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London or Paris?

makker

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Which one do you guys prefer for living? I have to choose for the next upcoming months and I am indecisive.
 

Nereis

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Paris is a disgusting hive of scum and villainy. London is where its at.
 

clee1982

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What will you be doing (study/work), and do you speak French if you decide to go to Paris?
 

MikeDT

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Originally Posted by Nereis
Paris is a disgusting hive of scum and villainy. London is where its at.

I thought exactly the same about London.
 

ysc

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Paris could be really fun if you speak good french, although I have heard Parisians will never treat you like a local even if you speak french fluently.
London can be frustrating for a few reasons, but it is a pretty fantastic city and obviosly you won't need to be able to speak french.
 

StephenHero

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Well, Paris is the greatest city in the world. So there's that. But it's also a better city for a person with a modest budget. The Parisian lifestyle is more accessible and is centered around public amenities/ social interaction. Between the parks, museums, cafes, river, architecture, neighborhoods, and people watching opportunities, you can be endlessly satisfied for almost no money at all. If you have money, and are really interested in nightlife, shopping, or sports, London may be a more suitable option.
 

makker

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Yes, I speak fluent French. Budgetary concerns are not that much of an issue.

Even though London is a very international city, I guess the eyecandy would still be a bit better among the Parisiens. London indeed is something special, its a shame the rest of the UK is terrible and could not imagine living anywhere else in the UK besides London. Plus French culture and food anytime over the English one imo. If I choose London, I would always have to cross the canal over to France to spend my weekends just to enjoy the gastronomy and enjoy the beautiful language.

Are the Parisiens very uptight with the city, so that someone coming from the outside could never be deemed a local even if you spoke fluent French? Of course if its so tight, I doubt with my looks and name I could ever be French anyways.
 

StephenHero

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Language isn't an issue as long as you make an effort. They are extremely tolerant if you smile and stumble your way through simple phrases and words in earnest. Just don't speak English like you're entitled for them to understand you, even though many of them will. They're so used to foreigners, and because so many of the French aren't native Parisians, the idea of a local clique never really resonated with me. They are dependent on tourists, know it, and act accordingly.
 

Mxms

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I am quite familiar with both cities but prefer Paris despite strong family ties to London where my relatives has been in banking for more than two centuries.

London is very spread out with a jumble of good and bad neighborhoods. Paris is compact and within the city proper there are no really bad areas.

Public transport in London is good but the Paris has the best in the world. The combined grid of RER/Metro/Bus is so dense that no address is more than a few hundred meters from a public transport stop.

Both cities are expensive but London is more expensive.

Food in London has improved dramatically from when I was a child and the standard of cuisine in Paris has, sadly, been in decline but I still think that Paris has a considerable advantage.

I find the pub superior to the cafe as a place to meet new people and make friends (partially because British culture is more gregarious than the French) but the cafe is a better place to just sit and watch the world go by.

I like people in both countries but tempermentally I prefer the French to the English. The Engish are warmer and more engaging people while the French are cooler and more intellectual (as a matter of attitude not native intelligence). Which you prefer is a matter of your own style.
 

ysc

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Originally Posted by makker
its a shame the rest of the UK is terrible and could not imagine living anywhere else in the UK besides London.
It is not really relevant, since you are looking at london or paris and London would be my first choice to live in in the UK, but there are other nice places in the UK outside london. Edinburgh is a lovely City, Bristol is nice etc. I find it interesting that Mxms finds the english warmer and more engaging than the french. Certainly Parisians have a reputation for being aloof, but I thought that most people thought of the english as cold and reserved?
 

fritzl

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Originally Posted by ysc
...but I thought that most people thought of the english as cold and reserved?

not in a pub.
 

ysc

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Originally Posted by fritzl
not in a pub.

True enough. In my experience americans in similar situations (pubs, relaxed bars etc.) are even more friendly, but that could be because they like my accent.
 

Joffrey

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Having been raised in Anglodominated countries, I find nothing interesting/intriguing about London so I'd pick Paris.
 

Joe Camel

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Originally Posted by makker
Even though London is a very international city, I guess the eyecandy would still be a bit better among the Parisiens. London indeed is something special, its a shame the rest of the UK is terrible and could not imagine living anywhere else in the UK besides London. [0
What a ridiculous comment.
 

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