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Here I am sitting in my apartment in Pasadena, California, and 95° weather. My husband and I spent nine days in Paris in September. I had been wanting to go to Paris France since I saw a travel video about Paris in the 80s. I knew that I was going to go before I turned 50. But I went at 51. my biggest fear was that I was going to suffer from par syndrome because of my expectations. However, my expectations have changed over the years because of the reality of adults life and putting things in perspective. When we landed in Paris after spending an hour in customs, our taxi driver drove us to our hotel in the Batingnolle neighborhood. Immediately, I felt a weird sense of being at home and a place. I’ve never been. Staying in the 17th was a good idea because of how village like it appeared to us. It was manageable. Everyone was super friendly and nice. Luckily I speak a little French. This was enough to open up, the world to me and my husband and made our visit all the more better. Each day we spent walking and walking and getting lost but discovering such beauty and romance in a city that is eternal. Every time we would get off of metro stop or a bus we would discover some thing that was just wonders to our eyes. I love that you mentioned the Jardin des plantes. While we were trying to find the pantheon and getting horribly turned around on the bus, we decided to get off at the Jardon, the plants and walk-through, which was an excellent idea because my husband loves plants eventually ourselves to pantheon and in all of its splendor, not to mention the fact that it was just down the street to Jardin des Luxenberg. everything about Paris that I felt that I would feel when I got there was on point. Is it romantic in a way it is and in the way it isn’t what I found. Romantic was my husband and I being able to get lost be patient with each other and be soothed by the beauty of the city. We were both charmed and excited about all of the things that we had set out to see. We didn’t get a chance to see everything, but it gave us an excuse to work hard and save our money so we can go back. What blessing is that you get to live in a city that is constantly exposing itself and showing you what it has the possibilities to be every day.
How wonderful that Paris met (exceeded?) your expectations, and that you felt at home in the first place you stayed. And yes, I always tell people to walk in Paris, without a timetable, to find their own treasures. Discovery is its own reward. And, like us Parisians, you'll soon learn that it's impossible to 'see everything'.
It is refreshing to watch your videos, not only because you have a camera person/cinematographer that captures you better, but also because you make viewers reflect and smile. Or maybe I am just overthinking that 😎
Once more, Aida, you are a refuge from the pain and sorrow of the times. If I had to pick one place on the planet as the epicentre of all that is good, it would be Paris. Please keep your videos coming. I need them.
Hi David - I'm sorry to hear that this video finds you in such a tough moment (unless you are talking in a more general, geopolitical way?). But Paris is a salve, it is true - one better experienced directly rather than vicariously! While you're here: thank you for that glowing review of my channel you did on your blog. I only recently discovered it, and it was heartwarming and gave me a needed impetus to forge on with this video.
Ahhh, yes, geopolitical sorrow. I am still recovering from a leg issue caused by my… STUPIDITY… but I’m close to full recovery. Thank you for your kind words.
Paris has, and will always have, a special place in my heart. I've been five times, if I remembered and counted correctly. Most recently was right before Christmas in 2022, when the trip was interrupted by us (primarily me) getting sick with COVID. And just about everything else going wrong, from my watch battery dying, to my laptop charger being left at home (and me having to try to get a new one at FNAC), to our hotel having the wrong dates and us having to get a new hotel, to the jackhammer at 8 AM every morning against our bathroom wall. But… I loved that trip, perhaps even more than some earlier ones. And every day in the nearly two years since, I've felt HOMESICK. For Paris, a place I've never lived more than a week. LA - where I'm from and where I live - can be outstandingly beautiful. Go for a short hike in the hills, and look over the Santa Monica Bay and the gorgeous mansions in the hills, and on a clear day, see from the ocean on one side past Downtown's skyscrapers on the other, even to the snow-covered mountains in the distance in winter. The beach, and the pier(s). The Getty Museum, and the architecture of the complex, and the views, and the gardens. Union Station. The views from Mulholland Drive. The parks; we're NOT just a concrete jungle. Famous spots where HUNDREDS of movies and TV shows were filmed, like the “Beverly Hills Cop” and the “Pretty Woman” hotel on Wilshire Blvd. But Paris… there's just art for art's sake, everywhere, around every little corner, on just about every building. And yes, I got engaged ON the Eiffel Tower, not under it. 24 years ago, back before 9/11 (it was actually 9/9/2000). Before metal detectors to get anywhere near it. Before the bag checks. Before all the construction. Before all of the “keep off the grass” signs. When it was a wide, open, PUBLIC space, for the PUBLIC. Our actual wedding - 12 years later (and the engagement itself was 7 years in) - was in the US. Las Vegas, to be exact, with a reception in a French Restaurant under their fake Eiffel Tower, and with Parisian-themed everything from the invitations to the model Eiffel Towers on the tables to the Eiffel Tower keychain giveaways. For me, yeah… Paris is ALWAYS romantic, even through the dog poop and the pee smells, and the crowded Metro, and the snow and ice in winter, and the broken, dirty streets. I don’t like the tourists there anymore than I like them here in LA, either.
Wow that is a long and loving ode to both Paris AND LA. You obviously appreciate and feel a close connection to both, with your romantic vision of each untrammelled by some of the noxious realities. Making regular transatlantic jaunts sounds like your destiny!
@@amusingaida - LA to Paris is $$$ (or €€€). So tough going more than every few years. Actually, we're planning on retiring in a couple of years and moving closer to my wife's German family (she's German). She'd sort of prefer Germany, of course, but I'd prefer France (for one thing my French is way better than my German, but she speaks German fluently and zero French). She's possibly open to the idea, as long as it is close enough to her sister near Munich. Never been, but potentially Strasbourg. Paris is probably out just due to the real estate prices, and my wife, sadly, isn’t a fan of Paris, and would prefer a smaller city. But she WOULD like to rent someplace for a month or two in Paris just because.
Aida still makes Paris look romantic even while dispelling a few myths. Great video! Hooray for Paris' parks. One of my favourite memories is sitting in Jardin du Luxembourg first time I arrived in the city. It was early and I had the whole place almost to myself while I waited to check-in to my hotel. The grandeur of it all🙂
How lucky you were to have the Jardin de Luxembourg all to yourself. It is possible, in winter, in foul weather, but rare. I think early mornings in Paris are magical, but I usually prefer sleeping in because I'm wired that way.
Hey, congrats for the video. And very well for being so dedicated and learning English that well without ever lived in an English speaking country. Personally I always thought you were from US or similar due to the perfectly spoken language. Beautiful and poetic, but also funny video, as usual. Thanks for sharing and congratulations
Another beautiful video by a beautiful lady. What is your day job? Are you a fashion model or actress? I was hoping I could visit Paris last summer but I’ve been having health issues. Hopefully I can make it there this fall. It’s been about 45 years since I’ve been there so it’s about time! In the meantime I’ll have to try to find the romance in Los Angeles, California. There are some beautiful places here connected by the spider web of freeways - my favorite being the beaches. So I’ll just have to find romance on a sunny California beach😊
Well i think it have always been a fashion capital. Now instagram and artsy cafe photos are what people look at when it comes to fashin/art. So Paris is still fashionable just in a modern way. And most people upload their wedding photos or when they read at a cafe looking all cultured.. Its just because Paris is fashionable and hip/cool. I for one really want to visit and i would even like to try to live/work there for a year or two. But we will see what happends. I will however visit it for sure to check it out myself and get my own opinion of the place. Id also love to visit the more mountainous reigions up north/north east. Thanks for another cinematic and interesting video Aida.
There are certainly many Instagram-chasing cafés in Paris (too many!). But it is still a living city so it's not a problem finding other ones to your taste (just not very near the touristed landmarks). And some parts of Paris that are hip/cool aren't fashionable (I like those areas). I hope you get your long visit in to Paris.
To quote my first French love, Amelie Poulain " Without you, todays emotions would be the scurf of yesterday's." Romance brings hope to the heart and change to the mind.
I relate to that. Paris is the ideal setting for romance, but romance requires more than ‘just’ a romantic setting. You can, though, also have a platonic romance with lady ‘Paname’ herself, and become fulfilled by everything vibrant ‘Sous le ciel de Paris’. If not ‘Les Amants du Pont-Neuf’ will teach you how romance and drama are often intertwined. Yann Tiersen will give you wings, however.
After a nice diner, just take a walk with your partner , down small streets. The next thing you know, you have covered miles of streets, and spent hours talking and getting closer to your partner. That is pure romance.
I would walk around. I would sit in an outdoor cafe. I would watch the women and notice their style and hope that it is different than American women's.
Paris is undoubtedly evocative, atmospheric, beautiful and yes romantic. The exceptions are of course where there are hordes of tourists and the type of instagrammers that bring flowers, change of clothes etc to create cringe worthy cliches.
Luckily Paris is a big city with so many corners to find your own special place. Dodging the crowds is not so hard -- away from the four or five landmarks that ever first-timer wants to see.
I am almost afraid to watch this. The emotions I felt upon visiting Paris in 2022 after my wife's death were intense, private, perfect, and built upon connections to France of seventy years of family and language and culture. The bodily ache I felt to get back in 2023 to be there, to get there again, was almost unendurable, but I went with a supreme romantic confidence. The sensations I felt in Paris, in Bordeaux, in Montpellier, in spring 2024 were those of warmth, love for the people, and respect for the history of Paris and the language and cuisine and culture of France. I plan to be in Paris twice in 2025. It is, next to Rome, for me, the most important place to be in the world as an old man as it was as a child.
A searingly intense visit for you in 2022, and one that obviously packed a cocktail of emotions. Paris, I find (and I think you do too), is a consummate reflecting board for inner thoughts and emotions. Solitude in this city can ring with poetry.
@@amusingaida I never been there, I Can't find anything online either ( menu) that's why I didn't know there was such a delicious treat on that rooftop. Can anyone just go on the roof?
@@jplully That was a special event, that I had an invitation to. I don't know what the regular set-up is. It wasn't a WeWork thing, just a one-off event.
Is Paris Still Romantic? Yes, if you like rats, dog poops, dirt and unpicked garbage, lots of graffiti, homeless people, everything overpriced, and rude people.
@amusingaida I appreciate your comment, and thank you for giving me the new last name, even if it feels like a pair of new shoes-fitting, but not quite comfortable yet. Sometimes, Mr. Glum can be more romantic than Mr. Naive. Once-famous cities are like flowers; they reach full bloom, then fade away and lose their fragrance. Nowadays, cities like Paris, Hollywood, and San Francisco are still romantic, but with an expired date sticker on them.
Learn languages the fun way with Lingopie! Start your free trial today:
learn.lingopie.com/aida
(Thanks to Lingopie, my sponsor for this video. If you like their app -- and you should check it out -- you can get 55% off its yearly sign-up using my link.)
Here I am sitting in my apartment in Pasadena, California, and 95° weather. My husband and I spent nine days in Paris in September. I had been wanting to go to Paris France since I saw a travel video about Paris in the 80s. I knew that I was going to go before I turned 50. But I went at 51. my biggest fear was that I was going to suffer from par syndrome because of my expectations. However, my expectations have changed over the years because of the reality of adults life and putting things in perspective. When we landed in Paris after spending an hour in customs, our taxi driver drove us to our hotel in the Batingnolle neighborhood. Immediately, I felt a weird sense of being at home and a place. I’ve never been. Staying in the 17th was a good idea because of how village like it appeared to us. It was manageable. Everyone was super friendly and nice. Luckily I speak a little French. This was enough to open up, the world to me and my husband and made our visit all the more better. Each day we spent walking and walking and getting lost but discovering such beauty and romance in a city that is eternal. Every time we would get off of metro stop or a bus we would discover some thing that was just wonders to our eyes. I love that you mentioned the Jardin des plantes. While we were trying to find the pantheon and getting horribly turned around on the bus, we decided to get off at the Jardon, the plants and walk-through, which was an excellent idea because my husband loves plants eventually ourselves to pantheon and in all of its splendor, not to mention the fact that it was just down the street to Jardin des Luxenberg. everything about Paris that I felt that I would feel when I got there was on point. Is it romantic in a way it is and in the way it isn’t what I found. Romantic was my husband and I being able to get lost be patient with each other and be soothed by the beauty of the city. We were both charmed and excited about all of the things that we had set out to see. We didn’t get a chance to see everything, but it gave us an excuse to work hard and save our money so we can go back. What blessing is that you get to live in a city that is constantly exposing itself and showing you what it has the possibilities to be every day.
How wonderful that Paris met (exceeded?) your expectations, and that you felt at home in the first place you stayed. And yes, I always tell people to walk in Paris, without a timetable, to find their own treasures. Discovery is its own reward. And, like us Parisians, you'll soon learn that it's impossible to 'see everything'.
It is refreshing to watch your videos, not only because you have a camera person/cinematographer that captures you better, but also because you make viewers reflect and smile. Or maybe I am just overthinking that 😎
Haha! As long as the mise en scène works! And don't apologize for overthinking things -- I'm all in favor of that.
I absolutely adore your Pars perspective. The video is a work of art.
Thank you - your comment means a lot to me
Once more, Aida, you are a refuge from the pain and sorrow of the times. If I had to pick one place on the planet as the epicentre of all that is good, it would be Paris. Please keep your videos coming. I need them.
Hi David - I'm sorry to hear that this video finds you in such a tough moment (unless you are talking in a more general, geopolitical way?). But Paris is a salve, it is true - one better experienced directly rather than vicariously! While you're here: thank you for that glowing review of my channel you did on your blog. I only recently discovered it, and it was heartwarming and gave me a needed impetus to forge on with this video.
Ahhh, yes, geopolitical sorrow. I am still recovering from a leg issue caused by my… STUPIDITY… but I’m close to full recovery. Thank you for your kind words.
Photogenic location surrounding a photogenic presenter. Kudos. Great video!
Merci ! It's so easy to be photogenic in Paris - anyone can do it!
Not just anybody.
@@John-nx3dy Yes, really.... the setting and the lighting make anyone look good
Paris has, and will always have, a special place in my heart.
I've been five times, if I remembered and counted correctly. Most recently was right before Christmas in 2022, when the trip was interrupted by us (primarily me) getting sick with COVID. And just about everything else going wrong, from my watch battery dying, to my laptop charger being left at home (and me having to try to get a new one at FNAC), to our hotel having the wrong dates and us having to get a new hotel, to the jackhammer at 8 AM every morning against our bathroom wall.
But… I loved that trip, perhaps even more than some earlier ones.
And every day in the nearly two years since, I've felt HOMESICK. For Paris, a place I've never lived more than a week.
LA - where I'm from and where I live - can be outstandingly beautiful. Go for a short hike in the hills, and look over the Santa Monica Bay and the gorgeous mansions in the hills, and on a clear day, see from the ocean on one side past Downtown's skyscrapers on the other, even to the snow-covered mountains in the distance in winter. The beach, and the pier(s). The Getty Museum, and the architecture of the complex, and the views, and the gardens. Union Station. The views from Mulholland Drive. The parks; we're NOT just a concrete jungle. Famous spots where HUNDREDS of movies and TV shows were filmed, like the “Beverly Hills Cop” and the “Pretty Woman” hotel on Wilshire Blvd.
But Paris… there's just art for art's sake, everywhere, around every little corner, on just about every building.
And yes, I got engaged ON the Eiffel Tower, not under it. 24 years ago, back before 9/11 (it was actually 9/9/2000). Before metal detectors to get anywhere near it. Before the bag checks. Before all the construction. Before all of the “keep off the grass” signs. When it was a wide, open, PUBLIC space, for the PUBLIC.
Our actual wedding - 12 years later (and the engagement itself was 7 years in) - was in the US. Las Vegas, to be exact, with a reception in a French Restaurant under their fake Eiffel Tower, and with Parisian-themed everything from the invitations to the model Eiffel Towers on the tables to the Eiffel Tower keychain giveaways.
For me, yeah… Paris is ALWAYS romantic, even through the dog poop and the pee smells, and the crowded Metro, and the snow and ice in winter, and the broken, dirty streets.
I don’t like the tourists there anymore than I like them here in LA, either.
Wow that is a long and loving ode to both Paris AND LA. You obviously appreciate and feel a close connection to both, with your romantic vision of each untrammelled by some of the noxious realities. Making regular transatlantic jaunts sounds like your destiny!
@@amusingaida - LA to Paris is $$$ (or €€€). So tough going more than every few years.
Actually, we're planning on retiring in a couple of years and moving closer to my wife's German family (she's German). She'd sort of prefer Germany, of course, but I'd prefer France (for one thing my French is way better than my German, but she speaks German fluently and zero French). She's possibly open to the idea, as long as it is close enough to her sister near Munich. Never been, but potentially Strasbourg.
Paris is probably out just due to the real estate prices, and my wife, sadly, isn’t a fan of Paris, and would prefer a smaller city.
But she WOULD like to rent someplace for a month or two in Paris just because.
@@jeffsherman91yes: Strasbourg maybe, or Mulhouse potentially. Cold winters but lovely.
Anywhere is romantic when you’re with the right person
I argue that it's possible to have a romantic time solo too...
I agree, I like to overthink my overthinking! Nice vid Aida
Let me think on that
@@amusingaida Hmmmmmm...🤔
Very charming, thoughtful, skillful...your talks almost seem unscripted, but one can tell there's excellent writing behind them...
Why thank you sir. You have a keen eye (or ear).
Aida still makes Paris look romantic even while dispelling a few myths. Great video! Hooray for Paris' parks. One of my favourite memories is sitting in Jardin du Luxembourg first time I arrived in the city. It was early and I had the whole place almost to myself while I waited to check-in to my hotel. The grandeur of it all🙂
How lucky you were to have the Jardin de Luxembourg all to yourself. It is possible, in winter, in foul weather, but rare. I think early mornings in Paris are magical, but I usually prefer sleeping in because I'm wired that way.
@@amusingaida yes it was a wet Tuesday in August. Perfect conditions for a quiet city walk! Future video maybe? Paris sous la pluie.
Hey, congrats for the video. And very well for being so dedicated and learning English that well without ever lived in an English speaking country. Personally I always thought you were from US or similar due to the perfectly spoken language. Beautiful and poetic, but also funny video, as usual. Thanks for sharing and congratulations
That is a wonderful love letter to Paris
Thanks. That's a good résumé.
Thank you so much for this summary of what it is really about when encountering this wonderful city. Intimacy is key.
You are right, yes: intimacy is key!
I lived in Paris for a year and yes it is romantic! Every memory I have exceeds any Hollywood version and any movie I’ve seen. Paris me manque!
Even John Wick 4? I'm kidding! You must have had a great time here. What's stopping you from coming back for your personal sequel?
Another beautiful video by a beautiful lady. What is your day job? Are you a fashion model or actress? I was hoping I could visit Paris last summer but I’ve been having health issues. Hopefully I can make it there this fall. It’s been about 45 years since I’ve been there so it’s about time! In the meantime I’ll have to try to find the romance in Los Angeles, California. There are some beautiful places here connected by the spider web of freeways - my favorite being the beaches. So I’ll just have to find romance on a sunny California beach😊
I loved this video the most and Adia not only you are beautiful but also funny and friendly at the I enjoy the subject too very much
Merci ! That touches me greatly, and makes me glow like a summer's day
So enjoy the artfullness of your videos, the personal touches are a "chef's kiss" ~
That's great to hear! Makes me want to keep producing them!
Well i think it have always been a fashion capital. Now instagram and artsy cafe photos are what people look at when it comes to fashin/art. So Paris is still fashionable just in a modern way. And most people upload their wedding photos or when they read at a cafe looking all cultured.. Its just because Paris is fashionable and hip/cool. I for one really want to visit and i would even like to try to live/work there for a year or two. But we will see what happends. I will however visit it for sure to check it out myself and get my own opinion of the place. Id also love to visit the more mountainous reigions up north/north east.
Thanks for another cinematic and interesting video Aida.
There are certainly many Instagram-chasing cafés in Paris (too many!). But it is still a living city so it's not a problem finding other ones to your taste (just not very near the touristed landmarks). And some parts of Paris that are hip/cool aren't fashionable (I like those areas). I hope you get your long visit in to Paris.
To quote my first French love, Amelie Poulain " Without you, todays emotions would be the scurf of yesterday's." Romance brings hope to the heart and change to the mind.
Life's funny. To a kid, time always drags. Suddenly you're fifty. All that's left of your childhood... fits in a rusty little box.
I relate to that. Paris is the ideal setting for romance, but romance requires more than ‘just’ a romantic setting. You can, though, also have a platonic romance with lady ‘Paname’ herself, and become fulfilled by everything vibrant ‘Sous le ciel de Paris’. If not ‘Les Amants du Pont-Neuf’ will teach you how romance and drama are often intertwined. Yann Tiersen will give you wings, however.
being a french far from Paris, I don't go that much, but everytime, it's always a "bonheur" to wander near to the bank of the Seine.
Un endroit préféré pour moi aussi, même en hiver.
Very nice video and your commentary.
Excellent to hear that. Thanks!
After a nice diner, just take a walk with your partner , down small streets. The next thing you know, you have covered miles of streets, and spent hours talking and getting closer to your partner. That is pure romance.
That is a lovely résumé of Paris' strongest charm: the permission to wander while drawing closer to a loved one...
That's a good question, with the answer within it 👍
Many times , romantic is in reality superficial or scam_antic..
Happy you appreciated it. I wanted to take a good long look at the subject - not just a superficial take with empty pictures.
Lovely vlog!
Thanks so much! So happy you like it
At 4 a.m. it is :)
Extremely chilly these days at 4am in Paris. But there are lovely sights to see, it is true...
I would walk around. I would sit in an outdoor cafe. I would watch the women and notice their style and hope that it is different than American women's.
Sitting in the café terrasse and watching all sorts of people walking by is the most popular Paris pastime.
Agree 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
Paris is undoubtedly evocative, atmospheric, beautiful and yes romantic. The exceptions are of course where there are hordes of tourists and the type of instagrammers that bring flowers, change of clothes etc to create cringe worthy cliches.
Luckily Paris is a big city with so many corners to find your own special place. Dodging the crowds is not so hard -- away from the four or five landmarks that ever first-timer wants to see.
I am almost afraid to watch this. The emotions I felt upon visiting Paris in 2022 after my wife's death were intense, private, perfect, and built upon connections to France of seventy years of family and language and culture. The bodily ache I felt to get back in 2023 to be there, to get there again, was almost unendurable, but I went with a supreme romantic confidence. The sensations I felt in Paris, in Bordeaux, in Montpellier, in spring 2024 were those of warmth, love for the people, and respect for the history of Paris and the language and cuisine and culture of France. I plan to be in Paris twice in 2025. It is, next to Rome, for me, the most important place to be in the world as an old man as it was as a child.
A searingly intense visit for you in 2022, and one that obviously packed a cocktail of emotions. Paris, I find (and I think you do too), is a consummate reflecting board for inner thoughts and emotions. Solitude in this city can ring with poetry.
Paris est chic comme vous ❤
Merci ! Paris peut être bien chic, c'est vrai
Great food @ Wework, did not know.
Yummy desserts and delightful tea.... You obviously know the rooftop well!
@@amusingaida I never been there, I Can't find anything online either ( menu) that's why I didn't know there was such a delicious treat on that rooftop. Can anyone just go on the roof?
@@jplully That was a special event, that I had an invitation to. I don't know what the regular set-up is. It wasn't a WeWork thing, just a one-off event.
Romance = compatibility.
You can find romance in any city. Just as you will likely smell pee in any city.❤❤❤
I somehow suspect that you would have to search hard to find errant pee in Tokyo...
Ireland is the best place to learn how to speak and write English.
If I'd had that option it would have been craic. TV worked well enough though, I think
Is Paris Still Romantic? Yes, if you like rats, dog poops, dirt and unpicked garbage, lots of graffiti, homeless people, everything overpriced, and rude people.
Mr Glum
@amusingaida I appreciate your comment, and thank you for giving me the new last name, even if it feels like a pair of new shoes-fitting, but not quite comfortable yet. Sometimes, Mr. Glum can be more romantic than Mr. Naive. Once-famous cities are like flowers; they reach full bloom, then fade away and lose their fragrance. Nowadays, cities like Paris, Hollywood, and San Francisco are still romantic, but with an expired date sticker on them.
Romantic for me is a simple
expression of love .
Can be a sweet hug ,a passionate kiss 💋 or whatever you want to do for express your love .
🩵🌟💋
There, that is a generous and clear view of romance, and one you must take wherever you go
@@amusingaida
Thank you so much
for your beatiful video .
I am a romantic women .🩵💋🌷