Whenever I come back to Paris the first thing that usually strikes me is… “it hasn’t changed” as we say “Paris sera toujours Paris” (Paris will always be Paris) It’s a gorgeous city, no doubt about that, but this immortal stillness tends to bring me down.
Paris is a romantic city, one you can just visit walking slowly, going to cafes for a break, sitting on a bench, there’s a nice picture to be taken at every corner, and a monument at the end of every streets. But to me this city feels like a sleeping beauty. I don’t know exactly when it happened but Paris fell into a coma and lost its title of vibrant city. Most of Paris is either state owned (monuments, museums…) and rich owned that is to say, Paris is empty, from what I remember only 60% of the apartments in Paris are being lived in. With the prices going up most of people with a rather modest income have been forced outside of the city (by the way French cities are not build like English ones, the center is for people to live in and the industries and office are usually in the outskirt). France also stopped attracting young talents making it harder and harder for foreigners to work there.
Anyways they are probably quite a few reason for this decline, but one can only notice that Paris is slowly becoming a “museum city”, the fact that Paris wasn’t able to get the Olympics only proves it. (well it also proved our politicians were useless!)
Paris (in front of the Louis Vuitton store in St Germain)
Mr Chat, A famous graf artist, I like his work
L’Academie Française, for those who do not know what it is, its a very french concept, some very talented writers, philosophers… people that represent better the excellency of the french language (with great knowledge and wisdom) form this circle of 40 members, they are called “immortals” and they are the keepers of the french language.
Paris and les quais de Seine
This one just made me giggle, the Embassy of Mali in Paris! and it’s actually very close to where I live! Much more fancy than the one in Tokyo!
