The city of lights, the city of love, of art and food and fashion, of noisy pigeons and rude people… Everything has been written, photographed, shot, painted, about Paris. It is one of those cities you almost cannot talk about without using clichés. In fact, it’s one of those cities that has become a living cliché. A postcard. A place you feel you already know. You could not be more wrong.
Like the fox in Le Petit Prince, Paris needs to be tamed. Discovered. Of course you can pace into Le Louvre, Notre Dame or La Tour Eiffel, make a stop by the Vuitton store in 48 hours. You will have nice pictures to show to your friends. But you will not have experienced Paris. For that you need time. You need to burn your tourist guide, get rid of all your expectations and goals. Now you are ready to wander in the tiny streets of La butte aux cailles, to get lost in le Parc des Buttes Chaumont, to picnic on Le pont des Arts or to race down Montmartre hill on your bike at full speed, a grin on your face.
Only then, like Ernest Hemingway, you’ll be able to say: “If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast”.
City editor
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Name
Since
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Philippe
February 27, 2008
Paris
