feb 16, 2022
My expat point of view of living in Paris - Things that I hate and things that I love
by Anne-Marie Leduc
Two years ago, my partner Tom, our cat Henri and I decided to move from Montreal, Canada to Europe. Thanks to the European citizenship of Tom we knew it was always a possibility for us. We wanted to live somewhere that could allow us to travel to a new destination easily every month or so for 3 to 4 days at a time. We have big dreams of one day living by the beach in Australia. Until then, we decided to break the routine and start our new life. After a year of research, decisions, and preparations, we finally took the plunge and moved to Paris as our first destination. It's been a year since we packed all our belongings and made ourselves a new home. What a year it was!
Here are the things (in my humble opinion) that I hate and things that I love from living in Paris.
Love
No tipping
In general, European countries don’t have a tipping culture like in America. The prices on the menus already include a service fee and taxes. European servers are well paid and should offer a good service as part of their profession. As a Canadian, it is so refreshing to pay exactly the amount shown and not having to do math and wondering if you tipped enough or not. The amount on your bill is the amount you pay.
Hate
Rudeness of Parisian and french culture
In my opinion, the clichées in the Netflix show Emily in Paris are 99% true (they are clichés for a reason right?). French people are easily offended and they don’t know how to laugh at themselves. As an expat, I encountered these situations everyday. I am a french canadian, my first language is french and I speak well, slowly and using real french words. 8 times out of 10 if I ask at the bakery shop une baguette s’il vous plaît, they will respond to me in english. After responding that I speak French and not English they will continue in English and think that is rude. This is one tiny example, but I have so much that I could write a complete essay on it. From what we’ve experienced, when French people are in the wrong they will not apologize but immediately blame you. For people accustomed to “the customer always being right” it can be surprising. Another fun example is to look at bad Google reviews - the owner will often respond in a non-professional manner. Of course, I am generalizing, not every one of them is like that ;)
Love
Terasses
Terasses in Paris are everywhere, open all day (and night for some) and all year round. This is a great way to enjoy Paris. From enjoying an Aperol spritz in the summer heat or a glass of wine, coffee or hot chocolat viennois in the colder months you can have it all. For me, not all restaurants are good in Paris. Like any big cities, if you go to a brasserie in the touristic areas it will likely be overpriced and often not that good. If you find a brasserie in a fantastic spot I recommend going anyway to enjoy the apéro vibe, but to only have a drink and some french fries (they have them even if they are not on the menu). It will cost you way less than a full overpriced and not so good meal. After that if you do a little bit of research, there are plenty of restaurants with delicious food at fair prices. I would also recommend making reservations ahead of time. If you are on a budget, grab a baguette from a nearby bakery, cheeses and stuff from a fromagerie, a bottle of something in a caviste (bottle shops like Nicholas are everywhere and you literally cannot go wrong), find yourself a great spot at the Seine or in the jardin du Luxembourg and voilà!
Hate
Men peeing everywhere
Never in my life, of all the places I’ve traveled, have I seen so many men peeing so freely in the streets in front of everyone who passes by. It is like Paris is a big public urinary. It is f*cking disgusting. A few years ago they started adding these weird self-cleaning toilet booths on major street corners, maybe it’s helped a bit so I can only imagine what it was like before…
Love
It’s always time for an apero
I always thought that apero (short for apéritif) was the time right before dinner, the entrée before the main meal. Oh boy was I wrong… In France, you can have an apero anytime as you fancy and I’m living for it! It is the time you can unwind over cocktails, wine and bites to eat. The apero can start and last as long as you want. If you get invited to one, there's a big chance that it will last past midnight, haha. Love the French for their sacred apero.
Hate
Dog poop everywhere
Come on, French people!
Love
The beauty of Paris architecture
There is beauty everywhere in Paris. From the architecture, museums, gardens, statues, monuments to the normal residential streets. That is one of the main reasons why we chose Paris as our first destination. You never get tired of it. It is unbelievably rich for the eyes to see. The history behind all that beauty is fascinating. There is so much to see. By night you can see the city from another perspective and it is beautiful. Watching the eiffel tower twinkle is magical, I will never get tired of it.
Hate
Parisian bikers
If I hear a bicycle bell one more time I will lose my sh*t. Paris now has a lot of new bicycle paths and this is great. We use them almost everyday. My problem is the cyclist ringing their bells at you like maniacs for you to let them pass on busy streets. In those circumstances, the priority should always be for pedestrians. Get off your bike or take another street.
Love
Everything is walkable distance
No need for a car in Paris. Every arrondissement has everything near distance. Pharmacie, grocery stores, bakery, fromagerie, fruits and vegetables shops, restaurants… Of course I am talking about the arrondissement and not the suburbs or outside Paris.
Hate
No nets in windows
This may seem irrelevant, but it is something I don’t understand as a Canadian. There are no nets in the windows. At first, you don’t think of it much, but when you start to get bitten by mosquitos all night and every night for months you go crazy. Plus, do Parisians have cats? How do they not escape from the windows?
Love
The Weather
Coming from a winter wonderland, it is one of the best perks of living in Paris. No harsh cold weather, no snow, no winter boots. I don’t know if we’ve been lucky, but last year I could count on one hand the days of rain we had. It is a joke in between us now. The weather has been so nice in Paris.
Hate
No toilet seats in many places
Lol, I know. I hate when this happens. I don’t understand why… Well, I can understand for the public toilets on the street since it is an automatic cleaning booth, but not in restaurants and indoor places. If it’s to save time for the cleaning people I mean, come on…
Love
The proximity of so many destinations
In the last year, we were able to easily travel in the French Alps, United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, the Switzerland Alps, and multiple places in France. The trains in Europe are very good and you can often find cheap plane tickets. Even car rentals are convenient, as long as you don’t have to drive or park in Paris! We have plenty more destinations we wish to go on our list and they all are easy to get to from Paris.
Conclusion
There is a big difference between traveling and living somewhere. Classic Expectations versus reality. There are no perfect places, but all in all we are very happy with our current life in France. We achieved exactly what we wanted to begin with and we already are excited for our next plans.
