Paris - Travel with Jay Swanson

Jay's narrative is nothing short of a rollercoaster ride, blending entrepreneurial spirit with raw human emotion. With a heart full of dreams and pockets full of ambition, he left the American shores for West Africa, only to land in Paris with a story that will grip your soul. From the highs of tech startup aspirations to the lows of financial struggles, Jay's tale is a masterclass in resilience and the art of reinvention. He didn't just survive; he thrived, transforming from English teacher to tour guide to a beacon of hope for others as a local influencer.

The City of Lights is more than just a backdrop in Jay's life; it's a character that's as complex and rich as the finest French wine. Together, we'll wander off the beaten path of Paris with Jay, who peels back the layers of this iconic metropolis to reveal its true heart. Through his eyes, you'll experience the authentic Parisian lifestyle, explore bone caves that echo tales of history, and discover quirky museums that challenge expectations. Jay's insights on French cuisine are a treasure trove for the palate, serving up a mouthwatering ode to the simple, yet sublime flavors of the nation's culinary heritage.

Embarking on the Parisian adventure doesn't have to be a strain on your wallet, thanks to Jay's sage advice on living la vie en rose without breaking the bank. He'll guide you through the do's and don'ts of French culture, from mastering the art of a polite 'bonjour' to choosing the perfect bottle of wine. Whether you're planning a sojourn to the French capital or simply dreaming of distant cobblestones and croissants, Jay's personal anecdotes and tips are your passport to navigating Paris with the ease of a local. So, pull up a chair, pour yourself a glass of wine, and let Jay whisk you away to the romantic streets of Paris with stories and advice that will inspire your own journey.

Map of Paris

Jay Swanson links:

YouTube: www.youtube.com/@JaySwanson
Instagram:  instagram.com/jayswanson
Website: jayswanson.me

Travel Guide: Paris in My Pocket
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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:15

Hi, welcome to our podcast. We're Next Travel with Kristin and Carol. I am Kristin and I am Carol, and we're two long-term friends with a passion for travel and adventure. In each episode, we interview people around the globe to help us decide where to go next. So, jay, you're an American living in Paris. Sounds like a movie. So how long have you been there now?

Speaker 2: 0:39

I don't know how I can do the summary version of it, which is that, out of volunteering in West Africa for about four years, I consulted in America for two and had a decent job, invested everything that I made from that job into my fiction, my writing and then also into a little tech startup that I started with some friends where we were making Bluetooth bracelets for kids.

Speaker 1: 1:02

What kind of bracelets?

Speaker 2: 1:03

Bluetooth bracelets. You can think of them as like little alarms if the kids got too far away or if they got snatched, or hopefully not that, but the idea just being that you could keep an eye on your kids without having to keep an eye on your kids if you're out on the playground or something. Even went to Taiwan to go to manufacturing and all that. It was a really cool experience.

Speaker 1: 1:22

That is awesome. I have to say, okay, what made you want to do that? That's a really great idea.

Speaker 2: 1:29

It wasn't my idea. It was actually one of my really good friends and one of the co-founders he and his friends. So he wanted kids his other friend who's not a friend of mine, obviously, but they had kids and in having kids and being around kids all the time, it was that thing of. I think it was born as much from a frustration of not being able to focus as anything, where parents couldn't have a conversation that would actually last for very long without obviously being like where are my kids Checking them out, and so I think out of that, they were like we have to solve this, and so it was a thing that he and I had talked about for years and years before we ever did anything about it.

Speaker 2: 2:07

Personally, I don't have kids and I'm not having any anytime soon, and so I was brought in less as an expert in that side and more on the communication side and marketing and so forth, and so that's kind of how I got ripped into that. So everything that I had, I had a couple of book deals. Well, I had a book that was on submission with a publisher. I had a Kickstarter going and then I had a Kickstarter going for this thing and it was very much over extended. I was way out of my depth as far as the amount of money that I had spent all this stuff. I had accrued a fair amount of debt. Everything just kind of failed, one after the other. I just kind of face planted repeatedly for a while, and about the time that the face plants were starting to accumulate, I started vlogging daily, and so I was making a video on YouTube every day.

Speaker 1: 2:56

Were you talking about your troubles or trying to change your spirits into something?

Speaker 2: 3:00

Yeah, kind of both. Well, at first I started doing it optimistically because I was like, well, something's got happened, you know something good, and I'm going to catch that story and like we'll ride the wave and it'll be great. And yeah, that didn't go anywhere.

Speaker 1: 3:12

The everything goes somewhere right, but it's just maybe not exactly your expectation.

Speaker 2: 3:18

It did not align, it did not align, and so yeah, so I just I documented my suffering very publicly for anyone who wanted to see it. You can still go see it today.

Speaker 1: 3:28

Okay, I might want to. I need a little inspiration, yeah, I mean, there are a lot of people that do.

Speaker 2: 3:32

It surprises me how many people are like. I went back and watched from the beginning and I'm just like I know, so yeah so I just it's others though, right?

Speaker 1: 3:40

Yeah, I hope so. I hope.

Speaker 2: 3:41

So yeah, well, and that's the hope is that I think the main thing is what I've learned through that whole process, and a few months into that is when I kind of my hope of coming back to France because I lived here twice before was reignited and I was like, oh, I really, I really belong in Paris, I want to go back.

Speaker 2: 3:57

And thankfully that ended up working out. That was the one thing that I got lucky with in that process was getting my visa, and so I think the main thing that I learned through that process of sharing every day and especially struggling and you're right like using that to also change the way that I saw the world, my perspective. I would hear myself speaking on camera in what I would call garage monologues, where I would go and stand in my parents' garage and talk to the camera and kind of explain where I was at, and then I'd go sit down to edit it and be like that is not how I want to see the world today. So then I'd go back out and kind of like reshoot it and like it was a really good exercise in really transforming.

Speaker 1: 4:32

Wow, oh my gosh, you know just so. That's like gratitude too. You can't be like really, yeah, just thinking there's so many therapy messages about journaling and just the act of journaling helps, yeah, and I just thought of like videoing and editing to really absorb what you were going through and go. This is not the life I want. I need to make a change. Well, watching yourself, right, yeah, yeah, like just really being, and how awesome, yeah, it's like okay. And then like seeing exactly the feedback, right, exactly Right.

Speaker 2: 5:03

And hearing yourself and seeing just being like, wow, I look like absolute garbage right now.

Speaker 2: 5:08

And it's not even that.

Speaker 2: 5:09

It's very much that thing of like you hear the words you use and the way you phrase things and you're forced to, because I'm not the kind of person that like wants to review anything that I've ever done or written or whatever, and so having to do that through editing, you're just like wow, that I mean I know what I, I know how I'm feeling and I know where I want to be, and I don't want to put this out there Like I want to adjust, to be closer to where I am, or all of the 20 people that might see this.

Speaker 2: 5:36

And so then you're just like, okay, so let's do that. And so, yeah, I think that is. The hope is that it does do someone somewhere some good and provide a little bit of hope, because even though I was struggling to have any real hope for a long time in there I'm not kidding about hitting rock bottom, it was horrible I did push through and I had the grit to get through that, and so I guess the hope is that it can provide at least a little bit of solace for anybody else who's going through something similar. Although I don't know that, I would recommend watching all of them.

Speaker 1: 6:13

You know what's interesting too. And I guess I have a question. I met with two women that you know. I know a couple you know that are going through struggles and stuff and they had asked me yesterday because there was kind of a there's been some pimp little things in my life as well, and it's just like you know. They asked it like did you know? Like how long did it take to get through? And I'm like, oh no, you're just kind of like it's not like a defining point. You just kind of like start to and I would write every day like three things I'm grateful for, and just like really focus. Like your brain you either focus on what you got good or what you got bad, and that it's like fire. Like you, if you're going to fan the fire, which one are you going to fan? Right?

Speaker 2: 6:53

100%. Yeah Well, and I the way. I thought I was in a ditch for a long time and I couldn't see, I couldn't see the horizon of that ditch, Like I knew I was crawling towards, I hoped towards the side of the ditch, but for all I knew I was just crawling down the middle of it and was never going to get out. And exactly like that. I think that there just kind of comes a moment where you start to see, oh, maybe I'm getting close to that edge.

Speaker 2: 7:16

And there was an interview that I heard recently where and I don't know if this is purely anecdotal, if there's actual science behind this but there was a guy that said that your internal reality lags behind your external reality by about two years, and that idea that even though your world has changed and maybe things have gotten better, it still takes you a good two years for your emotional capacity to catch up to that. So you feel like I'm struggling and you get stuck in that world where you're struggling. And I felt that that was true, Like even after I got here, got established and things started to look better, I was waiting for the other foot to drop for a long time, and so even once you've gotten out of that ditch. You still have ditch mentality. If we're going to keep with that analogy for a lot longer than you should hold on to it. It's really hard to let go of that, sometimes too.

Speaker 1: 7:59

If you heard, be do and have right, but it's your being like the inside of you right that starts with that right, like you're saying two years before.

Speaker 2: 8:08

Yeah, that comes back. That's like karma, right. Like everything starts with the thought, like every action, every result starts with how you think it's true.

Speaker 1: 8:17

Totally. Oh my gosh, I'd like to go down this path. Yeah, we can talk separately. We need to talk about Paris now.

Speaker 2: 8:25

Yeah, it's awesome. So when?

Speaker 1: 8:26

did you arrive there. So you've lived there a couple times, you think.

Speaker 2: 8:29

Yeah, well, I lived in Nice in 2007. So I taught English twice in Nice and then a suburb of Paris called Sarcell, but I lived in Paris and then I moved back here in 2017 on the, as my life was falling apart. I literally went bankrupt that summer. It was a good year and, although I would recommend for anybody thinking about it, it was one of the best decisions I ever made but I digress, Anyways. So then I just struggled through figuring out my life here and had a lot of really good experiences. The job I came here thinking I was going to get an English teaching job. I did get, but I arrived in March and it took me a month to even get the meeting with them, and so in April they were like, yeah, we'd like to work with you. We'll start working with you in October, that's right, yeah, because it's summer.

Speaker 2: 9:15

Right, exactly, I wasn't thinking that way. I was just like let's work. So that's how I ended up being a tour guide for the summer. My landlady, I think, still thinks I'm a tour guide. It's pretty funny. But yeah, but that whole time I was making videos and just kind of sharing my life and steadily kind of became one of the Paris people where I was like okay, like, and it all started kind of haphazardly, because I remember talking to tourists and they'd be like oh, the Paris Metro is so confusing and it's so hard to use, and blah, blah, blah.

Speaker 2: 9:44

I was confused by that because I was like no, it's so weak the colors, yeah, so yeah exactly the colors are so easy to follow, and so I made a video about it and then kind of kept doing that every once in a while when I'd be like, okay, well, I'm going to go to the Louvre today with a friend, so let's make a video about how to get into it or whatever. But what's funny is that I always again, I feel like we keep going back to like the emotional background behind stuff. But I kept self-sabotaging a lot because I didn't want to be the Paris guy, I would just want to live here. I love living here, I love this city, and my only motivation was trying to help other people love it, because I would get annoyed by people not enjoying Paris and I'd be like, come on, this place is great. Like, forget the cliches, let's go find some really good stuff.

Speaker 2: 10:29

It's kind of like Paris is often seen as this living area. It's often seen as this living museum where people just want it to be what it was 100 years ago. And it's kind of like going to New York and thinking I'm just going to go to a Yankees game and eat hot dogs the entire time. That's all I'm going to do, that's all New York is is the Yankees Statue of Liberty. Yes, yeah, exactly yeah.

Speaker 2: 10:50

But no, new York is an international, vibrant city Like so much is happening here the music, the art, the culture, like the people, like it's amazing. And I feel the same way about Paris, seeing Paris as berets and baguettes is. I understand people want to have that experience to some degree, but I also feel like you're missing the dynamism that is the city, and so that was my only motivation and trying to share it a little bit more, and so it's been a long stumbling road for me too, because I'm like I want. I want to share my love of the city, but I had this identity crisis in the midst of it. So, no, I didn't realize where.

Speaker 1: 11:21

I'm sorry. I'm sorry to get into this. No, no, you were totally doing awesome and I have to tell you like this is. I use the Eiffel Tower as my example, but I think this in France, as my example in the very beginning, was like, you know, it's not what we want to talk to people is who really love and have a passion for the place, and it's not just going to the Arc de Triomphe or the Eiffel Tower. It's really about knowing about, like, if you're living there, like what passionate, like through your eyes, how do you see it? And so I'm super excited about this and it's funny because I've been to Paris and I should go back to go see my nephew and you know, I know my sister about. I will have her listen to this as well but just what drew you to it and what do you like most about it? Like, what's your favorite day there? Like, if you could create your favorite day, what would that look like?

Speaker 2: 12:13

Well, I mean, it's the. It's a day that I do all the time, which is hanging out on or near the canal with friends and just slow rolling it. So I think what drew me to Paris was the mat. There's something magical about it. To start, I lived in Nice in 2007 and was kind of disappointed because I was like I've spent my whole life wanting to move to France. I studied French, I got a degree in it, which was a questionable decision, and then ended up in Nice and I was like I don't know, maybe I made a mistake. And then I got to Paris and I was like this is what I always wanted, like this is. This is amazing, it's magical.

Speaker 2: 12:49

The architecture, the just kind of the vibrancy of the city, the layout, the walkability, the just easy access to so many different types of food there are so many things that I love and the sight lines down on the river, the. You know the history of it all. I completely fell in love with it. And so now, like I, on the one hand, because, on the one hand, I think the cool thing about Paris, with all of the big sites like the Arctitrump or Diaffle Tower, sacre-cœur, notre Dame, the Opera, whatever it is. The nice thing is that they're all worth it.

Speaker 2: 13:19

Like it's not like you're, you're not getting suckered. It's not like the world's largest ball of yarn or something off the side of the highway and they're trying to sell you like you know, just a giant Coca-Cola, right? So like there's that element of like it's not, it's not hype, um, to a degree, if you're, if you're coming in and you want to see Paris, and that first time you come to Paris you can make an argument. Maybe you should just spend that time seeing all the big sites because they are absolutely worth it. And then on that second time you come see me, I will take you to Boutch-de-Mont, my favorite park in the city that no tourist would ever find. I'll take you to the Petite-Centre, which is the old, abandoned railway. You know, like there's so many different elements of the city that are so incredible and charming and hidden that nobody ever finds. I think a lot of people that live here for a while find them, but even Parisians get into their routines, they do their thing and they miss out.

Speaker 2: 14:12

Yeah, absolutely Like, I think, everywhere in the world. I think it's every, every local in any place, which is part of the argument that we make too. One of my friends she runs a tour company here in town. She's Australian and she, her thing is she's always saying like you don't want to eat, like a local, locals just do the same thing literally every day. They go to the same crappy bistro and drink the same crappy cup. They just live here and they're not. They're not going out and exploring Like you want to live or you want to visit, like somebody who just moved here and is hungry to find the best of everything. That's the person you want to go follow, and so I think that's kind of more the category that I would say I fall into. I'm a local in a sense, but I'm the kind of local that, like literally will walk for hours and they'd be like what is that? And then go try it, and that's my recommendation. So definitely with my friends on the canal, yeah, Um, so the canal is.

Speaker 1: 14:58

What is that different than the the same the river? Yeah, so the.

Speaker 2: 15:01

Sen is the yeah, the Sen runs through Paris and is the main like water feature. But then canal San Martin is, or canal of St Martin is a canal that was dug by Napoleon the third. We could get into the socioeconomic elements of that, but there's cause it. It was kind of a dividing line between rich and poor at the time to some degree, but also served as a way of connecting, I believe, to the Marne, and then you can work your way up through those canal systems that go all the way into, like Germany as for trade. So that canal system.

Speaker 1: 15:33

Oh, I heard of that Okay.

Speaker 2: 15:34

Yeah, like, if you go to the fourth. I don't know how familiar your listeners will be with the layout of Paris, but if you take Notre Dame, on the island uh, the large islands there's another island right behind it, um, called it is St Louis, and at the end of it is St Louis you can see the canal, kind of just east of it and borders. The fourth, iran, is Mont, goes underground for a while and then pops up in the uh 10th and runs its way into the 19th and then north of the city and you can actually hop in a boat there. I met a couple that took their boat. They brought it from the UK, they came up the send and then took the canal system and their plan was to make it all the way to the Mediterranean through the canal systems, to the Danube and then down and uh, yeah, they said it was going to be.

Speaker 1: 16:17

Oh yeah, when I think canal, I don't think boat, but it's big enough for boats.

Speaker 2: 16:21

Yeah, absolutely. It's not big enough for like um, like sailboats or anything, but they use it for uh, yeah, for uh, shipping fishing boats, or you'll see. Yeah, well, you'll see. You'll see. Actually you'll see barge and stuff go through. Uh it's not insignificant, yeah, it's, it's not bad, and so, if you have you, have you seen, um, I think, the latest or the second, the the Mission Impossible movie that ended up, uh, in Paris. There's a scene in there, on a boat underground in Paris, and that's in that's a good reference.

Speaker 2: 16:51

Yeah, it's fun I. They actually did a pretty good job not teleporting too much. There's been some fun movies recently that Okay and then one of my friends went to.

Speaker 1: 16:59

It was like they I don't know this is called the catacombs or something where there's all these like skulls. Under what, under the? Is that something worth going to? Or it just if you're like creepy stuff.

Speaker 2: 17:12

It fits into that category of once in your life, particularly if you're into that. I I didn't go for a really long time and when I went it was interesting. The reason it was interesting to me was because I had a little bit more of an understanding of the layout of the city. So what it was is that basically they ended up exhuming millions of bodies and moving their bones into the catacombs and it's I forget exactly how many are in there, but it is an absurd number. And a lot of the where they exhumed them from were cemeteries in the city that you know. Churches had their own church-yard cemeteries, whatever else, and there was kind of overflowing. There was too many Lay out, had a huge number um, at least an assault, whatever, so they moved them all into the catacombs.

Speaker 2: 17:53

It is pretty fascinating and it's it's definitely really interesting. But for me the most interesting thing was recognizing the churches and being like, oh, these they were, knowing where they were from and so forth, and after about 15 minutes I was like okay, we have, how much more of this do we have to do? So for a lot of people they they're very into it and really enjoy it. For me it was like I'm happy I did it once. I will literally only go ever go back for work, like if I'm going to go make a video about it, otherwise I'm fine, but it's cool. It's definitely cool. And if you're in, especially if you're into like the more macabre side of things, then it's impressive.

Speaker 1: 18:25

What does it look like? So when you walk into, I'm assuming it's a cave right.

Speaker 2: 18:30

Basically. Yeah, it's a long, long cave, the thing is. So here's the thing, this part of the I was also a little disappointed because, like I had images like caverns and you know walking into these grand spaces with like water trickling or whatever, and really it's just like this narrow, the walls are made of bones. I mean like just Sounds really Everything's bones. So it's like and it's not very like.

Speaker 2: 18:50

I'm about six feet tall, so like for me I was, I had to, I kind of had to bend over a little bit at different points and so it felt it's not claustrophobic, but it could feel that way. Yeah, but it's pretty. I mean it's pretty, it's cool. If you want to like, for anybody who's ever played like the Diablo games or for anybody that really loves skull tattoos, I think you'll find some good inspiration. But yeah, it wasn't quite. I was. I was kind of expecting to like go down this like long carved stone stairwell and then into this, but I, I, the light didn't even reach the edges, kind of thing. That's what I had in my head. So maybe I was also just a little bit disappointed because, like, the fantasy writer in me took me somewhere completely different.

Speaker 1: 19:27

But it's so good I have it in my head. It's like this ivory, like, completely like. Instead of cement, it's all bone and it's all smooth and no, they're bones.

Speaker 2: 19:35

No, it's not. So it's not ivory. It's like, literally, just imagine that they took all the femurs and stacked them like firewood. Wow, and that's what the bone made up, and so like, so then their walls that are just made of skulls, or they're they, or the skulls will be in between other bones, and so it's pretty cool. I mean, it's really, it's impressive, but it definitely you're like, wow, people like put so much work into stacking these people and leaving.

Speaker 1: 19:59

Instead of brick right, Instead of brick, it's bone.

Speaker 2: 20:01

Well, but that's the thing. It's not supporting the structure at all, it's just filling space.

Speaker 1: 20:06

Okay, yeah, but it's not the whole. Those single bodies aren't all intact the head with their femur and their arms. It's just head, head, head, head. Yeah, it's a double mess.

Speaker 2: 20:15

Yeah, yeah, that would be fun.

Speaker 1: 20:17

Like let's go explore our great grandmother and find her head.

Speaker 2: 20:20

Yeah, absolutely Okay, everyone is your great grandmother. Like then imagine that if a necromancer walks through there, it'd be absolute chaos. Yeah, they just would not. Nothing would come together.

Speaker 1: 20:30

well, oh, wow. That's crazy Is there anything else like weird, like that, like that's so unusual. But, like you know, something else in the video and the canals is found very interesting too. That's a good one.

Speaker 2: 20:40

I mean there's also the natural. That's not. The natural history museum is really really cool, like that you could go and see if you want to see animal bones. That is a really cool place to go and all the all the science museums around there. But then there is the museum of hunting. I'm going to be going there here sometime soon and it's like it's the nature and hunting museum and they just have, I feel like I don't want to say every animal, but it's just this bizarre or like Temple of Hunting which is just. I grew up. I grew up hunting in the Northwest as a kid, but as an adult there's something very different about it for me. And then you go in there and it's like just it feels odd, just rich people with like tigers or bears or whatever like made to look like they're big and scary, and that one's a weird one to me still to this day. There's also a fan museum If you'd like to go see the history of like of the hand, you know, handheld fan Like oh, wow.

Speaker 1: 21:38

And how they transitioned to that. The motorized ones are just handheld.

Speaker 2: 21:42

I, you know what, I don't know, because the day that we went they just were closed for no reason. So like we were now, you can just have the little portable and sand thing.

Speaker 1: 21:50

Oh, what about the move on Rouge? Because, like I've seen it, is that worth it? It just seems like it's fun. I think it depends on what your expectations are.

Speaker 2: 21:58

I know some of the dancers and so I've gone to see them a few times and they're, they're lovely, the show is fun. It's like it's very it's just it's huge and the. I think it just kind of depends on what your expectations are going in. If you like showgirls kind of stuff, if you want to see some cabaret, if you'd like to see that piece of history, then yeah, it's, it's fun. Okay, very good.

Speaker 1: 22:22

What about like the? Of course, you always have to talk about food in France and like what I know, when we went there, we had French onion soup. And we had crepes which actually were savory or sweet. You could have either one.

Speaker 2: 22:38

Yeah, absolutely yeah. Most people, I think, just assume they're going to be sweet, but you can get a good lunch at them too.

Speaker 1: 22:43

Yeah, I was surprised.

Speaker 2: 22:44

I didn't know that French onion soup right now is the thing that I kind of crave the most. Like finding a good one is trickier than you would think. Yeah, because like they have to do it right so that the bread is still kind of crispy on top, and like that often you'll get them and just everything soggy, and but it's a seasonal thing, so this is the time of year to go get.

Speaker 1: 23:03

Oh, really Okay yeah yeah, because they won't.

Speaker 2: 23:06

Most places will not serve it during the warmer months.

Speaker 1: 23:09

Hmm, makes sense. We had it in June.

Speaker 2: 23:12

Yeah, you found a spot then.

Speaker 1: 23:14

Guess we found the spot.

Speaker 2: 23:15

But yeah, it's funny because there was there's a place that I really liked that does it and they they weren't doing it and I was craving it this summer and it took me I don't remember where I found. I ended up finding one in like a. There was a friend that was visiting. She really wanted snails, which is another thing that nobody actually eats.

Speaker 1: 23:30

Yes, cargo.

Speaker 2: 23:31

Yeah, so you have to try really hard to find them. It took me a while and so you have to go to like a really touristy spot and really touristy place kind of thing, and I was like, oh, they have French onion soup and it was unfortunately a disappointment but it is possible to find.

Speaker 1: 23:45

What are the things I always think? Croissants, baguettes, like bread, and things like that, or what is it. I mean, I know what my sister makes, but what are some of your favorites and some of the traditional things that people?

Speaker 2: 23:57

have. Yeah, well, some of my favorite I mean my favorite traditional stuff a good burger and you always really nice and beef burger and you know so it's like a slow cooked beef stew. It's really really good. Yeah, good hearty country meal. And one of my favorite places here in town is actually a Levin scene place that does beef burger and you on in a pita with like a garlic aioli and it's unbelievable. So, so, so, so good.

Speaker 2: 24:23

But if we're going like for pure French classics, then honestly, like a rotisserie chicken with some potatoes, you cannot go wrong. It's, I think, the thing about French food for me not to get myself in any trouble with your in-laws, but for me the French do simple the best. So I think, simple. If you're looking for simple and rich, then this is the. Then you really do want to go with the standard fare. So like just, I had this experience recently with some friends, one of my good friends here.

Speaker 2: 24:53

He had family in town, they wanted to go to the Eiffel Tower and he was just like, please, just come, like, hang out the sun, the show on the Mars. So like, okay. So we went and I hadn't had a picnic on the show on the Mars in a really long time. And I went and I was like, yeah, it is nice to come over here, this is great. And then they just had some grocery store like bread and cheese and ham, just stuff that like literally they got from like the pre packaged aisle, nothing special. But I dug into it and I was just eating it and I was like wow, like I haven't done this in a long time just made my own little sandwich of like a little bit of Vachecuerie and a little bit of ham in a. I just tore off a piece of baguette, made my own little sandwich and it was incredible.

Speaker 2: 25:29

And I think that's the thing that I take for granted, living here, and I think that most people should Well, maybe I shouldn't say should, but definitely keep in mind when you come to France that you can do very simple, very cheap and it will be delicious. The bread will be better than you've had in a very long time, especially if you're coming from North America. The, the cheese, is next level. The, the charcuterie and so forth is just going to be varied and very delicious.

Speaker 2: 25:54

And then if you come in season, especially for stuff like strawberries, you have to try the strawberries because growing up. We you know everyone was going for the biggest, the biggest strawberry possible. But what you forget is that they're stretching what little flavor was in that strawberry over over a lot of strawberry. And when you come here in season and France doesn't have all the berries like a lot of the berries come from Nordic countries and so forth but, man, they will change your life. Same with, like, the orange juice. If you get orange juice here, something about it is just better than any orange juice you've ever had before and they'll make it right in front of you. So there's a lot of that. I think the French living here. I miss flavors like strong flavors, and novelty in food is what I miss about food here, which is why it's great to dive into the international scene more to get that. When it comes to the classics, the French do richness, butter in everything, tons and tons of butter and simplicity. So so well.

Speaker 1: 26:46

And then, what other countries have a lot of influence on the food there?

Speaker 2: 26:49

Well, so you mean like for the international scene?

Speaker 1: 26:51

Yeah, like yes, they're like a big Japan town or Thai food or Indians.

Speaker 2: 26:57

There is some. Oh God, I wish there was more Indian here. We were finally getting some. By my I'll be having an Indian Christmas. Thank God that we'll be cooking, but the Vietnamese presence is really strong here Some great banh mi and so so good. Then then you're going to find there is some good Thai food here. Not as much, not nearly as much, but there are a couple of good places that I know. Lots of great Moroccan food there's just yeah, there's a good variety of different things in there, and then there's actually a surprising amount of American food here too.

Speaker 2: 27:28

When I first moved here a decade ago well, second time, I guess when I first moved here in 2007, I could not find a good cheeseburger to save my life, and I was stunned by the fact that the French, who make some of the best bread in the world, could not figure out how to make a cheeseburger bun. I was like why does this taste like a sponge? I don't understand what you're doing to make this bread so bad. And then fast forward about six or seven years and it was the beginning of the, the beginning of the burger in France. It was like 2013, 2012,. The first places were popping up here. I think Camille was one of them and like it was a revolution and now everything's a smash burger, for whatever reason. So like there's actually some really really good food here, some good fried chicken. Oh, there's some good Korean fried chicken here actually. Oh my gosh, the Lebanese food here too. How how can I forget the food? It is so good. Anyways, I could go on for a long time about the food.

Speaker 1: 28:20

Awesome. I love it.

Speaker 2: 28:22

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 28:22

I couldn't imagine. It's like even that basic, like sandwich that you had. You had like fresh bread, right, cause they make a lot of fresh bread.

Speaker 2: 28:29

But the funny thing was it was probably yeah, and it was. It might have been a day old, at that point it was still like it was. It was really good, although you got to be careful Baguettes they don't last. You got to eat those 24 hours Right away, otherwise they're going to be in a weapon.

Speaker 1: 28:41

Costs of living and just well. So we like to like, hey, if we're, I was going to spend a month there. Like where can I live a little bit more affordably, not being right in the center but accessible to you know, on the metros and stuff Like where's your place to spend?

Speaker 2: 28:55

some time. Generally the outer and run, ms Montse, is going to be cheaper for sure. So once you get out of, like the one through eight are going to be pretty expensive and then, once you get up to nine, 10, depends on what neighborhood you're in. Anything above that like really 11 through 20, with exceptions in certain neighborhoods. You're gonna start where you're gonna get Cause, if your listeners aren't familiar, paris, the Iranians' amounts are one through 20.

Speaker 2: 29:24

They start from center and spiral out like a snail. So the center is gonna be like one through eight. I would never spend any time in the eighth. While we're talking about this, go see the architecture. It happens to be there, but it's also kind of shared between two others. So like go see that and then get out.

Speaker 2: 29:41

It is like the least densely populated part of the city. It has the Champs-Elysees. Don't listen to the song, it's lying to you. The Champs-Elysees is not worth visiting. It's basically a strip mall. If you really wanna go to McDonald's, that's the place to do it. Otherwise, like I'd skip it. But once you get out into the Outer, iran is months, there's some really nice residential ones that are really welcoming but also aren't like too bougie. So like the 17th is gonna be very residential, very family, some big parks and very accessible to get into the rest of the city. The 14th is also like we joke, because there's literally nothing to do in the 14th. The catacombs are there, and for a good reason, because it's the deadest Iran is mall, but at the same time it's very. It's actually like those of us that have lived here for a while. When we go there we're like this is kind of quiet and nice to walk around.

Speaker 1: 30:29

How much would it cost to rent to a one bedroom apartment in those areas?

Speaker 2: 30:33

And if you're doing short term, for a month, a one bedroom apartment in those Iran is months is probably gonna run you somewhere in the range of like 1,100 bucks. I would guess it depends on the size, Right of course, Obviously, but I would guess like 1,300, something like that would probably get you something decent.

Speaker 1: 30:52

More economical than a hotel. For sure, yeah, for sure. And then well, that's the thing.

Speaker 2: 30:56

I think. It depends on how you're renting it and through whom, because sometimes those and I mean this year I do good luck. I mean with the Olympics, like people are charging 10 times what they should be for the. Olympics. It's insane.

Speaker 1: 31:10

How fun that'll be to be there.

Speaker 2: 31:12

Well, it's gonna be great. Thankfully, I have a place to sleep, so I'm not worried about it, and I have some tickets.

Speaker 1: 31:17

I'm looking forward to it. That's so exciting. Yeah, I forgot about that. Yeah, it's gonna be great, all right. And then like the cost, is it pretty much US prices or like I know you can get stuff like gross to store in cheaper.

Speaker 2: 31:29

Yeah, I mean, obviously, with inflation and everything, I think things are more stable here than they are in the US and the UK but somebody summarized this really well for me recently, where they're like kind of everything's more expensive except for wine, cigarettes and Metro tickets. But like I don't know, I think generally when I have friends that come from LA or New York, they find Paris to be similar or even cheaper. I think that's increasingly true, especially if you're gonna go out to eat, because we don't tip here, so you don't have to think about tipping. If you have a good service, you leave like one or two euros and they'll genuinely appreciate that.

Speaker 2: 32:05

I would say that, like for me, I generally eat like kind of upmarket street, so I'm eating in some fun trendy places and blah, blah, blah, but I'm not going to Michelin or anything like that. So for me I would. I generally would budget anywhere from 15 to 20 bucks for lunch and then anywhere from 20 to 50, depending on how much wine you drink. That's the other thing. Those wine is way cheaper here. So if you happen to really love wine, especially if you love natural wine, you will be blown away by how much cheaper it is here, especially if you go to like buy it in just a regular old wine cellar and so you don't have to pay for the restaurant. Like markup. It generally blows the minds of anybody who drinks wine. And then it's like how can I bring all this back with me?

Speaker 1: 32:48

Thank you yeah, hey cool, that's a very big popular thing with my brother-in-law. He's like they're French wine and I'm from, I live near Napa. He's like, no, no, no, there's no such thing. But it's like, I don't know, I tend to and I'm more of the sweet person, so, but the French wine is not sweet. I remember I'm feeling like it was dry, but it's good.

Speaker 2: 33:09

It's yeah, it's really I mean, but just kind of. I think it also depends. Like I'm not a wine expert, I have a bunch of friends who are small, he is so like the funny thing is that I just I just trust my friends. When I'm out, I usually, and if you go to a place, some advice to you for people that are coming. If you're intimidated by wine, you don't really know what to try or whatever. As long as you're going to a place that isn't wildly pretentious, generally you should be able to try to describe what you like and if you have, if you're dealing with somebody who knows at least halfway knows what they're doing, they'll be able to guide you closer to that.

Speaker 2: 33:41

And that's also spoiled me is that the places that I tend to go, I just trust and I'll just be like you know what I'm feeling, like a light red, you know, something kind of juicy and crisp but like not too intense, and that will translate something that they have on hand.

Speaker 2: 33:56

And so the cool thing is that I don't know, I feel like it's not so hard. Paris used to and it still has this reputation to some degree, and again, this is why I am impassioned to share the places that I love in my guide, on my YouTube channel or whatever, is because I want people to go to places where people are actually nice and have good quality stuff, and even if it costs a little bit more, your experience is going to be better. And if it's 15 minutes to get there, you know it's gonna be worth it because you're gonna have a great night. And so I'm kind of spoiled for that too, because then I go to these places and I'm I just tell them I don't know like here's what I'm feeling, and then they usually hit it out of the park.

Speaker 1: 34:34

Okay, so you're into value. Sometimes it's more expensive, but you're gonna get what you paid for or just give it? Yeah, absolutely, it's not worth it no.

Speaker 2: 34:43

The other thing on that, though, is that you can, because if you end up at some of the touristy corners, like that corner bistro, that's all red and you're like, oh, that looks fun. Like you might end up paying the exact same price, but for that same horrible burger and bun that I had in 2007 and questioned the meaning of existence. So I think that's part of it too, like there's always a little gamble there.

Speaker 1: 35:02

So I was gonna also ask because, although my brother-in-law is very dear, but I've also with French people. You hear the thing like and this is maybe when I was younger, I was there, everyone was nice to me, but that you can come off like rude or not liking if you're trying to speak French and you're not speaking it right, or how has that been? And it sounds like you've been there a while and you can speak it very well, but what are your thoughts on that?

Speaker 2: 35:26

It helps a lot. Honestly, I think there's a couple things that I always say when it comes to this Part of it is there are. So especially between Americans and the French, there are a couple of really big cultural differences that are subtle but really really important. The first thing that's not really a cultural difference, it's just something that doesn't get appreciated as much is, honestly, just making an effort. So if you try also as Americans, we tend to be fairly loud, so use your indoor voice for starters and then try to speak French, just try.

Speaker 1: 35:59

Say it or just no, parles-les-vous-français.

Speaker 2: 36:02

Exactly there you go. Honestly, whatever you try to say is gonna communicate it perfectly. If you don't speak French, they'll know, and if you do speak French half-decently, they will still probably speak to you in English, which can be frustrating to people that are trying to practice their French. But the reality is that that really goes a long ways and if you do get to a level where you speak French and they don't ever switch anymore and they find out that you're American, you are a rock star because they're like Americans, like we didn't realize, you could tie your shoes and get out of the house on your own in the morning and you can speak French like this is very impressive. Please continue. That's really fun.

Speaker 2: 36:35

The way that the French approach politeness and especially business interactions is different than Americans and generally I would say Americans. We tend to be like I'm here to do business, like just give me what I want and I'm out. But we also have a tendency to do small talk as a way of showing, of making someone feel welcome or making somebody feel included in a conversation, and the French are the opposite. The French want their formalities and their formalities are very simple. You just walk into a coffee shop, a cafe, any business. It's their home Traditionally. That's why you know that's where the term chae comes from. Like chae-jong, is it the other name of the country?

Speaker 1: 37:12

Oh okay.

Speaker 2: 37:13

So when you walk into chae-jong, you have to treat it like it's John's house, and so you start by announcing yourself by saying bonjour, which sounds so simple, but it is. It's the magic word and it is that important. You say bonjour, they say bonjour, and then you can ask for what you need. You say either two of us or we're looking for this, whatever. But that's where you start. If you don't say that, you will.

Speaker 2: 37:34

You will notice a temperature difference in the conversation that follows.

Speaker 2: 37:37

Even if they still feel a little bit cold, they're not as cold as if you skip the bonjour part and then, after you go through some of those formalities, then the friendliness might come out like it's not.

Speaker 2: 37:46

You're not here to chitchat, you're not here to be buddies, they're not your buddy, they don't give a crap, they just want to Kind of go through this process, and then that warms up and then you, and then you end up in that space where you can be Chattie, like after you've had a bottle of wine. You're chatting, you're doing whatever. You'll see that blossom, and so that's kind of the way that that happens with the French and because of those differences despite how like they're fairly subtle but they can lead to very different interpretations of that Engagement, and because of that people think that the French are very rude. But it's just because they're engaging. They're entering into this conversation with a completely different rulebook, and when you engage with that they do. They feel like you're being rude too, and so then all of a sudden you both think you're being rude and you're just talking past each other, and so all it takes just a little bit of understanding about that and a little bit of effort, and your whole experience changes because of it.

Speaker 1: 38:32

I mean all right. So we're gonna have to head into our rapid fire questions now, which I didn't give you Right, unless, kristen, you have something else here. I'm sure you get in there. Oh, what weather, what's that? I mean, I always think the weather is kind of like this, like what's the weather like there and what's the best times for folks to travel there.

Speaker 2: 38:54

Yeah, I mean Paris is very, is very reminiscent of Northwest, where I'm from. So I'm from Washington State and and from the inland part, so I'm actually used to harsher weather than that. So it's not too far off from Seattle, but it does get very hot in the summer and does hover around freezing in the winter. So my favorite times traditionally have always been May and September. With the climate changing, you'll see, like the rose, the cherry blossoms come a week or two earlier every year now, so it is kind of a moving target, but I Would say April, may is gonna be great. It's also Before the peak season happens. September is nice, though, because the weather is is also perfect.

Speaker 2: 39:35

Heading into fall, the French have all come back. The Parisians in particular have all come back from their vacations. So they're either Nice and relaxed because they just had a vacation, or a little extra grumpy. So you kind of flip in a coin there. But you know, because they either had to stay through August or because they wish they were still on vacation. But those weather wise, those are definitely my two favorite times to be here.

Speaker 1: 39:58

Awesome Thank you Great. Okay, so what is a popular holiday tradition that you enjoy? That's not, I'm glad they want, which is it's coming up soon.

Speaker 2: 40:09

It's a cake, it's a very special, it's a pastry. Get it. Get it there. It's for the epiphany. And you get, like this, this puff pastry that has an almond paste in it, that they put what, what's called the the feather. It's like the beat, literally the bean, inside of it. So you may have seen this where they cut it into slices and whoever gets it gets to be the king for a day. But it's a pastry, it's just a seasonal pastry that I absolutely love.

Speaker 1: 40:32

Oh, that sounds awesome. The holiday around that, okay, wow, fun, um, so what is? What would you have for breakfast? Typically cappuccino or croissant.

Speaker 2: 40:42

Oh well, if I usually I'm gonna have a banana and a protein shake, but the more romantic version, I suppose, would definitely be actually me personally, more like coffee and a and like a cookie, going to like a coffee shop and getting. I'm a specialty coffee drinker, so I'm a little bit of a coffee snob and I'm trying to popular belief. The French don't generally eat croissants very often it's a very rare thing, because it is basically a stick of butter. I don't know if you've seen the French, but they're not carrying around a lot of sticks of butter on them.

Speaker 1: 41:12

Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2: 41:14

Yeah, and then the French. If you're asking about like a French breakfast, it would be like an espresso and a cigarette is generally a French breakfast. Okay, they don't do that. If you're looking for a good brunch or good breakfast, you're coming to the wrong country. You got it. You got it, even somewhere.

Speaker 1: 41:28

I gotta go up to the UK.

Speaker 2: 41:30

They do not do.

Speaker 1: 41:31

They don't do like toast Right, it feels like they do toast or bread or something.

Speaker 2: 41:35

Yeah, so like a tarteen occasionally, but like For breakfast, yeah, they might. They might do that like if you have a family breakfast or something like that, but breakfast here is is a day.

Speaker 1: 41:44

It's a different and it's everyone drink like an espresso version of coffee, or do people drink drip coffee?

Speaker 2: 41:49

No, generally, espresso is the order of the day. Yeah, okay, got it Cool. It's very, very dark.

Speaker 1: 41:55

Okay, what about music? Is there a specific kind of music To France or a lot of like France, a lot of French hop artists?

Speaker 2: 42:05

Yeah, actually up is if you, if you, if you're listeners are interested in in rap at all. French rap is really fun. There's some really good stuff. I actually was just looking somebody up to out. Now I'm gonna now I'm on the spot, I'm gonna forget her name. Shoot, I know it's funny because I was in London but heard this French rapper and it's like, well, she's amazing, and looked her up and now I can't find it.

Speaker 1: 42:25

But what's the Money called was at the euro. Right, okay, euro, all right. And then what's the best way to get around? Rent a car. I'd say you're going for two weeks or something. Rent a car, hire Uber, like, or public transportation.

Speaker 2: 42:41

Oh, walking and public transportation. I think Paris is small so you can walk across Paris in like an hour and a half probably, or, and the walkability of the city is one of the best parts of it, because you can just explore. It's beautiful, it is amazing, and then, if you do need to get across town quickly, the metro is so easy and it's so fast. The only way to get across town faster than the metro is on my bike. Oh, okay, yeah, cars. You do not want to rent a car here. They're making it worse and worse all the time, like intentionally to try and get people to Ride their bikes more.

Speaker 1: 43:14

Yeah, don't okay, got it All right, and what's the closest place to surf? Where the tax? That question is there.

Speaker 2: 43:21

Is there surfing on the coast? Yeah, you could definitely surf on the coast, absolutely.

Speaker 1: 43:25

Okay cool.

Speaker 2: 43:26

Yeah, I would definitely suggest going down to like the best country. Personally, I'm not a surfer, but I've seen a lot of people surfing down there. Got some okay, yeah, cool and bass?

Speaker 1: 43:37

is that B a s, q u e? Okay, great, all right, and then where can people find you? You, what's your YouTube channel called?

Speaker 2: 43:46

Oh yes, it's my name Jay Swanson. I have to spell it for the French all the time, so I can spell it for you.

Speaker 1: 43:51

I'm from Minnesota. Swanson, I think comes around like I would spell it yeah.

Speaker 2: 43:57

Yeah, it's the Jay Swanson. And then, yeah, my guide is Paris, my pocket. We actually have also for your listeners. If they're interested, we have a discount code for them.

Speaker 1: 44:05

Okay.

Speaker 2: 44:06

I said, my guide to Paris with all my recommendations. Tons of articles are written over the years about how to do Paris, what like, how, where to stay, how to get around all these questions and more so that's like an online kind of yeah.

Speaker 2: 44:18

So it's online yeah so it used to be a PDF and now we've created like an online Version of it that's we're keeping updated all the time, and this whole conversation has made me so hungry Like I'm imagining places that are in it. But yeah, it's 15% off. With where next? Where next is the view.

Speaker 1: 44:33

Thank you so much. It's super fun Such a great conversation. Thank you.

Speaker 2: 44:37

Yeah, thank you for having me. I'm really glad that I got to do it. Thanks for letting me come on your podcast.

Speaker 1: 44:41

Yeah, absolutely yeah if I'm in France. I know who I'm contacting. Absolutely you're great, okay, okay, okay, awesome, thanks guys. Thanks so much, jay. Bye, yeah, you too, or Bye. Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed the podcast, can you please take a second and do a quick follow of the show and rate us in your podcast app and if you have a minute, we would really appreciate a review. Following and rating is the best way to support us. If you're on Instagram, let's connect. We're at where next podcast. Thanks again.