Ah, Paris. The glittering Eiffel Tower, charming al-fresco cafés, romantic walks along the Seine, magnificent buildings… The French capital surely serves as a metaphor for all that is supposedly enchanted, sophisticated and grand in the world. The clichés you often hear are definitely true: couples getting engaged in the beautiful Eiffel Tower surroundings, people sipping wine, city dwellers carrying baguettes underneath the arm. You’ve heard it all before.

You’ll soon discover Paris feeds purely off these overheard expectations and people tend to fantasise about the city as if it were a magical place, where unicorns live and candy floss grows on trees.

This wasn’t the first time I’ve been to Paris. As a first-timer, I felt slightly alienated for not being able to find it the charming city they pictured. “What is wrong with me?”, I thought. I know I’m not an overly romantic person, but was I that cold-hearted? A few years later I gave it another try, still nothing… Just ‘meh’. Apart from the stunning iconic landmarks, I wasn’t impressed, in fact I was a bit disappointed.

There are so many things they don’t tell you about Paris…