Reflections on Paris & what's next

Pastry & coffee in Paris

In my previous visits to Paris, what I liked most was the food, the coffee, and the energy of the city. Regarding the last: it felt alive and vibrant, well-suited to philosophy and creativity.

My experience this time was quite different, in part due to being on a tight budget (therefore couldn't afford to eat out in restaurants much) and in part due to a difference in energy. I'm not sure whether it's the high unemployment rate or the particular neighborhood I was in, but this time Paris felt...heavy. Not stagnant, more like slightly oppressive. (Now that I say that, I realize that might again be a result of the limited budget; it's hard to feel free in a place where you can't afford anything.) I still loved the coffee (and eventually found some for €1,60) and the pastries were delicious, though, so not everything had changed.

I also think my experience of Paris this time around would've been quite different if the couple of people I knew there had been available to hang out once or twice and if I'd not had so much editing and other work to keep me indoors. I wonder what it would be like to live there for a few months or a year and have some kind of community to belong to, such as a French course or martial arts classes. Would limited funds still be an issue if I had people to pal around with?

I did feel very lonely in Paris, despite frequent interaction with people back home via technology, and I haven't felt lonely yet in Vienna - despite the fact that I've had the apartment to myself for the week that I've been here and am still on a limited budget - and I think it's because I'm going to German class four days a week.

Paris, 18eme

Despite my experience in Paris not living up to my hopes, I did get to explore a different part of the city than I'd spent time in before, and I did meet people at my cafe-bar, and I did improve my French.

And now I'm in Vienna for four weeks, doing a German language course. My original travel plans had me in Prague for five days between Paris and Vienna, but when I decided to stay longer in Madrid, that plan went out the window. Yesterday I looked into getting to Prague for a weekend while I'm here. By plane it would cost $560, and by train €132 (approx. $185). Not gonna happen. Which is unfortunate; I was looking forward to seeing Prague for the first time, and I also have contacts there: friends of friends. But Prague will have to wait.

I've been thinking about my hypothetical next trip to Europe and what it might look like. One lesson I've learned from this trip is that I'd prefer to spend more time in less expensive places (Paris and Vienna were not ideal choices in that respect). Maybe next time I'll stay in Prague and somewhere in Portugal. Spain again, of course. And in each new place find some way to join/create community.

Some observations on the language, culture and food of Vienna in my next post.