Soumya discovers Paris, known as the City of Love, is a captivating city with its unique charm, fashion-forward population, famous brand logos, exclusive showrooms, cafes, and rich cultural tapestry, an exclusive for Different Truths.

The first thing that strikes you about Paris is the dogs.

The city teems with them. Not strays though, like Istanbul or Thimphu, but pets on leashes or baskets or even prams. Dogs of every shape and size but mostly small ones. They’re almost like fashion accessories. Everyone has one or two. And they’re extremely well-behaved and thoroughly trained.

They don’t bark, fight, slobber, whine, smell butts, fawn over strangers or show any signs of life except walking occasionally.

They’re everywhere. Buses, trains, metro, boats, restaurants, cafés bars, churches, tourist spots, and shops. The only place they weren’t in were the galleries. Probably left in the cloakrooms with the overcoats, waiting as patiently as the umbrellas.

The second thing you notice is the brands. All clothes, shoes, watches, and bags have well-known brand logos prominently visible and everyone carries shopping bags with famous brand names. Exclusive showrooms are everywhere, and one neighbourhood has only big brand showrooms and nothing else.

The third thing is the cafés. It has plenty of cafes as does most of Europe and even Istanbul, Hanoi, Saigon, and nowadays Kolkata too, but nowhere are they there in such profusion as in Paris. They’re lining every street.

Ah, of course, and the people! They’re beautiful. Dressed in the latest fashion carrying off outlandish headgear, hairdo, and costumes with absolute élan. They look permanently on a catwalk. Even when they’re wearing very little it’s still chic. And they have the bodies to carry it off. Wonder how they do it despite their excellent food and wine, which they’re consuming constantly.

Public drinking is very common but it’s only beer and wine and it’s not only available in every grocery, mall, or corner shop, but on street side shacks and with hawkers. The place is a nightmare for members of the AA.

Picnickers abound. Every bench, park, lawn, square, riverfront, and steps of museums galleries and churches all have people sitting around happily eating and drinking and soaking in the sunshine.

And of course, the city is dotted with galleries, museums and churches of every hue. Museums for all imaginable things and galleries for every genre of art. The churches are picturesque and offer welcome rest from tramping around or a sudden shower.

Finally, it’s the public transport. Excellent cheap and extremely efficient. A 2-Euro ticket is valid for one hour on any form of transport and they’re well connected and dot on time, so travelling without a guide on your own isn’t a problem at all.

But the most beautiful thing about Paris is the river Seine. It defines the city much more than the monstrosity of a cliché that has usurped the role, of the Eiffel towers. The river runs right through the city and has what looks like hundreds of picturesque bridges, each with unique architecture and sculptures, each with historic relevance or some story, like the lover’s bridge or the wish fulfilment one, and many islands, and beautiful banks with people on picnics or strolling or cycling, occasionally fishing and swimming has just been permitted after a long gap.

Even the Eiffel Tower with the disco lights looks pleasant reflected on the river.

Picture design Anumita Roy

Soumya Mukherjee

Soumya Mukherjee is an alumnus of St Stephens College and Delhi School of Economics. He earns his daily bread by working for a PSU Insurance company, and lectures for peanuts. His other passions, family, friends, films, travel, food, trekking, wildlife, music, theater, and occasionally, writing. He has been published in many national newspapers of repute. He has published his first novel, Memories, a novella, hopefully, the first of his many books. He blogs as well.