I love to travel because it allows me to learn about other cultures and align, realign my life. What I mean by that is sometimes I can lose focus due to various aspects of my life but traveling allows me to refocus and reflect. I am currently in Paris for a week and wanted to share a few things I have learned so far.
1. No Conversation from Uber Driver. Initially, I was shocked that the driver did not speak after verifying but it is rather satisfying. The lack of conversation allowed me time to think or have conversations with those on the trip with me.
2. “Royale” with Cheese is Real. I am a huge Pulp Fiction fan. The characters of Jules and Vincent were my favorite. To that point, I find myself quoting their lines in everyday life. One that I love is, “do you know what they call a quarter pounder in Paris?” Jules assumes it’s a quarter pounder but Vince goes on to explain that because of the metric system, it is called a “Royale with cheese”.
As I found out last night, it is indeed a Royal with cheese. I have known this to be for a long time but never had the pleasure to enjoy one until now.
3. Pizza is uncut. We went to a pizza place and received our pizza in the following state.
The bartender walked off and continued assisting other guests. After some time, I finally got his attention so I could ask him fo cut it. He looked at the pizza, at me, back at the pizza, me again then he smiled as he picked up the pie. The waiter then said something to a coworker and they both laughed.
I did not know what the big deal was until I Googled. 😬 The French consider it impolite to eat with your hands. I did not know but it makes sense. It reminds me of the time I saw two French guys eating a burger in an airport with a fork and knife.
4. Pickpockets are Brazen. From the time we landed, we were told to keep valuables in our front pockets and out of public view for extended periods of time. Apparently, these people will bump into an unsuspecting tourist and pillage their pockets. If that was not bad, they also resort to snatching phones and running away.
5. Removal of Hats. As we were out to dinner, I kept seeing gentlemen remove their hats when entering the restaurant. Seeing this, I Googled again…with an Atlanta Braves hat on my head. 😬 The hat removal is a sign of respect and can be considered impolite if it is not removed.
For 20 years in the military, I removed my hat when entering buildings because it was “not right”. I continue to remove my hat in formal settings but never thought about it while out to dinner. It makes a ton of sense though.
6. Eiffel Tower Copyright. When I think of Paris, I think of the Eiffel Tower first and then Liam Neeson. The Eiffel Tower appears in tons of commercial media, as well as the social media of millions of travelers around the world. Apparently, the night light show at the tower cannot be monetized unless granted approval by body overseeing the monument.
I never thought about making money from the Eiffel Tower, nor will I make any from my video, but I find it to be a tall task to hunt down everyone making money from the Eiffel Tower videos posted all over the internet. Very interesting but also fun fact.
Final Word
This list is from one day in Paris. As the week progresses, I am sure there are plenty of other things I will learn. Paris is a beautiful city with a lot of quirks, I just hope my quirks do not make me come across at the rude American.
