Lentement

adj. – slowly
I think I’ve made this observation before, but Paris is not a place where you want to be in a hurry. As I walk along at my somewhat fast pace, I’m often forced to slow down for a number of reasons. First of all there are a lot of stoplights in Paris and while you don’t risk a ticket if you cross against them, with the circular streets, it’s not often a safe idea. Cars can come out of nowhere from a direction you didn’t even realize was crossing your path so I tend to play it safe and wait until the little man has gone green in the crossing sign. Unlike in other places where there is a flashing between the green and red options, here he goes from green directly to red giving you little idea of how much time you really have left and again forcing you to err on the side of caution and wait rather than crossing at your peril.

The sidewalks are often small, in some case with barely enough room for people to walk abreast. If people do choose to walk this way though, it leaves absolutely no room for the oncoming people yet there is a stubbornness about the Parisians where they refuse to budge forcing you, the oncomer, into the street. The sidewalks are also uneven and often made of cobblestones, another impetus to fleeting feet.

Running an errand is an oxymoron here. It’s really more like walking an errand or even waiting an errand. There’s no rush anywhere ever. Lunches or dinners can take hours. I would say a dinner is a commitment of three hours minimum. First there’s the half hour factor for running late. Then by the time it takes to order, you should be able to have committed the menu to memory. Dessert, followed by coffee will easily add another half an hour and asking for and then paying the check could take another half an hour on top of that.

Today I was in a Subway sandwich shop - please don't judge me. Let’s just say it’s not run with the same lightening speed efficiency I’m used to in New York. It can hardly be called fast food here because it’s anything but. I supposed it serves me right though to eat that kind of fare in one of the culinary capitals of the world.

I sometimes marvel at how quickly the days go by here, but I realize it’s simply because everything takes so long and before you know it, the day is over and your list isn’t. Well there’s always tomorrow to surely, but slowly, start it all over again.