The city of love!

Paris is the city of love but I recently went with my mother. My first visit to Paris, a little less than a year ago, left me feeling warm, fuzzy and with a strong passionate bond towards the capital of France. Even if the waiters were rude as hell.

However as I sat typing notes on my iphone for this post (data roaming is to expensive to do in wordpress abroad) I found myself a little deflated and dissapointed by my second experience of the city. It may have been that I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to embrace the culture, but even so I sat thinking if it wasn’t for the french bread (oh so good), the coffee and the architecture I would be runnning a mile straight back to the airport.

Before leaving for the trip I spoke to a colleague about whether I would choose to live in Paris or Venice and now the answer is clear cut – just in case its not clear the winner is VENICE. Don’t get me wrong nothing bad happened on the trip to leave me with a sour taste, but I don’t know,  I certainly realised all the things I craved about Paris where changes to my lifestyle I can enjoy in London. I suppose it was a realisation no matter where I am I can blame the place but 90% of the time you make your own happiness right?

However the things that initially captivated me about Paris seem to have withered and died, there was no awe of the beauty, no intrigue of their culture, no buzz or excitement. Guess they’re right when they say things are never as good second time round.

I certainly did a lot more this time round; visit to Notre Dame, trip up the Effiel Tower, Moulin Rouge and Lido but none of them overwhelmed me. Ok so the Lido was the best, the male waiter attention and free campagne and wine meant I was a bit drunk and giddy but this only serviced further the good food and show performance.

I found the Lido to be much more professional and polished than the Moulin Rouge. I guess sometimes reputation really is everything in terms of turning them a profit but the Moulin Rouge, for me, lacked in quality and substanance. The cancan was not what I anticipated, lacking in glamour and inspiration, but I guess like most things it comes down to personal expectations. Met, exceeded, let down or didn’t have any – we set our own benchmarks and decide our enjoyment of something often before it has occured. Ok there are occassions were we are pleasantly suprised but this was not one of them.

I  won’t be going back to France anytime soon, Spain or South/Central America will be my place for passion and good food – something I am dissapointed to say I didn’t get in France. However one tip as a girl – French people, but this I mean guys, are much more accommodating to a group of women than mixed sex or couples – but hey if the guy ain’t getting anything he probably isn’t going to bother right?!

ELx