Use part of your first trip to beautiful Paris to plan your second

PARIS — Tamara Vaifanua has only been in Paris for KSL TV’s Olympic coverage for a little over two weeks, but she says she’s learned a lot.

She said that as she walked around the city, met people and saw the sights, she learned that Parisians have really mastered the art of slowing down.

“It’s a fascinating place to people watch,” she said. “I usually walk fast and rush to get from point A to point B. Here, people tend to walk more slowly and are not constantly in a rush.”

She discovered that there is a cafe culture in Paris where people enjoy each other’s company and delicious food and are usually not on their phones. Oliver Gee moved to Paris from Australia ten years ago. He is the host of the popular podcast The Earful Tower.

Gee said that in Paris there is a great emphasis on enjoying life and that this value is reflected in everything Parisians do.

“I worked in an office in Paris in the same building as a group of architects, and they cooked lunch and sat there drinking red wine, and that took an hour and a half in the office,” Gee said.

“People-watching is a national sport. You sit on the terrace of your cafe and just watch the world go by. I think taking the time to enjoy the food, the culture, the language and the museums is a secret we can all learn from.”

Gee’s advice for first-time visitors to Paris is to see the sights, but also make some time to just walk around. He said there is so much beauty right on the street that by your second trip, you’ll be starting to plan and taking the time to see all the other hidden gems Paris has to offer.