The phenomenon known as “Paris syndrome” is a legitimate experience where the actual city of Paris does not meet the expectations set by its reputation.

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I must confess something: I struggle with nostalgia. It began during my childhood in South Wales. The cities depicted in books and movies that I idealized were just as influential to my teenage years as my own experiences. Trying to replicate the adventures of my idols is what has led me to feel like I am always in the right place at the wrong time – let down by the truth of what these cities have become, or what they never truly were.

Paris embodies the pinnacle of this disillusionment – there is a justification for the city being associated with a medical and emotional condition resulting from intense cultural differences.

Ernest Hemingway’s 1964 memoir, A Moveable Feast, recalling his time as a struggling writer in the French capital during the 1920s, was the template of a life to which I aspired: a veritable richness of culture in the most beautiful city in the world, surrounded by the greatest artists of the twentieth century.

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The disappointment of Paris not living up to its reputation is exemplified by the transformation of Café de Flore, a restaurant praised by Hemingway, into a typical tourist trap like Angus Steakhouse. Now, it’s simply a spot to sip on mediocre coffee and observe tourists with fanny packs taking pictures of unappetizing omelettes.

I do not wish to dictate how one should spend their vacation; maybe you enjoy the atmosphere of rude servers, who can barely hide their disdain for serving decaffeinated oat milk Americanos to customers who are eager to know where Hemingway once sat – even though they are unlikely to ever read one of his books. If observing others is your preferred activity, you have a great vantage point of Louis Vuitton’s main store and can watch the arrivals and departures of wealthy oil tycoons’ nephews (and the women who pretend to love them).

If you believed it was a secure option to seek shelter at Shakespeare and Company, the renowned bookstore of the Lost Generation, think again. You will encounter a line of thirty young adults waiting to take a photograph in front of the store sign. Montmartre is not much better. The once esteemed district for artists is now a vacant shell filled with cartoonists selling exaggerated portraits that could easily be found at a carnival in Peterborough. Are these truly the same streets that Jean-Paul Sartre roamed, contemplating the death of God? As I stand in this artificial, ironic street…perhaps God has gotten off easy.

The phenomenon known as ‘Paris syndrome’ is still prevalent, as demonstrated by a recent incident involving an American food blogger who tearfully documented her trip to France on TikTok. The video has amassed over 7.5 million views. I previously believed that this term, which describes the feeling of disappointment and emptiness experienced by many, especially Japanese tourists, when they realize that Paris does not live up to the idealized version portrayed in popular media, was a recent development. However, it was actually first coined by a Japanese psychiatrist in the 1980s. The reason for the negative reactions to the blogger’s post, boldly titled “France Made Me Cry” (which caused my inner voice to shamefully think “Good”), may be because… we can relate.

Admittedly, this ‘influencer’ – @RealPhDFoodie – did buy a beret. But is that any worse than sitting at Les Deux Magots with a book of Simone de Beauvoir essays, smoking a Gitanes, and crafting an insouciant shrug? I maybe – definitely – did that, but not as an adult; it’s arguably beret-adjacent. The Paris of my imagination is long gone. Like Café de Flore, dining out on a centuries-old reputation that no one alive earned, what remains of the old Paris has decayed. Relying on the nostalgia of what was once beautiful, while attempting to hoodwink experienced travellers, who now have expectations beyond surly waiters giving them the stink eye if they are not ready to order. God forbid if they order in English – or is it worse if you try en français and fall short with your pronouncation?

Many of the challenges facing Paris stem from the fact that it used to set the standard for the rest of the world, but now others have caught up. What used to impress and amaze can now be found in other places. Even if Paris had remained the same, our standards have evolved. Fifteen years ago, any bakery in Paris would have surpassed those in London; but now, while there may be more bakeries in London, are they really better?

We need to take responsibility for Paris not living up to our expectations. We idealize stories set in Paris because we can relate to them, imagining ourselves as the main character and fueling our desire for a perfect Parisian lifestyle. However, upon arrival, we come to realize that Paris is not as enchanting as we had hoped and it is also not as impressed by our own charms.

There are still pleasures to be found in the City of Love – you just need to let go of your expectations. Paris is simply itself. The version of Paris you long for? I assure you, it only exists in books, performances, or on the screen.

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Source: independent.co.uk