- Paris has a huge African-French population. Most were concentrated in the Montmatre-Pigalle neighborhood near the Sacre Coeur, while the “white” French lived and congregated elsewhere. The races did not mix much, and a class hierarchy was definitely at work: the street vendors hawking cheap Eiffel Tower souvenirs (5 tiny towers/1 Euro) were of African or Middle Eastern descent, while the white French mostly manned the ticket counters or the cafes.
- Parisian Metro stations are the dirtier, more rundown equivalent to the London Tube. The trains were often delayed or lost electricity while running, and the stations were marred by graffiti, bums, and a constant pee smell.
- Walking to the tops of monuments and religious institutions is worth it. I saved energy on the subway by occasionally taking the elevator, and trekked the 300 steps to the dome of Sacre Coeur and the 400 to see the panorama at Notre Dame. The views are spectacular and provide a vivid reminder of the city’s grandeur and scale.
- Monet is a damn good artist. His “Water Lilies” are the first paintings I’ve ever gotten lost in — and he showed me that a tree trunk could contain blues and maroons and whites and blacks. Stunning.
- Cutting in line or not paying the Metro fare is commonplace. On multiple occasions, I saw French people remove line barriers to go up with “friends”, and I saw at least five men jumping over the barriers at the Metro entrance without inserting tickets. This is in direct contrast with London, where Tube workers are stricter about buying tickets and the people are generally more polite and less accepting of line-cutting.
- Bring a reusable plastic water bottle to avoid the ridiculous prices. While food is relatively inexpensive, beverage prices are sky-high. I bought an amazing sandwich (chicken, tomato, and mozzarella on toasted oatmeal rye bread) and a water bottle for 7.20 total. The water itself was 3.40!
- Be wary of strangers. Most people who approach you are up to no good – either they want to pickpocket you or do something worse – and no free demo or gift is worth that risk.
- If you do get pickpocketed, try not to let it ruin your travels. If all you’ve lost is some cash, be thankful that it wasn’t your passport or credit cards. And you shouldn’t be walking around with your passport in your pocket anyways… lock it up in your backpack or keep it someplace secure. I lost about 10 Euro to a pickpocketer, and I quickly realized that I could always replace money but never the experience of being twenty years old in Paris.
- It’s not a great idea to handle money in a crowd. If you want to buy something, go to a less busy location where you can take out exact cash, and then go pay the vendor.
- If you find yourself in a dangerous area, stay where there are a lot of people. If you are lost or want to leave, find the nearest subway station/bus and know where you are going as you walk.
- It’s lovely to have a traveling companion. I traveled to Paris by myself for the weekend, and as much as I enjoy thinking and doing exactly what I want, it’s so nice to share moments with friends.
One Lovely Day 