Travel Guides | Paris Travel Guide
Paris Travel Guide
Poodles, couscous and rap
More than ever before, Paris of the 21st century is a feisty brew of peoples from around the world. Old-fashioned French flavours have not been lost, or even submerged – men in berets still play boules on the quai de la Seine, and bourgeois Madames still feed tasty titbits to their poodles from the restaurant table. But there are more ingredients in the city mix, more viewpoints. It is estimated that 20% of the two million people living in central Paris are immigrants. In the North African strongholds of Belleville and La Goutte d’Or, men in bars sup sugary mint tea and puff on water pipes. The Parisian rap and hip hop scene is vibrant and thriving. Restaurants serve couscous, tagine and sticky pastries against a background of raï music. The picture of Paris as a multicultural paradise is not the whole story but most second-generation immigrants consider themselves, primarily, French.
Café philosophy
The traditional Parisian elements of artists, lovers, intellectuals and philosophers continue to have respect in the city. The suave French philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy is a national, if controversial, celebrity, a player on the French stage. And deliberating on the meaning of wisdom or the purpose of suffering is open to every- one in Paris, thanks to the weighty pontificating of the cafés philo (philosophy cafés). The French have their fair share of dumbed- down television programmes (mostly inspired by American equivalents), but the intellectual life is neither unfashionable nor superfluous.
Arrogance and evolution
Paris has a reputation for arrogance and self-importance. In fact its primary trait is a justified confidence in itself as both a historical showpiece and a fearless innovator. While it holds tight to its traditions, the magic of this modern city continues to evolve.
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