Our impression of Paris is apparently linked to the clock because the longer we spend here the more infatuated with the city we become. We had a similar kind of experience with our visit to New York but in a head-to-head competition, we both agree, Paris wins. Paris is incredibly beautiful with all its wonderfully grand architecture woven into such an amazing history dating back to the Roman occupation and before. The Seine river winds its way through the old city providing a platform for beautiful bridges that connect ornate architecture on both banks while providing a social and commercial highway for all kinds of transport. Lucky for us our great campsite in “Boulogne Park” was overlooking the Seine river and it was an easy commute to central Paris. As you explore iconic buildings and structures like the overwhelmingly impressive Louvre, unbelievable Versailles, amazing Cathedrals like Notre-Dame and monuments like the Eiffel Tower and Arc De Triumph, you can’t help but think of how much of this was built for the sheer pleasure and entertainment of a small and privileged group. At first it seems so unjust and unreasonable but, in a poetic twist of fate, it’s now the average citizen that has access to all this splendour and the treasures within. I doubt it was part of the original Royal intent to create such a lucrative tourist industry that would continually employ so many Parisians. I’m sure a good argument could be made for what a wonderful job they did in support of the French culture and it’s economy. Too bad Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette couldn’t have used this line of defence to save themselves from the guillotine in 1793 after the French Revolution.
Personally, I think some of the best “free” entertainment in Paris is in the streets. My first traffic impression was that these drivers are the worst and most dangerous I’ve ever seen, but after a few days of careful observation, I’ve come to a complete opposite conclusion. This is truly a case of Darwinian Law… “poor drivers will parish” only the best will survive on these streets. Especially impressive to me are the kamikaze scooter and motorcycle drivers that split and swerve through traffic at alarming speeds with only inches between themselves and buses, cars, buildings and pedestrians. I’m sure some of the impressive young women weaving there Vespas between moving targets as they ride to work all dressed up with high heels and brief cases could teach me a few tricks about riding in this crazy and chaotic traffic.
We’ve really enjoyed our time in Paris with it’s abundance of fantastic parks, sidewalk bistros, beautiful boulevards, impressive shops, buildings, and monuments. Parisians themselves have been very friendly and helpful and we’re now feeling a little sad about leaving all this behind just as we’ve entered that “comfort zone”. This truly is an amazing city that everyone should have the opportunity to experience at least once. But, I must say, after two weeks in Paris and countless kilometres of walking the highway is now calling and we’re setting our sights high… onward and upward towards the Swiss Alps.