting facts about Paris – have you noticed, in movies at least, how they love flowers so much? It’s probably because they do. I’ve seen the most wonderous shop windows, ornated with bouquets of colorful flowers, of all sorts of plants. I believe this is a thing of the culture. I myself am a plant and flower lover, but my passion for botany is nothing in comparison to the Parisienne. Although, like Ferdinand, I did stop every here and there to inhale the spirit of the city. And have I told you about arboreal boulevards, clearing the air and keeping the temperature on the streets at a more soothing level? The capacious and lengthy streets are covered in beautiful trees, standing tall and providing shade throughout the daylight. Apart from that, very frequent park locations help conceal all the commotion, worry and even stench of the urban life.
What about the buildings, monuments, and other man-made objects? I’m so enchanted with the magic of Paris, I have completely forgotten to mention them whatsoever. But they will definitely be great material for a TOP 10 in the next post. And what about the magic of Disneyland? Well, that’s a story for a completely different time.
Comments
[…] 2. Birthday in Paris, […]
[…] my birthday while visiting a new country. So, if you’re wondering, have I not celebrated my last birthday in France as well – you’re right. In but three short and sweet days, I got to visit France again, and a […]
[…] my birthday while visiting a new country. So, if you’re wondering, have I not celebrated my last birthday in France as well – you’re right. In but three short and sweet days, I got to visit France again, and a […]
[…] this is a regular trap when visiting popular places. I well remember my birthday trip to Paris, where one couldn’t traverse a street and not get into a line of pedestrians. On the contrary, […]
Leave a Reply