An Englishman in Paris: Observations & Reflections

This time last week I had never been to Paris. Not for any particular reason, mind you, other than for the simple fact that I had never had cause to go. Nevertheless, even for someone who has never visited the French capital, the mere mention of Paris evokes such a wealth of familiar sights and sounds that you could quite easily persuade yourself otherwise. After all, isn't Paris the Tour Eiffel, the Musée du Louvre, the Cathédrale Notre-Dame? Is it not the Arc de Triomphe and the Avenue des Champs-Élysées? Surely, by the same token, Paris is even the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo? Having now spent time in the capital, I can honestly say that the answer is yes; it is everything that the non-resident thinks it is. And yet, as with every tourist destination, Paris is more than it's defining landmarks and, although they may be reason enough to visit, it is the experience of the city itself that sticks in the mind. This is the Paris that is not immediately obvious; the living, breathing city that exists in the shadow of it's own immortal status. Therefore, although I enjoyed visiting the Parisian monuments, if only to prove their existence, it was the subtle differences in culture that I found most interesting. 

With this in mind, for me, the thought of Paris no longer consists merely of a roll call of familiar iconography. No, I can now add my own observations and reflections to the list, some of which I've documented below:

• When it comes to learning the French etiquette between the pedestrian and the driver, simply walking out of Gare du Nord on to the Parisian streets for the first time provides ample opportunity to get the gist of things. Essentially, don't go believing that your well-being as a human has any bearing on whether cars will stop for you. Because it doesn't and they won't. The first mistake I made was thinking that a zebra crossing in Paris is the same as  a zebra crossing in Britain. Suffice to say, it isn't, so don't go thinking that as a pedestrian you have the right of way. Because you don't and you never will. By way of example, think of cyclists in Amsterdam, except that instead of the possibility of causing an impromptu and anger-induced symphony of bicycle bells, you are far more likely to be run over by a lorry.  

• It is no secret that stereotypes rarely match up to reality. Having said that, although I never expected to see the French exclusively wearing blue and white striped shirts and berets, I couldn't help notice that the few people that were wearing such attire were all, in fact, American. I suppose that says more about them than the French. However, what does ring true is that the French love their baguettes. There really is at least one boulangerie on every street and seemingly every other person has a loaf slung under the arm or sticking out of a grocery bag. This is the kind of stereotyping I can get behind; the French bake really good bread. 

• If you think there is a lot of graffiti in London, you haven't been to Paris. For instance, it is rare to find a single section of wall, a bench or even a tree that hasn't been marked in some way or other. Even the insides of the Metro tubes are covered in spray paint, which surely must take some courage on behalf of the graffitists. Indeed, graffiti is so abundant throughout the centre of Paris that it almost seems to play as dominant a role in the fabric of the city's culture as the infamous landmarks that it exists alongside.

• The absolute worst thing about Paris has little to do with the city itself. Rather it is the insipid modern tourist culture that flocks around any such large and iconic destination. Unfortunately, it somehow seems particularly pronounced in Paris, perhaps because of the sheer number of tourist attractions and the close proximity between them. Of course, I was visiting the city as a tourist myself and I don't begrudge anyone doing the same. But what I dislike about some tourists is the dissociation between what they are seeing and where they are. For example, whilst in the Louvre I observed one woman walk hurriedly from room to room without taking her eyes off of her camera screen for more than a couple of seconds at a time. Although I can't really see the point of such an exercise, I don't so much care about this in itself. However, when the majority of tourists are doing exactly the same thing, it makes the experience for those that aren't far less enjoyable as you find yourself carried away with the mass of people, unable to take the time to appreciate what you are seeing. Anyway, I'll leave that rant for another day. 

• Finally, one of the things that struck me about Paris is that it genuinely feels like a friendly place to be. For someone that is not particularly keen on cities, this came as quite as a surprise. In part, I feel that this has a lot to do with the layout of the city. Whilst there is no denying that it is an extremely busy and densely populated place, the streets of Paris are generally very wide in comparison to those found in equivalent British cities and there are large open areas all over the place. This works towards giving the impression of space, which in turn lessens the feeling of overcrowding and the sense of hostility that this can lead to. In addition, restaurants and shops quite literally open out on to the streets, which, in itself, promotes a kind of airy and unified connectedness between public spaces. Then again, perhaps I was just mildly delirious from the heat and otherwise sheltered from the hubbub by my lack of understanding of the French language. Either way, Paris felt like a pleasant and comfortable place to explore.