Complete and Creative

London VS Paris (2/2)

…continued from

The weather in Paris also sucked. It was summer. It was sweltering. But this is a point on which it’s not worth lingering. We all know London is pretty much the all-around winner of worst weather in Europe anytime except the summer.

The Luxembourg Garden in Paris. I forgot my camera on my trip to London, so here’s a spot in Paris that’s named after a different country.

But it also has one of the most efficient public transportation systems I’ve seen in Europe (Stockholm’s takes the top spot). The London Underground is admirably convenient whereas the Parisian subway…well, besides being smelly in the summer, does not have that many stations. Seriously, London is multiple times bigger than Paris. How is it easier to find a subway station in London than it is in Paris?

Arguably, I was more irritable when walking around to find a subway station in Paris, since it was so hot. But…yeah, I don’t think anyone would argue on this point. London’s public transportation beats the hell out of Paris’s. As far as traffic congestion goes, though…the two cities are just as bad as Los Angeles and every other metropolis in the world.

Let’s talk about food now. Well, there’s no need. Anything that’s good in London is most likely not actual British food anyway.

Now, what is it about London that earns itself a higher rank in my book than Paris does? What did I do in the English capital?

As always, as I mentioned in one of my earliest posts(How Traveling Can Really Suck), it’s always about the people. Sure, I had more friends in Paris than in London, but it’s the general way in which I interacted with complete strangers in London that has given me such a lasting good impression. Sure, “mate” and “monsieur” aren’t exactly equitable greetings, but I rather like the sound of the former more than the latter. Plus, I never got called the latter.

You can say that no Parisian bothered to call me that because I obviously don’t look French, but Paris is a cosmopolitan city. People of all ethnicities live there. This one lady kept talking to me in French on one subway ride even though my only response was a monosyllabic “oui.” Would it have been outrageous for a server to call me monsieur upon seeing me walk into a restaurant?

And there was something about London. For one thing, the Thames is much more impressive than Le Seine. I mean, it’s an actual river, not some rivulet alongside which beach-craving Parisians lounge on man-made sand. I like rivers.

People were nicer. Yes, they were. I must admit it helps when you speak the local language.

I also enjoyed doing some incredibly nerdy things, like visiting 22 Baker Street and knocking on the brick wall between Platforms 11 and 12 at King’s Cross Station. If you don’t get the references, it’s okay. I forgive you.

A key factor may be that I visited London late at night whereas I spent most of my time out in Paris during the day under the ruthless sun and stayed at my friend’s apartment in the evening and afterward, too tired to leave the comforts of that sofa bed. Being from Los Angeles, I am too used to the city. Maybe even sick of it. When I was hanging out in Paris, I was more or less a tourist, just like every other American there. When I was in London, however, you can say that I had the city to myself. There were barely any people around, and most places were closed.

The point of the story is that your view of any place is obviously skewed by your very specific experience, just as my views of London and Paris are.

So, London doesn’t really win. I’m merely biased.