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Why Do You Want to Visit France Again and Again? Let's Return to Paris, France
How do you trade expectation for appreciation,
if you happen to travel to Paris? Despite all the warnings, the
mishaps, the unfortunate circumstances, I find myself traveling to Paris again this year, actually
almost every year, ever since I moved to Singapore. Maybe it’s because of how
much I appreciated and enjoyed my visit back in the day? Or maybe
because I hate the experience so much, I want to replace it with a good one?
Any of that or just plain good karma is still ever-present with my favorable
chances to experience the city of love in France.
So the first question to ask about Paris, France is that – is it still safe?
How is safety when you travel to Paris, especially as a first-timer, or as
an Asian, or as a tourist? The simple answer is “YES” it is safe to
me, BUT considering that I say that with a caveat: I was born and bred
in a developing city like Manila, so I’ve experienced a good training ground!
But overall, I don’t think it’s really that safe, to be honest.
Comparing it to other European cities that are hyped as must-visits, I think
that Paris, with all its riots, and issues, and
all that, I believe it’s not safe. There are pickpockets here and there,
drunkards, and nomads – as real as it can get.
Don’t get me wrong though, comparing it to the
realities of Asia, I still think it’s still okay in Paris; it’s just that if you think of the
rest of Europe, it’s definitely not like the likes of Scandinavia or
Switzerland where you are guaranteed to feel safe and secure. You have to
not be so blinded by the city of love to fall in love with all things positive
and perfect; instead, you have to keep it real and be cognizant of your
surroundings as you explore the city, be it as a tourist or as a local. I’ve
experienced it first hand and even for my friends living there, it’s the same
sentiment.
So why come back, amidst the question on
safety? In the middle of all the realities and complexities of Paris, France, in all conscience, there is this
slow-cooked feeling of longing to visit and revisit the country and see how
the old culture still materializes from their everyday lifestyle. Amongst
the Euro countries I’ve visited, France is one of the top few that you can
really get a sense of understanding as to how passionate they are to integrate
their old culture into their current one. So maybe the “safety” factor
is more of the risk of living in the now and the real. Like, let’s say, whenever
I end up sitting down and munching some Parisian bread, I become transfixed to
the art of people watching. French people are somewhat attached to this kind of
habit, that even travelers like me, whenever outside the streets of Paris, find a way to stop, sit down, and
get lost just enjoying the people views. Weirdly fascinating, I know. It’s
different from the energy in New York, or in Barcelona. In Paris, is lovelier.
People watching is one thing, bread is another. But
let’s not ramble about that too much over here. Instead, let’s write a new
series! It's that time again of the year to do a bit of people-watching via
this tiny space we call a photoblog. Sharing with you another set of French
series, this time from the Autumn months of fallen leaves and decreased photosets. Hahaha. It’ll mostly be a slightly different less touristy, more real
side of France. Oui? Merci!
