As a self-proclaimed lover of all things French, it always pains me to hear people say that Paris is overrated. The immediate response is, mais non! Paris is the fashion capital of the world, the source of inspiration to so many artists and writers and just normal people, home of the infamous je ne sais quoi quality. It's got that special something, a certain sparkle that'll never fade, no matter how commercialized tourists may think it is.
But how is that? After all, those who don't know France well tend to flock only to Paris to see the traditional monuments — like le Sacré-Coeur, Le Musée d'Orsay, Le Louvre, La Tour Eiffel, le Cathédrale de Notre Dame, etc. — to explore the city of light and love; to sit in the famous roadside cafés. It's easy to get caught up in the touristy areas, but here's the secret: avoid them. I mean it. Yes, you're paying good money to be in Paris. Yes, go see a couple attractions here and there. The true charm of Paris, however, lies in the undiscovered. The mundane, day-to-day things, and the discoveries you make while doing them. The snapshots that fill your camera quicker than you expect are better souvenirs than anything you could buy.
I went to Paris in the summer of 2014, for just two and a half days as a graduation present from my parents. A short time to be there? Yes. But I'd been studying the language for five years, and I was determined to make the most of it. I think the key to my loving it as much as I did was the fact that my family and I took advantage of arranging a living situation through airbnb. I know that if I had stayed at a hotel, I wouldn't have enjoyed the city as much as I did. I would have dealt with locals who were sick of tourists, rightfully so; I wouldn't have had much interaction with French speakers. I know it's expensive, so a smaller hotel in a less commercial area of Paris or even just a hostel will do the trick as well.
Each morning, my dad and I woke up early and walked a few blocks down to a little supermarket to buy breakfast and snacks for the day, where I got to practice my French right off the bat. We also stopped by the laundromat to do a load of laundry, explored our neighborhood, and found so many cute little boutiques. All these people were more than happy to indulge my slightly halting French, smiling and complimenting me as they invited me back to their beloved city in the future. We spent more time walking around and exploring than we did waiting in line- and that's the only way to experience a foreign country. Wander around, get lost, explore! Of course we saw a few monuments- Le Sacre Coeur, Le Tour Eiffel, and le Pont des Arts. But otherwise, we gazed from afar while enjoying the local culture.
And that part was priceless.
