France – is it really so or why does everyone want to go there? Will the expectations match the reality when you see France with your own eyes?

Art

The capital of love, the heart of all romantics and lovers of traditional cuisine, are known all over the world. The birthplace of the world’s most famous architect — Gustave Eiffel, the legendary Coco Chanel and Resistance leader Charles de Gaulle. 

Hundreds of thousands of tourists every year receive marriage proposals here, avid shopaholics from all over the world come to Paris for fashion shows and visit glamorous boutiques. 

But is everything really perfect in France?

A little history. 

In 1889, the World’s Fair was held in Paris from May to October in honor of the centenary of the Bastille, during which the French engineer and specialist in the design of metal structures Gustave Eiffel was given the task — it was necessary to build a tower with a height of 300 meters. After the exhibition, the structure was planned to be dismantled. The main goal of the World Exhibition is to create a structure that would clearly demonstrate the achievements of the country in the field of engineering and new modern technologies. The cost of construction cost the French government 7.8 million gold francs, but the tower quickly paid off during the exhibition and is the main source of income in the tourism sector in France to this day.

Интересные факты об Эйфелевой башне

Despite the fact, that the competition work of the Eiffel made a huge splash during the exhibition, the French people themselves were very fond of criticizing the tower. They called it ugly, wrote letters of indignation to the government of the country, and said, that the tower spoils the unique appearance of Paris, which was formed for decades. Moreover, protests were held in the French capital throughout the construction of the tower. Local newspapers “shouted” phrases: “the tallest lamppost in the world”, “the skeleton of the bell tower”, “unfinished factory chimney”, “iron monster”. The writer Guy de Maupassant called the structure “a skinny pyramid of metal stairs.”

Not without an initiative from Russia: in 1907, a six-meter electric clock was installed on the second floor of the tower, designed by Russian engineer Nikolai Romeyko-Gurko. 

http://rntbcat.org.by/belnames/F_HTM/Romeiko.HTML

Today, the Eiffel Tower is accessible to visitors on a daily basis. According to statistics, every year the main symbol of Paris is visited by 5-6 million people. The tower impresses tourists from all over the world not only because of its history, but also because of its scale: 300 meters in height, 100 tons in weight. The French are not afraid of the fact that at one moment a multi-ton structure can fall: back in the last century, engineers and physicists proved that the tower is designed in such a way that it exerts no more pressure on the ground than a person sitting on a chair. 

https://mytravelry.com/ru/blog/tour-eiffel/

Not everything is so cloudless. 

Despite the romantic spirit of France, the French themselves are not always happy with life and government in their country. Constant protests, rallies and strikes. Dissatisfied with the government’s policies in the economy and employment, people take to the streets again and again. After unauthorized demonstrations, hundreds of people are detained, fined, and problems do not go away. Dissatisfied with the level of inflation and wages, the French express their civic position on unfair bills, against police violence in France is called the yellow vest movement. 

https://iz.ru/822324/2018-12-11/lider-nepokorivsheisia-frantcii-zaiavil-o-prodolzhenii-protestov

Despite the large number of dissatisfied citizens, the number of emigrants from all over the world, and especially from Africa, increases every year in France.

Because of the differences in mentality, culture, and behavior, ethnic groups were created in Paris. Members of ethnic groups from North Africa have a harder time finding work in France than those from Near Europe or South Asia. Even taking into account the fact that France positions itself as a tolerant and modern European country, racism is still not completely destroyed there, because which black emigrants lose themselves in life and become marginals, criminals, drug dealers, thus aggravating the overall appearance of Paris of: they live on the street or in the subway, steal money and personal belongings from tourists and local residents, and cause riots on the streets. 

ttps://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Этнические_группы_Парижа

Tourist frustrations. 

When tourists, inspired by beautiful dreams of Paris and France in general, see the country with their own eyes, promising expectations don’t always coincide with reality. Dirt and garbage on the streets, and especially in areas where ethnic groups of emigrants live, often confuse travelers, very inflated prices for ordinary products in local stores and not always friendly French people-all this in total can spoil the overall impression of dreamy tourists. But it can not be said that absolutely all travelers are disappointed in this country. Rich history and culture, unique architecture and cuisine make France one of a kind and make people from all over the world come back here again and again.

https://paris-life.info/most-aleksandra-iii/1387-most-aleksandra-iii-v-parise/