Can we talk about love?

Ahhhh, l’amour. C’est magnifique!

Whenever I go wandering around Paris, I see couples young and old holding hands or embracing each other. I especially love seeing an older couple together as they amble to the market or stroll leisurely through the park.

Before I moved to Paris, I lived in Qatar, a Muslim country that upheld the idea that men and women should be segregated. Displays of affection weren’t really typical (except maybe a foreign couple), and I would never see a Qatari couple holding hands.

France is the opposite: I often see people holding hands, kissing on the street, locked in an embrace on a park bench. Talk about a complete 180.

If you were to ask me which cities in the world I think of when I think about love and Paris is always #1. People come here with the idea that it’s the City of Love, but it’s actually known as the City of Light. (It was coined the City of Light because Paris was one of the first European cities to illuminate the streets after dark. This led to a reduction in crime.)

In the fall of 2023, I took an evening French class twice a week. Our teacher Pierrette would give us handouts during our classes, and one of them was on the topic of l'amitie et l'amour – friendship and love.

There are so many tasty phrases and expressions regarding love in the French language that I just have to share some of them with you.

Avoir un regard de braise means to have a smoldering look.

Être fleur bleue describes the state of being sentimental and naively romantic.

Avoir un coup de foudre is the thunderbolt that happens when you meet someone you are absolutely smitten with someone and your heart is racing with excitement.

Avoir un coeur d'artichaut is an expression I love. It literally translates to 'to have the heart of an artichoke' but it means simply to fall in love.

I have been doing my research by reading various books on love in France. One of them, entitled La Seduction, was written by Elaine Sciolino, the former Paris bureau chief for The New York Times. She describes how seduction is utilized in all facets of life in France. A woman can flirt with her plumber so that he’ll prioritize her broken sink. A male politician may greet a female journalist with a kiss on the hand. Or a woman can buy the perfect baguette by offering a flirtatious smile. Of course, a lot of that has changed these days as people are more aware of the sexist undertones of some of these gestures.

---

Besides romantic love, I’m reminded of the movie Amélie, in which the title character describes things she loves - like cracking the caramelized shell of a crème brûlée with her spoon or sinking her hand into a barrel of beans.

It makes me think of all the things I love about daily life in Paris.

Here are a few:

I am endlessly charmed by the pups of Paris and always thought it would make an excellent Instagram account (but I think it might be taken). I adore the crunchy feel of the paper sack a fresh croissant is delivered in. For that matter, let’s just say I love a fresh croissant, especially if it’s still warm.

I love the bouquinistes, the booksellers whose signature green huts line the Seine. I love street art, which comes in so many forms on so many buildings around Paris. (This is not to be confused with graffiti, which is actually spoiling the lovely facades of the city.)

I love a quiet café that has a good ambiance and maybe some jazz quietly playing in the background. I adore decorative doors on old buildings. I light up when I walk on the tree-lined avenue of Boulevard Arago in the 5th arrondissement.

Finally, I love that after years of dreaming and fantasizing about living here, I can navigate the streets of Paris and feel at home.

What do you love about Paris or France in general?