When disinterest turns into admiration
Listing Paris as your favourite city in the world is a little cliché. Hear me out. Prior to my first stay in the City of Lights, I had little interest in visiting Paris. It was just one of four available layovers to get into Europe from Vancouver, BC (those being London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, and Paris). My opinion of the city was that it was over-hyped, over-exposed, and a typical tourist destination. There’s also the stereotypical unfriendly French you hear about. Then I arrived.
The Character
Old World Charm
When you fly in from the West you can see the Seine wind itself through French country-side and slowly enter the capital. The Eiffel Tower glimmers in the hazy horizon while you fly past Paris into Charles de Gaulle airport. Part of the charm is its character. The cobblestone streets. The four or five-storey apartment buildings dating back to the 18th century. And I suppose that would be true of any city in the Old World. However, it’s more than that.
A City for Parisians
The city is still alive. Unlike the illustrious Venice, the city is not mainly inhabited by tourists. Every morning you can see Parisians stop off at their favourite coffee shop, converse with neighbours, and head off to work. The metro is crowded full of people with briefcases and back packs, not just cameras and selfie-sticks. In fact, Paris remains an important city for culture, education, and commerce for not only France, but the world. As a visitor you can feel the energy of the people who actually live and work there. Like a fly on the wall, you can sit at any café terrace and eavesdrop on Parisian life.
The Sites
The Most Visited Country in the World
As my blog suggests, my main motivation for travel is to experience ancient sites. And Paris is no slouch in this department. Not only does the city have the most visited tourist site in the world, the Eiffel Tower, but France is the most popular tourist destination in the world with 85 million visitors annually. For me, the tour de Eiffel was not the site to see (not nearly old enough), although I would take a gander. 😉
Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris
The Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris was the draw. Never of central importance to the French monarchy (they were crowned at the cathedral in Reims and buried in the Basilica of Saint-Denis). Notre Dame was (is) an urban icon for the people. During the Feast of Fools, a low born citizen was appointed as mock Pope and presided over the day’s festivities. In the Middle Ages, students flocked to Paris to gain access to the cathedral’s school and the latest philosophical teachings. It sits on the site of earlier churches, including pagan, when Paris was a city limited to the confines of the Île de la Cité. In short, it has born witness to the turbulent history of Paris. In addition to this famous cathedral, other top sites are the Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre Museum, Sacré-Cœur, the catacombs, Sainte-Chapelle, Musée d’Orsay, and Moulin Rouge.
The History
From Aqueducts to World Class Water
And while these top-draw monuments may seem like impractical relics of the past to some, many aspects of Paris’ history are still functioning. Take the forest green water fountains that dot the Parisian city-scape. If you’ve visited the city, you may have walked past them dozens of times. The supply of clean drinking water is one of the most unique sub-stories about this famous city. Like most pre-modern cities, Paris originally took their water directly from the river, Seine. With the arrival of the Romans in the first century BCE, also came aqueducts and water for baths and public fountains.
After the fall of the Roman Empire the aqueducts too fell into disrepair. In the 13th century two aqueducts used to supply monasteries outside the city, were adapted to also provide fresh drinking water to the city by way of public fountains. Despite this adaptation, water supply was limited and during the Renaissance was controlled by merchants of the city and the king. During the Franco-Prussian War, military losses were great, food shortages the norm, and the Prussian siege of Paris devastating. Social unrest spread throughout the city.
Wallace Fountains
Out of the unrest sprang philanthropists from the Parisian bourgeoisie. One such person was Sir Richard Wallace, an English art collector. Wallace designed and funded some 50 fountains, providing access to the middle and lower classes of the city with free drinking water. These are the green water fountains you see throughout the city. I learned from a tour operator that these Wallace fountains were intentionally designed with pillars around the source to prevent horses from taking their water here (there were other places for the horses to drink from). Originally, communal metal cups hung from chains were attached to all fountains so the public could take a drink as they went about their business. Obviously not a 20th century friendly practice. These were eventually removed.
Eau de Paris
By the first half of the 20th century water flowing through elaborate fountains was non-potable and purely for display. However, the smaller fountains, like Wallace’s, still provide some of the best drinking water in the world. The city’s approach is modern and cutting-edge. Eau de Paris (EDP) began operating Paris’s water supply in 2010 from source to tap. The right to water through free public fountains in public spaces has been secured through this publicly owned company. Referred to as remuncipalisation, EDP has proven that a public company can be a pioneer in ecological transition with high levels of transparency and still save money.
Even more recently, a large scale ultraviolet light disinfection system has been implemented to treat drinking water for the northern suburbs of Paris. This technology relies on UV light to disrupt the DNA of microorganisms rendering them unable to reproduce. This means that water treatment doesn’t need to rely solely on chlorine to be treated (although I’ve read that they still add a small amount of chlorine). And perhaps the most Parisian thing I’ve ever heard: free carbonated water is available at several free water fountains around the city.
The Accessibility
In addition to the top-notch public water supply, the transportation in Paris is easy to navigate and extensive. There really is no reason to use a taxi or rent a car within the city limits. (Maybe if you need to catch an early flight that the subway doesn’t accommodate). Not only will the subway take you literally anywhere in the city you need to go, but the capital is well-connected by train to the rest of France and other cities throughout Europe. Several major train stations are situated in the city proper. Meaning you can walk or subway to your station easily. There are 16 lines in Paris’s subway system compared to a dismal 4 in Vancouver. After my first visit, I came home irritated that Metro Vancouver had been boasting a first class transportation system for years.
The Food, the Wine
If a visitor doesn’t mention the food or wine then you probably shouldn’t trust the rest of their opinion. The bread. Oh, the bread. I had truly never tasted a croissant until this city. You sit down at a café terrace and order your Parisian breakfast. A coffee, an orange juice, and a croissant. Next thing you know, your server is running across the street to the boulangerie. That’s right. The server ran across the street to get my fresh croissant. To be fair, I assume they pick up for the café in allotments and not just one at a time as they are ordered. But still, I can never eat a Tim Horton’s croissant again. Before I get carried away, try duck and ask your server for a wine recommendation to pair with your meal.
The People
Actually, the Customer isn’t Always Right
And last but not least, let me discuss the people. As I mentioned at the top, the French have a reputation for being less than friendly. I can say with confidence, after visiting Paris, Lyon, Nîmes, Orange, Reims, Chartres, and Avignon, that this is unfounded. But then where did this come from? My theory is this. North Americans, specifically Americans, are used to the ‘customer is always right’ culture. Servers in the USA are often paid minimum wage or less and depend on the generosity of their patrons to subsidize their wage. This combined with the aforementioned culture leads to some serious arse-licking where some people really should be told where to go and how to get there.
Work to Live, not Live to Work
My opinion is that this leads North Americans to expect this kind of service when they travel. And you won’t experience this kind of service in France. The servers are paid a living wage so they don’t depend on tips. One restaurant may employ 1 or 2 servers during a given shift meaning they service the entire dining room so you can expect slower service. And in regards to this slower service, it is expected in Europe that one goes to a restaurant or café to socialize and enjoy oneself. You are not expecting, and would perhaps be annoyed, by a server doing constant quality checks and trying to turn your table over. There were many instances in France where we have had to hunt down the server to ask for our bill. Even though it was quite clear we were finished with our meal.
If you combine this fact with arrogance and an expectation that English will be spoken you will probably find the French unfriendly. That being said, I did not find it necessary to speak French in Paris at all (although I attempted). I think the attempt to speak the local tongue is what counts. Once we made it to smaller cities, like Nîmes, it was 100% beneficial to have at least a few phrases and the ability to order in a restaurant.
The Hype is Real
In short, Paris has completely won me over. Now I can say with confidence, the city is hyped and over-exposed but, the hype is real and for good reason. I have visited twice. I plan to stay again. Even after two visits I have much to see and experience. I’ve never made it to the catacombs or any museum besides the Louvre. Paris has so much to offer that I can’t see how any traveler could fail to find something of interest. Maybe one day I’ll make time for one of the other layover cities (London, Amsterdam, or Frankfurt), but for now my heart will always long to go back to France and the City of Lights.
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