*Paris

I figured as long as I was here, I should make the title right at least once. For about 5 days, I was indeed in the most popular tourist destination in the world. It was an interesting experience, being in a place where I couldn't speak enough of the language to say 'you're welcome'. One of my companions did have a substantial knowledge of French, but whenever he would teach me something, especially a question, I could never use it. I found that asking questions is essentially pointless when you have no hope of understanding the answer. But, by the end of the week, I could kind of order in restaurants in French, and English got me around the rest of the way surprisingly well.

I was also quite surprised to notice that the French did not live up to their reputation for being rude to English-speakers. Those that realized quickly enough that I couldn't understand what they were saying either switched to hand signals, English, or writing in numbers without their reported rudeness. +1 for Paris! However, I was amazed at the quantity of souvenir hawkers and panhandlers and also at the variety of their tactics. The only one to which I actually fell victim involved a guy convincing me to allow him to tie a friendship bracelet around my wrist... and then asking for a donation once it was completed. And of course, there were the performance artists, but I had no qualms about giving them donations. If you're willing to stand in public all day wearing a moon mask and an emergency blanket, then you can certainly have €0.50.

Other impressions: the French are very focused on their history, much like the plaques I saw in Weimar. So much so that they have forbidden skyscrapers to be built in the Paris city proper, save one. And even with this there there great public outcry. So more accurately, I think, is not to say that the French are only very focused on their history, but rather that they are more resistant to change. Unlike Paris, Berlin has been forced into change a couple times in its recent history, and has very little dating before the 18th century to treasure. Whether fortunate or not, this change has certainly directed the face of the city and its landmarks. Paris does its best to preserve every building out of its triumphant military campaigns in the 19th century (among other memorable events), whether its new use is as a government headquarters or a museum. this difference is why I have to admit that I like Berlin better than Paris. There are certainly aspects of the city that i liked, and a portion of my preference can be attributed to my better understanding of German over French. Perhaps if I were spending my exchange semester in Paris, my opinion would be different. Perhaps I will happen upon more revelations as I travel around Europe more.

New Word: die Sehenswürdigkeit
Definition: Tourist Attraction (literally: thing which would like to be seen)
Pronunciation: zeh-ins-VURD-ish-kite