Paris Syndrome

My own version of Paris romance. The Eiffel Tower taken from a boat in the Seine.

Bonjour from Paris. I’ve been here for almost a month now.

Recently, I came across an article about something called Paris Syndrome. Apparently, many tourists coming to Paris experience this, a malaise e characterized by an extreme disappointment and disillusionment in their real-life experience of the city. People often have an overly romantic vision Paris. Perhaps from listening too many times to Ella Fitzgerald sing I Love Paris, by Cole Porter. Perhaps from watching too much Emily in Paris.

Yes, this city is beautiful in many ways. The cafés, the wide boulevards, and the river. The Eiffel Tour, the Champs-Élysées, Notre Dame. But Paris is a huge, modern city. It is not all beauty. Those wide boulevards are filled with hordes of people. There is trash and dirt - and pigeons. There is graffiti. Many of the beautiful iconic Parisian buildings are grimy from years of pollution. The metro cars are often crammed to the limit. It’s a real place where real people live.

Is that any different from Chicago or London or New York? We expect gritty from those cities, perhaps even enjoy it. Why not Paris? I think we need to look beyond the grit to see its everyday charms.

I once had someone ask me why I come back to this city so often. Her question confused me. The answer seemed so obvious. It’s Paris.

One of the things I love about this city and French culture in general is the focus on the rituals of daily life. When I returned this year, I made sure to savor some of those rituals as a way settling into the culture as much as I can. Here are a few.

A café crème and croissant from Au Metro, our local café on the corner.

An omelet (with another crème), also at Au Metro.

A crêpe complet (ham, cheese and egg) at Krügen Crêperie.

Waiting in line to buy fromage at the marché that runs all year, no matter rain, hail, sun, sleet or sun.

You’ll notice that food features large. But to me, to truly savor Parisian life, you have to focus on food as the French do. Especially if you’re an American like me who will never crack the code of the other life focus: Parisian style.

I have been coming to Paris for about forty years now. This time around I'm trying to find new places to visit and new experiences. Here’s a first for me: the Jardin des Plantes. This is me enjoying the first cherry blossoms of the season while trying to look pseudo-Parisian in my scarf.

One of my favorite things about that garden were these birds. Parakeets in Paris. Apparently, tame birds escaped and have now acclimated to Paris. With their flashy green feathers and bright beaks they make a much better fashion statement than I do.

So tell me, is there a place you feel called to return to again? What do you do to make yourself at home?