A Totally Different Subject: Parisians Are Telling Visitors Not to Come (videos).
Siem Reap, Cambodia, June 15th, 2024.
Salaroche

Have you ever been to Paris, France? It is a beautiful city, isn’t it? I lived in Paris for a couple of years and I can attest to the beauty of its streets, its impressive buildings, bridges, and monuments, the charm of the river Seine, the wide variety of restaurants and bars, the street performers, the ever-present live music and, of course, its history, which is palpable at different points in the city. I have also been back there at least half a dozen times. The last time was in 2017.

But if you have been to Paris, you also know that not all Parisians are welcoming to foreign visitors, particularly if you don’t speak French. I speak fluent French, so I don’t have that problem, but I can still feel the pressure of having to take the Metro, a Taxi, or a Bus to move around the city which, at certain hours of the day, can be an unpleasant thing to do. However, so that you know, I get along fine with most French people and I love French women. I was even married to a beautiful, world-savvy one from Lyon for 14 years.

But I also know most French don’t hesitate to tell you exactly how they feel or think, mostly when expressing their disapproval of anyone or anything. And in that sense, Parisians are rather famous for being straight-forward, even rude some times. In other words, as beautiful as the city of Paris itself may be, navigating the city streets and social environment can often be a stressing thing to do, if not an outright unpleasant experience.

Now picture what the Parisian general environment would feel like when many of the city’s Metropolitan Area’s 12 million residents are already explicitly predisposed against visitors? Not a pretty picture. Not a very promising situation. In case you didn’t know, the Summer Olympics will take place in Paris this year from July 26 to August 11 and, in some calculations, there will be an estimated attendance of between 10 and 15 million visitors.

It seems the Parisian authorities have already been asking Parisians to work from home during the Olympics or to get out of town altogether. How do you think Parisians feel about such foreign invasion of their city? Do you think the Parisian masses really care about the millions of euros the visitors are supposed to bring to the city? According to some Tik-Tok videos posted on that platform, many Parisians don’t give a single hoot about those games and whatever financial benefits such event might bring to the city, and they’re warning visitors not to come.

But don’t take my word for it. Hear it from the horse’s mouth. Here are the links to 3 Tik-Tok video postings done by 3 different Parisian women explaining in English the reasons why you shouldn’t go to Paris for the Summer Olympics: To watch posting #1, please click here. To watch posting #2, please click here. To watch posting #3, please click here.

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