After another late start (what is it about Paris that makes us so tired??) we joined our friends for dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant. Most of the Asian restaurants/people are Vietnamese, due to the close ties the countries had in the past. It was alright, though I'm still trying to find some good Asian food here. I'll need to Yelp it more.
Speaking of which, I really haven't done much research at all into the Paris touristy stuff until today, and realized just how much there is to do here. Given that I only have weekends (and those that we aren't traveling) I'm wondering how I'm going to get it all done in 4 months (and I can't believe it's already been almost 2 months)! So many museums to see!
So as part of that journey, we went to the Eiffel tower. Well not on it, but we did walk under it and for the first time saw it from the other side of the Siene (prounced "sin" which I always forget) which was pretty cool. I've only actually been on it during the day 5 years ago, so I'm looking forward to seeing the view from it at night sometime.
Saturday, November 30, 2013
How to be Parisian
I took the day off today to get some more time to explore. After a late start, I met Kara and her friends after Kara's class, to eat lunch in the Opera area. One of the interesting things about French work life is that most jobs provide a cheque
déjeuner (lunch voucher) worth between 5€ and 8€ that can be spent on lunch at cafes in France. It seems to be regulated by law, but regardless it's an expected work perk. Since our office park has a cafeteria (canteen as they call it here) I don't get a voucher, but my lunch is still subsidized (so an entree, dessert, bread, and salad would be around 4€).
Kara's friends had already been to Paris before, so after lunch we checked out one of the more off-the-beaten-path museums by going to the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, which is basically a furniture museum for how rich people lived throughout the ages. It was somewhat interesting (though much more Kara's thing than mine) but what made it a truly memorable experience is that to liven things up, they put random modern art installations right next to the furniture. So for instance, you would have a 19th century bed, and have a mannequin chained to the wall around its neck. Yeah, that's a bit random right? Or a 17th century chair, with photos of some guy dressed in drag in colorful robes above it. It was so bizarre!
After the museum closed (and btw, museums are very strict on their closing times. They want everyone completely out of the building at 6, so they start chasing you out at 5:40) we then went to see this show we saw an ad for called How to Become Parisian in One Hour. It's by a French guy who lived in the US for 5 years, and basically plays up the sterotypes of both sides of the Atlantic. It was really funny, and provided some useful tips on how to be Parisian in restaurants and the metro.
It's also interesting that it's ranked as the 9th most popular thing in Paris, beating out Notre Dame and the Arc de Triomphe. Oh crazy ranking algorithms...
We finished the night with some crepes while it was pouring rain, and then drinks at a local cafe I'd been meaning to try out that was quite nice. It was a good night!
Kara's friends had already been to Paris before, so after lunch we checked out one of the more off-the-beaten-path museums by going to the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, which is basically a furniture museum for how rich people lived throughout the ages. It was somewhat interesting (though much more Kara's thing than mine) but what made it a truly memorable experience is that to liven things up, they put random modern art installations right next to the furniture. So for instance, you would have a 19th century bed, and have a mannequin chained to the wall around its neck. Yeah, that's a bit random right? Or a 17th century chair, with photos of some guy dressed in drag in colorful robes above it. It was so bizarre!
After the museum closed (and btw, museums are very strict on their closing times. They want everyone completely out of the building at 6, so they start chasing you out at 5:40) we then went to see this show we saw an ad for called How to Become Parisian in One Hour. It's by a French guy who lived in the US for 5 years, and basically plays up the sterotypes of both sides of the Atlantic. It was really funny, and provided some useful tips on how to be Parisian in restaurants and the metro.
It's also interesting that it's ranked as the 9th most popular thing in Paris, beating out Notre Dame and the Arc de Triomphe. Oh crazy ranking algorithms...
We finished the night with some crepes while it was pouring rain, and then drinks at a local cafe I'd been meaning to try out that was quite nice. It was a good night!
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Paris Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving!!
Kara's friend and her boyfriend came to visit today, which make them our very first visitors! As we haven't actually done too much in Paris yet, we're not really sure where to take them, but we'll be acting like tourists over the weekend so I'm excited.
Obviously the French don't celebrate Turkey Day, so it was just a normal workday here (our friends weren't here till late afternoon so I still went to work). Since I got off Nov 1st and Nov 11th for French holidays it all works out the same. I was hoping though that they'd at least have chicken and/or apple pie in the cafeteria, but nope. It is possible to get turkey in France, it's just not terribly common (honestly about as common as it is in the US if you went to any random restaurant and tried to find turkey on the menu) but there aren't rows of frozen turkeys for sale like in the US. You have to get them at a butcher's shop, and it's pricey then.
There are a few American restaurants that serve Thanksgiving dinners, but they had already all filled up with reservations. So we went out in search of somewhere to eat and I got some chicken. I also had my first escargot of our adventure (I first tried it a few years back and discovered I quite like the little guys) which a great appetizer for Thanksgiving! And we made sure they had apple pie on the dessert menu.
Then we wandered around Concorde and discovered that Paris has a Christmas market too! They setup booths along the Champs de Elysees, and there's a big ferris wheel at the end by Tuileries, and lots of Christmas lights! We got some vin chaud and walked around, and then rode down a slide on mats which was fun. All in all good times, and we only covered the booths on one side of the street, so we'll be going back to check out the other side.
Kara's friend and her boyfriend came to visit today, which make them our very first visitors! As we haven't actually done too much in Paris yet, we're not really sure where to take them, but we'll be acting like tourists over the weekend so I'm excited.
Obviously the French don't celebrate Turkey Day, so it was just a normal workday here (our friends weren't here till late afternoon so I still went to work). Since I got off Nov 1st and Nov 11th for French holidays it all works out the same. I was hoping though that they'd at least have chicken and/or apple pie in the cafeteria, but nope. It is possible to get turkey in France, it's just not terribly common (honestly about as common as it is in the US if you went to any random restaurant and tried to find turkey on the menu) but there aren't rows of frozen turkeys for sale like in the US. You have to get them at a butcher's shop, and it's pricey then.
There are a few American restaurants that serve Thanksgiving dinners, but they had already all filled up with reservations. So we went out in search of somewhere to eat and I got some chicken. I also had my first escargot of our adventure (I first tried it a few years back and discovered I quite like the little guys) which a great appetizer for Thanksgiving! And we made sure they had apple pie on the dessert menu.
Then we wandered around Concorde and discovered that Paris has a Christmas market too! They setup booths along the Champs de Elysees, and there's a big ferris wheel at the end by Tuileries, and lots of Christmas lights! We got some vin chaud and walked around, and then rode down a slide on mats which was fun. All in all good times, and we only covered the booths on one side of the street, so we'll be going back to check out the other side.
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Christmas Tree!
Today we bought our Paris Christmas Tree (sapin de Noël). Stands starting showing up yesterday, and so we figured we should jump on it, as well as get it before American Thanksgiving. I'd never had a real tree, and while they do have artificial ones here, it just made sense to get a real one for this one off event.
Most of the trees here are flocked, and not a light coating either, so it looks like the tree went through a blizzard. We went with the closest shop near our apartment, so after lugging the tree home a few blocks we got it setup. Also after unwrapping it, we found that it's more a Christmas Shrub than a Christmas Tree, but Kara loves it anyways.
Another thing we weren't sure about is how to water it. All the Christmas trees in Paris come mounted in a chopped in half log. Which apparently is exactly what you don't want to have. But we didn't see any of the typical tree stands which let it stand in water, and were trying to come up with ideas of how to keep it in water. Our Google-fu wasn't coming up with anything (other than that mounting it in wood is a terrible idea) until we searched in French, and on one of the French websites it seemed to imply you just need a little bit of water in a saucer to put the log in. So we figured a cookie sheet would do and we'll try to keep it moist as best we can. When Kara asked about it the next day in her French class, her teacher seemed very confused that we were worrying about watering it. Apparently it just stays hydrated with this magic log ("you have a log, why do you need water"). So I guess we'll see how long this tree actually lasts, maybe they make trees differently in France. I hope it can make it to Christmas!
(Update: Even with just the log to put it in, our Paris Christmas tree lasted all the way through Christmas. Either they use different types of trees here that stand up to lack of watering, or the logs really are magical)
We then went off to find lights and some ornaments for it. And in the process learned the word for "flashing" (clignotantes) after we got the lights home and discovered they were flashing lights, which drive both of us insane (who actually likes flashing Christmas lights???). So that will be an adventure in returning merchandise then.
Also we had to call the plumber today since our shower is clogged and our normal remedies aren't working. Kara was able to do it all in French, even after they started asking direction questions like which floor we were on, and got it booked for Thursday afternoon. So we'll see how that goes.
Most of the trees here are flocked, and not a light coating either, so it looks like the tree went through a blizzard. We went with the closest shop near our apartment, so after lugging the tree home a few blocks we got it setup. Also after unwrapping it, we found that it's more a Christmas Shrub than a Christmas Tree, but Kara loves it anyways.
Another thing we weren't sure about is how to water it. All the Christmas trees in Paris come mounted in a chopped in half log. Which apparently is exactly what you don't want to have. But we didn't see any of the typical tree stands which let it stand in water, and were trying to come up with ideas of how to keep it in water. Our Google-fu wasn't coming up with anything (other than that mounting it in wood is a terrible idea) until we searched in French, and on one of the French websites it seemed to imply you just need a little bit of water in a saucer to put the log in. So we figured a cookie sheet would do and we'll try to keep it moist as best we can. When Kara asked about it the next day in her French class, her teacher seemed very confused that we were worrying about watering it. Apparently it just stays hydrated with this magic log ("you have a log, why do you need water"). So I guess we'll see how long this tree actually lasts, maybe they make trees differently in France. I hope it can make it to Christmas!
(Update: Even with just the log to put it in, our Paris Christmas tree lasted all the way through Christmas. Either they use different types of trees here that stand up to lack of watering, or the logs really are magical)
We then went off to find lights and some ornaments for it. And in the process learned the word for "flashing" (clignotantes) after we got the lights home and discovered they were flashing lights, which drive both of us insane (who actually likes flashing Christmas lights???). So that will be an adventure in returning merchandise then.
Also we had to call the plumber today since our shower is clogged and our normal remedies aren't working. Kara was able to do it all in French, even after they started asking direction questions like which floor we were on, and got it booked for Thursday afternoon. So we'll see how that goes.
Monday, November 25, 2013
Back to Paris
On our last day in Copenhagnen we visited the Church of Our Saviour and walked up to the very top of that spiral in the photo. It gives great views of Copenhagen, but it was really really cold and windy.
We then had our final danishs (which there's a reason breakfast pastries are called Danish's, it's because they're so incredibly good) and headed back to the airport to fly back home to Paris. It was kind of odd to think about flying home to a European city.
Unfortuantely after landing, we walked to the RER train line to go home, but it was all blocked off by security. We still don't know what the problem was, but after waiting 10 minutes with no sign of them opening up the train station, we decided to try for other forms of transportation. Taxi's are expensive, so we decided to try out the bus system. We hopped on the first one available (line 350) and was quite an adventure and took about an hour (mostly due to traffic) but we finally made it to a metro stop to make it the rest of the way home.
I have to say, using public transit to get to/from the airport kind of worries me, which is why I insist on leaving so much earlier to allow for random delays like this.
We then had our final danishs (which there's a reason breakfast pastries are called Danish's, it's because they're so incredibly good) and headed back to the airport to fly back home to Paris. It was kind of odd to think about flying home to a European city.
Unfortuantely after landing, we walked to the RER train line to go home, but it was all blocked off by security. We still don't know what the problem was, but after waiting 10 minutes with no sign of them opening up the train station, we decided to try for other forms of transportation. Taxi's are expensive, so we decided to try out the bus system. We hopped on the first one available (line 350) and was quite an adventure and took about an hour (mostly due to traffic) but we finally made it to a metro stop to make it the rest of the way home.
I have to say, using public transit to get to/from the airport kind of worries me, which is why I insist on leaving so much earlier to allow for random delays like this.
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Copenhagen Day 3
Today we visited the Denmark National History Museum. It was really windy and thus very cold today so it worked out quite nicely. It had a really interesting exhibit on Denmark's pre-history and had some skeletons and clothing of burials from 1300BC. It was really neat.
We then wandered around downtown in the evening, and came across a really fun store called Tiger which had all sorts of really unique and fun items (like a monster ice cream scooper, or a mustache for your bike) and was CHEAP! Or well normal US prices, which is super cheap in Denmark. It was really really fun.
We also had to try a Max burger since their ads looked so good and we hadn't had a good burger in a while. It was expensive (as everything else is in Denmark, a combo meal is like $8) but pretty darn good.
The day ended by us flipping through Danish TV channels randomly, and discovering that the Cowboys-Giants NFL game was on. But the most interesting part was there were Danish announcers for it! So watching it you would get "something something something Cowboys something something something two minute warning something something something something". I would have never imagined that the NFL was popular enough in Denmark to warrant hiring guys to do the play by play in the native language.
We then wandered around downtown in the evening, and came across a really fun store called Tiger which had all sorts of really unique and fun items (like a monster ice cream scooper, or a mustache for your bike) and was CHEAP! Or well normal US prices, which is super cheap in Denmark. It was really really fun.
We also had to try a Max burger since their ads looked so good and we hadn't had a good burger in a while. It was expensive (as everything else is in Denmark, a combo meal is like $8) but pretty darn good.
The day ended by us flipping through Danish TV channels randomly, and discovering that the Cowboys-Giants NFL game was on. But the most interesting part was there were Danish announcers for it! So watching it you would get "something something something Cowboys something something something two minute warning something something something something". I would have never imagined that the NFL was popular enough in Denmark to warrant hiring guys to do the play by play in the native language.
Saturday, November 23, 2013
Copenhagen Day 2
After waking up in our incredibly small hotel room (the bed is pushed against the wall and you get a small ketchup packet sized shampoo satchel) we explored the castle of Christian IV which was a Danish king in the 1500's who lived like you'd imagine a king would. It was one of the first castles where there was actually a throne. It wasn't tooo gigantic, though there's a moat and giant park around it, and it was far larger (and much much nicer) than anyone else was living back then.
Then we visited Nyhavn, which had its own Christmas market and is just generally a very pretty area of Copenhagen. I got a waffle on a stick covered with coconut which was delicious, and Kara got some authentic Æbleskiver. We actually have an Æbleskiver pan back in Austin, but these were much better. She also had a fun experience going into a bathroom as we didn't realize it was just the men's room. So we thought it was a quaint cultural thing where there was open urinals in the "common" bathroom. Nope, turns out the women's bathroom was on the other side of the canal, so she just walked right into the men's bathroom. It explains why the other men seemed distraught she was in there.
We finished the day by visiting the famous Tivoli Gardens amusement park. It's where Walt Disney got his inspiration for Disneyland, and was decorated gorgeously for Christmas. You pay for entrance to get into the park ($18), and then you can either pay for each ride separately, or get an unlimited pass. As I love amusement park rides I went for the unlimited pass, and we got to ride the 3rd oldest roller coaster in existence, which is almost 100 years old (and REALLY fun!) They actually have a guy in the middle who stands up during the ride to apply the brakes to ensure you don't fly off the track. It's really really cool.
They also have one of the most intense and scary rides I've ever been on called Vertigo. I love rollercoaster and thrill rides, and even this had me holding on for dear life as you fly upside down at 60MPH a 100 feet in the air. I loved it!!!
Then we visited Nyhavn, which had its own Christmas market and is just generally a very pretty area of Copenhagen. I got a waffle on a stick covered with coconut which was delicious, and Kara got some authentic Æbleskiver. We actually have an Æbleskiver pan back in Austin, but these were much better. She also had a fun experience going into a bathroom as we didn't realize it was just the men's room. So we thought it was a quaint cultural thing where there was open urinals in the "common" bathroom. Nope, turns out the women's bathroom was on the other side of the canal, so she just walked right into the men's bathroom. It explains why the other men seemed distraught she was in there.
We finished the day by visiting the famous Tivoli Gardens amusement park. It's where Walt Disney got his inspiration for Disneyland, and was decorated gorgeously for Christmas. You pay for entrance to get into the park ($18), and then you can either pay for each ride separately, or get an unlimited pass. As I love amusement park rides I went for the unlimited pass, and we got to ride the 3rd oldest roller coaster in existence, which is almost 100 years old (and REALLY fun!) They actually have a guy in the middle who stands up during the ride to apply the brakes to ensure you don't fly off the track. It's really really cool.
They also have one of the most intense and scary rides I've ever been on called Vertigo. I love rollercoaster and thrill rides, and even this had me holding on for dear life as you fly upside down at 60MPH a 100 feet in the air. I loved it!!!
Friday, November 22, 2013
Copenhagen
Today we flew to Copenhagen for the weekend. Kara has a friend from Denmark and has always wanted to visit a Scandanavian country, and thanks to EasyJet it's very cheap to fly there.
Of course flying an ultra-low cost airline like EasyJet means every possible thing that they can cut out is cut out. So the seats are cramped, you can only carry on one piece of luggage (and that's very strict, a purse counts as a second piece of luggage and isn't allowed), you have to print out your tickets beforehand, checked luggage is $50 one-way, and to get water in flight is 2.50 euro. But the flight is $100 cheaper than the next closest airline so for the giant hassle you can get some good deals.
The Paris airport also has a really terrifying chime it plays before public announcements. It literally sounds like a ghost is about to scare you and is even worse because it starts with no warning.
Once we got to Copenhagen, we had our standard 24-hours of bad travel by getting lost and getting off at the wrong train station. But we figured it out after studying the metro map a while, and finally got to the correct one to walk to our hotel. After dropping off the luggage we went exploring and found our first European Christmas market in the center of Copenhagen!!
This is something I'm really surprised doesn't exist in the US as they're pretty awesome. They sell mulled wine, sausages, warm hats, and all sorts of cool things. It's really really pretty and Christmasy, and it was really fun to visit.
We also visited the interesting area known as Christiana, which is kind of an autonomous region of Copenhagen/Denmark that runs by its own rules. It started out as a squatter community at an abandonded military base in the 1970's, and is basically a giant hippy commune. There's also tons of stands selling weed openly even though it's illegal in Denmark, which is why they don't allow any photos inside the area. It's a very unique and odd place.
The one bad thing about Copenhagen is that it's on its own currency, and the exchange rate is really bad. A bottle of coke in 7-11 (yeah, those are everywhere there which was surprising) is $6, a cinnamon roll (while incredibly delicious) is $8, and street food sausage and beer is almost $18. It was by far the most expensive city I've ever visited, and I just tried to forget how much everything was costing me.
On the other hand Denmark is rated as the happiest countries in the world and while it may have been cold (highs around 38F) they have an amazing social system and I could see how it would be a nice relief to not worry about healthcare.
Of course flying an ultra-low cost airline like EasyJet means every possible thing that they can cut out is cut out. So the seats are cramped, you can only carry on one piece of luggage (and that's very strict, a purse counts as a second piece of luggage and isn't allowed), you have to print out your tickets beforehand, checked luggage is $50 one-way, and to get water in flight is 2.50 euro. But the flight is $100 cheaper than the next closest airline so for the giant hassle you can get some good deals.
The Paris airport also has a really terrifying chime it plays before public announcements. It literally sounds like a ghost is about to scare you and is even worse because it starts with no warning.
Once we got to Copenhagen, we had our standard 24-hours of bad travel by getting lost and getting off at the wrong train station. But we figured it out after studying the metro map a while, and finally got to the correct one to walk to our hotel. After dropping off the luggage we went exploring and found our first European Christmas market in the center of Copenhagen!!
This is something I'm really surprised doesn't exist in the US as they're pretty awesome. They sell mulled wine, sausages, warm hats, and all sorts of cool things. It's really really pretty and Christmasy, and it was really fun to visit.
We also visited the interesting area known as Christiana, which is kind of an autonomous region of Copenhagen/Denmark that runs by its own rules. It started out as a squatter community at an abandonded military base in the 1970's, and is basically a giant hippy commune. There's also tons of stands selling weed openly even though it's illegal in Denmark, which is why they don't allow any photos inside the area. It's a very unique and odd place.
The one bad thing about Copenhagen is that it's on its own currency, and the exchange rate is really bad. A bottle of coke in 7-11 (yeah, those are everywhere there which was surprising) is $6, a cinnamon roll (while incredibly delicious) is $8, and street food sausage and beer is almost $18. It was by far the most expensive city I've ever visited, and I just tried to forget how much everything was costing me.
On the other hand Denmark is rated as the happiest countries in the world and while it may have been cold (highs around 38F) they have an amazing social system and I could see how it would be a nice relief to not worry about healthcare.
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Cows in the Freeway
Yesterday I was warned that I should just work from home today because farmers were going to block the major freeways with cows today. I kid you not. It turns out they just used tractors, but they were upset over some new taxes and decided to disrupt Paris traffic today and (arguably) contributed to some fatal traffic accidents. Only in France....
Also today I had to get some baking soda to try to clear a clogged drain, and in France that's located behind the counter in pharmacies. I have no idea why, but it's not the trivial kind of thing to buy like it is in the US.
I'm also thankful that because the Paris office is so small, I can actually see outside from my desk. Windows are pretty nice.
Also today I had to get some baking soda to try to clear a clogged drain, and in France that's located behind the counter in pharmacies. I have no idea why, but it's not the trivial kind of thing to buy like it is in the US.
I'm also thankful that because the Paris office is so small, I can actually see outside from my desk. Windows are pretty nice.
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Music in France
I love music and concerts, and I was particularly happy to get this opportunity to live in France because other countries often get a lot of really great music that the US doesn't often get exposed to. It's partly why I was so happy that Psy's Gangum Style blew up so much, since a foreign song normally never gets played on US radio. Meanwhile US songs get played all the time in every country, even if English isn't the main language of that country (which is why I find it both depressing and hilarious that people are concerned about making English the official language of the US. Anyone who has ever been overseas understands how ridiculous this concern is)
Proof of this was the Gogol Bordello concert I went to on Tuesday. It's an American "gypsy punk" band that I've liked ever since seeing them at ACL a few years back and I had them tied with Matt & Kim as my favorite act that year. They were touring with Man Man, and I was incredibly surprised at how crazy and into the music the Parisians were. Typically they're very reserved and introverted people from our experiences so far, but I'd never seen such an incredibly energetic crowd at any concert ever. It may have been because it was Gogol Bordello (which put on incredibly energetic fun concerts) but quite literally the entire place was jumping up and down, crowd surfing, moshing, and dancing their butts off. It was amazing!
But as far as French radio, even with my 10 minutes of drive time in the car everyday, some songs are played incredibly often, and they are quite catchy. And almost none of them are known in the US, so this post is dedicated to my new favorite songs:
Stromae is my favorite new artist. He's from Belgium and has several number 1 hits, including one about "just dancing" that Kayne West sampled for a US hit:
But this is probably my favorite one (about missing his father, the refrain is "Father where are you?"):
And this is his most popular song in Europe (about his girlfriend breaking up with him, the refrain is "Wonderful"):
From other artists, this is one of my favorite French pop songs (It's about how the guy isn't worthy (a "loser" which you can hear in English) to be with the girl):
And this is a UK rapper that has reached #1 in multiple European countries, but won't have any presence at all in the US until May 2014. So I guess around then, expect to hear this on the radio constantly:
Finally this is an older Mika song that hit #1 in France a few years back that was played in Kara's class. It's about all the advice he gets from different women in his life ("She tells me"):
I'm looking forward to exploring more European/French music and going to a lot more concerts!
Proof of this was the Gogol Bordello concert I went to on Tuesday. It's an American "gypsy punk" band that I've liked ever since seeing them at ACL a few years back and I had them tied with Matt & Kim as my favorite act that year. They were touring with Man Man, and I was incredibly surprised at how crazy and into the music the Parisians were. Typically they're very reserved and introverted people from our experiences so far, but I'd never seen such an incredibly energetic crowd at any concert ever. It may have been because it was Gogol Bordello (which put on incredibly energetic fun concerts) but quite literally the entire place was jumping up and down, crowd surfing, moshing, and dancing their butts off. It was amazing!
But as far as French radio, even with my 10 minutes of drive time in the car everyday, some songs are played incredibly often, and they are quite catchy. And almost none of them are known in the US, so this post is dedicated to my new favorite songs:
Stromae is my favorite new artist. He's from Belgium and has several number 1 hits, including one about "just dancing" that Kayne West sampled for a US hit:
But this is probably my favorite one (about missing his father, the refrain is "Father where are you?"):
And this is his most popular song in Europe (about his girlfriend breaking up with him, the refrain is "Wonderful"):
From other artists, this is one of my favorite French pop songs (It's about how the guy isn't worthy (a "loser" which you can hear in English) to be with the girl):
And this is a UK rapper that has reached #1 in multiple European countries, but won't have any presence at all in the US until May 2014. So I guess around then, expect to hear this on the radio constantly:
Finally this is an older Mika song that hit #1 in France a few years back that was played in Kara's class. It's about all the advice he gets from different women in his life ("She tells me"):
I'm looking forward to exploring more European/French music and going to a lot more concerts!
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Reims
Sunday then we visited a neat little tourist place called Pre en Bulles where they had humanoid-like robots explain the champagne making process. It was quite bizarre, but also interesting and as an engineer anything with a talking robot is cool.
Then on the way back to Paris we stopped in Reims to visit the Reims Cathedral which is where all the French kings had their coronation ceremonies. It was really beautiful inside, and well worth the stop.
Once back in Paris, we discovered that our local crepe stand has started selling mulled wine! And they put up Christmas lights on the streets (though they still aren't on yet for some reason). But Christmas is coming!
Also I learned after the fact that the "vin chaud" (literally "hot wine") is pronounced nothing at all like you would say it in English (in French it's something like "va show"), so it was little wonder the crepe guy had no idea what I was talking about. This French language thing... ::le sigh::
Finally I purchased tickets for my first concert in Paris, to see Gogol Bordello and Man Man. Tickets were about the same price as the states (converting for Euro) and so I'm curious to see what the Paris music scene is like.
Then on the way back to Paris we stopped in Reims to visit the Reims Cathedral which is where all the French kings had their coronation ceremonies. It was really beautiful inside, and well worth the stop.
Once back in Paris, we discovered that our local crepe stand has started selling mulled wine! And they put up Christmas lights on the streets (though they still aren't on yet for some reason). But Christmas is coming!
Also I learned after the fact that the "vin chaud" (literally "hot wine") is pronounced nothing at all like you would say it in English (in French it's something like "va show"), so it was little wonder the crepe guy had no idea what I was talking about. This French language thing... ::le sigh::
Finally I purchased tickets for my first concert in Paris, to see Gogol Bordello and Man Man. Tickets were about the same price as the states (converting for Euro) and so I'm curious to see what the Paris music scene is like.
Grocery Questing
Oh, the joys of French grocery shopping.
As you can't see me throw my head back to heavens in frustration as you read the first line of this entry, I'll have you know it was written in a facetious tone. Being the gastronomical capitol of the world, you would think grocery would be fabulous. And it can be, if you're looking for something such as prepared soups (endless flavors, all delicious) or risottos (I personally love the pumpkin-gorgonzola). However, it you're looking for something like floss, then grocery shopping, a typically banal chore, can in Paris prove to be difficult, fascinating, and hilarious.
After we first arrived at the apartment some five weeks ago, I asked Sophie, the agent showing us around our new temporary home, to point me in the direction of the nearest grocery store. She confidently directed me to the Monoprix on the Rue de Rennes. As it turns out, there are four other grocery stores that are far nearer than this particular Monoprix (a good 15 minutes' walk away) but it would take me nearly three weeks to discover this.
On our first day here, as Anthony took off on the metro to find his new work office, I set off to find the necessities--toothpaste, laundry detergent, dish soap...and trash bags. Bin Liners. Garbage sacks. Whatever you want to call them, they're conspicuously absent from this subterranean, expensive, miniature Target-like grocery store they call Monoprix. Roughly translated, the name implies one-stop shopping, which it clearly is not as there is not a trash bag in sight.
They do, however, carry a dozen types of cat litter, about eighteen million flavors of yogurt (which I both understand and fully support, as French yogurt is supernaturally delicious---why can't American yogurt taste as magical?), men's underpants in assorted designs and colors, and an assortment of Monsieur Propre products---Monsieur Propre being, of course, the French brother to Mr. Clean. But, *le sigh*, no sacs poubelles.
As yet undeterred, I headed to the Franprix that's just two blocks from our apartment. No trash bags there, either. But I did pick up some lactose-free milk. Accidentally. While I'm glad there are options for those poor, undoubtedly ostracized lactose intolerant Parisians, I was just looking for plain ol' low fat milk. I thought the label on the bottle ended at demi ecrimee, but I somehow missed the "easy to digest" part. Keeping an open mind, I tried said lactose free milk, but it tasted how I would imagine goat's milk mixed with infant formula would taste. The flavor might be appealing to some, but it's not my cup of tea. Actually, it makes my cup of tea taste like animal pee, so, not knowing any lactose intolerant Paris-dwellers, I ended up throwing it out.
If I lost you in the Great Grocery Saga, I still have no trash bags. It would be three long days before I found trash bags. Luckily, I randomly stuffed a few bags from home in the front pocket of my suitcase as we were leaving our apartment in Austin, so we were able to contain our garbage in the interim between our arrival and my trash bag discovery. Some angel must have been whispering in my ear as I packed. Archangel Poubelle.
I finally found trash bags (cue the "Hallelujah" chorus) at a Carrefour (meaning intersection) in the St. Germain de Pres neighborhood. This grocery store holds untold wonders, among them: floss (absent in the nearest FIVE grocery stores, which makes me question French dental hygiene), cotton balls, peanut butter (the primary staple in Anthony's diet), sweet potatoes (imported from the U.S. and listed alongside mangoes under "exotic produce" at the print-your-own-label scales), oatmeal, and even disinfectant wipes! But it's a mile away, which may seem close, but is actually quite far when you're walking in the cold November rain (cue Axel) dragging a wheeled shopping tote behind you. But still--trash bags!!
And milk. Delicious 1.5% milk! By the way, if there are any chiennes maigres out there reading this who drink exclusively skim milk, you're out of luck in France. It simply does not exist. 1.5% is as low as it goes in France, which I think is just great! If you ask me, dairy products without fat are both suspicious and pointless. I believe diet butter is a contradiction in terms. Just read the ingredient list. No such nonsense in France, though!
No, the French don't mess around when it comes to the flavor of food. Only when it comes to finding it. Please allow me pause to say that I have quite happily lived in a small handful of European cities and never had so much trouble finding basic items, and thus don't believe I'm unreasonably fussy. I just believe the French have a talent for making la vie quotidienne unnecessarily complicated.
Anyhow, in the third week of our epic grocery journey, Anthony and I found that there is a non-crowded, well-stocked G20 grocery store just one block up the street from us. Although the aisles are as tightly packed as all the other markets in Paris, the pace inside is decidedly slower, and thus it is much easier to stand in the aisle and translate labels until you're sure Gerble is a brand of fortified cookies and not gerbil food. It's wonderful! And it has trash bags. But no floss, peanut butter, or regular milk.
The Monoprix just one block up from us has cotton balls, but no laundry detergent or peanut butter. The Carrefour Express on the corner has regular milk and sandwich bread, but, being a space-limited "express" store, little else. So now, five weeks in, I have mastered my grocery run. So when Anthony and I returned from Vienna to empty cabinets, I began at the G20 where I got cleaning supplies and cereal, moved on to the close Monoprix where I bought cotton balls and coffee, then to the Carrefour Express for four 1-liter bottles of milk (roughly a gallon, but a liter is as large as they come here, and I've since learned I about 2/3rds a liter a day!), then briefly back home to offload everything, then back out to the St. Germain de Pres Carrefour for floss and peanut butter. Whew!
By the end of the trip, I feel zero guilt about indulging in a few squares of incredible (store brand!) chocolate, international award-winning 4-euro wine, fresh-baked French bread, or aged artisinal cheese...all of which make the expatriated hero's journey of Parisian grocery shopping so, so worth it. And in case you were worried, we now are very happily flossing our teeth and putting our garbage in lined bins :)
As you can't see me throw my head back to heavens in frustration as you read the first line of this entry, I'll have you know it was written in a facetious tone. Being the gastronomical capitol of the world, you would think grocery would be fabulous. And it can be, if you're looking for something such as prepared soups (endless flavors, all delicious) or risottos (I personally love the pumpkin-gorgonzola). However, it you're looking for something like floss, then grocery shopping, a typically banal chore, can in Paris prove to be difficult, fascinating, and hilarious.
After we first arrived at the apartment some five weeks ago, I asked Sophie, the agent showing us around our new temporary home, to point me in the direction of the nearest grocery store. She confidently directed me to the Monoprix on the Rue de Rennes. As it turns out, there are four other grocery stores that are far nearer than this particular Monoprix (a good 15 minutes' walk away) but it would take me nearly three weeks to discover this.
On our first day here, as Anthony took off on the metro to find his new work office, I set off to find the necessities--toothpaste, laundry detergent, dish soap...and trash bags. Bin Liners. Garbage sacks. Whatever you want to call them, they're conspicuously absent from this subterranean, expensive, miniature Target-like grocery store they call Monoprix. Roughly translated, the name implies one-stop shopping, which it clearly is not as there is not a trash bag in sight.
They do, however, carry a dozen types of cat litter, about eighteen million flavors of yogurt (which I both understand and fully support, as French yogurt is supernaturally delicious---why can't American yogurt taste as magical?), men's underpants in assorted designs and colors, and an assortment of Monsieur Propre products---Monsieur Propre being, of course, the French brother to Mr. Clean. But, *le sigh*, no sacs poubelles.
As yet undeterred, I headed to the Franprix that's just two blocks from our apartment. No trash bags there, either. But I did pick up some lactose-free milk. Accidentally. While I'm glad there are options for those poor, undoubtedly ostracized lactose intolerant Parisians, I was just looking for plain ol' low fat milk. I thought the label on the bottle ended at demi ecrimee, but I somehow missed the "easy to digest" part. Keeping an open mind, I tried said lactose free milk, but it tasted how I would imagine goat's milk mixed with infant formula would taste. The flavor might be appealing to some, but it's not my cup of tea. Actually, it makes my cup of tea taste like animal pee, so, not knowing any lactose intolerant Paris-dwellers, I ended up throwing it out.
If I lost you in the Great Grocery Saga, I still have no trash bags. It would be three long days before I found trash bags. Luckily, I randomly stuffed a few bags from home in the front pocket of my suitcase as we were leaving our apartment in Austin, so we were able to contain our garbage in the interim between our arrival and my trash bag discovery. Some angel must have been whispering in my ear as I packed. Archangel Poubelle.
I finally found trash bags (cue the "Hallelujah" chorus) at a Carrefour (meaning intersection) in the St. Germain de Pres neighborhood. This grocery store holds untold wonders, among them: floss (absent in the nearest FIVE grocery stores, which makes me question French dental hygiene), cotton balls, peanut butter (the primary staple in Anthony's diet), sweet potatoes (imported from the U.S. and listed alongside mangoes under "exotic produce" at the print-your-own-label scales), oatmeal, and even disinfectant wipes! But it's a mile away, which may seem close, but is actually quite far when you're walking in the cold November rain (cue Axel) dragging a wheeled shopping tote behind you. But still--trash bags!!
And milk. Delicious 1.5% milk! By the way, if there are any chiennes maigres out there reading this who drink exclusively skim milk, you're out of luck in France. It simply does not exist. 1.5% is as low as it goes in France, which I think is just great! If you ask me, dairy products without fat are both suspicious and pointless. I believe diet butter is a contradiction in terms. Just read the ingredient list. No such nonsense in France, though!
No, the French don't mess around when it comes to the flavor of food. Only when it comes to finding it. Please allow me pause to say that I have quite happily lived in a small handful of European cities and never had so much trouble finding basic items, and thus don't believe I'm unreasonably fussy. I just believe the French have a talent for making la vie quotidienne unnecessarily complicated.
Anyhow, in the third week of our epic grocery journey, Anthony and I found that there is a non-crowded, well-stocked G20 grocery store just one block up the street from us. Although the aisles are as tightly packed as all the other markets in Paris, the pace inside is decidedly slower, and thus it is much easier to stand in the aisle and translate labels until you're sure Gerble is a brand of fortified cookies and not gerbil food. It's wonderful! And it has trash bags. But no floss, peanut butter, or regular milk.
The Monoprix just one block up from us has cotton balls, but no laundry detergent or peanut butter. The Carrefour Express on the corner has regular milk and sandwich bread, but, being a space-limited "express" store, little else. So now, five weeks in, I have mastered my grocery run. So when Anthony and I returned from Vienna to empty cabinets, I began at the G20 where I got cleaning supplies and cereal, moved on to the close Monoprix where I bought cotton balls and coffee, then to the Carrefour Express for four 1-liter bottles of milk (roughly a gallon, but a liter is as large as they come here, and I've since learned I about 2/3rds a liter a day!), then briefly back home to offload everything, then back out to the St. Germain de Pres Carrefour for floss and peanut butter. Whew!
By the end of the trip, I feel zero guilt about indulging in a few squares of incredible (store brand!) chocolate, international award-winning 4-euro wine, fresh-baked French bread, or aged artisinal cheese...all of which make the expatriated hero's journey of Parisian grocery shopping so, so worth it. And in case you were worried, we now are very happily flossing our teeth and putting our garbage in lined bins :)
Language School
Having still not found an occasion to use "My bitch is dirty" in conversation, I have enrolled in a language school in the hopes to learn more useful phrases. In the mornings I head to the closest metro stop--Saint Sulpice on the M4 line, a snaky magenta magenta ribbon on the metro map in my bag. I go wearing headphones so as to effect the casual aloofness of the regular commuters. I don't have any music on though--I want to hear all the French around me. I do my best to blend in, but I don't think I'm doing a very good job. For living in such a beautiful city famed for amazing food and wine, everyone on the morning train looks miserably bored, whereas I'm vibrating with excitement. I love school!!!
I make a quick change at Chatelet and emerge from underground at the Tuilerie stop. Right. In front of. The Louvre. Language Studies International (LSI) is just one block up and two blocks over from the most famous art museum in the world. I get to walk past it every single weekday. The very thought still baffles me.
The school is located in the Marais, a fancy arrondissement full of designer stores. On my short walk to class, I pass by Balenciaga, Stuart Weitzman, Miu Miu, and other impossibly expensive flagship designer boutiques. The beautiful shoes and clothes in the window displays just shout You're in Paris!
The LSI classrooms are housed in a small suite on the second floor of a mid-19th century building, just off the courtyard and past an immense archway, nestled between a Baldini boutique and a Kodak store. I don't know if the 52 stairs to the second story are old or just poorly engineered, but I hug the wall as I climb them every morning as they slant quite dramatically downwards towards the central support. No one else seems to be bothered by this structural irregularity, but I find it very hard to ignore. At any rate, it doesn't matter how tired I may be when I arrive for class as the frightening ascent makes me as jittery and alert as about 12 cups of coffee.
The first day, I am given a placement test to see what I already know. I know what you're thinking and no--there was no write-in portion where I could have used "My bitch is dirty." Unfortunately. I did, however, understand a surprising amount of the test, which was fortunate as I needed to place reasonably high to be able to start mid-October instead of having to wait for the new wave of beginners to arrive at the beginning of November.
I find French to be both easy and impossibly frustrating. As an English speaker who has previously studied two other Latin languages, written French is remarkably easy to understand; and, when spoken by a language teacher who is trying to speak as slowly and clearly as possible, spoken French is too. The reason it is so frustrating is that the vast disparity of ability between language comprehension and production causes what I call oral constipation. What I mean is, I understand a lot and I really want to produce an intelligible response to questions directed at me, but, as hard as I try, I just can't.
Quel est votre travail? the program director asks me. I know she's asking me about work. I know it! But what the heck do I say? Um...erm...j'etudie...les...languages? She looks at me quizzically and nods her head. Et pourquoi êtes-vous ici à Paris? Why am I in Paris? Um...let's see...I think DuoLingo at least taught me how to say 'husband.' Uhh...me...mari...job?
Mercifully, she stops the interview part of the test early. I think I have done abysmally poorly, but it turns out I placed into a class that had already had 30 hours' worth of instruction. I'm not sure whether to be proud or terrified, but the director says that given my knowledge of other Latin-based languages that I'll be fine in the more intermediate class. And she's right. It's a perfect fit.
I sit next to a friendly looking girl who I later discover is from Rio de Janeiro. Her name is Paloma, and she's here because her boyfriend whom she met in Rio six weeks ago has since returned to his home city of Paris, so she's quit her job to come live with him for three months and take French lessons. Ballsy. I like her already!
After class, she invites me to lunch with her friend Luciana (also from Rio), two students from Sweden, one from Finland, and another from the Philippines. We go to a bistro around the corner and set camp at a large, family-style table. The only common language among us is English and a little French, so that's how we converse. That's also how I discover that Paloma's English is very limited. There is an odd number of us, so she sits in the awkward spot across from an empty chair, her expressions vacillating between extreme concentration and polite boredom. I try to loop her into the conversation, but it's simply too loud in the restaurant..
So the following day when she invites me to come along with her to the Musee d'Orsay, I'm delighted for the opportunity to finally get to talk to her and know her better. It's much colder than it was forecasted to be today, with a cold rain and harsh wind. Only I brought an umbrella, so we're walk along huddled together underneath it, arm in arm like we're old friends.
She tells me she would like to practice her English with me, only, in the interest of having enough words to have a good conversation, it's easier for her if I speak to her in Spanish. Spanish and Portuguese are extremely similar, so she understands what I say, and if she speaks slowly enough, I also usually get the gist of what she says in Portuguese when she's tired of trying in English or French.
So that is how we manage to talk about ex-boyfriends, the traffic in Rio de Janeiro, and the weather in Paris. We get along like this splendidly for quite some time. Despite the cold and rain, there is a long line outside the Musee D'Orsay. We queue up with the throng and shuffle back and forth in the rope labyrinth the security staff has set up. After awhile, we notice that many people are starting to eavesdrop and stare at us curiously. It's only then that I realize I'm having a lot of difficulty keeping track of which language is which.
Having just come from French class, being surrounded by French-speaking people, and Paloma and I being both at the same level in French and trying to use it as much as possible, we speak French whenever we can. I try to maintain talking to Paloma in Spanish, but sometimes I forget a word and only remember it in Italian, so then I'll subconsciously switch to a little Italian here and there. Paloma is still trying to speak to me in English--and sometimes I'll speak a little English back before I catch myself out--but sometimes she gets so frustrated that she can't express exactly what she's thinking that she'll switch to Portuguese. So no wonder people are eavesdropping! We're having a conversation simultaneously in English, French, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese! By the end of the day, neither one of us can speak any language at all.
We have a lovely time at the Museum. Neither one of us are particularly interested in the sculptures or religious paintings on the ground floor, and it's a relief not to have to feign interest. We both, however, love the building. The Musee d'Orsay is only a museum in its most recent incarnation. When it was originally built in 1898-1900, it was a railway station. It was used until 1939 when it's short platform design made it impractical for modern use. It sat empty for a number of years and was actually slated for demolition, which I can scarcely believe. The suggestion that the station be turned into a museum did not come along until the late 1970s, and it took quite some time to re-design the station's floor plan to be able to house large collections, but by the end of 1986, the Musee d'Orsay was home to the largest collection of impressionist works in the world.
That exhibit, by the way, is impressive. It was actually too much to absorb. First, you walk into this building that is a work of art in and of itself. You pass through perfectly unassuming glass doors and are immediately swallowed up in the cavernous belly of the old railway station. The ceiling soars above you, adorned with incongruously delicate, ornate moldings. The face of an impossibly enormous clock stands sentry on the far wall, keeping watch over all the happenings in the main gallery. It's daunting, really. It's too much to absorb.
By the time I reach the impressionist gallery, my ability to appreciate beauty is significantly depleted. I've wanted to see Monet's "Haystacks" since I first saw it in an art book in sixth grade, and now that I'm in the same room with it, I practically gallop past it. It gets a little lost among the hordes of other equally famous works by Degas, Manet, and Sisley. I know that sounds terrible, but Paris will do that to you--wear you out with too much prettiness.
Thankfully Paloma feels the same. We agree that we'll have to come back another day when our ability to appreciate the art is renewed. For the time being, we're content to look out at the Paris skyline from behind the glass face of the giant clock and ponder just how much life and beauty this building has been witness to, and how much life and beauty we too will see while we're here.
I make a quick change at Chatelet and emerge from underground at the Tuilerie stop. Right. In front of. The Louvre. Language Studies International (LSI) is just one block up and two blocks over from the most famous art museum in the world. I get to walk past it every single weekday. The very thought still baffles me.
The school is located in the Marais, a fancy arrondissement full of designer stores. On my short walk to class, I pass by Balenciaga, Stuart Weitzman, Miu Miu, and other impossibly expensive flagship designer boutiques. The beautiful shoes and clothes in the window displays just shout You're in Paris!
The LSI classrooms are housed in a small suite on the second floor of a mid-19th century building, just off the courtyard and past an immense archway, nestled between a Baldini boutique and a Kodak store. I don't know if the 52 stairs to the second story are old or just poorly engineered, but I hug the wall as I climb them every morning as they slant quite dramatically downwards towards the central support. No one else seems to be bothered by this structural irregularity, but I find it very hard to ignore. At any rate, it doesn't matter how tired I may be when I arrive for class as the frightening ascent makes me as jittery and alert as about 12 cups of coffee.
The first day, I am given a placement test to see what I already know. I know what you're thinking and no--there was no write-in portion where I could have used "My bitch is dirty." Unfortunately. I did, however, understand a surprising amount of the test, which was fortunate as I needed to place reasonably high to be able to start mid-October instead of having to wait for the new wave of beginners to arrive at the beginning of November.
I find French to be both easy and impossibly frustrating. As an English speaker who has previously studied two other Latin languages, written French is remarkably easy to understand; and, when spoken by a language teacher who is trying to speak as slowly and clearly as possible, spoken French is too. The reason it is so frustrating is that the vast disparity of ability between language comprehension and production causes what I call oral constipation. What I mean is, I understand a lot and I really want to produce an intelligible response to questions directed at me, but, as hard as I try, I just can't.
Quel est votre travail? the program director asks me. I know she's asking me about work. I know it! But what the heck do I say? Um...erm...j'etudie...les...languages? She looks at me quizzically and nods her head. Et pourquoi êtes-vous ici à Paris? Why am I in Paris? Um...let's see...I think DuoLingo at least taught me how to say 'husband.' Uhh...me...mari...job?
Mercifully, she stops the interview part of the test early. I think I have done abysmally poorly, but it turns out I placed into a class that had already had 30 hours' worth of instruction. I'm not sure whether to be proud or terrified, but the director says that given my knowledge of other Latin-based languages that I'll be fine in the more intermediate class. And she's right. It's a perfect fit.
I sit next to a friendly looking girl who I later discover is from Rio de Janeiro. Her name is Paloma, and she's here because her boyfriend whom she met in Rio six weeks ago has since returned to his home city of Paris, so she's quit her job to come live with him for three months and take French lessons. Ballsy. I like her already!
After class, she invites me to lunch with her friend Luciana (also from Rio), two students from Sweden, one from Finland, and another from the Philippines. We go to a bistro around the corner and set camp at a large, family-style table. The only common language among us is English and a little French, so that's how we converse. That's also how I discover that Paloma's English is very limited. There is an odd number of us, so she sits in the awkward spot across from an empty chair, her expressions vacillating between extreme concentration and polite boredom. I try to loop her into the conversation, but it's simply too loud in the restaurant..
So the following day when she invites me to come along with her to the Musee d'Orsay, I'm delighted for the opportunity to finally get to talk to her and know her better. It's much colder than it was forecasted to be today, with a cold rain and harsh wind. Only I brought an umbrella, so we're walk along huddled together underneath it, arm in arm like we're old friends.
She tells me she would like to practice her English with me, only, in the interest of having enough words to have a good conversation, it's easier for her if I speak to her in Spanish. Spanish and Portuguese are extremely similar, so she understands what I say, and if she speaks slowly enough, I also usually get the gist of what she says in Portuguese when she's tired of trying in English or French.
So that is how we manage to talk about ex-boyfriends, the traffic in Rio de Janeiro, and the weather in Paris. We get along like this splendidly for quite some time. Despite the cold and rain, there is a long line outside the Musee D'Orsay. We queue up with the throng and shuffle back and forth in the rope labyrinth the security staff has set up. After awhile, we notice that many people are starting to eavesdrop and stare at us curiously. It's only then that I realize I'm having a lot of difficulty keeping track of which language is which.
Having just come from French class, being surrounded by French-speaking people, and Paloma and I being both at the same level in French and trying to use it as much as possible, we speak French whenever we can. I try to maintain talking to Paloma in Spanish, but sometimes I forget a word and only remember it in Italian, so then I'll subconsciously switch to a little Italian here and there. Paloma is still trying to speak to me in English--and sometimes I'll speak a little English back before I catch myself out--but sometimes she gets so frustrated that she can't express exactly what she's thinking that she'll switch to Portuguese. So no wonder people are eavesdropping! We're having a conversation simultaneously in English, French, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese! By the end of the day, neither one of us can speak any language at all.
We have a lovely time at the Museum. Neither one of us are particularly interested in the sculptures or religious paintings on the ground floor, and it's a relief not to have to feign interest. We both, however, love the building. The Musee d'Orsay is only a museum in its most recent incarnation. When it was originally built in 1898-1900, it was a railway station. It was used until 1939 when it's short platform design made it impractical for modern use. It sat empty for a number of years and was actually slated for demolition, which I can scarcely believe. The suggestion that the station be turned into a museum did not come along until the late 1970s, and it took quite some time to re-design the station's floor plan to be able to house large collections, but by the end of 1986, the Musee d'Orsay was home to the largest collection of impressionist works in the world.
That exhibit, by the way, is impressive. It was actually too much to absorb. First, you walk into this building that is a work of art in and of itself. You pass through perfectly unassuming glass doors and are immediately swallowed up in the cavernous belly of the old railway station. The ceiling soars above you, adorned with incongruously delicate, ornate moldings. The face of an impossibly enormous clock stands sentry on the far wall, keeping watch over all the happenings in the main gallery. It's daunting, really. It's too much to absorb.
By the time I reach the impressionist gallery, my ability to appreciate beauty is significantly depleted. I've wanted to see Monet's "Haystacks" since I first saw it in an art book in sixth grade, and now that I'm in the same room with it, I practically gallop past it. It gets a little lost among the hordes of other equally famous works by Degas, Manet, and Sisley. I know that sounds terrible, but Paris will do that to you--wear you out with too much prettiness.
Thankfully Paloma feels the same. We agree that we'll have to come back another day when our ability to appreciate the art is renewed. For the time being, we're content to look out at the Paris skyline from behind the glass face of the giant clock and ponder just how much life and beauty this building has been witness to, and how much life and beauty we too will see while we're here.
Saturday, November 16, 2013
Épernay
Épernay is the eipicenter of champagne in the Champagne region. There are champagne houses everywhere, and has a street literally named "Avenue de Champagne". It's a cute little town. Unfortunately the middle of November isn't the most popular time to visit dead vineyards (I can only imagine how beautiful the countryside would look in the summer), so a large number of the champagne houses were closed, but we did get to visit Mercier which is the number one selling champagne in France. You go down into their cellars and ride a automated "train" that goes around showing some of the areas, since the actual complex is gigantic. We called it Champagne Disney. It also houses a gigantic barrel that was built in 1889 and holds over 200,000 bottles worth of champagne. Mercier was quite a showman back in his days.
We had also wanted to visit Moët et Chandon, which is the owners of the famous Dom Pérignon champagne, and who was actually a real person (a monk none-the-less) from a small village outside of Épernay. Though he is often given far more credit than due for the role of "discovering" champagne. But alas they were closed.
We did try to go to one of the other ones open, but had some miscommunication on the time for the English language tour and ended up missing it. But we wandered around the town and found a store which had cheap gloves and hats and a suitcase (to replace the one I broke) so it was a successful day none-the-less. Then we got some pizza to go, and on the menu found Tex-Mex!! Except well, what they think is Tex Mex is not what anyone would remotely consider Tex Mex in Texas since the menu items included chicken nuggets, onion rings, and calamari. I kid you not.
I took lots of photos, so I'll have to work on getting those uploaded.
It's also been REALLY cold now, with highs around 3C (37F). And it doesn't look like it'll get any warmer anytime soon, and it'll get below freezing in Paris on Tuesday. They did turn on the gas for the heat in our apartment on Friday so at least we'll stay warm inside.
We had also wanted to visit Moët et Chandon, which is the owners of the famous Dom Pérignon champagne, and who was actually a real person (a monk none-the-less) from a small village outside of Épernay. Though he is often given far more credit than due for the role of "discovering" champagne. But alas they were closed.
We did try to go to one of the other ones open, but had some miscommunication on the time for the English language tour and ended up missing it. But we wandered around the town and found a store which had cheap gloves and hats and a suitcase (to replace the one I broke) so it was a successful day none-the-less. Then we got some pizza to go, and on the menu found Tex-Mex!! Except well, what they think is Tex Mex is not what anyone would remotely consider Tex Mex in Texas since the menu items included chicken nuggets, onion rings, and calamari. I kid you not.
I took lots of photos, so I'll have to work on getting those uploaded.
It's also been REALLY cold now, with highs around 3C (37F). And it doesn't look like it'll get any warmer anytime soon, and it'll get below freezing in Paris on Tuesday. They did turn on the gas for the heat in our apartment on Friday so at least we'll stay warm inside.
Friday, November 15, 2013
Champagne!
After a few days in the office, we headed out Friday evening after work to drive to the Champagne region for our engagement anniversary. It would be our first France road trip! For a drink to be called champagne in EU law, it has to come from this region, so what better way to celebrate an anniversary!
Unfortunately we ran smack into the infamous Paris traffic as soon as I left work, even though we were just trying to skirt the outside of the city. So all in all it added about 45 extra minutes to get through that. Motorcycles are allowed to zip in the middle of the lanes, so they can fly through it just fine, but it does make changing lanes a bit of a nerve racking experience since you have to watch out for them.
But eventually we made our way to Bouzy to stay at a quaint bed and breakfast in the tiny (1000 person) village. Everything was closed already when we got there about 9pm, so our champagne adventures would have to wait until the morning.
One interesting side note is that I could actually understand some of the French the B&B owner was saying! Kara could understand most of it, but compared to Paris, it was like night and day. Apparently the Parisian accent likes to drop consonants which is party why I can't even make out individual words most of the time with my co-workers, but I could understand entire phrases with the B&B owner. Producing it is still very difficult though.
Oh and I finally got my Carte Blue. Apparently the bank didn't actually need any extra info (from my blog reading this is apparently a common thing where there are problems one day, and the next they all magically disappear), and the card was just sitting there waiting for me. So now I have a chip+pin card ready for any situations where that comes up.
Unfortunately we ran smack into the infamous Paris traffic as soon as I left work, even though we were just trying to skirt the outside of the city. So all in all it added about 45 extra minutes to get through that. Motorcycles are allowed to zip in the middle of the lanes, so they can fly through it just fine, but it does make changing lanes a bit of a nerve racking experience since you have to watch out for them.
But eventually we made our way to Bouzy to stay at a quaint bed and breakfast in the tiny (1000 person) village. Everything was closed already when we got there about 9pm, so our champagne adventures would have to wait until the morning.
One interesting side note is that I could actually understand some of the French the B&B owner was saying! Kara could understand most of it, but compared to Paris, it was like night and day. Apparently the Parisian accent likes to drop consonants which is party why I can't even make out individual words most of the time with my co-workers, but I could understand entire phrases with the B&B owner. Producing it is still very difficult though.
Oh and I finally got my Carte Blue. Apparently the bank didn't actually need any extra info (from my blog reading this is apparently a common thing where there are problems one day, and the next they all magically disappear), and the card was just sitting there waiting for me. So now I have a chip+pin card ready for any situations where that comes up.
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Munich
Is it a German thing not to have ironing boards in the hotel rooms? I was staying at a normal discount business hotel (95% of the people there were guys in dress shirts in a Holiday Inn type hotel) and you'd think they'd need them ironed. But the room didn't come with an ironing board. You have to call down to the desk and they bring it like 10 minutes later. The other business hotel I stayed at in Munich did the same thing, but Googling doesn't bring it up as a cultural thing. Odd.
The taxi ride on the way back was quite interesting as well, as my co-worker's flight was earlier than mine and we were running a little late. But on the Autobahn highways (something I didn't really realize until semi-recently: the Autobahn is not a singular road. It's a type of road, and basically like saying "Interstate" in the US) there are the famous sections with no speed limit, so we were doing 110 MPH down the highway, getting us to the airport in no time.
And I do love European short-haul plane travel. Food, wine, and beer, all included in the cheap economy ticket.
The metro ride back though was quite an adventure as my bag fought the metro, and the metro won. I was transferring at Chatlet, and normally I push my bag in front of me before I enter the metro gate. But this time I was in a rush and just pulled it behind me. Well for this gate, it was two half-doors that slide open and close in the middle to let people through. It then closed on my bag, and got it completely stuck. I couldn't tug or pull it any which way, and in the process, broke the pull handle. Luckily someone saw what happened and offered to help, so by us pushing on each side of the door back into it's pocket, I could release the bag. Unfortunately then my bag was on the opposite side of the gate than I was on! But I then noticed there was a gate for situations like this, so I opened it from my side, got my bag, and went through the gate like I should have in the first place. Unfortunately I had to carry it the rest of the way home since the pull handle had by that point snapped off. Oh the fun of public transit!
We get to do this again in two weeks since we booked tickets to Copenhagen on Easy Jet, which is one of the infamous low-cost airlines (like Ryan Air). So on there I don't think we'll get free sandwiches, and they have a very strict one carry-on bag rule (no one-carry on bag and a "personal item" that fits under the seat. Just one physical carrying vessel per person). We've also discovered that Denmark is incredibly expensive (though I guess probably like Paris then) so we'll have to make the most of it. And I'll get to increase my currency collection since they aren't on the Euro, and instead use the Danish krone. One of Kara's friends lives there so he can help point us in the right direction too.
We also have plans to spend this weekend in the Champagne region to celebrate our 4th engagement anniversary. No better way to celebrate than drinking champagne from the region in France it comes from!
The taxi ride on the way back was quite interesting as well, as my co-worker's flight was earlier than mine and we were running a little late. But on the Autobahn highways (something I didn't really realize until semi-recently: the Autobahn is not a singular road. It's a type of road, and basically like saying "Interstate" in the US) there are the famous sections with no speed limit, so we were doing 110 MPH down the highway, getting us to the airport in no time.
And I do love European short-haul plane travel. Food, wine, and beer, all included in the cheap economy ticket.
The metro ride back though was quite an adventure as my bag fought the metro, and the metro won. I was transferring at Chatlet, and normally I push my bag in front of me before I enter the metro gate. But this time I was in a rush and just pulled it behind me. Well for this gate, it was two half-doors that slide open and close in the middle to let people through. It then closed on my bag, and got it completely stuck. I couldn't tug or pull it any which way, and in the process, broke the pull handle. Luckily someone saw what happened and offered to help, so by us pushing on each side of the door back into it's pocket, I could release the bag. Unfortunately then my bag was on the opposite side of the gate than I was on! But I then noticed there was a gate for situations like this, so I opened it from my side, got my bag, and went through the gate like I should have in the first place. Unfortunately I had to carry it the rest of the way home since the pull handle had by that point snapped off. Oh the fun of public transit!
We get to do this again in two weeks since we booked tickets to Copenhagen on Easy Jet, which is one of the infamous low-cost airlines (like Ryan Air). So on there I don't think we'll get free sandwiches, and they have a very strict one carry-on bag rule (no one-carry on bag and a "personal item" that fits under the seat. Just one physical carrying vessel per person). We've also discovered that Denmark is incredibly expensive (though I guess probably like Paris then) so we'll have to make the most of it. And I'll get to increase my currency collection since they aren't on the Euro, and instead use the Danish krone. One of Kara's friends lives there so he can help point us in the right direction too.
We also have plans to spend this weekend in the Champagne region to celebrate our 4th engagement anniversary. No better way to celebrate than drinking champagne from the region in France it comes from!
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Vienna Airport
This morning we visited the graves of Beethoven, Mozart, and Strauss, which is located outside of Vienna in one of the largest cemeteries in Europe. It was a bit of a trip out there, but pretty cool to see so many famous graves just a few feet from each other.
I then flew to Munich in the evening to prepare for some business meetings tomorrow. The Vienna airport terminal is amazing. They have tons of these comfy seats with electrical plugs, free WiFi, and even some "couches" made out of hard plastic foam. Kind of like a normal airport seat, but where you could lay down in it. Also the security line was non-existent, there were tons of security lanes open, and they have an automatic system to bring trays from the exit point to the entry point, so you're never short of trays. Bravo Vienna airport! Though I find it interesting they never check your ID against your boarding pass (once you get it at the ticket counter), so anyone could actually fly if someone gave them their pass.
In Munich we had dinner at an American restaurant downtown. In fact the subtitle below the name was "California Kitchen". Which in Germany of course means under "BBQ" they list normal steaks and chicken dishes. But I took advantage of it, and had my first full on American meal in a long time: a burger and fries. It was actually quite good. The only downfall was that the ketchup was too sweet, but otherwise I was a happy camper with my German beer to go along with it.
The fact that I hadn't had anything like since we moved here is probably also why I've lost a lot of weight over the last month. That and all the walking around everywhere, everyday.
I then flew to Munich in the evening to prepare for some business meetings tomorrow. The Vienna airport terminal is amazing. They have tons of these comfy seats with electrical plugs, free WiFi, and even some "couches" made out of hard plastic foam. Kind of like a normal airport seat, but where you could lay down in it. Also the security line was non-existent, there were tons of security lanes open, and they have an automatic system to bring trays from the exit point to the entry point, so you're never short of trays. Bravo Vienna airport! Though I find it interesting they never check your ID against your boarding pass (once you get it at the ticket counter), so anyone could actually fly if someone gave them their pass.
In Munich we had dinner at an American restaurant downtown. In fact the subtitle below the name was "California Kitchen". Which in Germany of course means under "BBQ" they list normal steaks and chicken dishes. But I took advantage of it, and had my first full on American meal in a long time: a burger and fries. It was actually quite good. The only downfall was that the ketchup was too sweet, but otherwise I was a happy camper with my German beer to go along with it.
The fact that I hadn't had anything like since we moved here is probably also why I've lost a lot of weight over the last month. That and all the walking around everywhere, everyday.
Monday, November 11, 2013
Hofburg Palace
Today we toured the Hofburg Palace, which is the normal home for the Hapsburg's, which was also quite impressive. As part of the walk through, there was a museum on "Sissi", the wife of the Austrian emperor Franz Joseph who he married when she was 15. Being confined with all the royal trappings made her depressed, so she kind of just went on her own and traveled around a lot. One of the things they showed though is that she was 5'8", but had a 20" waist which on the dresses they showed was ridiculous looking.
We tried to go to the armory and treasury (where they keep all the jewels) but they were closed for what I presume was Veteran's Day. It's a national holiday in France which is why I had the day off to do this, and we saw a military formation in a square today in Vienna. The sign was all in German so I don't know exactly why they were closed, and they're closed tomorrow too, so we'll just have to come back sometime later. We really did enjoy the city, and definitely recommend a visit.
We tried to go to the armory and treasury (where they keep all the jewels) but they were closed for what I presume was Veteran's Day. It's a national holiday in France which is why I had the day off to do this, and we saw a military formation in a square today in Vienna. The sign was all in German so I don't know exactly why they were closed, and they're closed tomorrow too, so we'll just have to come back sometime later. We really did enjoy the city, and definitely recommend a visit.
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Schönbrunn Palace
Today we visited the Schönbrunn Palace, which is the "summer home" for the Hapsburgs. It's apparently like the Versailles of Vienna (which is some place we haven't been yet). The outer building is kind of boring, but the inside was definitely fit for a king, and very very large (some 1,441 rooms). There weren't any photos allowed inside unfortunately, but Kara and I danced in the main ballroom to some imaginary waltz. It was also the site where Kennedy met Khrushchev. Afterwards we wandered the grounds some, though as it was the middle of November most of the gardens were dead. I'm sure it looks much prettier in the summer.
We then explored the carriages the royal family used, which was neat. We both really like museums which is handy, and we typically read every sign so it takes a while, but I find it fascinating to learn about history with the historical objects all around you. There are all kind of museums, including one on art fakes that we unfortunately ran out of time to see.
Then we went to the Belvedere Palace. It's now converted into an art museum. I'm not a big fan of old paintings of landscapes and portraits (the one type of museum we both don't like), so we didn't spend a lot of time here, but the view of Vienna from the "party room" was spectacular.
We then explored the carriages the royal family used, which was neat. We both really like museums which is handy, and we typically read every sign so it takes a while, but I find it fascinating to learn about history with the historical objects all around you. There are all kind of museums, including one on art fakes that we unfortunately ran out of time to see.
Then we went to the Belvedere Palace. It's now converted into an art museum. I'm not a big fan of old paintings of landscapes and portraits (the one type of museum we both don't like), so we didn't spend a lot of time here, but the view of Vienna from the "party room" was spectacular.
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Food Poisoning
Fun with food poisoning! We didn't get out of the apartment until late, and unfortunately the pizza I had then had (yeah, I had to get some more) must have been sitting out too long. Luckily it wasn't the "I think I'm going to die" kind, but it was bad enough to keep us from going back out for the rest of the day so I don't have to keep finding a bathroom. So today was pretty much shot unfortunately. Though for what it's worth, since you actually have to pay to use the toilets here (as is common in a lot of European countries) public bathrooms are generally pretty clean. There's literally a person at a little desk or kiosk that takes your .50 euro to go pee.
Also when I went to try to find some Pepto Bismo (or the European equivalent), the pharmacy gave us Carbo. Which is literally just little tablets of charcoal (ie Carbon). Digging into it more, it's a common remedy in Europe for stomach issues, since it's very absorbent. It did seem to work fairly well all in all actually, though it tastes pretty bad and left my mouth with black smudges if I didn't clean properly enough.
Also when I went to try to find some Pepto Bismo (or the European equivalent), the pharmacy gave us Carbo. Which is literally just little tablets of charcoal (ie Carbon). Digging into it more, it's a common remedy in Europe for stomach issues, since it's very absorbent. It did seem to work fairly well all in all actually, though it tastes pretty bad and left my mouth with black smudges if I didn't clean properly enough.
Friday, November 8, 2013
Vienna Street Food
Got to meet some more people today, and then went back to Vienna in the evening. It was the same driver as last time, with the same insane driving. After meeting Kara at the apartment we rented out (so much bigger and nicer than a hotel for half the cost!) we took the tram to the city center and walked around some. Unfortunately all the museums close around 6pm, and the stores shortly there after, so there wasn't a lot to see and do beyond that.
However I was finally able to get some "real" pizza. In Paris there are pizza places, but finding a simple pepperoni+cheese slice isn't trivial and it just tastes and looks kind of different. And most bizarrely at all isn't sliced, you eat it with a fork and knife. But here they have giant thin slices you eat with your hands from a take-away food place. It's marvellous. In fact, that there actually are plentiful and cheap (aka normal US priced) street food is pretty amazing after living in Paris the last month. That's been one of the more disappointing things about central Paris is how hard it is to find cheap-ish food, since there's lots of cafes where you can drop 20€ on a main course, but even the crepes are 5-7€. Here a slice of pizza is 3€, a kebab box is 3.50€. It's great!
However I was finally able to get some "real" pizza. In Paris there are pizza places, but finding a simple pepperoni+cheese slice isn't trivial and it just tastes and looks kind of different. And most bizarrely at all isn't sliced, you eat it with a fork and knife. But here they have giant thin slices you eat with your hands from a take-away food place. It's marvellous. In fact, that there actually are plentiful and cheap (aka normal US priced) street food is pretty amazing after living in Paris the last month. That's been one of the more disappointing things about central Paris is how hard it is to find cheap-ish food, since there's lots of cafes where you can drop 20€ on a main course, but even the crepes are 5-7€. Here a slice of pizza is 3€, a kebab box is 3.50€. It's great!
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Beer Spa
Today I learned a lot about of amazing motor control solutions, and also ate some more delicious Czceh food. Then after work went for dinner and a pub tour to sample a bunch of Czech beers.
One of the interesting things at the bar though was that they do beer spa baths too. Like you literally drink beer while soaking in a tub of beer. The health benefits of beer have been a common theme when Czech's discuss beer, as it's seen as almost a health food. Obviously bad in moderation, but almost necessary for good health to have some every day. They talk about all the vitamins and minerals in it. It's a complete opposite beer culture in the US.
Also breakfast at the hotel is terrible.
One of the interesting things at the bar though was that they do beer spa baths too. Like you literally drink beer while soaking in a tub of beer. The health benefits of beer have been a common theme when Czech's discuss beer, as it's seen as almost a health food. Obviously bad in moderation, but almost necessary for good health to have some every day. They talk about all the vitamins and minerals in it. It's a complete opposite beer culture in the US.
Also breakfast at the hotel is terrible.
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Vienna and Czech
Today we flew to Vienna! It's the closest major airport to our Czech offices (though it's still a 3 hour taxi ride away). Kara's staying there while I'm traveling so she can go to some of the museums. The security process at CDG was interesting as while you can keep on your shoes, they made me take out not only my laptop, but all my other electronics as well. And I carry a lot of electronics (laptop, kindle, tablet, DSLR, pocket camera, chargers, it adds up!). So that was a bit of a hassle.
The taxi ride was also interesting, as I got to enter/drive through a new country, Slovakia. The taxi driver was also kind of insane and incredibly fast, passing everything in sight on two lane roads. But I made it in one piece! The hotel was pretty straight forward, though the internet access was really really terrible. Constant timeouts and DNS names not resolving. I had planned on posting all this while there, but that didn't end up happening.
I also finally got to meet in person some of my fellow engineers I've worked with over the years. I'm a big believer in having face to face communication and meetings, since I've found it can make a really big difference in later interactions. And so I was glad to put some faces to names.
They also took me out to eat, and I have to say, I do really like Czech food. It's very hearty but not that healthy, so that's probably not that good of a thing, but when a meal is mostly meat, sauce, and bread dumplings, I'm happy. The beer is also very very good, and they introduced me to plum brandy. That is not so good, though they kept telling me that it's recommended by doctors to do a shot every morning for good health. Though you can't drive afterwards, as the drunk driving laws are extremely strict (nothing above 0.00 allowed) so there's no such thing as "just a beer" if you're going to drive. And people complain about the ones in the US.
The taxi ride was also interesting, as I got to enter/drive through a new country, Slovakia. The taxi driver was also kind of insane and incredibly fast, passing everything in sight on two lane roads. But I made it in one piece! The hotel was pretty straight forward, though the internet access was really really terrible. Constant timeouts and DNS names not resolving. I had planned on posting all this while there, but that didn't end up happening.
I also finally got to meet in person some of my fellow engineers I've worked with over the years. I'm a big believer in having face to face communication and meetings, since I've found it can make a really big difference in later interactions. And so I was glad to put some faces to names.
They also took me out to eat, and I have to say, I do really like Czech food. It's very hearty but not that healthy, so that's probably not that good of a thing, but when a meal is mostly meat, sauce, and bread dumplings, I'm happy. The beer is also very very good, and they introduced me to plum brandy. That is not so good, though they kept telling me that it's recommended by doctors to do a shot every morning for good health. Though you can't drive afterwards, as the drunk driving laws are extremely strict (nothing above 0.00 allowed) so there's no such thing as "just a beer" if you're going to drive. And people complain about the ones in the US.
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
French Movies
So today was my "Mr. English" haircut appointment. It's a bit scary going into a salon not speaking the language, and since I'm half blind without my glasses, not having any idea what she's doing to my hair before it's done, but it all ended up OK. I wrote I note that I had Google Translate translate into English, and it seemed to make enough sense to her. I tipped her well, and will be back next month, and Kara's probably going to try them as well too.
Today we went to see our first movie in France: Gravity. Movies from the US are typically presented as-is, though with French subtitles, which makes it very convinent. The movie listings are marked as "VO" (Version Originale) in that case, while French-language only films can be identified by their French title of course, but also marked with "VF". Apparently it can get a bit tricky for some foreign films which may be marked "VO" but it just means it's in the original German/Chinese/etc and subtitled French which wouldn't really help us out. "Gravity" was excellent by the way, I highly recommend it!
The movie experience was a bit different too. The commercials don't start until the published start time, and then there are a lot of trailers (mostly for French films, so all in French) so the movie didn't actually start for almost 25 minutes after the published time. Some of those French films looked really cool though, and made me wish I could comprehend more French since there's no English subtitling option here. I'll just have to wait for it to come out on DVD I guess.
Also since I can read French somewhat, I could see just how much is cut out when subtitling something, as well as the interesting culture differences they tweak like "listen to NPR" turns into "listening to cultural radio". Also the 3D glasses are active type, and not passive, so they're much heavier. You also get an anti-bacteria wipe to clean them off before you put them on since they can't wash them like the passive ones.
One really cool thing about movies in France though is you can buy subscriptions. For 20 euro a month you can see all the movies you want. Which is an incredible deal since one ticket is over 10 euro. You have to sign up for the whole year, but I'd buy one in a heart beat if I could (I'm not sure of the legal repercussions if I bounced their withdraws after I left??). They also have deals where if can get two tickets for $35 a month, and 5 movies for $35 euro, which is what we'll do for next time.
Today we went to see our first movie in France: Gravity. Movies from the US are typically presented as-is, though with French subtitles, which makes it very convinent. The movie listings are marked as "VO" (Version Originale) in that case, while French-language only films can be identified by their French title of course, but also marked with "VF". Apparently it can get a bit tricky for some foreign films which may be marked "VO" but it just means it's in the original German/Chinese/etc and subtitled French which wouldn't really help us out. "Gravity" was excellent by the way, I highly recommend it!
The movie experience was a bit different too. The commercials don't start until the published start time, and then there are a lot of trailers (mostly for French films, so all in French) so the movie didn't actually start for almost 25 minutes after the published time. Some of those French films looked really cool though, and made me wish I could comprehend more French since there's no English subtitling option here. I'll just have to wait for it to come out on DVD I guess.
Also since I can read French somewhat, I could see just how much is cut out when subtitling something, as well as the interesting culture differences they tweak like "listen to NPR" turns into "listening to cultural radio". Also the 3D glasses are active type, and not passive, so they're much heavier. You also get an anti-bacteria wipe to clean them off before you put them on since they can't wash them like the passive ones.
One really cool thing about movies in France though is you can buy subscriptions. For 20 euro a month you can see all the movies you want. Which is an incredible deal since one ticket is over 10 euro. You have to sign up for the whole year, but I'd buy one in a heart beat if I could (I'm not sure of the legal repercussions if I bounced their withdraws after I left??). They also have deals where if can get two tickets for $35 a month, and 5 movies for $35 euro, which is what we'll do for next time.
Monday, November 4, 2013
Exotic Fruit in Paris
Ways that living in Paris isn't like vacationing here: Having to decipher a car's user manual in French in order to figure out how to change the time in the car. The dashboard clock's been wrong for the last week and a half since the time change. I did get it all figured out, but the challenge started when just trying to figure out which word to lookup in the glossary:
This week is also a short 2 day week in Paris since I'm heading to our Czech Republic offices on Wednesday.
So far both Chinese/Asian places we've tried here haven't been that good, which is disappointing. It just tastes really off, and even though there are a number of Asian immigrants, maybe it's just difficulty to find the right spices and/or changing it for the French palate. But I noticed my French is slowly improving as I could understand when he asked me if I wanted it heated, if I wanted more rice, and what type of fillings (chicken, beef, or pork) were in the egg rolls.
Also we discovered that Sweet Potatoes are in the "exotic fruits and vegetables" section of the grocery store. They are not next to the normal potatoes (pomme de terre, literally "apple of earth", which is a cool name for potatoes I think).
This week is also a short 2 day week in Paris since I'm heading to our Czech Republic offices on Wednesday.
So far both Chinese/Asian places we've tried here haven't been that good, which is disappointing. It just tastes really off, and even though there are a number of Asian immigrants, maybe it's just difficulty to find the right spices and/or changing it for the French palate. But I noticed my French is slowly improving as I could understand when he asked me if I wanted it heated, if I wanted more rice, and what type of fillings (chicken, beef, or pork) were in the egg rolls.
Also we discovered that Sweet Potatoes are in the "exotic fruits and vegetables" section of the grocery store. They are not next to the normal potatoes (pomme de terre, literally "apple of earth", which is a cool name for potatoes I think).
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Stuff Parisians Like
I've been reading a very interesting book called Stuff Parisians Like written by a Parisian that kind of explains what we've experienced so far living a month in Paris. It's worth a buy if you're interested in this sort of thing, but it explains how Parisians are very different people than the rest of France, and why they're often seen as cold. It's been a fascinating read so far.
While people talk about how rude the French are, I find it comparable to living in New York City. Yes, people are more private and non-friendly, and I think the waiters and other people I interact with react about how someone in NYC would react if someone who barely spoke English tried to talk to them and had to deal with tourists all day every day. It is the most popular city to visit in the world after all.
On the other hand, I think I understand when I tell Europeans that I'm living/moving to Paris for 6 months and they go "6 months, yes, that would be OK time for Paris, but no more than that".
Friday, November 1, 2013
Opening a French Bank Account
I didn't mention the adventure I had at the bank yesterday. I went to deposit some more money, and to pick up my Carte Bleue ATM/Debit card. The deposit went fine, but they couldn't find my card in the stack they had. Then she came back and said something in French I couldn't understand, and it seemed hopeless until her colleague spoke up and asked if I spoke English (the great universal language!). She then explained that I was missing some documents to prove I actually lived here, which doesn't make sense since I had given them the lease contract to open the account in the first place, and they'd already sent me a check book, my online passcode, and my PIN for the Carte Bleue! So I guess it's back on Monday to try and get it sorted out again with another copy of the rental contract and hopefully the fluent English language person will be there to help get it fixed.
I also accidentally had a tuna pizza for lunch on Thursday. I thought it was beef when I got it, but nope, that first bite told the real truth. It was one of the many very interesting pizza toppings available here. Your "normal" pepporoni, sausage, peppers, etc? Fairly hard to find in the grocery store or restaurant. Instead it's a lot of ham, fish, creams, and mushrooms. Just check out the Domino's menu for an example. The pizza is quite tasty though, and I'm looking forward to visiting Italy again since they truly do have the best pizza ever.
Finally since this weekend is kind of miserable with the rain and cold, we tried our hand at delivery for the first time. We did it all online since ordering over the phone is still far beyond our capabilities, but even though we got a confirmation number on the webpage, we never got a confirmation email or text, and needless to say no food showed up. It's one of those things that make living here so challenging since we can't just call up the place and go "Hey, where's our food?"
Finally since I think I burned myself out on Bueno Bars, I got my first European Snickers today. It's got a much more peanuty taste to it, but worked for Halloween candy!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)