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Paris, France - Introduction

Recommendation: Well, this has been my second to trip to the City of Lights. People from the states often consider the French to be unfriendly people, or are concerned that the French will dislike Americans. I don't know about any of that, I do recognize that culturally, the French people generally have a different demeanor than Americans. For example, an American waitress will smile, and try to be friendly while serving you. The French waitress may not ever cut a smile during your entire meal. This doesn't mean she hates you, it's just their way. The French are also people-watchers. The outdoor cafe seating is always facing the street, like in a theatre. And as the cars and motor scooters pull up to the intersection, the motorists turn their heads to look at the people looking at them. So, I've noticed when walking into a bar or restaurant, a person may look me up and down or appear to stare. Again, I don't take this as rudeness, I take this as the French culture. So, that's my opinion, overall I've never had a negative experience dealing with any of the French people. In fact, I found them to be helpful and quite nice.

The food is wonderful, but you'll have to find the good spots. There are plenty of mediocre and over-priced restaurants geared for ripping of the multitude of tourists that flock to Paris.

The sites and history are spectacular. And there's a lot to see. If you haven't been to Paris, you must go and see why this city is one of the most popular cities to visit, and the most romantic city, on planet Earth. I would recommend planning a trip focused on just the city of Paris, to really soak in everything Paris has to offer. You can easily spend an entire week in Paris and still not see everything worth seeing.