No, that isn’t a typo. Usually the saying is “Paris is for lovers”, but I rather like my change of wording, because I have found it to be so true. Paris really is the perfect place for loner’s to vacation. I ought to know, because I have been a self described loner for nearly my entire life. And Over the past 10 years and 5 trips to Paris, France, I have come to know and appreciate how accommodating it is to a loner. Now, this is not to be confused with a single traveler who is not a loner, but merely alone in his/her travels. No, indeed Paris can be, in fact, one of the loneliest place on earth if you seek the company of others. I will elaborate on this a little further on.
If I am able to ever return to my beloved Paris it will only be because my Charcot Foot reconstruction surgery is successful. Though I will spend more on Taxi’s because my walking ability will be restricted. If you have never been to Paris, I can tell you that it is a walking city. BEAUCOUP walking. (That’s French for booookoooo!) The easiest and most affordable way to get around Paris is to purchase a pass and ride the Metro: the subway. Unfortunately though, Paris is not a very handicap accessible city, and nearly every metro station you step off a train into, requires you to get back up to street level by means of your own two legs. Though some of the larger major stations will have elevators, the majority of them do not. And then one must factor in that the metro only gets you sort-of-close to your destination. It most always includes at least a block or two of walking once you get up to the street level. And then you have to factor in all the stops and places you plan on seeing in one day…I kid you not when I tell you that in Paris you are constantly walking, getting onto the Metro, walking up tons of stairs (usually 4 flights per station) and then walking a few street blocks. All. Day. Long. Now, if you are like I was prior to this whole Charcot mess, you would have loved all this walking. I truly did, and to make it even better, you walk so much in Paris that despite eating chocolate croissants for breakfast (lunch and dinner) you actually lose weight during your trip to Paris! So very true. One time I even walked the stairs up the Eifel Tower, just for fun!!! Though we only were allowed to go to the height of the second platform, (not sure why, they had it closed)…and I was very disappointed. Definitely lost weight that trip! So as you can see, due to the high amount of walking involved, I’m just not able to know as of yet if I can ever manage Paris again. Time will tell!
But I love to talk about Paris and I’m happy to share with you some of my observations from my numerous trips there. Which brings us back to why Paris is for loners. The city is designed for loners, in my opinion. The very people of Paris are made up of loners! This is because Parisians are very private people. A typical Parisian will count only their family and a few good friends as “close”, and the hell with the rest! They do not talk to strangers, in general, and they do not smile at passers-by. There is no conversation with others in long lines, no small talk with the grocery store checker. For some people first visiting (and maybe always!), this might come across as cold and harsh, but really it is only because the French people are private and tend to mind their own business. A wonderful quality, really. I’ve been to Paris with friends, with family, and I’ve been to Paris with just me, myself and I. I’m not sure if it’s the loner in me, or just that I like to have Paris all to myself, but I think I love Paris best when I am alone. Don’t get me wrong, I have had fantastic times there with my friends! We have had many adventures and wild stories to tell, though some are best not told. (big grin!) It is as basic as wanting to do Paris in my own time, and see things slowly. I’ve done lots of trips where the day is “go-go-go” from sun-up to sun-down, and I prefer to do things much more relaxed. Too relaxed for the high energy of most of my friends. Me, for example, loves to sit inside the beautiful Notre Dame for at least an hour. There most often is music of some kind playing, either monks singing, or the organ will be playing…and it is just heavenly, truly divine! Probably literally. To me, Notre Dame is one of the most beautiful and magical places on earth, having served as a house of God for over 1000 years! The amazing gothic architecture, the vaulted ceilings and all the masonry details, just take my breath away. It’s so dark and mysterious inside. Another fabulous gothic church is St. Eustache, though they are restoring it by cleaning all the years of city soot off the walls and ceiling, and…I don’t care for the new refurbished look at all! It’s like erasing all the patina, in my opinion. (If you would like to see a short clip I took inside Notre Dame with monks singing, click here: https://youtu.be/K_oGo6SPQnA) Another place I love to take my sweet time at is the many numerous Paris flea markets. I need to stop and gaze at each vender’s tables to see what is being offered for sale. European antiques truly are very different from American antiques, and they have many more years of history up for offer, too. I usually purchase numerous small, packable items that hold an aura of mystery or sentimentality to me. For example, I once purchased a young architects date book from the 1930’s. It’s only about 1 1/2 inches by 2 inches and has that lovely hand script that architects favor and it contains many dates with “Madame this and Madame that”. I wonder what this mans life was like? I googled his name in case he later became well known, but alas he faded into architectural obscurity! No matter, I hold a bit of his life!
Another place I like to linger is the sidewalk cafe. Just sit down in any chair outside of a cafe and along will come a waiter. Order your expresso or my choice of “cafe American” which is less strong, (but still grows hair on your chest, none-the-less!) and watch the human parade go by. As long as you have placed an order, they will never insist that you leave. This is de rigueur for Parisians, though I don’t like to stay over an hour, usually. All this slowness in my itinerary is usually too much to impose on others when traveling which is why I tend to enjoy Paris more when I am alone and able to impose it apon myself! Another reason Paris is perfect for loners is because of how easily it is to navigate if you are of even average intelligence. The metro system is easy to figure out, with all trains direction being governed by it’s end station. and though most Parisians will claim to not speak english, they often will break into English if you offer them some French first. It is because of this that I have failed to become fluent in French, only knowing enough to get by. Really, language isn’t needed much at all in Paris. Shops are easy with most everything having a price marked, and the currency (euro) easy to use. When ordering in a patisserie (bakery) or cheese shop, pointing and hand gesturing gets you by if you don’t know any french. And even if you cannot figure out how to get where you are going, simply strolling the street will reveal many interesting shops or little hidden gems like pocket-parks, and you are bound to come across a metro station eventually. So you see, Paris is ideal for Loners. And yes, lovers too, of course! I hope you have enjoyed this little vignette of Paris that I have shared with you! Au Revoir! See you on the other side of my surgery!
Cassandra, Charcotchacha copyright 2015
