City is in the Eye of the Beholder

for BT
Thursday, February 23, 2017

She asked me: “Do you think that Paris is the most beautiful city in the world?”

The correct answer is ‘Yes’ and ‘No,’ and neither are wrong! Que faut-il faire ?

Once you’ve seen all the monuments, they recede from the view, but their cultural and historical weight keeps the fabric of the city from being blown away
You don’t notice the architecture actively, but it remains a part of the landscape as the jaggedness of the rooftops becomes the rhythm section for the visual music captured by your eyes
The river not so much divides the city as it provides it with a break. Its banks soften the speed by making you slow down as you cross it
A break for lunch provides a moment of much needed solitude even in the most crowded and noisiest of environments
Blue-blooded and inclusive, it opens its arms for everyone

Are there more physically beautiful cities? Yeah, San Francisco, Sydney, Hong Kong, Cape Town come to mind.

Are there culturally more active cities? Possibly, New York City.

Are there more historic cities? London, many cities in Italy, even Durrës, Albania!

Are there cities with more extravagant architecture? Florence.

Are there cities with better food? Any city in India.

Are there cities with more diversity? Several big cities of the world.

Are there cities that fill me with more joy? Non !