I've been living in Paris for a month, AMA!

I had a connecting flight last week at CDG airport. I was there for less than an hour and a half but saw more than 10 armed police/ soldiers patrolling the airport alongside travellers. The atmosphere felt so tense it was unbearable. Any loud sound would scare everyone. Do you feel safe? Isn't there an ever present threat?

How many terrorist attacks on average do you see in Paris everyday?

But the string magique? Non?

Posted from TSR Mobile

Welcome to my country then!

So I'm a tiny bit biased since I'm from Marseille, the second city of France (but the one with the most character and hands down the prettiest) but what do you think of Parisians or people who claim they are Parisians?

Have you travelled to other parts of France yet? (Like other regions)

What is your favourite French dish (meal, not pastry)? How about your favourite viennoiserie (pastry)?

They're there to keep everyone safe, there's no threat and if there was one I'd prefer heavily armed, trained people to deal with the threat imminently. This is a part of day-to-day life and you see the same at London's international airports. You shouldn't let it bother you, I dropped my bag at CDG and tripped over () and one of the soldiers came over to me and helped me up and offered me a coffee. They're just there to do their jobs and to keep everyone safe.



Harr harr, you're sooooooo funny. Let me give you recognition for your comedic genius in using the deaths of innocent people as the butt of a pathetic and quite frankly terrible joke. Well done. Good work. A*.



no thanks, I have string at home.

Seeing as Paris always makes the headlines whenever it comes to terrorist attacks I doubt I am joking, how can you be so sure I was joking? And no I do not make fun of the deaths of innocent people, that's just horrible.

Well, you'll be sure to take silly comments like that out of this thread then, thanks.

Further satire surrounding terrorism will be removed. It's not funny and you're not clever.

Fine, let me as you a more "sensible" question then, you said that having armed police and soldiers in Paris is day to day life right? If so do you feel weird about it or do you just feel like nothing has happened?

Of course, the presence of armed officers such as gendarmes, armed police and soldiers is a little unsettling for some - but the reality is that they're here to keep us safe so it's not something I feel weird about - like I said before, they're here for a reason and so they're just doing their job. Everyone goes on about their days as normal safe in the knowledge they're protected. Plus, the police and gendarmes here are really quite lovely and always willing to help. Never had a problem with it.

no thanks, I have string at home.

Mais Monsieur! Regardez la string. C'est le meilleur en la toute Paris. 50 centimes pour c'est grand roll.

Monsieur!

Attendez Monsieur!!



Posted from TSR Mobile

Thank you!

Ohhhh I intend to visit Marseille when I get some time off! I really like Parisians, to be honest. I feel they're particularly misunderstood - sure, you get the "rude" Parisian, and the "busy commuter" Parisian but they genuinely seem like lovely people for the majority - and they always seem so humbled when I speak French to them and put the effort in. I think they get too much of a bad reputation!

I have! I've travelled through Bretagne it was really lovely there! I looooove savoury buckwheat crêpes and hachis parmentier (SO GOOD!!!) and my favourite viennoiserie would have to be grillé aux pommes, I really love apples in pastry

What about you? Do you have any tips for me?

One way to get them to go away....

"J'suis Parisien, j'habite ici" and they'll look at you funny and walk away because they know Parisians are hard-ass and will never buy any of their crap.

Again, I'm a bit biased, but when you're from the south, Parisians are stuck up (for us), and we joke that if they had the choice, they would have a country to themselves.

Bretagne is gorgeous, I agree, and the crêpes are hands down the best in the country. I have to say though, if you go to the south, to "PACA" (Region Provence Alps Cote d'Azure), or more specifically to the Bouches du Rhone, try a Bouillabaisse, some of them are really good. But my favourite dish may have to be Moules-Frites a la mariniere (mussels and fries with a white wine based sauce that the mussels get cooked in). In terms of viennoiserie, without a doubt, tarte aux fraises (strawberry tart) from an artisanal bakery, it's so good.

My main tip to you would be to watch out for scams of all sorts, they've been on the rise, especially in Paris. Go through an insurance company if your lock is broken or something or go to a professional, never something promising a cheap and quick solution...
And for the terrorist risk that's always present everywhere now, just be aware of your surroundings but then that's common sense, and the military is doing a pretty good job (even if I disagree with the policy of the état d'urgence).

Or just go "Non." with a hard look/death stare and walk off. Or just ignore them. Or insult them (but get insulted back on some occasions).

I usually always ignore them unless they touch me. I have... been very rude to people that have touched me. But the words I've used are too naughty to say here.

Do you miss me?

How is Francois Hollande these days?

do you have any questions?

no