Number 1: I hated that they didn't take American credit cards. I know that's a minimal thing and there are ways around it but it was frustrating not to be able to buy metro tickets and HAVE to get money exchanged to get anywhere into the city from the airport. The only places that did take American credit cards were the major landmarks and the stores inside. Some but not all restaurants did accept them but on most occasions we had to pay in cash. Which for me makes me uncomfortable. They have warning signs every where to be aware of pick pocketers and to be cautious of your belongings. So having to have euros on me at all times was kind of annoying more than anything...it didn't ruin our trip but it was a pain in the ass!
Number 2: The smell of Paris, there is a mixture of fresh coffee, piss, and cigarette smoke all around. It was beyond disgusting! I know it's a big city and it wasn't a constant stench but there were times I almost threw up in my mouth the smell was so gross. And I don't know if it's a type of cigarette or a type of cologne but the men had a certain smell to them too. I thought it was just me until Jesse started talking about it and asking me if I smelled it too. It's not a gross smell but after 8 days it was kind of like being in Abercrombie and Fitch stores for too long, makes you kind of woozy and gives you a headache.
Number 3: The smokers, literally everyone was smoking, even young teenagers. I think we walked passed what could be a Jr. High and the students were out taking a smoke break! We couldn't enjoy the outdoor patio dining experience either because everyone out there had a cigarette lit. I'm just thankful they didn't allow smoking inside or we would have been picnicking the entire time.
Number 4: The damn street vendors! OMG! People aren't joking when they say the vendors are pushing and literally littering the landmarks. Only perk is if you want a cheap key chain they really do have the best deal. Most stores are trying to sell you the same crappy one for 2 euros and the vendors are selling 5 for 1 euro. But after a while they just became annoying. At one point during our trip one of the many times we my husband and I were arguing one of them tried to get me to buy stuff and I told them no...he kept pushing me until I got pissed. Then he told me to F-off which got Jesse pissed. So there we were Jesse surrounded by 5 vendor guys about to get into a fight...thankfully one of the guys was reasonable and got his friends to back off. But seriously...no means NO!
Number 5: This was at no fault of the Parisians and it's only me to blame but I hated the language barrier. I know this may sound petty after all I did go into a foreign country what else would I expect, right? Well I hated that I didn't prep more and that I was stuck trying to figure out the small words I did understand. It felt like it really limited where we could go and explore. Eating out was a small victory in itself and shopping...well lets just say I'm glad there are pictures and price tags everywhere. This was the first time I had been put in this position and I've got to say I didn't enjoy it. I felt very uneasy and almost less than the french because I couldn't speak their language. It was amazing that so many people are bi-lingual and some tri-lingual. It made me wish they encouraged a second language more in our education system. I probably would have felt a little more confident being in such a new place.
So those were the 5 things I came up with. Which I don't think is too bad, considering we were there for a week. Now if I really wanted to get picky I would but I don't think it's necessary considering how much fun we truly did have and all the great memories we made.
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