Log in
Join travelers community
Your Profile
Logout
It's difficult not to feel self-conscious in Paris. The city's reputation as the pinnacle of high fashion is well known: but it's more than just clothes, it's the whole attitude. A flick of the wrist to stub out a cigarette, the casual, almost lazy swagger, a nonchalant tilt of the head to express distate.
Little Japan and the importance of wearing a scarf.
James Taylor2006-08-23 15:24:25
Displayed times (last time: )
It's difficult not to feel self-conscious in Paris. The city's reputation as the pinnacle of high fashion is well known: but it's more than just clothes, it's the whole attitude. A flick of the wrist to stub out a cigarette, the casual, almost lazy swagger, a nonchalant tilt of the head to express distate.
This is kind of stupid, but a few days ago, while sitting in a laundrette, waiting for my washing; I couldn't help feeling that, the cluster of students hanging around, just knew something was up. I was an outsider. They obviously sat around waiting for their laundry with so much more style than moi.
All this could just be dismissed as arrogant posturing, but it's difficult to not feel at least some empathy towards the Parisians, and their disdainful attitude towards outsiders. Particuarly when their city is so overrun with tourists.
The tourists were out in numbers at the weekend. As I found, to my dismay, during a 45 minute queue in the rain for the musee D'Orsey. This probably all sounds very hypocritical, as I am a tourist myself, but it's hard not to be dissapointed when, even in the more secluded parts
of town, an american voice is heard on every street corner.
Because of this, (and because I've seen most of them before) I haven't really been hitting up the tourist sites, although I have been to a few museums due to a new found interest in art. I strode down the Champs-Elysees a record-breaking 20 minutes, (It's full of car show rooms and fast food chains anyway), and I haven't been up the Eiffel Tower yet either.
I've also been forced to reconsider my priorities due to budgetary concerns. I've had to wonder whether it's really worth those 8 Euro 50 to climb the Arc de Triomphe (I didn't), or whether I want to spend those 15 Euros on a decent restaurant meal (I did).
So I've been taking things at a slower pace; Aimlessly
...
See photographs from:
France Gallery
