When I was in France I loved the area around Arles, and Perigord, and the Camargue - basically the places that had nature, and interesting ruins, and fresh food. Paris was okay, I loved the arts culture, poetry clubs, the museums and bookshops, the public gardens, the galleries, the markets and the people. My problem with Paris was the smell. There seemed to be nowhere completely free of the stink of sewers and drains. What's that like nowadays? One hopes that after all these years it's better, but on the other hand, I think Paris is a lot bigger now, so it may be even worse?