I had heard so much about Paris — good and bad — I actually didn’t know what to expect.
People have said it’s dirty, it’s romantic, it’s expensive, the people are rude. Some have touted its vibrant cultural and art offerings; others have dismissed the food. Some have warned me about the bad service; others have been surprised and humbled by how nice Parisians are, despite the stereotype.
I feel like I’ve heard it all.
I figured the city would be a mix of historic icons — Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Montmartre — and typical urban life — dirty alleys, stretches of retail shops and restaurants. And I also expected the people to be as varied as the rumors. Some, like the hotel staff here and the folks who work in the museums, are warm and friendly; others, like the guy who ran a crepe stand on the Champs-Elysees, aren’t.
It’s like any city of more than 11 million people. You have the good, you have the bad. But in this case, Paris has the Eiffel Tower — and a whole slew of reasons millions trek here for vacations. Here are a few reasons why I’m planning to come back — and soon:
The premiere
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To read all of Cat’s blogs, visit www.nonstophonolulu.com/thedailydish. Follow Cat on Twitter @thedailydish or send her an e-mail at [email protected]
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24 Comments
Sigh! Every time I see photos of my Paris I want to cry!! Where are you going tomorrow? Breakfast at Laduree?? Luv the nonstop photo, BTW.
Great pics to document your travels. We’re living vicariously through you. Isn’t Paris the best? One thing I haven’t seen in your pics are the doggies. I remember doggies everywhere, in restaurants, stores & on the street. They were all so well behaved. As Melissa mentioned, Laduree, Pierre Herme & Fauchon are all places to see pretty pastries & macarons. Enjoy!
@konaish Oh yes, the dogs! I also remember seeing dogs everywhere in Paris, and no, people don’t constantly stop to say, “Awww, how cute!” It’s just part of Parisian life.
CAT,
Great pix! and Fuud!!! Like konaish said, my memories of Paris was that it had more dogs per capita than any other city in the World! Ergo, lots of poop in the sidewalk areas! Did you notice Harrycovair’s name in pix 3???
@Annoddah_Dave Good eyes! I see the haricots verts on the menu board.
@konaish @Annoddah_Dave See, I’m famous the world over!
you look so ‘Euro’ in that pic. must be your Portuguese half coming to the fore.
Thanks for giving me a preview of what we’ll be seeing live and in person in a couple of weeks! Putting the Musee de L’Orangerie on the itinerary.
@JocelynCollado Also visit the Musee De Orsay (https://www.musee-orsay.fr/en/home.html) for more Impressionist paintings.
@harrycovair the Musee D’Orsay is definitely on the list!
Funny you mention a rude crepe guy on the Champs-Elysees. We experienced a very rude waiter on the Champs-Elysees who wouldn’t allow us to order crepes because in his opinion, it was too sunny… Frogs! Go figure!
Make sure you visit Notre Dame, Cat… ‘K?
Have fun, and be safe!
lol @ your comment on the Arc de Triomphe.. “Don’t try to cross it”.. that’s probably the best advice one can give, traffic there is crazy. I remember driving there once, I was shocked lol. I also just sat there once on a bench, just looking at the traffic (from the looks of your picture it was a bit to the right from where you took your picture)… it’s a real sight to see =)
@svache I did that too. Sitting on the outer arm of one of the Avenues and watching the cars just go round and round till they could eventually cut off onto the road they wanted to go to. I think I even got a couple of pics of a Gendarme trying to control the traffic in the Rotary.
Funny thing to mention but one of my most memorable things about Paris was trying to avoid the dog bombs around the hotel. We left in the early morning before sun up and came back after sun down. A whole bunch of us were calling out the location of the bombs that were all over the various sidewalks.
I. M. Pei’s Pyramid. Just doesn’t seem to fit the architecture around the museum but I guess it fits in now after that famous movie with Tom “Langdon” Hanks. Spend a day and a half at The Louvre and I wasn’t even done with half of what they had on display.
Didn’t get a chance to climb to the top of the Arc de Triomphe but I did get a whole lot of shots of the outside. Lots of engraving or carvings depicting various French (and American) triumphs.
Love your pics. Brings back a lot of memories. Have you gone to Versailles yet?
Funny thing to mention but one of my most memorable things about Paris was trying to avoid the dog bombs around the hotel. We left in the early morning before sun up and came back after sun down. A whole bunch of us were calling out the location of the bombs that were all over the various sidewalks.
I. M. Pei’s Pyramid. Just doesn’t seem to fit the architecture around the museum but I guess it fits in now after that famous movie with Tom “Langdon” Hanks. Spent a day and a half at The Louvre and I wasn’t even done with half of what they had on display.
Didn’t get a chance to climb to the top of the Arc de Triomphe but I did get a whole lot of shots of the outside. Lots of engraving or carvings depicting various French (and American) triumphs.
Love your pics. Brings back a lot of memories. Have you gone to Versailles yet?
@harrycovair As an architect, I agree with you on Pei’s pyramid.
Thanks Cat for taking us with you to Paris. Enjoyed the trip. (especially da fuud)
Awesome shots, looks like you had a great time! Paris is a wonderful city!
hahaha. like the “non-stop” plug at the end. i’m horrible with euro to u.s. conversions, ya think you could pick up an app for that and show the u.s. equivilent too? i’m too lazy to go calculate it out. hehe. just suggesting…
::sigh:: Your depiction of Paris is everything I though it’d be. And I love how you seem to keep going for ham and cheese with some-type-french-baked-good =P Keep it coming so I can have my own guide to Europe when my time comes!
When dining in Paris, it is good to remember the restauranter’s rule: if something is wrong, it is always the client. Fortunately, the food and service are right most of the time, so the client need not be wrong. On to London!
Brings back memories. Since my time was limited in Paris, my aunt took me to the Louvre and told me to go see the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo. I had the same reaction as you with the Mona Lisa, I will never forget that moment that I set eyes on that painting, her eyes followed mine.
The Musee De Orsay was also great.
I had a great Nutella crepe near the Eiffel tower. Enjoy the rest of your trip.
Hello Cat,
I hope I get to go to Paris one day.
Every coin has two side,so as paris has both negative and positive reviews.But who cares about those if you are food lover.Foods in paris are yummy and cheap.I have been to paris for business tour and its memorable.If anyone planning to visit paris visit Laduree. great restaraunt.
https://www.traveleurope360.com/eating-cheap-in-paris.html