Paris: Where spirit is immortal

Paris is surprisingly unromantic. As I am sitting outside a café in the famous Latin Quarter, sipping a café au lait (€8, thank you very much!), I see two different fights unfold in front of me. A tattooed waitress screams loudly at a leaving patron, while another French tourist screams at a begging Roma. Paris is not for the fainthearted. There’s also a certain sadness to Paris, with lots of undocumented Bangladeshis, Africans and Sri Lankans on the street, selling cheap Chinese-made toys. There is lots of poverty and grimy areas. Staying close to Chinatown, I am greeted by a string of prostitutes, day and night. None of that bothered me after a couple of days, Paris has something, a certain “je ne sais quoi”.

Paris is by no means a welcoming city. Overrun by tourists, spread out and expensive, Paris doesn’t make the best first impression to any visitor. Paris — in all of its glory — likes to play hard to get, and why not? Once you get into the rhythm of Paris, you’re in awe of its breathtaking architecture, beautiful parks and the famous Parisian intellectual spirit. Although the city is constantly packed with tourists, the intellectual Paris, the old Paris is still very much visible. On the Parisian Metro, which offers great access all over the city, young people are not on any electronic devices, but are reading books or lost in thought. Paris has a spirit that cannot be broken, Parisians will never stop questioning.

Paris is intense, but it has a poetic serenity hidden just beneath the surface. You see people sitting, reading and relaxing in the Jardin du Luxembourg, Parisians take time off to recharge. While cities like London and New York have fallen victim to gentrification, it’s minimised in Paris. Paris’s temperamental charisma endures. It cannot be broken. Sure, there are expensive boutiques and restaurants around the narrow cobble stone roads of the Montparnasse. But there are no Starbucks or Pret A Manger around at every corner.

Here, old restaurants survive the test of time. Places where writers and artists from all over the world sit and discuss, like my Mecca “Le Select”, where Hemingway used to write and where writers still gather to write.

Oh Paris, you are so beautiful, inside and out! Visitors, prepare to feast your eyes on the Montmartre; the views of the Eiffel Tower; the spirit and history of the Montparnasse; the smells and sights of the Belleville (Chinatown); the calmness and relaxation of the Jardin du Luxembourg; Île de la Cité with the iconic Notre Dame; and the awe of the Louvre, the largest museum in the world.