Paris Blog - Stuff Parisians like by Olivier Magny - O Chateau

Parisians always have somewhere in their minds the idea of something greater.

Something endless.

Something far.

Parisians all have somewhere in their minds Baudelaire’s line: “Homme Libre, toujours tu chériras la mer”. Their minds are filled with a far away blue.

Parisians are all, deep inside, sailing the seven seas.

Sailing is something a Parisian is not allowed not to like. Not liking sailing is a clear indication in Paris that you are deprived of a soul. Sailing is elegant and poetic. It is therefore Parisian.

Nothing impresses a Parisian more that someone who left everything to go sail around the world: this is every Parisian’s vision of happiness. Some may argue that this form of happiness might be uncomfortable and wet. Such a lack of grandeur d’âme will forever discard you as an individual. Criticizing sailing is only permitted to one category of people: pretty girls who have actually been on a sailboat. They are the only ones entitled to say that sailing is humid, slow and sometimes dangerous. That will comfort Parisian men is the belief of their intellectual and poetic superiority over their materialistic female counterpart. It will even make Parisian men love these Parisian women even more.

Whether or not the Parisian actually sails is irrelevant. The idea of sailing is superior to the action of sailing. Besides, pretty Parisian girls are right, sailing is humid and slow. And sometimes dangerous. So a great alternative to sailing for Parisians is to display sailing gear. Wearing des chaussures bateau, un caban or une vareuse in Paris (wearing them all at once is unacceptable - one item at a time please) just means you are superior because poetic And chances are sometimes you cry looking at the ocean. There is no beating this.

Sailing is so present in the Parisian’s mind that he needs to be surrounded with representations of the greatness of sailing in his own home. All decent Parisians will always have a livre de photos with sailing-related pictures in it. If coffee table book is not applicable, look for a frames picture in the bedroom of a poster in the toilettes. Pictures of angry oceans and lighthouses are also acceptable. Scale models of sailboats do not belong in a Parisian apartment. They should exclusively be displayed in the Parisian’s maison de campagne.

If one day, a Parisian tells you that he sails, make sure as of that moment you introduce him to other Parisians as ‘un super marin’. Pure ego boost. Even though you are not a sailor, he will like you for being such a discerning person.

Yes. The Parisian is magnanimous.

Sailing makes you a better person.

NB: At the risk of being very Parisian, let me warmly recommend the movie Tabarly.

Useful tip: When wearing sailing gear in Paris, make sure it looks old and beat up… After all, you’ve sailed the seven seas with it.
Sound like a Parisian: « J’ai un copain qui a fait une transat… un mec génial !»

Tags:   boats · holidays · recreation · sailing · vacation7 Comments