Travel Rookie

Paris: From Somebody Who Did It Wrong. 

What Happened?

I’ll be the first to tell you that I didn’t do Paris right. I didn’t give it the time of day. I came in with expectations and not an open mind. I heard things from past visitors that affected my perspective. You can’t do Paris right in 2 days. We bounced around from tourist destinations. Tried to check things off the list as we went. A city like this isn’t just a checklist. It needs to be appreciated. It needs to be experienced. 

There are plenty of travel blogs that will tell you about what you “Need To Do” in certain places. I don’t see very many from the perspective of what they did wrong. Realistically, you’re not going to have the greatest experience in every place whether Instagram shows it or not. I was lucky enough to make it to Paris but left feeling like I still hadn’t been. 

I’m here to tell you what NOT to do. 

I did not have much time to treat Paris the way it needs to be treated. In 1 day we went from the Eiffel Tower to Notre dame, stopped for a quick bite and moved to the Arc de Triomphe and the Louvre. 

To be clear, I’m not telling you to NOT visit these places. Just take your time. Don’t be in a hurry to see everything at once. In true American fashion, I needed to do as much as I could in as little time as possible. I regret bringing this attitude to a city that doesn’t think that way. It felt like the local people were there to enjoy their time. No stress. 

What TO do. 

Sit outside

The city is set up with places to relax and grab a bite to eat. Chairs at restaurants and cafe’s even face towards the street, not towards each other. To sit and watch the world go by as you relax. These are a great place to do some people watching and catch tourists like me. I skipped over all of those lovely places, rushing to get the next picture. 

Plan on going back this fall. 

I plan on going back this fall and doing it right. I want to immerse myself in the daily lives of the people who live there. I look forward to feeling that sense of not needing to be anywhere but where you are right now. It’s the city of the present moment. 

Comments

3 responses to “Paris: From Somebody Who Did It Wrong. ”

  1. WanderingCanadians Avatar
    WanderingCanadians

    Paris is one of the first places we ever travelled to. We were poor students back then and I also feel like we didn’t do it right. I would love to return.

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  2. Avatar
    Anonymous

    I just went to Paris for the first time and it wasn’t at all what I expected. First off, we went right after the Olympics so that was cool to see the rings and sporting events still up. In my head, Paris is known to be glamorous and romantic… but I didn’t get those vibes.

    The Eiffel tower is incredible! One of my favorite buildings and definitely worth the trip. The shopping was AMAZING and the typical attractions are cool but super touristy as you’d expect.

    I would go back, but I’d like to find better food next time. LOL

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  3. Clazz - An Orcadian Abroad Avatar
    Clazz – An Orcadian Abroad

    Great post – and it’s good to reflect on our travels sometimes and why it didn’t work for us in a particular place. I think a lot of people suffer the same problem with Paris, and certainly the first time I went all I wanted to do was see the main sights… which is fair enough, but like you say, you need to pace it correctly. I was also 18, it was one of my first trips abroad, and looking back I’d obviously do it totally differently. But I also think it’s what can make second visits even better – you’ve done all the tourist things, now you can sit back (at a café) and enjoy the pace of life rather than thinking “right we need to see this, this, this and this!”

    I’ve actually got a post on Paris and why people either love it or hate it, and it touches on a lot of these points. 🙂

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