Learning to love Paris, part 2

The key, I found, was to keep looking up, both figuratively and literally.

After a few days in Paris, I felt like I could describe it in three words -- dirty, smelly, and beautiful. If I looked at the ground at all, all I could think of was "dirty." Cigarette butts everywhere. Sidewalks which were rarely swept. The occasional piece of trash. Of course, it's not fair to judge a city by its worst traits, so I tried to avoid looking down.

If I kept my eyes at eye level, though, the overwhelming sensation was not sight but rather smell. Nearly everyone smoked, and my lungs burned with the smell. Many of the streets just had a vague scent of the sewers and dirty rain water. And of course, there were the positive smells, too -- the baguettes, pastries, and fruit all smelled divine. Although this may have been the most comprehensive and realistic representation of the city, I still didn't want it to be my final impression of it.

So I looked up. And there I would see beautiful white buildings, with intricate railings and bright, cheery flowerboxes. I loved how the buildings took whichever shape best fit with the many intersecting streets of Paris. As I took time to notice the beauty around (or at least above) me, I was able to marvel rather than grumble. Learning to love the style and charm of Paris turned out to be relatively easy.

Learning to love the culture itself, though . . . now that took some work. :)