Hi there! Once again, I have been absent from my blog far too long & I feel that my apologies & excuses are becoming ineffective. Anyway, I have been very busy & I have been getting a lot of time in new places which is fantastic for me, but it means I lose focus on other things.
I went to Paris in April. At first I was skeptical because, as some of you may remember, I often feel that major tourist attractions are overrated & almost always too crowded for me. For those reasons, I prefer going down ‘the road less traveled’ & my top travel destinations might seem bizarre, unusual or downright weird to most people. That aside, I did start getting really excited before going because it was the first time I was going to France.
Okay. So. From what I have read & heard from other people, you either love or you hate Paris. I definitely agree with this, but I won’t say which side I’m on.
The weather was absolutely perfect & I got to spend so much time walking around the city. Seeing the Eiffel Tower right in front of you is quite a surreal experience. I actually got the opportunity to eat croissants at a street-side café while looking at the Eiffel Tower & I’m pretty confident that is a memory that will stick with me for a very long time.
From the Eiffel Tower, we decided to walk to the Champs-Élysées. It isn’t the longest walk, but it is filled with so much to see so it took quite a bit of time. Although there is so much beauty in the city, I was surprised by the amount of graffiti & general dirt & also the number of homeless people I saw. So many people refer to the city as a romantic city so I guess I just didn’t expect it.
I’ll leave you with the same image I was left with of this particular day. My friend & I were walking down the road & talking about the architecture. She looked to her right, immediately looked down & in a state of shock said “Do not look to your right!”
Doing the natural human thing to do when told not to look somewhere, I looked. There, in the middle of the day in the middle of the street… was a man squatting & relieving himself.
What was your experience in Paris? Let me know.
Keep traveling, keep safe.
DanVenture Travels
DanVenture Travels 
I adore Paris but like many cities it has its fair share of beggars and grafitti. The French (and Italians) are less bothered than Brits and Americans about about relieving themselves in public though they are generally a bit more discrete than that.
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We do love Paris, but like all cities it has a few warts. The first time we went, we could smell the bodily functions on the streets both from people and the numerous dogs left to do their doo-doo with no caring owner to pick up. This seemed to get better on our next two trips. Still a great city to wander and explore. Thanks for sharing. Allan
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I love Paris and had nice experience while I was there. The city was beautiful but it was also overcrowded. I would love to return to France, but not sure about Paris.
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I love how you keep your blogs short and still manage to share so much!! I was to Paris last August and really enjoyed myself – doing more as you say, walking and exploring less popular sites, though the Eiffel Tower is not to be missed! (BTW, that is a fabulous lead in photo!) And because I don’t like to wait in lines, I only beheld Notre Dame from the outside yet was still so sad when I heard of the recent tragedy, feeling blessed that I had been that close so as to have a memory. Because of all have heard about Paris over the years, I felt I would be overwhelmed yet found the city very approachable and charming. I noticed the dirtiness, as well. Two days was certainly not enough so I do hope to go back one day!
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I love Paris!! My father’s grandparents were from France so I guess I feel a connection. Thank you for the beautiful pictures! I hope you have subscribed to my YouTube channel. 👍
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I was in my 20s when I saw Paris, 4 decades ago. I’m sure it’s much different today. I found Parisian’s unfriendly, sometimes condescending perhaps because I was American, or that is just their nature. I found that people in smaller villages much more welcoming. Continued safe travels to you. 🌎✌🏻❤️🌻
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I was there two summers ago and it was extremely hot – this just made things miserable for us, but we couldn’t avoid the beauty of the city despite the uncomfortable conditions.
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We visited Paris after a river trip where we’d seen some sad and war-torn places. While we loved the whole trip, Paris, with its joyful atmosphere and bustling nightlife was a great relief and a fun way to wrap things up.
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Nice blog Dan. I haven’t been to Paris since 1983 (Yikes) and it’s probobly changed a lot, so it’s great to get an up to date report. Strangely, Kristen and I just spent six months in India where defecating on the street used to be a national pastime but now seems to have almost entirely stopped. It’s like the poles are shifting or something.
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I love Paris, but I agree that it is dirty. So many smokers, too. Can’t get a breath of fresh air and cigarettes butts everywhere. Still, I love it!
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Agree with previous comment – I, too, like a short & sweet blog. I have visited Paris on many many occasions and love it to bits! I have never seen anyone squat in the streets and am shocked that thus happened, it is usually a very civilised city even with the usual share of graffiti & homelessness. I would say the very best season to visit is October, still busy, but the bulk of the tourists have gone by then while the weather is still very pleasant. Happy travels!
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Next time, I recommend heading to the villages. I love Paris but didn’t want to live there. I’ve lived on the Mediterranean for nearly twelve years and have no desire to be anywhere else. I grew up near Los Angeles and lived in NYC for six years and attended university in San Francisco so I have had my fill of the cities. This is home.
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Dipping my toes back into reading travel blogs and I think yours is by far, my favorite. It’s been years, but I had a similar experience in Paris. And don’t get me started about dodging the birds that try to ambush your food near the Eiffel Tower, majestic rats of the flippin’ sky.
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Cant get like buttons to ‘like’ – so here is a word ‘like’ 😎
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Been to Paris many times over the past 50 years. Now, last visit 2017–too many new street people with attitude–not so fun–especially the train stations. Ask why so many soldiers with machine guns in Paris these days?
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Paris is beautiful and I love the idea of going to Paris but I found that there are lots of gypsies and homeless people all around. The tour that we went to was beautiful but in the back of my mind I feel for these people that were squalid migrant camps. So for me it goes both ways.
Regards, Teresa
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I’ve lived in Paris for 2 years and I absolutely adore this city. And it’s true, you either love it or hate it… I guess it depends on the right circumstances (a man relieving himself in the middle of the street probably doesn’t help), the people you meet, the places you go… Hope you still enjoyed it despite the circumstances! 🙂
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I never had a desire to visit France but the opportunity presented itself for me to go to Paris in March 2017. I loved it and equate some of that to having absolutely no expectations beforehand.
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I LOVE Paris. Been there twice and it’s the only place I want to go back to again and again. I think it’s wonderful. The people were sweet and kind and everything was perfect. They are being overrun by people from other places and perhaps that’s what you saw because I cannot, in my wildest dreams imagine a French person going in the street for any reason ever.
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Really nice blog…. love it..
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I resonate with you ! I have a love hate relationship with Paris. Hate the Metro, the pee smell, but instantly fell in love with her again at the first sighting of the Eiffel ! Hahaha
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Seeing homeless people reminds me of how lucky I am to able to travel and experience the diversity and richness of life.
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Paris has always been one of my favorite cities and I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve visited. That said, our most recent trips (last year and the previous year) were exactly as you describe. Parisians seem to have lost their pride and verve; it was dirtier and far more squalid than it’s ever been, and it all felt rather sad and apathetic.
Not in a hurry to return.
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Paris was a bit disappointing for me for the same reason that you were skeptical. I felt it was overrated. I did however enjoy the my daily macaroon tasting from a little shop up the road from the hotel. The delicious delicacies brought in some excitement too. I have no regrets visiting and ticked it off from my to do list but not likely to visit again.
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Been twice, 2001 & 2012, and wish I was there now, lol! Would it be as enthralling as my wife & I’s first two trip there? I wouldn’t mind finding out 🙂 I do think the time of year & number of tourists can have a big impact. We went 1st early April, then Nov/Dec. Austin here in Texas is much the same, lot depends on the time of year etc (‘cept for the traffic, lol!).
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I love Paris, I worked there a while in the nineties, but yeah you have to look where you are walking, there is a lot of dog poo on the streets (maybe some human poo too). For anyone who loves art history, there are so many famous paintings to see in the Louvre, the Musee d’Orsay and the Beaubourg (Centre Pompidou).
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I’ve been in Paris several times and was in love with each of its corner. But last time I had the same experience seeing more homeless beggers and dirty streets. Yet it stays one of the most desired destinations for many tourists and travelers.
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I love Paris. I guess, for every city there is that “horrible thing” though. In Paris our phone charger was lost inside our hotel. It’s hard to point finger on someone. Whatever, I still love the city despite that incident.
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The ending though, hahahhahaa
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You are right about loving or hating the city. It had been my dream to visit Paris and gazing down the city from the top of Eiffel Tower, ever since I remember. But when I actually visited the city, I was so heartbroken. It was nothing like I expected.
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Thank you so much for leaving this comment. I find this interesting because just a few days ago someone said the very same thing to me about Paris
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