Paris miseries

Today at work, I received the confirmation that I would go to Paris for a special event, as the native French speaker of the team. So I spent a good bit of the afternoon looking for the best quality-price hotel with my manager, something that would not send the Finances Department in a frenzy, be comfortable enough, clean enough and close enough to the event site. I never thought it could be so darn difficult. Paris is a tourist's trap, in fact it is the capital of tourist's traps and thus expensive. In desperation, I said: "Well, I am sure there will a bench somewhere I can find." It made my colleagues laugh, and I am sure Finances would have thought it was a good idea, but thankfully we found something acceptable. In any case, this deserves to be a great unknown line.

This afternoon work reminded me why I never managed to like Paris like so many people do. Because it is a tourist's city, because it is expensive, loud, because I always end up dealing with rude locals and sometimes rude tourists. France is so much more, and so much better, than its capital. But at least it will be a short stay. it will also be a fitting one: I will be there for business, not pleasure.