Paris is Overrated

I love Paris. I have been there many times and have always enjoyed it, but after living full time in Brussels, it impresses me less than in the past. We took a quick trip this past week with my daughter, as she has never been to the city before. The Thalys train from Brussels was quick and efficient; the type of transportation that Amtrak could well learn from. We arrived at Paris Nord mid morning and were checked into our hotel well before lunchtime. Our hotel was just steps from the Champs Elyseé; the perfect location for an overnight trip. Overall the trip was a good one. We spent time shopping, sightseeing and eating. I think my daughter was impressed with how beautiful Paris is (even when it is 0 degrees). And it is a beautiful city. The architecture is amazing and there is something to see around every corner. It is unfortunate though that the state of hotel rooms in the city generally do not live up to the surrounding architecture. Hotel rooms are exceedingly expensive and in most cases I have found them to be lackluster. We booked two adjoining rooms at the Sofitel and the furniture was rundown and the carpeting was stained. At 300 Euro per room, I would expect better. Still it was only one night, so we made the best of it.

The Christmas Market was still in effect during our trip. I really like this aspect of European Christmas. There is something festive about the little shacks with small gifts and food. Paris’ Christmas market is huge as you might expect but also fairly redundant. If you see a third of it, you have seen it all. Wandering through the market as well as all over Paris there was a significant military presence. I would assume this is thanks to Bin Laden’s threats. Another thing you see everywhere you go are the multitudes of begging Roma. They are all over Brussels as well, but France made a big deal out of kicking them out of the country earlier in the fall. Guess they missed some.

The one thing that was probably the most significant disappointment was the food. The food was extremely expensive and like the hotels, pretty lackluster. I would say that this might be due to the places that we picked, but I don’t think so. Unless you are willing to pay for Michelin Star restaurants, it is hard to find really good food in Paris. Certainly you can get nice croissants, and acceptable meals, but you are going to pay a high price for it. In retrospect, I think it has to do with the fact that it is largely a tourist city. In Brussels, the food is almost universally high quality. I think this is the difference between feeding tourists and feeding your neighbors. Whatever it was, if you want good French food at reasonable prices, don’t go to Paris, come to Brussels.

After our trip, She who must be obeyed and I had a conversation about the fact that we are glad that we live in Brussels and not Paris. Brussels is not quite as photogenic, but it is much more intimate. People are friendly and the city is accessible. I still love Paris, but I am glad I don’t live there.