Felice ShapiroMy husband and I squeezed in a few days in Paris this past week. We were overjoyed with the trip. Despite three days dealing with our lost luggage because of a missed connection out of London, which left us stranded for six hours in Heathrow – Paris ROCKS!
Here’s the 10 things (but there are many more) that I love about Paris.
1. French advertising is a hoot.
Have you heard the recent ad for Perrier?
My husband and I were at the French Open last week (Bucket List checked on this one.)
It was the quarterfinals and the match was intense. We were glued to the local favorite, Tsonga, and cheering right along with the French. After an exhausting rally I heard over the loud speaker what I thought was one of the players sighing.
Slightly confused by the sound and the intimacy of the breath I turned to my cheering seatmate,
“Wow, could that be Tsonga exhaling so loudly?”
“Ha, Ha, BA NON! C’est Perrier bien sur!” He responded.
“Ahhhhh, bien sur! Genius!” I agreed.
I couldn’t wait to hear it again. It was a cross between a sensual exhale and a tingle.
Only the French can bring sexy sounds into the middle of a tennis match. I couldn’t find the sound on you tube but I think it’s buried somewhere in this amazing Perrier ad.
2. Uber!
Let’s just say the Paris Taxi drivers are not pleased but we tourists are thrilled.
If you can connect to the Internet, you can take an Uber so much more cheaply than the Paris taxi.
No more nicotine smelling cab rides…no more wondering if irritable drivers are taking advantage of you…no more unreasonable fares because you are sitting in traffic….Just easy riding beautiful private cars and kind drivers.
Formidable!
3. Les Musées.
The newest Museum to hit Paris is La Fondation Louis Vuitton brought to you by the amazing architect Frank Gehry.
Do not miss this museum. It is a multi-media experience that I guarantee will not disappoint. The Gehry structure is genius and you will literally feel like you’re on a moving ship. The exhibits blend visuals, sound, light, and texture as you move through their mind-expanding presentations.
(We were day 2 into our lost luggage issue and thankfully there were no luggage displays to taunt us at the museum)
4. The Euro in June, 2015.
Finally, Paris is more affordable than it’s been in the past 10 years (for now). And, when you’ve lost your luggage there’s just one thing to do. Take advantage of a good exchange rate.
5. You can’t have a bad meal in Paris.
My husband and I did not reserve one restaurant and ate fantastic meals that were walking distance from our hotel (in the 7eme Arrondisement). We went to dinner at 9:30 pm and the places were still hopping.
Delice!
6. Walking!
20,000 is the new 10,000. It’s easy to meet your stepping goals in Paris. It’s the best walking city and you won’t even realize you’re doubling your usual steps.
7. Paris is clean.
The streets are fantastically clean.
8. Permission to be sexy in France.
The women dress like they love their bodies and it makes one think about how we dress.
There are plenty of stylin BA50’s on the streets to inspire us to shop even if we think we don’t need a thing – (stay tuned for my fashion article on the amazing French stripe).
9. Le Vin.
Vin de Table (table wine) is pas mal! No need to rock your budget because the local wine on the menu is great.
10. Parlez-Vous Francais?
Oui, oui, oui!
Is it possible the French have become more tolerant of Americans trying to speak French?
I love to practice my French and was gleefully not shut down by the locals – in fact, they responded to me in French. What a coup!
While so much of modern city life is full of grit and chain stores, Paris is still a treasure with it’s unique smells, tastes and sounds.