I thought I hated Paris – this is what changed my mind

The view over Paris from Belleville - (Matt Charlton)

I can’t say that Paris ever got under my skin. Three visits and I was still in the dark about the appeal of the City of Light. The third trip was a joyless ad-hoc disaster punctuated by surly waiters and heated milling crowds a decade ago, where it was revealed to me on day three that the return ticket was car passenger only and they - the driver – had decided to stay for a rugby game. We don’t talk anymore.

Paris has always felt like a giant museum – preserved, stagnant, and without any sense of vitality … nice galettes though.