Tour Guide a Paris!

My friend from London planned to visit me in late April. It was the perfect weekend because I finally felt comfortable with the city and knew I could show her the highlights of the city during the three days that she was there.

Friday: Kirsty and her friends took a guided tour of the heart of Paris and I met up with them afterward. They taught me about the tiny Space Invaders that were hidden all over Europe. Some video gamer felt so guilty after killing so many space invaders that he started permanently adhering them to building walls throughout major European cities. (Fun scavenger hunt for all across Europe!) I took Kirsty through the 1st Arrondisement, we window shopped at some of the most expensive boutiques in Paris and stopped for Laduree macarons and Jean Paul Levin chocolats. She headed back early to meet her friends at the Eiffel Tower for a picnic dinner.

Saturday: We started the morning at Musee Rodin. It was beautiful, sunny and the flowers in the gardens were beginning to bloom. Since the volcano had just hit that weekend—they arrived by train—the city was empty but the weather was perfect! We hopped over to Musee d’Orsay and I gave her and her friends a personal tour of the major artworks- thanks to my Art History lectures! Next, we took the subway to Rue de Mouffetard are lunch. We ate at the battling crepe places. I ordered the specialty crepe at Au P’tit Grec with eggplant, feta, mozzarella, lettuce, tomato, onions- you get the idea! Delicious! We walked back through Luxemburg Gardens and found a nearby café to rest at while her friends visited Bastille. Then we all met at Abbesse, the metro stop. This metro, most frequently used to get to Sacre Coeur, is a gem by itself. Behind the metro, next to the small park is the “Wall of Love.” Here, “I love you” is written in every language- cute!

Also, at 38 rue Abbesse is Paris’ Best Baguette. It comes steaming hot, freshly baked. We all tour into it before heading over to Sacre Coeur. Since it was such a beautiful day- the lawns at Sacre Coeur were packed, performers were everywhere- and pickpockets. We walked around the artist’s square and Kirsty and I climbed to the top of Sacre Coeur. The view of Paris was beautiful—

We all met up with Kirsty’s friend who was also living in Paris. We took us down the side of Sacre Coeur and we sat in an outdoor café and ate delicious quiches. Fun quirk- there are dozens of cats lurking in the bushes of Sacre Coeur; people come visit them and feed them scraps of baguettes. As the sun set, we made our way through the streets to the Moulin Rouge. After a quick photo shoot on the grates in front of the red windmill, we hightailed it out of the area- it’s not a fun place at night. We made our way to Notre Dame to watch the night performers.

This was INCREDIBLE! Not only did we see the flame throwers- but they were shooting a fashion shoot in the middle of the square with the flame throwers and fire dancers all around. We sat mesmerized for a long time before heading home and crashing after a big day of site seeing.

Sunday: Kirsty went to Versailles and I spent some time in the Marais.

It was an extremely busy weekend, but I would really recommend it as the best way to see Paris in only 3 days.

Chocolat: Pierre Marcolini

I found Belgium’s Best Chocolatier…in Paris. Pierre Marcolini has a giant sign hanging from the side of the scaffolding-covered building that says “Pierre Marcolini, c’est ici!” so I followed.
The interior is much more serious than the Parisian boutiques. The sales woman approached me before I made it through the doorway. I told her I wanted to look at some chocolate before I decided, and I wandered around the store. The walls hold hundreds of bars of chocolate, or Carré2Chocolat (chocolate squares). He is very serious about his ingredients because each bar comes with a booklet of the origins of the ingredients—some are even “special editions” as if Africa is really going to run out of cocoa beans. I decided that instead of committing to one bar, I’d try some smaller Palet Fins and Pralines; Pierre Marcolini (yes, it was named after himself- he’s the best, he can do whatever he wants), Chocolat Noir (from somewhere in Latin America), The Citron (Infused with Lemon Tea), and Violet. I ate them in that order too from the front steps of the Opera Garnier- because that’s just the most natural place to sit and enjoy chocolates in Paris. The first two were delicious; perfect texture, meltiness, and smooth- you come to expect that here. I was excited about the Lemon since I developed a new love for lemon and chocolate, but it was a little disappointing in the fact that you could taste the tea- which is probably a good quality in a chocolatier’s mind. En fin, Violet. Skeptical? No, drop dead AMAZING. It tasted like Paris springtime on my tongue. I might start dipping all the beautiful springtime flowers here in chocolate and become a chocolatier myself.

Opera Garnier

It’s the one, the famous phantom of the Opera building, sitting in the midst of Printemps and Galaries Laffayette (department stores). We stayed nearby in high school and I remember longing to dress up for a ballet and stand on the front steps of the Opera Garnier.

Well, fast forward to today and I’m sitting in the back entrance waiting for student rush tickets to the ballet. The Opera is only a ten minute walk from work, so I happily go sit outside on show days and wait for student rush tickets (10 Euros). It was my second time waiting- I was NEXT the time before- in my black, three dot dress with my lucky pearl earrings on. I could feel it this time, I was going to the ballet.

Student rush isn’t allowed to enter until after the last person sits, so the doors closed with everyone inside except 12 of us (I was 3rd.). The usher calls the first 2 over, they get tickets. I’m next! I’m next!! I’m called over! I’m handed a ticket! I’m rushed inside! Lead up the stairs! OMG! I’m inside!
The ballet was Hommage a Jerome Robbins, 4 dances from Jerome Robbin’s most well known ballets. Each quarter was about 20-30 minutes and I was seated in the upper balcony after the first dance. They were beautiful! Everything- the ballerinas, the Opera, the lobby, the chairs, the bathrooms- everything. It was magical, perfect, my moment in a Parisian movie!
Oh, go right now! Go to Paris and see a ballet. And eat an Opera pastry- just because!

Dejeuner aux Halles

Often I take my lunch to the park next to Les Halles, an underground shopping mall. It’s quite the center of lunchtime activity and I am often joined by munching working-Parisians and famished tourists. There are cafes, lunch carts, shops, boutiques, and boulangeries. Today I brought a ripe pear, some cheese, and a salad and sat in the grass. I also stopped at Boulangerie Julien (boulangeriejulien.com) which has the best Croissant aux almandes. She woman behind the counter handed me my sac and I thought that I had accidently purchased a brick! The croissant was laden with extra almond butter, paste, and sliced almonds on top- not a light snack, but delicious all the same.

Parc de Villette, Parc des Buttes-Chaumont, et Canal St. Martin

More beautiful, sunny days in Paris = more parks. Danielle and I decided to visit two huge parks in the north-east corner of Paris. We started at Parc de Villette, which houses the science museum, 360º Movie Theater, and huge industrial modern statues. When we got off of the metro, we walked straight into a “Cow Party” (Fete des Vaches). It was an organization trying to teach kids to eat three servings of dairy a day. They had a pen of cows, a stage of cows, and free samples of milk and cheese. We got on line twice for all of the samples, they were delicious! Plus- we’re college students and can’t turn down free food. Then we walked around the parc, which was mostly giant lawns filled with Parisians sunbathing and huge metal statues. Check out the picture carefully because it looks like a giant clear bubble, but is actually the 360° movie theater made out of reflective metal.

After frying in the sun, we headed to another shadier park, known for its cliffs and rolling hills. It’s hard to imagine but Parc des Buttes Chaumont actually has a giant man-made cliff in the center and tons of steep hills. Everyone was sunbathing here too. We climbed to the top of the cliff and peered out on to the Paris skyline. It was cool being so close to Sacre Coeur and getting to see it up close. We descended and headed to find some dinner and wine for our evening plans on Canal Saint Martin.

Once again, as college students, we were jumping for joy when we found a Leader Price grocery store on our way to the canal. Leader Price supplies food to regular grocery stores at highly discounted prices. But a Leader Price store is the cheapest way to buy food in Paris- and they are really hard to find. We stocked up on sandwiches, cheese, pretzels, cookies, wine, and fruit for under 5 Euro each. It was literally insane. We bought a .34 box of cookies and a .29 bag of mixed nuts.

With a stuffed shopping bag in hand- we headed to Canal St. Martin for a girls night picnic on the water. Canal St. Martin is in a cute neighborhood with little boutiques and restaurants, but once the sun sets, the banks of the canal fill up with picnicking Parisians and the wine starts flowing. We stayed until people started packing up and heading off to the clubs and it was a great night!

*We walked by another canal, Bassin de la Villette. This canal has two movie theaters that face each other and 1 movie ticket will also get you a boat ride to the other side of the canal. Cool concept!

Spotted: Les Trucs

A "truc" is a quirk, a thingy-m-bobber, an oblong object, a silly person-- anything. And Paris has a lot of "trucs":

IKEA couches in the subway. Best marketing stunt that I've ever seen!!


A tree on the subway



"Pari Roller." Rollerskating through the center of Paris

Plat de souvenir

I would try and get off the metro a few stops from my apartment and walk myself home through the winding streets on the 14th Arrondisement. Some of the things I found along the way:

Rue de Guerre: A small street with restaurants and outdoor food stands. I shopped in a few boutiques, boulangeries, and a hot chocolate shop- the same concept as a tea shop except exclusively hot chocolate. I loved the pace and atmosphere in the street. It’s difficult to explain but every time of day that I would pass through on my way felt like the true Paris.

Cimitaire Montparnasse: I noticed this giant gated square while running one day and I made it my goal to find the entrance and sneak a peak inside. It ended up being a cemetery, much like Piere Lachaise however there were no tourists but tons of famous French graves. I only recognized Serge Gainsbourg from a movie that we had seen with class. He was a French singer, songwriter, actor, director and musical genius in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s. The French adore him. We watched a film about his life for class-- maybe it was the cultural difference between me and the French or the fact that I understand about 20% of the language in the movie, but I never understood their fascination with the man. He was not a hero nor a role model; maybe a genius that got thrown into a terrible life of fame, abandonment, drugs, and alcohol. But, like I said, the French adore him and the tributes on his grave show that he is truly loved, at his tucked away grave in Paris.

Life as a marketiere was exciting. I got to try new fruits, vegetables, and cheeses. I picked up some street lingo and learned the Parisian pace. I learned new neighborhoods and smelled some mouth-watering freshly baked breads and some eye-watering scaly fish--but my best market purchase was a plate. Plat? Yes, I bought a giant ceramic serving platter, hand crafted and painted by a wonderful market vendor just outside of Paris. I fell in love with French dishware at home with my mom’s gorgeous yellow and red hand-painted serving platters. They make the dinner table come alive and the food look beautiful, so it didn’t matter to me how I was supposed to carry a giant, breakable platter through the airport- I was bringing home my plate!

Les Arts Decoratifs: Mode et Textile

So my boss sent me back to Les Arts Decoratifs to see the Mode et Textile exhibit and the Galarie des bijoux. She claimed that I missed the magic of the museum- SHE WAS SO RIGHT!

First, I found myself back in Yves dressing room! They had his stuff first on account of his exposition across the Tuileries. The rest of exhibit spanned from 1960s to 1980s in haute-couture. Each designer had a display, presentation of their runway shows, and a storyboard. The haute-couture designs were incroyable! A little costume-y, a lot over the top, but seamlessly fanatastic. Well, except for the fur coat made out of stuffed animals- that was just weird. Some of the big names:

Yves Saint Laurent, Sonia Rykiel, Chloé par Karl Lagerfeld, Kenzo, Thierry Mugler, Comme des Garçons, Chanel par Karl Lagerfeld, Christian Lacroix, Jean Paul Gaultier

My favorite part was the dozens of Parisian fashion students sitting around sketching all of the outfits. They were amazing! I also noticed that the museum holds classes for kids, ages 4-18, to learn about the designers- no wonder everyone here is a fashionista! I read some of the signs and learned that the designers in the 60s wanted to break the traditional molds of fashion for women, in the 70s shake away the barriers between masculine clothes and powerful feminine clothes, and then they just went nuts in the 80s and designed to shock.

After, I headed to the Galarie des Bijoux, Jewelry Gallery, to check out some sparkle. The jewelry is displayed in a completely dark room and is mounted to appear to be floating and glistening in the light. One wall has boxes of jewelry grouped by material such as; plastic, gold, pearl, coral, etc. I left thinking how absolutely fabulous it would be to adorned in haute-couture, lavish diamonds, and walking down Rue de Rivoli.

L'Orangerie et Mariage Freres

One sunny afternoon, Danielle met me in the Tuileries to go see the L’Orangerie, Jeu de Paume, and the Louvre. The Tuileries and the Louvre courtyard actually houses 5 museums; Louvre, L’Orangerie, Jeu de Paume, Les Arts Decoratifs, and Musée de la Mode et du Textile. We started at L’Orangerie, which is a small building with two viewing rooms of Monets. There are four Monet paintings in each viewing room that are stretched out along the walls, making them giant panoramic paintings. They were absolutely gorgeous! Downstairs housed another exhibit of famous artists during the same movement as Monet.

We headed to Jeu de Paume, museums of photography and contemporary art, but ultimately had no interest to go in. So instead we walked over to Mariage Freres, a famous tea shop in the Marias (new site: in the carousel de Louvre!). We sat for tea and ordered a pot of peach/apricot tea and a tray of desserts. The waiters flirted with us a little as they poured our tea. We were hugely outnumbered by Parisian business people and bridge clubs, so it was probably nice to see some younger girls. The dessert tray was a few mini classically French desserts: chocolat-framboise mousse, violet macaron, Madeline, gateau pistache, and crème brule. Delicious! The Mariage Freres shop also has a store in the front, which smells absolutely amazing. Even as we walked out, I could smell the herbal and fruit teas all the way down the street.

We headed back to the Louvre for my final visit! We walked through the statue courtyards and viewed all of the Italian, French, and Greek statues. Now, I haven’t seen ALL of the Louvre, but I saw what I was interested in and can honestly can that I’m satisfied with the completion of the Louvre Challenge.

Chantilly

We took a day trip out to see Chantilly- another chateau in France AND home of whipped cream (“Chantilly” in French). It was sunny, 70+ degrees (20 Celsius) and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. We took the train 25mintues outside of the city and took a short walk through a forest to arrive at a gorgeous chateau, Horse Park, and gardens. There was a horse show in the afternoon so we started with the chateau and the gardens. It was far too nice to go inside and stare at stuffy furniture so we walked through the gardens, forests, and fountains. We visited the Austrialian gardens with kangaroos (I’m not kidding) and the English gardens with the island of love (Ile d’Amour). After an afternoon of walking, we sat in the grass and enjoyed ice cream topped with whipped cream, of course!

It was a pleasant break from Paris and I was amazed at how easy it was to get there! 25 minutes on the train and we spent an entire afternoon at a beautiful chateau! –the whipped cream wasn’t bad either-

Chocolat: Michel Cluziel

I rewarded myself after finishing a giant, terrible project at work with CHOCOLATE! This time I visited Michel Cluizel near work on my lunch hour. It's amazing that I haven't been inside yet because this is the closest chocolate boutique to my office and I've managed to avoid it for over a month! Inside, I found the usual display of ganaches, truffles, and chocolate desserts. Some interesting finds: honey, chamomile chocolates, green tea chocolate, chocolate golf balls, and chocolate mushrooms (no actual mushrooms are in these). I ordered a Feuillette Noir, translates to "puff up" in pastry terms, but looked like a chocolate covered graham cracker. Inside was a crunchy paste of almonds, hazelnuts, and pralines. *Pralines in Europe are not the same as pecan praline ice cream at home. Wiki describes the difference (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pralines)* DELICIOUS! The texture was totally new! I also ordered Chocolate covered lemon peels, they are the new orange peel and also very yummy.

Nearest Michel Cluizel:
Paris
201 Rue St. Honore, 75001
10 minutes, 850m

New York
888 Broadway, New York, NY
8h50, 26.5 miles

http://www.chocolatmichelcluizel.com/mc.php

Chocolat: La Pâtisserie des Rêves

My mom keeps sending my New York Times recommended food articles about Paris- and really how could someone turn away the New York Times! So I went to Patisserie de mes Reves on my way back to work after my appointment at school. The pastry shop is tucked away in a cute neighborhood; somewhere only the NYT would be able to find in Paris. The pastries are displayed in glass cases, almost like bubbles, and the shop is decorated in neon pinks and yellows. They have really unique looking pastries and I couldn’t decide between a chocolate éclair or Paris Brest, praline cream filled crème puff ring- but chocolate always trumps so I opted for a chocolat éclair and left with a cute little pink pastry box. I made it all the way to the Tuileries, which was across the street before tearing into the éclair. I don’t LOVE éclairs in the same way I love chocolate mousse or flourless chocolate domes, but this éclair was absolutely fantastic- and gorgeous! So NYT, you’re right again. And mom- I’m going to come home huge if you keep sending me NYT food recommendations.

http://www.lapatisseriedesreves.com/

Musee Rodin

Spring in Paris means Outdoor Museums! I visited Musee Rodin one morning and it was absolutely spectacular! Rodin was a French sculpture and art collector so the museum is in an old mansion with a gorgeous outdoor gardens area filled with statues! The layout is awesome, you are contained by the walls of the museum and can peek over to see the Eiffel Tower, and otherwise you completely forget that you’re in the city. Then the gardens play along with the statues to accentuate certain features of the statues. And even on a Tuesday morning, this looks like the museum to take a date to, because everyone was walking around holding hands and gazing at each other as much as the statues. Alas- all alone- I walked around the gardens and the mansion and still felt like I was hanging out with Rodin and his closest friends- even if they were a little stiff.

Monter la Tour Eiffel

I came to Paris to climb the Eiffel Tower. Seriously, it was the theme of my application essay and my motivation to study in Paris. I visited in high school and due to bad weather, a rude Parisian elevator operator, and a short time line; I never made it to the top. I was stuck on the metaphorical middle floor; somewhere between the ground (my roots in English) and the tippy top (full French immersion).

As I stormed onto the plane in January, I swore that it was the first landmark that I would conquer in Paris. Well- 4 months after I landed in Paris, I climbed to the top—twice, actually. My hesitation for four months was the cold, windy weather, and the fact that it was SO close- I could do it “anytime”.

The day that I took the plunge was a sunny April day after I had made a quick stop at school—which was located 2 blocks from Mr. Eiffel. I had a short wait at the bottom since it was a Tuesday afternoon in the limbo season-- after winter but before tourist packed spring/summer. I bought a ticket for the stairs to the middle floor and started my climb up the infamous Eiffel Tower. I thought of Garrett most of the way up- he was building the Lego Eiffel Tower back in the US. The architecture is incredible. The frame is massive and the iron beams seemed to push and pull and jut out at each other. The view from the middle floor is the most impressive- but I never could have told you that unless I went to the top. The middle is the perfect platform to see the famous rooftops of Paris from and the striking Seine River. However, seeing the Paris skyline without the Eiffel Tower left me with strange feeling; it’s like when you trim a tree and you can’t help but feel like something is missing- even though everything else is the same. The top floor (another 100+ or so stairs) is really cool because they have an indoor section that guides you on which countries you are facing- assuming you have super vision and can see 3,628 miles to New York City.

I climbed down around dusk and walked over to a closer NY landmark, the Statue of Liberty. We all know it was a gift from France; well they gave themselves the same, smaller gift. It was a little tricky to get to since it’s in the middle of the Seine on a small, skinny strip of an island. I waved to her and headed back up the River towards the Eiffel Tower again. It was getting dark and I watched the Bateaux Mouches (tourist river boats) sail along the river. At around 8pm I made it back to the base of the Eiffel Tower. It lights up every night at 8pm and then every hour, on the hour until around midnight. I realized that with my ticket, I could get up the Eiffel stairs again and being waiting on the middle floor when it lit up! Great idea—except for 710 steps!

According to WikiAnswers:
There are a total of 710 steps.

9 steps to the ticket booth, x2
328 steps to the first level, x2
340 steps to the second level , x2
18 steps to the lift platform on the second level, x1
15 steps to ascend to the upper observation platform. x1

Grand total: 1387
Of course I took the Eiffel Challenge to the extreme and climbed it twice in one day—had calves screaming at me for a week—but I made it! Four years after I first stood at the roots of the Eiffel tower- a mix of my American roots and French education, I was ready to call myself fully immersed and at the pinnacle of my French immersion.

Jour des Parcs

It was sunny, warm and I desperately needed to get rid of my milky winter skin, so I decided to take a hike over to the western outskirts of Paris to visit the Parc de Boulogne-Billancourt. Ignoring my guidebook, I got off at the metro stop nearest to me, but not centrally located in the park. Well after a 30 minute trek passed a driving range, horse race track and forest, I arrived at a small lake. Completely unable to find a map or reference point, I collapsed and took an hour long nap in the sun. After my rest, I began walking again and ended up outside the park. This would not do, so I dove back into the forest and somehow managed to find the giant lake that is on the center of every park map. It took almost another hour to walk around the lake, stopping to take photos of the boats and eating some lunch. I was supposed to find the Bois de Boulogne, a villa designed by Napolean or maybe one of the museums in the park, but I was exhausted and I saw a sign for the metro that I needed to catch back- so au revoir park! Another time- probably with a bike or car!

But my day in the sun was not over- I planned to stop at another park before heading home, Parc Monceau. This park had an entirely different energy than the previous one. It is enclosed by giant golden gates and is smack in the middle of a very chic Parisian neighborhood. It was late in the afternoon and all of the local kids were playing excitedly in the park because it was the start of their two week vacances (which means- Paris empties out of Parisians and fills up with tourists). I sat on a bench in the sun and read my book. After a while the older man next to me struck up conversation. He was an author and history scholar (graduated from Sarbonne) and loved talking about politics- was I the wrong person to start chatting with or what? So we talked about travel, America, Europe, the volcano, and a few other things. He was very nice and gave me his business card and told me to tell my French department to make it a required book. It’s about the Vietnam war- so we’ll see...

As I walked home, I stopped at Eric Kayser and had an outrageously good chocolate cookie. Then I wandered passed the St. Augustine church, Rue Haussman (commercial boulevard aka Time Square status for shopping), and stopping to rest in the Tuileries. (For a point of reference- none of these places are near each other and my feet were aching- but cookies work miracles.) I managed to make it to the metro and home for dinner.

Just as I’m sitting here writing this, I have discovered that Parc Boulogne is 2,137 acres and I completely forgot to stop at the Chinese pagoda emporium, which was a recommended site near Parc Monceau. It’s funny because I googled it last night and stopped by this morning- but the one I stopped at turned out to be a movie theatre. The real one is at the corner of Rue Rembrandt and Rue de Courcelles. Oops!

Petit Palais: Yves St. Laurent

Le Petit Palais, across from the Grand Palais, is also a giant exposition hall and from March 11th to August 29th, it is housing the Yves Saint Laurent exhibit. I’ve been holding out to go because there is always a 2 hour wait to get it. I figured that after a few weeks it would die down, but my boss encouraged me to go as soon as I could before tourism kicked up in Spring. So Danielle and I woke up early on weekday morning at arrived at the Petit Palais at 9:30am! It opened at 10am, but we still waited until 10:30 to be let in. The Parisians keep a close count on how many people are allowed to view an exhibit at a certain time, which makes for long lines but very pleasant view experiences.

The exhibit was nothing short of extraordinary. There were signs and films that explained his life, motivation, and all of the people that he worked with. Then there were the clothes- so many of his designs!! They were all on mannequins and grouped according to style and time period. They included his best designs- along with his worst. They grouped some by countries and cultures that he was inspired by, and some were grouped by art movement! Danielle and I guessed them all!!

They had a room of gowns; extravagant, gorgeous, stunning gowns. All of the mannequins were wearing earrings and jewelry as well.

My favorite room was the Smoking Room, which was actually a wall. It was a black wall, with almost shelves of standing black mannequins wearing his lines of tuxedo inspired designs. Black on black on black. At their feet, there was a light which singed orange like the tip of a cigarette. He called his tuxedo designs “smoking” because of their color and status.

The last room was also magnificent, with three solid colored dresses and dozens of color fabric swatches. The colors were vibrant and inspired by his trip to Morocco.

We very dizzy with luxury when we left, so we headed to Chanel to find the staircase that she used to model on. According to Danielle (and I trust this), the mirrors along the staircase allowed Chanel to walk down in her gown and catch the reflection of everyone’s faces at the bottom of the stairs. She could tell whether a design was good or bad based off their reactions. We had to go to two Chanel stores before we found the staircase, and of course, no photos allowed in Chanel- so we had a fun time feeling fabulous. We even stopped for macarons at Laduree. I got the chocolate passion fruit and caramel and she got chocolate raspberry and chocolate-chocolate. I’m still not in love with macarons, my heart only has room for chocolate, but when macarons are good- they are really good! (But when they are eh or OK, they are quite terrible.) So sadly I’ll be leaving macarons, Yves, and Chanel in Paris sans photos; but I’ll keep my memories and this blog!

Sushi

Since we know that the French love their beef raw, I figured that they’d love raw fish just as much. Sushi boutiques (they are actually restaurants but they have really interesting interiors) are all over Paris. So- a bunch of girls from the program and I went to Planet Sushi to celebrate the end of a work week. The Planet Sushi chefs make fresh sushi rolls and then place them on a conveyor belt, which spins through the restaurant. We sat at the counter and grabbed plates of sushi that passed. At the end, you tally up your plates and receive a bill. It was such a cool concept; apparently these are all over Washington DC but it was my first time at one. I stuck with my regular pieces, spicy tuna and sashimi while some girls opted for dessert sushi (fruit and rice wrapped in crepe, held together by Nutella). Verdict? The sushi was good, the presentation was stellar, dessert sushi isn’t the best idea, and don’t shy away from raw things in France.

Rue des Crepes

*The events of this blog are real however “Rue des Crepes” does not actually exist-

A bunch of friends and I went to see Alice in Wonderland in 3D (Alice aux pays des Merveilles), which was fantastic and I strongly recommend seeing it in theatres-- and yes, the French subtitles were 3D too---and the French have far more comfortable movie theatre seats.
But my real story begins with the end of the movie—because they let us out the back of the theatre and dumped us on some random street. We were confused at first, but then realized that we had been transported to the most wonderful street in Paris, “Rue des Crepes”. Every restaurant is a creperie! And in true French fashion, everyone goes out for crepes when they finish their movie! So we decided to join the trend and got in line for a creperie-

After we were seated, I realized that this is what I was expected from a true French creperie. It was packed, loud, the tables were on top of each other, there was one waiter and one crepe maker. The crepe maker made dessert and dinner crepes (we had one of each) and he was manning 3 hot crepe burners with one spatula and the biggest brick of butter that I have ever seen. I ordered a ratatouille crepe for dinner and a sugar crepe for dessert. Many of my friends have recently recommended the plain sugar crepe, claiming it is the best crepe in town. I was skeptical because- well it didn’t have chocolate or Nutella in it. But nonetheless, I ordered it and it was very delicious. It tasted like pancakes, which is ironic because crepes kind of replace pancakes here, but the balance of butter and sucre was absolutely perfect. With the check, the waiter gave us all Chupa Chups lollipops and we waved good bye to little creperie and headed across town to a touristy bar, The Frog and Princess.

*Rue des Crepes --> real street name = Rue de Montparnasse

Geneve

Why Gevena, Switzerland? Because in my guidebook it said that the Swiss consume more chocolate per person than any other country in Europe...so to Switzerland I went. On the way, I found a bunch of quirky things that I wasn't expecting:


Giant Broken Chair outside the UN...


Meeting Room at the UN


Red Cross


Geyser

Escalier en colimaçon

So my boss left for Milan and I am playing hooky with my friend Danielle for 3 days. We started out picking up lunch (baguettes, cheese, and fruit) at Rue de Mouffetard and walking over to the Luxembourg Gardens. We sat in the sun and enjoyed our little picnic, then headed up to Shakespeare & Co. so that Danielle could catch the metro to work and I could go back to Notre Dame.

I decided to climb the 360 spiraling steps (escalier en colimaçon) to the top of Notre Dame to see the gargoyles. The climb isn’t too bad because it is broken up into three parts: gift shop; balcony, gargoyles & bell, and tippy tippy top. The spiral staircase is so tiny that they only let a handful of people in at a time and they have to let everyone go up and down before the next group. My favorite level was the second because the gargoyles were so cool and I felt like I was part of the movie when I saw the bell. The descent, however, is not fun! You spiral down 360 stone stairs in this tiny tower. Claustrophobic!

Then I walked through the Marche aux fleurs, flower market aka allergies nightmare, to Saint Chapelle. Even though I have seen my fill of cathedrals, this one is really nice because it is entirely stained glass windows! With the sun shining through, the room lit up and looked amazing. Unfortunately they are fixing the Rose Window, which is the main attraction there, so I didn’t get that. St. Chapelle is in the same courtyard as Palais Justice and the Concierge, so I poked around there a little too.

I looked at my watch and realized that it was 5pm and the last stop I wanted to make was a park nearby that closes at 6pm!! I jumped on the metro and took it over to Jardin des Plantes, a botanical garden in Paris. This was way more than just a botanical garden though; it was like transporting out of Paris entirely. I walked among giant trees, rows of flowers, funky hedges. I discovered a zoo, 3 small natural history, science, and zoology museums, the cutest carousel, and a labyrinth. Check out the pictures, but the reason I titled this blog “Escalier en colimaçon” or spiral staircase is because all day I felt like I was climbing spinning stairs. Even the labyrinth was a spiral sidewalk lined with hedges up to a gazebo. There were a bunch of parents sitting in the gazebo talking as their kids played in the hedges. The hedges are so thick that kids have carved out little tunnels and passageways through the hedges. This is perfect for 5 year old and a nightmare for parents. As a descended, I could hear all of the parents yelling for their little French children to reappear. It was probably like being in Alice and Wonderland (Alice au pays des merveilles) for the kids and a complete horror for the parents.

Louvre

The Challenge

Most students challenge themselves to see the entire Louvre while they are studying in Paris (I’ve been told that this takes approximately two weeks). And while the Louvre is very impressive, I just don’t like the periods of art that it has. Maybe it’s my new knowledge of Modern Art but the entire building just seems a bit stuffy. However, I work a block away from the Louvre, it’s always free with my student card, and it stays open on Wednesday and Friday nights until 10pm, so I promised myself that I would go a few times. I liked to meet up with friends there too so most of the time it was social instead of analytical art time, but ce n’est pas grave!

Things to Love in the Louvre
-The courtyards of statues: The most wonderful place to sit and relax because you feel like you are outside
-Brides: Every time that I went to the Louvre there were brides outside taking pictures in front of the pyramid. One time- we saw a bride photo shoot in the Louvre.
-People in Orange vests: They are art students and can tell you tons of stuff about the paintings. But I’ve only seen them on Friday nights and it is all in French.
-The Pyramid: It’s a French eyesore but a tourists’ fascination.
-Celloist: If you walk through Napolean’s courtyard to enter the Louvre courtyard, there is a man that plays the cello every night and the echoing music is absolutely amazing.

Things to Leave in the Louvre
-Your map: It’s useless. If you can find your way in- just accept that you’ll never find your way out.
-Random wing/exhibit/room closures: Each time it’s a different visit because so many wings close/open at will.
-Mona Lisa: She’s just not that spectacular, plus she is always surrounded by people and glass and red tape. I can understand why Marcel Duchamp made a mockery painting of her. Sorry, Mona.

Things I learned in the Louvre
-French artists love light! It’s easy to spot a French artist because his picture will have a glow to it.
-Eugene Delacroix: Sadly I had no idea who this was before the Louvre but now I can spot a Delacroix from the Tuileries.
-You don’t need a ticket if you have a student card and if you go up to the ticket booth with your student card, they will laugh at you.
-Avoid Lines: Since I already have a ticket/student card, I just waltz right in through the metro entrance. Sorry line-waiters, I’m in.

Strangely enough, my favorite part of the Louvre looking out of the windows at picturesque Paris!

Boule

Weaving through the Parisian parks are gravel/sand pathways and courtyards, which make running a little difficult, but they provide the perfect location for “Boule Lyonnaise.” Boule is the French version of Bocce, which is the Italian version of American bowling. If you’ve spent some time with my family at the lake, you know that Bocce is a social, fun sport with a hint of hardcore competition and a keen sense of ball positioning. As the sun set later and later and the days grew warmer, more and more Parisian Papas lined up along the gravel to play Boule. I would see tons lively games going on in every park. One night after work, I spotted a group of young business men gathered in the Tuileries, stripped of their jackets, with one hand full of beer and the other hand grasping the Boule ball. Seems like a nice way to unwind…

Attention aux pots de fleurs qui tombent!

The seasons are changing in Paris and the sun is shining more and the first few days of warmer weather hit. Unfortunately the wind is responsible for carrying out the winter and whisking in spring. Now I am very accustomed to wind, Boston wind is the champion at knocking people over, but I ventured over by the Seine on a very windy day and it was impossible to walk against the wind. Ah, a bit of home.

Similar to when it snowed, the Parisians are freaked out about wind. They close all of the parks and dare to venture outside in the wind. It’s wind, not a tsunami. My host mother chased me out of the house the other day telling me to “Watch the falling flower pots!” I was utterly confused until she explained the people leave their flower pots on the balconies and the wind can knock them on to the sidewalks. I assured her that I would walk in the middle of the street to avoid this—but Parisians, please just place your flower pots inside on windy days to assure that no one gets knocked out by falling flower pots!

Yves St. Laurent

The talk of the town is the Yves Saint Laurent exposition at the Petit Palais. It is the largest collection of his designs mixed with the wonderful story of his life and inspirations. The line to get it is always at least 2 hours, no matter what time of day. So a few weeks into the exposition, Danielle and I show up at 9:30am on a weekday morning (doors open @10am) to secure a spot in line. We made it passed the guard about an hour later and snagged free tickets to the exposition (thanks Student Art ID!).

From the moment you walk in, you are surrounded by mannequins dripping in haute couture. They lead you through his earliest designs, classic suits, and magically giving women a waistline. He takes some big risks early in his career and receives a lot of criticism, but hey- it kept his designs in the press and his name on the tip of the fashion world’s tongue. As his designs develop, he uses Impressionist, Cubism , and Modern art as inspiration. I could actually identify the inspiring art through Yves’ designs. They group his ethnic inspired designs into one large room, displays everything from kimonos to African head dresses. Then the exposition twirls into over-the-top lavish gowns and The Smoking Room. Smoking is referring to his line of women’s tuxedo jackets. The Smoking Room is a floor to ceiling black wall with black mannequins adorned in every Yves Smoking tuxedo invented. They stand on black platforms and are lit up by tiny orange light bulbs, reminding me of cigarettes. It is honestly the most impressive display of couture that I’ve seen in Paris. The simplicity, flow, and beauty of his designs was perfectly captured in the Petit Palais exposition. Even to the very end—where they whisk you away with solid, colorful floaty dresses and gorgeous silk fabric displays.

As to not end our lavish afternoon, Danielle and I walked around the 1st Arrondisement and stopped in for Laduree macarons.

Yves designs are not only found at the Petit Palais, but also at Les Arts Decoratifs. In their hidden wing, Mode & Textile, you can find couture from every big name French designer. This exposition isn't as grand as the Petit Palais, however it's much more manageable and a bit off the beaten path. Fashion design students can often be found sketching after the famous designers. It is also located in the neglected wings of the Louvre building, between the Tuileries and Rue de Rivoli

Les Arts Décoratifs - Mode et tex­tile
107, rue de Rivoli
75001 Paris

Patinage sur glace à Hôtel de Ville

*I forgot to post this during the winter- but since it was 36 degrees this morning, I thought that it would be appropriate for today.

Chocolat: Girard's

Ice skating at Rockefeller Center is a popular winter activity, Matt and I go to Frog Pond in Boston to skate outside in the dead of winter, and in Paris, you head to the Hotel de Ville to lace up your skates. It’s a make shift rink in the courtyard of the Hotel de Ville, which is really just a pretty building and backdrop. We went in the late afternoon on a Friday and it wasn’t too packed. There are always a few people there practicing ice dancing, doing tricks, and lots of couples holding hands. They play loud American clubbing music and we had a blast circling the rink. Tons of spectators watch from the boards and we got a few chants. After we were half frozen, we walked around the Rue du Rivioli, another shopping street in Paris. Greg was drawn to this giant chocolate fountain in a window display and we decided to go inside. Girard’s Chocolatier sells chocolate and sugared almonds. The sugared almonds are given out as gifts at Communions and Weddings and the salesperson let me try a few. Then I noticed a giant spinning wheel of chocolate and spun it to decide which bar I was going to get. I chose a bar of dark chocolate, of course (une tablette chocolat noir) and nibbled it (ok took a huge bite) as we finished walking around and headed home for dinner.

Marche aux Puces

There are two major flea markets in Paris. The biggest one, Porte de Clignacourt is located at the Northern most point of the city, while the other, Porte de Vanves, is tucked away in the South West. I lived two blocks from Porte de Vanves but only stopped by a few times. It was open on Sundays and sold mostly antiques, junk, and hidden treasures. The crowd was older and the pace was slower. This is where bargain hunters scoured for vintage Hermes scarves and Chanel suits. We went looking for vintage jewelry and pocket watches to turn into necklaces, but always came up empty handed. I didn’t have the patience or the knowledge to find a hidden gem.

Porte de Clignacourt was a much livelier flea market, much like China town, and open Friday - Monday. As soon as you got off the metro, someone was waiting to sell you a Gucci watch or Louis Vuitton purse. I went with a group of friends that had dropped in from Amsterdam. They were on the hunt for touristy gifts to stash in their bags for their friends in the Netherlands. We huddled together while I bargained in French-- quite successfully. It was so overrun with tourists that they believed my faux-French accent and mistook me for a local. We wandered passed stands of scarves, shoes, t-shirts-- stumbled into a ghetto/hip hop area where they had Baby Milo gear-- and finally found antiques and furniture hidden at the back of the flea market.

These two flea markets in particular are absolutely overwhelming. Pickpockets are everywhere and being ripped off as a tourist is quite common. But people go for the atmosphere, the experience, and only if they have hours to kill.

Luxembourg Jardins

The Luxembourg Gardens are actually as they are portrayed in movies. There are winding, gravel paths; weaving ivy vines; grand, marble statues; and plenty of Parisians. I discovered that the park is a pleasant cut through to get back home, so I frequently stroll through. You must stroll though, or else all of the ambiance that makes up the Gardens will be lost. You must stroll through the black gates, which sometime double as art exhibits. For example, there was a photo documentary on Nomads in Africa, which a woman came up to me and told me to read the captions because it was an inspiring story. Then, you must stroll on the gravel pathways. Some people choose to jog, or the French version of jog, but it’s really much more elegant as a stroll. Strolling through you will see: lovers on benches, children sailing boats in the fountain, and solos relaxing with a book. Others that will stroll by you include: groups of teenagers, couples of old people, kids on bikes, and other solo strollers. When I walk home, I continue through the Luxembourg Gardens into two smaller gardens with lots of kids playing. It makes walking home a lot more enjoyable and takes care of my fresh air quota for the day.



Side note: In the metro newspaper that I read on the way to work, they have a rating for the quality of the air. If 1 is perfectly clean and10 is smoky/smog, Paris is hovering around a 3 or 4, according to the paper. I wonder what that makes Boston?