En Paris

Yes, indeed, most Paris women dress nicely, with a purpose… always a scarf at the neck and good shoes, good-looking tan or white trainers, or short boots on their feet, and, yikes, many young women wear stockings.  Their shopping choices reflect quality over quantity.  Trendy items are only for the very young.  And surprisingly, most women’s handbags do not carry designer names, but they appear well-made.  Large, statement eyeglasses are in vogue, but very few wear sunglasses even on the sunniest day.  I see quite a few French women still sporting jeans, but wide-leg pants are in, and leggings are out. 
If not in a suit, men wear jeans, but their accompanying shirts and shoes generally are not athletic or sporty.  Unless participating in a sporting event, only tourists wear shorts.  Like their female counterparts, French men seem to choose quality or quantity. 
People we see are slim but not as thin as most people imagine the French.  Busy lives and indulgence in fine French patisseries give way to a little paunch or budge here and there, but very few, very, very few might be called heavy. 
Appalling to me in this day and age, far too many French people smoke cigarettes.  Old people smoke; young people smoke; they all smoke, especially while leisurely sipping their cup of espresso or wine.  Many roll their own, invoking a ritual-like behavior that produces a neat, very thin straw of a cigarette that looks romantic, delicious, and enticing.  As I watched a beautiful young woman yesterday sitting by the Canal Saint-Martin, roll and light her perfect cigarette, I felt the need to warn her of the long-term damage that will inevitably appear in the form of a dry, lined face, pleated lips, and easily bruised, thin skin.  However, we’ve seen no one hacking a smokers’ cough nor do we often see cigarette butts on the ground.  And even though they smoke and eat a diet rich in butter, the French seem to look good as they age, and it is a known fact that they have significantly less cardiovascular disease than Americans.  What is their secret?  Some say it is the fresh, non-processed food they regularly eat and the amount of walking they do. I only know from experience; they should not smoke. 
The French love good bread.  Croissants made at the best US bakeries bear little resemblance to a real French croissant. A croissant bought at a Paris boulangerie is large and amazingly . . . very satisfying.  It will have a glistening, crispy but light and tender crust that casts crumbs for pigeons when eaten appropriately at a small cafe or on a park bench with a steaming cup of rich coffee.  Inside the roll is a swirl of buttery layers that stretch when pulled apart.  French croissants are an indulgence, a bit of heaven. 
And here is another newly learned tidbit.  There are many types of French baguettes, but only the French know that there are two types of “daily” baguettes:  Classic and traditional, or better said, ordinary and extraordinary.  There is a world of difference between the two, and once the baguette secret is known, it is easy to understand why some people eat their freshly purchased baguette straight from the bag while walking down the street.  When we first saw this, our thoughts were, “That person must be famished to be eating plain bread.”  
The French buy only une baguette de tradition, often called “une tradi,” and like having a favorite hang-out, most have a favorite boulangerie where only the best tradi is made and sold.  A “good” baguette, often called the “classic or ordinary,” can be purchased almost anywhere, and it will be fine.  Usually, the color will be a bit lighter than a traditional.  The outside may be crisp, but it will not have that gorgeous rustic look, and the bread center will be smooth and uniform, like Wonder Bread.  Although it will go fine with a bowl of soup or pasta, its taste and texture will be rather bland. Classic baguettes are mass-produced and contain ingredients to improve flavor and shelf life.  Ordinary restaurants generally serve classic bread in the little basket they set on the table.  Better ones serve only the more artisanal tradi.  Although both baguettes cost about the same, specifically asking for the traditional at the boulangerie instead of simply asking for “une baguette” shows the boulanger that you understand the difference. 
The “traditional” baguette is baked according to French rules established in 1993.  It must be baked on premises with only four ingredients: flour, salt, water, and yeast.  It will contain no additives and no cheap stuff.  A traditional baguette will have a rugged, crispy crust dusted in flour, with a soft, tender, bubbly-looking center. There is nothing uniform about its appearance. Its flavor merely bursts in the mouth.  No butter, no jam, nothing is needed to enjoy this wonderful iconic French staple that can be purchased for only about 1.30 euros a loaf.  That’s why the French buy one fresh for dinner each afternoon.  And a sandwich made with a traditional baguette will bring you to your knees. 
The first traditional baguette we bought was still warm. We ate it straight from the bag as we walked home.
Parisians love their public transportation system and use it daily.  It is another thing about Paris that drives me crazy!  I am so envious!  Their system is an efficient, amazing way to get around.  There is no such thing as being stuck in traffic here.  Stan and I especially like the Metro (subway) system.  Like an intricate spider’s web, fourteen metro lines cover the city and suburbs. The system’s many stations are super clean, well-maintained, and equipped with such good signage that even novice visitors can easily find their way around town using the Metro.  We’ve only goofed a couple of times so far.  
The lines stop at scheduled stations with romantic names like Gare de Lyon, Pont Lazare, Publique, Madeleine, Chatelet, and Ponte Cardinet about every four minutes.  If a rider misses his intended metro train, no worries, another will be by in just four minutes.  These subways zoom in underground railways and deliver riders to all points of town, leaving just a little walking to the desired spot, and no automobiles required.  Stan and I buy an all-zone pass each week for about $32 each.  That sounds expensive, but the pass gives us the right to ride any metro, any tram, any bus in the city, and any regional RER train to nearby cities as many times as we choose for no extra cost and no reservations required.  We could select passes for limited in-city zones for less money, but why take a chance?  We like our flexibility and are willing to pay for it. 
E-bikes are a huge thing here.  Many people own one, however, most riders rent them on the street via an app.  In contrast, only a few people use electric scooters; if a person owns one, it is legal to ride, but e-scooter rentals were banned here in 2023.  Even the tiniest tot, though, seems to ditch a stroller in favor of his toy scooter to get around. 
The city of Paris has done everything possible to limit car traffic.  Wide, I mean very wide, bike lanes are on most streets, and dedicated bike paths in parks and on wide sidewalks make cycle traffic easy and safe.  Pedestrians have priority, and both lanes are marked, but woe to the walker who decides to occupy the bike lane. People here move about, and they move fast! 
Did you know that if a citizen is smart enough to be accepted at Sorbonne University, they can attend college there with free tuition? Yes, Sorbonne, one of the most well-respected universities in the world, is free for EU students, and in addition, its tuition is cheap for international students.  For example, in its three-year bachelor’s program (not the 4-year program we are accustomed to), non-EU students’ Sorbonne tuition is about 10,500 euros per year (not semester). Even more shocking, all public universities in France are free.  Public elementary and secondary schools are free as well.  While France has private schools, people prefer the public ones since they are free and are very good.  
Along the same lines, youth are treated well here.  For persons 26 years old or younger, the entrance to any museum and most cultural attractions is free.  Why?  It is because France wants to educate, stimulate curiosity, and feed the minds of its youth with culture, history, and science.  
Dang! 
If that were not enough, healthcare is free here also, and some of the finest hospitals and doctors in the world are in France.    “Yeah,” some say, “but the French pay high taxes.”  Yes, they do.  Without a doubt, their taxes are high.  But they get a lot for their money. . . 35-hour work week, 5 weeks paid vacation time, retirement age of 64 with minimum 15,000 Euro annual pension, clean streets, an efficient, affordable public transportation system, trash collection, fabulous museums and cultural venues, plentiful parks and vast green spaces, free education for those who want to take advantage of it and free universal healthcare that focuses on keeping people well.
I am not saying France is “all that!”  France has its problems, too. They have homeless people, high food prices, high cost of rent and home ownership, poverty, and the influx of migrants and asylum seekers, to name a few big issues. France certainly is no utopia or ideal state, but there are some aspects here we can mirror, adopt, or what-the-heck, plagiarize to add to our existing good stuff.  No one country has it all; let’s share.
When talking to people here about what I like best about their country and their beautiful city of Paris, they love and appreciate the compliments and agree. But invariably, they say something like, “Yes, but God bless the USA” or “Yes, but you have many things we do not.  We love the USA.”   

Folks, we have a friend on this side of the pond, and her name is France. 

Many visitors, especially in the past, have the perception that French people are aloof and unfriendly. I think things have changed. Maybe it is the widespread access to the Internet. Maybe it’s because most people now speak a little English, or maybe having so many people in town last year for the Summer Olympics changed things, but today, people here are open; they are friendly. They smile, they offer to help, and they often initiate a cross-table conversation among strangers . . . and end up as friends over a meal or cup of coffee.
I can’t name the times we have enjoyed brief but fun conversations with our waiter, a store clerk, people at the next table, or simply a person on the street. If we find they are willing to talk, we are ready to try. We always fool around with our “Fwench” which breaks the ice. When we say “bon jour,” with our southern accents but friendly faces, most know they are in for something fun. They might respond with something like . . . where are you from? Or, so you are learning to speak French? That’s when I answer with the only complete sentence I know in French, “J’etudie le français avec Duolingo.”
Maybe it is not just France. Maybe things are changing everywhere as people grow more open and accepting of each other. Maybe the more widespread use of the Internet is opening the eyes of the world, breaking down preconceived notions, and helping “strange” behaviors and customs become more familiar. Maybe more countries are encouraging the use of the English language as well as their own, thus breaking down language barriers. Whatever the cause, the effect is that countries are becoming less isolated and less inwardly focused. As our Atlanta friend Gail Kinney offered as we shared lunch this week, “things are blurring.” Maybe through this blur, walls of fear, animosity, and self-importance will begin to crumble. Maybe that change will be a start to mutual understanding and a better life for all.