When Friends Visit

Sometimes it is nice and refreshing to have friends visit me, I am not sure if it is the fact that it happens so infrequently, but more that I tend to gain a new perspective on Paris when showing them around. A friend from England stayed with me a few days recently and as we walked around, he mentioned how pretty Paris is. Okay, everyone seems to know this, but do people actually notice it? I am not saying Paris is without blemishes, but on the whole, Paris is quite a pretty city that is also unique. My friend expressed his opinions about London, a city that he knows very well, having been brought up there. He noticed that London is quite closed compared to Paris. Paris has it's grand boulevards and large spaces between grand buildings. Upon walking in front of the Grand Palais, he said "You just don't get such large buildings like this in London." and the fact that the sites try to outdo one another is also something unique to Paris. Lately much has been said about London being the leader of the financial world over New York, then BOOOOMMM, the financial world collapsed. Paris could be the leader in fashion, but I have never heard a french person make such a declaration. There will never be a french version of "Cool Britannia" and I think that is a good thing. My friend revealed to me that he had not been in Paris in about 30 years. This shocks me because I had been to Paris probably a couple of times while still living thousands of miles away in the US. England is right next door, yet countless times Brits have told me that never or hardly ever visit Paris. I know the French and English have a prickly relationship at best, but why the snub. It seems like a snub to me. The French go to London constantly and tend to love it there. I have been to London a few times and I can never get the hang of it. I never know where I am. Am I in London proper, or some odd suburb? Everything is closely located and so I miss quite a lot. Everything is in English and yet London feels especially foreign to me. I have a very clear, neutral American accent, or so I am told, and yet people in London seemed to not understand a word I was saying. At times I had to adopt a Madonna-esque accent and make clichéd British references. It usually worked. During his stay, my friend really enjoyed Paris' village-like areas. He liked the feeling of open spaces met with grandeur. He also seemed to like the respect for history here which is a controversial subject in London right now. In the end, Paris seems to have won him over. He expressed a desire to return very soon and perhaps with friends. The days have been so grey lately and as I currently look out onto one of the few sunny days we have had in weeks, thoughts of showing my friend around Paris feels so fresh. When I first came to Paris it was a dream come true, but upon the first day I was met with a missed flight, late arrival, pouring rain and jet-lag. The next day I was met with brilliant sunshine and a beautiful city waiting for me to discover it. To borrow from the English, Paris is a "lovely" city.