Bonjour!
Today I will share my first experience from my stay in Paris a few months ago.
France is ranked 3rd in terms of the best geographical areas within European countries and is bordered by six countries: Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg to the northeast, Switzerland and Italy to the southeast, and Spain to the southwest; the United Kingdom borders France via the English Channel. France is considered to be the gateway to Europe as there are several large international airports (two of these can be found in Paris), ferry terminals and the French rail service.
France is the most popular tourist destination in the world. There are many reasons why people enjoy visiting Paris, among them being its diverse population, its natural beauty, the amazing climate, and its outdoor recreational activities such as golf courses, art museums and galleries to name a few. There are many different activities that outline the history of the country which are enjoyable for visitors, especially considering its turbulent past.
People in France are courteous and very formal, but are also known for being chic and taking great pride in their personal appearance and clothing. Some people from other countries view France as an arrogant country because of these characteristics, citizens attribute this to simply being fashionable and careful with their appearance.
France is also rich in history and culture. You can find people from all backgrounds and heritages in the country. It is well known that there are many immigrants from Muslim majority countries in France and nearly 40% of all entrants come from the Islamic States of Morocco, Tunisia, Turkey and Africa.
Muslims in Paris are about 7% of the population, so finding Mosques, halal food, or restaurants within the city is not difficult. Paris is surrounded by a number of Muslim neighborhoods and some of the Muslim dominated areas in Paris are Belleville, Goutte-d’Or, the Myrha Street, Strasbourg Saint-Denis area, Champigny and Nanterre. The 18th arrondissement has the maximum population of Muslims and there are a number of halal restaurants located there.
I was staying for a few weeks with a Muslim family at Nanterre, Paris. They are a very nice family and were very respectful to their guests. It was very comfortable staying with them and they took me around the city of Paris with their cars in addition to teaching me how to use the train to visit some of the famous places in Paris.
The atmosphere around the house was very conducive as we often met with women wearing hijab and some of them can speak Arabic. There was also a small mosque near the house, and it was not difficult to find Halal food and restaurants.
My next article will share my story about finding a mosque and halal food/restaurants in Paris.
