By Shawn V. Branch
A few months ago, I was having a conversation with one of my besties about how I still need to get to Paris. As soon as I said it, it was like a light bulb went on his head.“Let’s go to Paris for my spring break,” he said. Without hesitation I replied, “Let’s do it.” A trip to Paris has been on my bucket list for a long time. I had no idea what to expect but I was ready to go and take Paris by storm!
The flight to Paris seemed like it took forever. I have never been one able to sleep on planes so I knew that this flight would be tough for me. I had a 10-15 min nap and for the remainder of the flight I worked and watched a few movies. But the lack of sleep didn’t bother me. Just walking through the airport after we landed, I was acting like a wide-eyed, excited tourist. I marveled at everything, from the art on the airport walls, the chairs at the gate, and the cleanliness of the bathrooms without even having an attendant in there.
After going through customs and getting a cab, we arrived at the hotel about 9 am. Of course, the room was not ready, so we checked our bags with the front desk attendant and decided to hit the streets of Paris to get breakfast. We found this delightful little café, Le Corail located on the corner of 79 Rue La Fayette,about a five-minute walk from the hotel and had breakfast. It was called. It was the cutest café with a bright yellow awning and great people-watching. With our bellies full, we were ready to do some sightseeing.
As we walked, I took it all in: the buildings, people, fashion, etc. Here are just a few of my reflections:
City
As we started walking, I could not take my eyes off the buildings and the amazing architecture. My eyes started at the top of buildings and ended at the beautiful wooden doors on the homes and other buildings. The buildings were all at once strong, beautiful, opulent, and intricately detailed; I could not take my eyes off them. As we stopped at the Arc de Triomphe, Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris, Château de Versailles, and Palais Garnier. Theamount of beautiful detailing and the gold on Château de Versailles took my breath away. As we walked through the Versailles Gardens, I was astounded at the beauty.Gorgeously landscaped lawns, perfect flowers, the Fountains of Versailles, the Grand Canal, and the Peaceful Groves. I never got tired of looking at the beautiful architecture of Paris.
People
I’ve heard so many times that the French are not nice but now I had the opportunity to find out for myself. We all know that I am a morning person and I love a greeting. I love to greet in an email, in the grocery store, walking the down street, etc. After day one, I realized that the French people I came in contact were not big on greeting. After no responses from people after I greeted them and doing a few observations, I realized it was just not their thing. Again, I am not saying all French people are like this; I am saying the ones I encountered were not greeters. On the other hand, when we needed instructions on how to ride the metro, the attendant was very helpful, and the waiters and waitresses were very nice. Plus, a few random strangers we ended up talking were very friendly.
I made a few other observations about Parisians . They do a lot of walking. It’s not a fast-paced walking, but a very leisurely stroll, like they are not in a rush to get to their destination. It is very different from the fast-paced walking in New York City. I am sure people were going to work, school, or had other pressing commitments, but no one was rushing to get there. I found that to be refreshing.It made me reflect on something that one of my best friends always says: “Slow down. Why are you in such a rush? Is it that serious?” That weekend in Paris, my friend and I reflected about fast-paced rate that we do things in the US. We walk fast, we drive fast, we have very little patience, and we over schedule meetings, rushing to get to one thing or another. In the last few weeks since I came home, I have been practicing intentionally slowing down. It’s helped me realize that whatever I am working on will get done and although what I fill my day with is important, it is not a matter of life or death.
Dining Out
One of the things that is hard not to notice in Paris are the number of places to eat. On every block there were at least three to five places to sit and enjoy a good meal. I only noticed two people working on laptops while having a meal and very few people were on cell phones. Whether people were alone or dining with others, they enjoyed the moment by looking out the windows or talking to each other, It was very breathtaking. There was even no picture taking of food (except for me, LOL). Even when my bestie and I were enjoying meals, we made it a point to stay off of our phones and enjoy the moment.
In addition to staying present and enjoying the experience of dining out, the French start drinking early. I noticed people having wine as early as 10 am. In my mind the earliest one should start drinking is 11am, unless you are on vacation. But who am I to impose my silly rules on others? Not only were the Parisians I noticed drinking wine, but they were enjoying lots of bread, which I know I could never eat every day. I was so intrigued that I emailed a colleague to do research on the health people in France compared to the United States. He sent me this article– Lifestyle in France and the United States: An American Perspective—which pointed out several interesting points. Please understand that I am not judging but just researching as my curiosity was peaked.
My last point on dining in Paris is how I noticed how the French take their time and dine. People would be enjoying each other, the food, and the atmosphere for what seemed like hours. I really loved how no one pressured you to the pay the bill and leave so the restaurant could sit other patrons. I was also surprised that there was no need to tip in Paris. Unlike servers in the United States, servers in Paris are paid a living wage. And since service is already included in the price, no one is expecting you to tack on an additional 15 to 25 percent at the end of the meal.
As a person who frequently dines out, this was refreshing. It remined me of my best friends and how we don’t buy each other birthday gifts, we pick a nice restaurant, enjoy good food and have great conversation. My dining out in Paris remined me that life is short, and we should enjoy every moment and every bite!
I know that four days was not enough to see all of Paris. The beautiful architecture, café’ culture, endless art and culture, bakeries and fashion make Paris a city to fall in love with. Paris has been on my bucket list and I am happy that I was able to enjoy with one of my besties. Two things I can say for sure: I will be back and I am no longer a Paris virgin!
