I have just returned from a visit to Paris to celebrate my daughter's 21st birthday - it was a trip she really wanted to make and I was pleased to accompany her.
We stayed at the Select Hotel Rive Gauche which was excellent and good value and the attractions were reasonably priced but I have to say we were really disappointed with the city.
We love France and have travelled extensively there in the summer for three consecutive years covering at least 4000 miles, visiting some idyllic towns and experiencing great food and marvellous hospitality, but Paris was a turn-off.
The food was mediocre and expensive, every bistro and restaurant seemed to major on watery onion soup, moules frites, steak frites and a few other dishes which were nowhere near the normal French standard and then proceeded to charge us excessively for the privilege. Drinks and beverages in cafes were extremely expensive and certainly not worth the money.
The streets were dirty, corners and alleys frequently gave off the smell of urine, graffiti was common and there were lots of beggars and peddlars which could become a little intimidating at times. The Metro, particularly later in the evening, was a far from pleasant experience
The sights and attractions were fine but the WOW factor was missing.
Without doubt the most memorable part was the visit to the Moulin Rouge this was a great spectacle of glitter and glamour, presented with great taste and professionalism - but the cost!! There is no way that the show is worth almost twice the cost of a top London West End production.
So come on Paris - get your act together, tidy-up the streets, stop ripping us off, be more polite and think about the tourist - otherwise you won't have any! London had the same problems in the past but has turned itself round and is now winning the battle of the two cities by a country mile.
