Paris, Je T'aime

Good Americans, when they die, go to Paris.

~ Thomas Gold Appleton

In my experience, cities fall into three categories for travelers: those that feel like home, with all their beauties and faults (for me, Philadelphia and Prague); those that are perfect for visits (Rome, London, Boston); and then there are those cities that are inexplicably and simply magic, and that speak to your soul.

Paris falls into that last category. It sounds clichéd, I know. And in fact the first time I visited I wasn't expecting much. It's not that I wasn't excited, but I had read so many books taking place in (usually historical) Paris, and had seen so many movies, that I felt it had been played out. There was no way a city could live up to the excitement of Hugo and Dumas, or the feel-good beauty of An American in Paris, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and Funny Face.


In fact, I knew a few people who had already been disappointed by Paris. There was even a psychological disorder based on the phenomenon. I prepared myself for a destination that aimed to please tourists, like the France in Disney's Epcot, but with the addition of the infamous Parisian rudeness that I had heard so much about.

What I found instead was a city that held onto its history with such pride and fervor that it seems as if the last three hundred years happened all last week. At the same time, Parisians look unflinchingly into the future. It is an intoxicating mix, and it didn't hurt that that first time I visited was one of those sparkling fall weekends that would have made anywhere in the world seem enchanted. I lucked out the second time as well, arriving just after April showers for a week of warm sunshine and blooming flowers. 


The real test came this past December, when I spent a week alone in a Paris that was constantly bombarded with hellish mixes of precipitation: snow, rain and sleet created dirty/icy puddles, ferocious Christmas shoppers and cold grumpy commuters on the metro. But for me, the city transcended its weather blues.


Of course, all my time there combined still makes for a very limited experience, but I have yet to be disappointed by this town. It engages on every level - philosophically, historically, gastronomically; plus, you can revel staying here in bohemian poverty or all-out glamourous luxury (I haven't had a chance to try that second option yet, but hopefully someday).


Check back in for a Parisian reading list!