Paris is not my favorite place to visit, yet I find myself consistently revisiting the city. Outside of London, it is the foreign city I know best.
Since 2006 I have visited Paris three times, and by summer’s end it will be five. Recently, as I planned my way from Bordeaux back to London by train, with a stop in Paris, I wondered what it was that kept bringing me back. It isn’t the food, nor the people. The romance is way overrated.
But together – the city, the desserts, the sights and sounds – it all adds up to a beautifully ancient location that constantly offers something new. Every winding road has a uniqueness that cannot be duplicated.
Of course, other cities have their own loveliness, but Paris still has that inspirational atmosphere Hemingway, Fitzgerald and the many other ex-pats of the 1920s loved so much.
Perhaps it’s just my literary nostalgia, but I love reading “A Moveable Feast” by Hemingway and walking those same cobblestone streets. Shakespeare and Company, although incredibly touristy now, is still one of my favorite locations in Paris (especially the antique book section with it’s collection of first editions). When I go inside, I feel like it’s the same shop those famous authors wrote about so fondly.
Then again, maybe it’s because there is always something I want to do. Even after my many trips, there are museums and attractions I want to visit. For my upcoming visit, I’m excited to go to Musee d’Orsay, which has both beautiful architecture and many renowned artists. I’ve been dreaming about visiting Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” or the many works of Picasso there.
Musee de l’Orangerie has the amazing work of Monet in the round, which can be seen in reality through a short train ride to Giverny.
The amazing architecture as well can leave you breathless. Just sitting in the park watching bridal photos in front of the Eiffel Tower, or sipping coffee watching selfie-taking tourists in front of Notre Dame. There’s so much to see and look at.
That being said, I do find myself disappointed whenever I come back from Paris. The idea of a romantic, beautiful Paris is incredibly over emphasized. The architecture, the history, the art is wonderful but on the whole Paris is a functioning city.
There’s pollution, dirt, and chain stores. Americanized, fast food is everywhere: McDonalds, Burger King, Pizza Hut. Many areas just feel like walking through New York or Philadelphia. The French cafes and creperies, the boulangeries and fromageries are still there but not the beautiful iconic ideas people expect. And it is incredibly disappointing.
Yet I keep going back, to France in general. There are many cities or countries I could visit, but France itself is so diverse that there’s no set standard. Paris is far different than Strasbourg, which is much different than Nice, and that has little similarity to Bordeaux. Each area of France has its own flair and culture.
Transportation, to and from London, is also incredibly simple as well. There are many options that fit all visits. In examining my intentions of visit Bordeaux, a major wine producer of the world, it made sense to take a train to Paris and then the Eurostar to London so I could take wine home.
This summer I will also be joining a close friend on a day trip to Paris from London. Again, the Eurostar makes it easy. In under three hours you can be in another country, without the hassle of flying. What other cultural hub can I visit from London so conveniently and luxuriously?
While I question my choice in traveling to Paris, and France for that matter, so often, it makes sense. Beauty, history, literature, architecture – it’s all there in some form. Beaches, cities, countryside, there’s all sorts of landscape. France truly brings it all together, and Paris is the metaphorical center of it all.
You can follow Caitlin Burns for more travel fun at The Globetrotting Graduate on Facebook at Facebook.com/GlobalGraduate, Twitter @GlobeGrad and Instagram @GlobalGrad. For more about the amazing places she travels, go to her blog, globetrottinggrad.wordpress.com.
