After 6 days in Paris I am probably one of the few people on the planet who did not find it amazing, wonderful, spectacular, romantic, or any other cliche adjective. Instead I found it uninspiring, underwhelming, and unimaginative. Maybe it’s because I’ve fallen in love with other cities around the world, or I don’t care for the history, or hate large crowds of tourists, or because I’m naturally a contrarian and generally don’t go along with what the masses prefer. Whatever the reason, it just did not capture my fancy. The first time I was here was in 1997 with my sister and a friend, and I distinctly remember the same feelings back then. And it sounds ridiculous to say it, but it looks exactly like it does in the hundreds of pictures I’ve seen of it, nothing about it jumped out at me and said ‘surprise’. Nevertheless I went about the regular tourist activities to see if it could somehow redeem itself, and I did manage to find a few little gems to take home in my memory. The best part of Paris hands down was spending time with my parents, they are well into their 70s and yet have the energy of people half their age. Mom can easily beat me when she’s on a mission to see a museum, her enthusiasm is almost contagious. Almost. And Dad loves his sweets so we spent more than enough time sampling the different desserts on offer. Any time, anywhere Parents. You really are the best.
Down a Block 