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-   -   Pigeons (https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/pigeons-561680/)

pippy Sep 29th, 2006 10:28 AM

I'm happy to hear that I am not alone...I just back from a trip to London, Barcelona, Florence, Rome and Paris. I think my phobia got worse through the trip....there are aggressive pigeons everywhere...and flocks of them too...I actually had a really hard time on the trip and ended in tears alot of the time. It got to the point where I wanted to do most of our sightseeing during the nighttime!?! If anyone has gotten over their phobia successfully, I'd love to hear how...

kerouac Oct 1st, 2006 07:34 AM

It is illiegal to feed the pigeons in Paris, and you can actually receive a very hefty fine for doing so (around 300 €). Naturally, this is only aimed at people like bird ladies who live for attracting pigeons, and people won't get in trouble for throwing a few crumbs. However, just a couple weeks ago in the Luxembourg gardens, I saw a park policeman stop some tourists who were going a little overboard in their sandwich distribution. He made them stop.
Nevertheless, for people with a bird phobia, pigeons in Paris generally do not get too close to you. It is the sparrows who will actually come to grab stuff out of your hand.

seetheworld Oct 1st, 2006 08:23 AM

There are lots of pigeons in the Gardens in Seville. They even have someone called "pigeon man" and all the pigeons sit on him. It's quite disgusting.

I have the same phobia that tuscanlifeedit has. I have to breathe deeply in order to drive myself across a bridge, ever since childhood.

cigalechanta Oct 1st, 2006 08:40 AM

There is a guy in Paris who feeds the pigeons and is well-known. He makes crude drawings of them and has named each one in the place he feeds them near Le Palais Royale.


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