We spent a week-end in Paris. We passed a half of the country to get to the city and were extremely surprised by the emptiness around: the fields are gathered in and not a single soul around...our guide explained that France is a very centralized country, only the capital of the country is busy and animated. But in Paris life is in full swing!
The city produced a great impression upon me! It is very beautiful and is totally unlike the other European cities I've been to! It is charming, elegant, intriguing, coquettish, captivating...
The Parisians are also not like the other Europeans. They are something average between the reserved German and dissolute Italians. They are rude with the other drivers and pedestrians, do not stick to the traffic rules, honk like madmen... but still they are very gallant. The Parisian will always hold back the door, apologize to you if he accidentally treads on your foot and will heap you on with compliments if you've got pretty eyes))) They are really proud of their nationality and sincerely sympathize with the non-French, but understand that to be a French is a privilege and not everyone is lucky enough to have it.
Their dislike for the strangers gives birth to many social problems. They feel mutual antipathy with the English, who call the French "frogs". It's very hard to find a single person in Paris who is willing to speak English. Just prepare for that)))
What food did I like in Paris most of all? Coffee and pizza in a French restaurant! I've never tested so tasty a pizza! That's because of the cheese the pizza is poured with! Real French cheese is a separate topic. Although there's no use writing about it, one should just taste it!
I liked the way the dishes are numbered. You don't have to tell something in French. You just raise a finger (or fingers) according to the number of dish you'd like to order. In Paris the dinner is served rather late - at 8-9 pm. Interesting to mention that the French and, say, the German take their meal differently. The German get seated with their backs towards the street, they are interested in the result of taking meals and don't care what's going on around. The French, on the contrary, like to watch the pedestrians and the cars in the streets, sipping some wonderful wine.
The French like to stroll along the streets. Paris is simply destined for it! Where else can one order the latest fashion clothes? Men in elegant black costumes? Thin women in tight-fitting dresses and tiny handbags?
Speaking about sights I can say that I liked almost all of them. But I was a little bit irritated by the necessity to take a look at the watches, to dash towards the bus and - most of all-by the holdups. But it was compensated by the lovely excursions. I particularly liked the Versailles and the Montparnasse.
I liked Paris. It's absolutely unique! And I wish it managed to preserve its charm and uniqueness in our era of globalization!