The Five Senses: Paris (RLN)

Le Sacré-Cœur

After spending about two weeks in Paris I have come to appreciate the fact that it is the city of monuments and impressive buildings. It is hard to go any part of the city without finding historical and impressive sites, big and small. It may be overwhelming at first to find oneself in the midst of the tumult of daily Parisien life especially with such awe inspiring buildings looming over you wherever you go but within a week it begins to almost seem normal when you suddenly see the Eiffel Tower poking over some buildings on your way to class. 

Kebab Shop

Though it might not be the most French food it is impossible not to be enticed by the seemingly omnipresent smell of kebabs as you will have to be hard-pressed to find a neighborhood without a plethora of them. They are essentially Parisiennes go to food whenever they don't have much time to stop and eat or for younger Parisiennes not looking to spend much money while out. They are also a sterling example of the mix of cultures that you will find in Paris as Asian restaurants abound as well. You are just likely to find a foreigner as a Parisienne in one of these shops and if you begin to frequent one you can become fast friends with the generally friendly workers who may end up giving you deals for customer loyalty.

Les Invalides

As for touch, almost everything that you touch or walk on in Paris gives you a sense of touching part of history as most things, from the simple to grandiose, have their own unique bit of history attached to them here in Paris.

The Traffic

As for sounds as most big cities Paris can occasionally have a traffic problem and the drivers here are never scared to let their grievances be known by honking their horns profusely. This can become particularly cacophonous when the French workers decide to faire la Grève which essentially means to go on strike which they do relatively often. This can cause loud problems as everyone from farmers to taxi drivers love to do the "slow drive" strike where they get into their vehicles, anything from a tractor to simple taxi, and drive very slowly throughout an area essentially creating a standstill traffic wise and therefore also a seemingly never ending blasting of horns.

Patisserie

Baguette

Last but certainly not least is the amazing French food. I'll stick away from anything too fancy and talk about the incredible everyday food that you can get at one of the hundreds of boulangeries and patisseries. They are a one stop shop for incredible baguette sandwiches and the best pastries that you will ever have and best of all, you can find many of them have decent prices! You'll be surprised by how good a sandwich can taste as they are made fresh everyday with fresh ingredients and complicated recipes that will leave you wanting more!