Paris: la ville de l'amour

Paris is known for being "The City of Love." I have to admit, when I first arrived, all of the PDA (public displays of affection) made me a little sick to my stomach. I mean, it seemed sooo overboard. I thought to myself, "Well, my parents would fit right in!" Couples here can't keep their hands off each other and kiss all the time in public... it's hard not to feel slightly uncomfortable. I've noticed it the most in very touristy areas/ romantic sites and while on the Metro. The large amounts of PDA was a little foreign to me and caught me off guard. If you ever get to visit this wonderful city, be prepared!

When I see PDA here, I am often reminded of the movie "Paris je t'aime." One of my favorite segments from the movie is when American tourist (Steve Buscemi) accidentally stares at a couple making out in the metro station. The couple end up fighting and to make her boyfriend jealous, the girl kisses Buscemi. The boyfriend beats him up, which in turn makes the girlfriend forgive him because he "fought for her love." Great scene.

You can watch the scene here: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x15uyv_paris-je-taime-tuileries_shortfilms

One night I had a very interesting discussion with a Frenchman on the topic of PDA. I told him that all of it made me a little queasy. He totally did not understand my thought process. He responded, "If I like a girl, I want the world to know I'm with her." When you think of it that way... it sounds, well... romantic.

After living here for two months (yes, I've been here 2 months), I'm definitely becoming more accustomed to their "romantic ways." This past week, I went on my first date since being here (Mom, stop freaking out...). It was so different than any date I have ever been on. First of all, it reminded me of the stories us southern girls have been told for years: The Tales of the Good Southern Gentlemen. After 25 years, I've begun to think that this tradition has either died, or the stories were just a mean joke older, wiser people like to play on poor, gullible girls. He was incredibly charming. He even ended our date by showing me the Parisian skyline at night. As we stood there watching the Eiffel Tower glowing from afar, and I thought, "This is how I'm supposed to be treated." I don't think anything will come of the date, but I learned a lot about myself and what I deserve from a relationship in those few hours.

I have to add, the first time he showed me any kind of affection... I pulled away. I think I actually said to him, "I'm an American," which was implying, "I don't do PDA." I remember looking around me and noticing that no one was staring at me or thought it was "over the top" that he wanted to hold my hand in public. I was the only person who was freaking out. So, I held his hand and gave in to the French way.

On Sunday I went to Paris to have a coffee with my friend Isabelle. We stopped by this Turkish restaurant to look at the menu. Ever since my trip to Istanbul in the summer of 2009, I've wanted this traditional Turkish dish I ate during my stay. It's this sort of kebob made of pita bread with sliced lamb and tomato sauce, cooked in a porcelain dish. As I was looking at the menu, one of the Turkish men working walked out of the restaurant to ask if we wanted to eat inside. I spoke the little bit of Turkish I know (Hello, how are you, etc...) and then asked him if they had the dish. He said, "un minute" and walked inside. When he came back, he had a humongous rose in his hand, and wrote down his email address for me. He gave me the rose and then said, "let me know when you plan to eat here and I'll cook you whatever you want."

If that happened 6 months ago, I would have thought, "omg, so cheesy." But this time, it struck a different chord with me. I thought it was so kind. The rest of the night, I couldn't wipe the smile off my face.