Between hysteria and legitimate concern: Why the whole of Paris is currently discussing bed bugs.
It’s an old joke that taxi drivers at Charles de Gaulle Airport like to scare their newly arrived guests with: “Bonjour. Welcome to Paris. The city of love and sexually transmitted diseases!” The travelers laugh awkwardly and then are quiet for a while. The driver steers with the determined demeanor of a warrior Paris Centre counter: Let’s go to the wild and depraved metropolis!
There’s a mental peculiarity behind this: for some reason, many Parisians seem to like the idea that all the glamor and luxury in their city is just a facade that hides everything else. The dirt and the decadence. The many pitfalls and peculiarities that arise from everyday life gallery do, a nerve-wracking drudgery. If you want to insult a Parisian, tell them that their city is very safe and clean. The glossy series “Emily in Paris” is a huge insult to many residents.
At the counters of the bistros, there is regularly talk of rats and rubbish – and, for a few weeks now, also of bed bugs. It started after the long summer holidays.