Travel, Cooking, Doing, Eating and Drinking (that about covers it)
Paris Recovers: Personal Observations
by
Pete
-
February 22, 2016
On November 13, 2015, terrorists attacked Paris in a series of coordinated suicide bombings and mass shootings. At 9:20 p.m., three suicide bombers struck the Stade de France in Paris’ northern suburb of Saint-Denis. This was followed by suicide bombings and mass shootings at cafes, restaurants and at a legendary music venue, the Bataclan Theatre, all in central Paris. These senseless attacks killed 130 people, including 89 at the Bataclan Theatre, and wounded another 368. The attacks were the deadliest in France since World War II and the deadliest in Europe since the Madrid train bombings in 2004. ISIL claimed responsibility for the attacks and the President of France labelled them an act of war.
Incredibly, these were the second set of terrorist attacks on Paris in 2015. In January 2015, 17 people were killed and 22 wounded in cowardly terrorist attacks on the Charlie Hebdo offices and a Jewish supermarket.
Paris is, of course, beloved and admired the world over as a bastion of beauty and culture, graced with so many famous landmarks, world-class museums and destination restaurants that one loses count. Honoré de Balzac said “Whoever does not visit Paris regularly will never really be elegant.” Audrey Hepburn said “Paris is always a good idea”. These horribly violent and seemingly random attacks shocked, frightened and outraged the world. Travellers and tourists the world over were forced to ask: is Paris still a good idea?
According to the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, France is the world’s top tourist destination with 83 million foreign visitors in 2014. According to the official website of the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau, hotels in Paris recorded 22.4 million arrivals overall in 2014 generating 41.2 million Euros in tax revenue. Tourism has been affected by the Paris attacks, however. In the days following the attacks, museums were closed by executive order, school trips were cancelled and movie theaters shut their doors. France declared a three-month long state of emergency and gave its police sweeping new powers. Parisians and tourists concerned about security stayed away from public spaces and mass transit. According to the International Business Times, nine days after the attack, revenues from the tourism industry had dropped off 25 percent and 10 days after, they had decreased a further 26 percent. The Telegraph reported that hotel occupancy in Paris had fallen to as low as five per cent at some properties and that 45 per cent of more than 6,000 of its readers said they were less likely to go to the French capital. Major attractions, including the Eiffel Tower, have reopened, but there remains a high threat from terrorism within France and its capital, according to the French Foreign Office.
The Paris attacks also shocked and concerned us. At our wedding last July, we had been given a one-night stay at the Four Seasons George V in Paris, one of the world’s great luxury hotels, for Valentine’s Day 2016. Almost 3 months to the day from the November 2015 attacks, was it safe to travel to Paris? Amazingly, we gave this concern short shrift. No one was going to take the George V from us.
The entrance of the George V
We landed at Charles de Gaulle the morning of Thursday, February 11, 2016 for a rainy long weekend in the City of Love, fought traffic on the A1 and arrived at the hotel tired but grateful. We stepped in from the street and were greeted by the perfume of the hundreds of red roses which graced the lobby. We were guided to our room by a beautiful young woman through elegant and well-patronized lobby bars and corridors awash in dramatically-arranged fresh flowers. The hotel brings in 12,000 blooms each week from Amsterdam which are sculpted into lavish and innovative installations by the hotel’s artistic director, Jeff Leatham. Once in our suite, the hotel brought us a bottle of champagne on ice and three-dozen red roses in a crystal vase.
12,000 flowers a week arrive under the artistic eye of Jeff Leatham
On the streets, we found a Champs-Élysées thronged with tourists. Every store had security at the entrance with handheld metal detector wands, asking shoppers to open their coats and bags. This seemed to deter no one. Tourists submitted willingly and thanked the security guards for their vigilance. At the restaurants we patronized, we found happy diners and few empty tables. Wait staff was attentive and Parisian chefs again produced some of the best meals we’ve ever had. By 9:00 p.m. on Saturday evening at the 2-Michelin star Relais Louis XIII, we saw no empty tables. We watched the couple at the table beside us get engaged. The chef greeted us personally when we arrived and we enjoyed a gourmet meal that will long be remembered.
The attacks, though, haven’t been forgotten. At Louis XIII, we chatted briefly with an elegant gay couple seated nearby. The elder of the two graciously thanked us for coming to Paris despite security concerns and told us how important it is to Parisiens that foreign visitors not forget them. I told him that we love Paris and will never stop coming.
Which leads me to my final thought. We visited Paris this year because we had a trip already planned. Had we not had a trip planned, I like to think that we would have made a special effort to do so. To all of you who love travel, who love food and wine and art, who love Paris as a shining exemplar of elegance and culture, and who refuse to submit to extremism and fear, I urge you to visit Paris this year as a gesture of support and defiance and faith. As Parisiens have been saying since the attacks: “même pas peur” – “we are not afraid”.
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here:
Cookie Policy
Paris Recovers: Personal Observations
On November 13, 2015, terrorists attacked Paris in a series of coordinated suicide bombings and mass shootings. At 9:20 p.m., three suicide bombers struck the Stade de France in Paris’ northern suburb of Saint-Denis. This was followed by suicide bombings and mass shootings at cafes, restaurants and at a legendary music venue, the Bataclan Theatre, all in central Paris. These senseless attacks killed 130 people, including 89 at the Bataclan Theatre, and wounded another 368. The attacks were the deadliest in France since World War II and the deadliest in Europe since the Madrid train bombings in 2004. ISIL claimed responsibility for the attacks and the President of France labelled them an act of war.
Incredibly, these were the second set of terrorist attacks on Paris in 2015. In January 2015, 17 people were killed and 22 wounded in cowardly terrorist attacks on the Charlie Hebdo offices and a Jewish supermarket.
Paris is, of course, beloved and admired the world over as a bastion of beauty and culture, graced with so many famous landmarks, world-class museums and destination restaurants that one loses count. Honoré de Balzac said “Whoever does not visit Paris regularly will never really be elegant.” Audrey Hepburn said “Paris is always a good idea”. These horribly violent and seemingly random attacks shocked, frightened and outraged the world. Travellers and tourists the world over were forced to ask: is Paris still a good idea?
According to the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, France is the world’s top tourist destination with 83 million foreign visitors in 2014. According to the official website of the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau, hotels in Paris recorded 22.4 million arrivals overall in 2014 generating 41.2 million Euros in tax revenue. Tourism has been affected by the Paris attacks, however. In the days following the attacks, museums were closed by executive order, school trips were cancelled and movie theaters shut their doors. France declared a three-month long state of emergency and gave its police sweeping new powers. Parisians and tourists concerned about security stayed away from public spaces and mass transit. According to the International Business Times, nine days after the attack, revenues from the tourism industry had dropped off 25 percent and 10 days after, they had decreased a further 26 percent. The Telegraph reported that hotel occupancy in Paris had fallen to as low as five per cent at some properties and that 45 per cent of more than 6,000 of its readers said they were less likely to go to the French capital. Major attractions, including the Eiffel Tower, have reopened, but there remains a high threat from terrorism within France and its capital, according to the French Foreign Office.
The Paris attacks also shocked and concerned us. At our wedding last July, we had been given a one-night stay at the Four Seasons George V in Paris, one of the world’s great luxury hotels, for Valentine’s Day 2016. Almost 3 months to the day from the November 2015 attacks, was it safe to travel to Paris? Amazingly, we gave this concern short shrift. No one was going to take the George V from us.
We landed at Charles de Gaulle the morning of Thursday, February 11, 2016 for a rainy long weekend in the City of Love, fought traffic on the A1 and arrived at the hotel tired but grateful. We stepped in from the street and were greeted by the perfume of the hundreds of red roses which graced the lobby. We were guided to our room by a beautiful young woman through elegant and well-patronized lobby bars and corridors awash in dramatically-arranged fresh flowers. The hotel brings in 12,000 blooms each week from Amsterdam which are sculpted into lavish and innovative installations by the hotel’s artistic director, Jeff Leatham. Once in our suite, the hotel brought us a bottle of champagne on ice and three-dozen red roses in a crystal vase.
On the streets, we found a Champs-Élysées thronged with tourists. Every store had security at the entrance with handheld metal detector wands, asking shoppers to open their coats and bags. This seemed to deter no one. Tourists submitted willingly and thanked the security guards for their vigilance. At the restaurants we patronized, we found happy diners and few empty tables. Wait staff was attentive and Parisian chefs again produced some of the best meals we’ve ever had. By 9:00 p.m. on Saturday evening at the 2-Michelin star Relais Louis XIII, we saw no empty tables. We watched the couple at the table beside us get engaged. The chef greeted us personally when we arrived and we enjoyed a gourmet meal that will long be remembered.
The attacks, though, haven’t been forgotten. At Louis XIII, we chatted briefly with an elegant gay couple seated nearby. The elder of the two graciously thanked us for coming to Paris despite security concerns and told us how important it is to Parisiens that foreign visitors not forget them. I told him that we love Paris and will never stop coming.
Which leads me to my final thought. We visited Paris this year because we had a trip already planned. Had we not had a trip planned, I like to think that we would have made a special effort to do so. To all of you who love travel, who love food and wine and art, who love Paris as a shining exemplar of elegance and culture, and who refuse to submit to extremism and fear, I urge you to visit Paris this year as a gesture of support and defiance and faith. As Parisiens have been saying since the attacks: “même pas peur” – “we are not afraid”.
Share this:
Like this:
You May Also Like