I generally don't like to play favorites, there isn't much point. But if pressed, I think I would have to choose Paris as my favorite city in Europe. First let me say that this bothers me a little, for a couple of reasons. The main one being it isn't exactly the most unique choice. I mean, everyone loves Paris, right?. And me, well, I'm not a joiner. I don't run with the crowd. Hell, I often detest what the masses adore. But with Paris, uh uh. I'm with everyone else on this one. I love it.
So you may be wondering 'why'. Well there's where it starts to get tricky. Cities are kind of like people. They're full of complexities, traits both good and bad, they have moods. In short, each city has a 'personality'. And just as it's hard to describe why you feel a certain way about a person (don't you usually just end up babbling and then saying "I don't know, I just like her/him"), so it is with places. But I can say a few specific things....
One thing that struck me about Paris immediately on my first visit was the sense of scale that the place embodies. It truly is one of the grandest places on earth. Walking around, I continually came upon spots that seemed, to put it simply, alot bigger than they needed to be. As if the designers of the Paris we see today were not at all concerned with the notion of "wasted space". To lay out a particular park or square or other public place so that it would take up an enormous amount of real estate wasn't a foolish exercise to them. It was simply, grand. Examples, the lawn in front of the Hotel des Invalides, the Place de la Concorde, the Luxembourg Gardens, etc. All of these places have such an open, majestic feel to them. At least that's my reaction. And I like that.
At the same time, I'd be lying if I didn't say a big part of my reason for loving Paris is more about personal indulgence. I have a few vices, I'll admit it, and among them are some of the very things French chefs, bakers, and other food artists have become masters at creating. To me, a planned day in Paris mostly revolves around the following: where will I have my morning coffee, what about my morning pastry, then for lunch - cheese and baguette or crepes?, after that dinner, then dessert of course, and so on. I love it all, and there is simply no place better than Paris - at least that I've found - to indulge in these gustatory delights.
You may notice that I haven't mentioned the art or history on offer in the French capital. Well that's because I don't really do art or history. Never have been that interested. Architecture, yes. And there is often a historical (and, I suppose, artistic) tie-in with European architecture. But I could spend a month in Paris and probably not make it to the Louvre, right or wrong. I prefer to walk along the river, sit in a cafe chatting with the barman, bakery hop, shoot photographs.... This is what I enjoy doing when I'm traveling, as far as Western Europe-type travel is concerned. And for this kind of lifestyle I haven't yet found a place that rivals Paris. There are other great places, no doubt. Some of them come pretty close. But as I said, if I really had to choose..... |
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