Last night I caught up with Thomas, who had finally moved from the Beast — that's the East Bay, get it? — to the city proper. We met at Blue Bottle, where the baristas didn't even try to conceal their disdain at our non-caffeinated orders. (Some of us have delicate stomachs and never properly developed a taste for coffee, you know.)
Thomas speaks French better than anybody I know, and he has a do-gooder job that saves the planet. When he told me about an opportunity to do a Captain Planet style job in France, I asked him why the hell he hadn't applied yet. If there's anything I enjoy, it's encouraging people to go for what they might be afraid to want. I really enjoy being that kind of cheerleader. One of these days I might figure out how to root for Team Self.
It had been a year, almost to the day, since Thomas and I had seen each other. It felt like no time had passed. We joked and bitched (mostly me) and sighed like furnaces. I mother-henned Thomas about being careful on his bicycle, because you never know when you might fall off and break your foot. He asked me about losing my father, and I walked through the rain with lightness and clarity after we parted. Some people drain, and others lift. It was good to be lifted. I hope to do that for people, too, but lately I feel like a tiny little hurricane. Fitting, then, that it's almost time to return to the place where I experienced my first flood.
(Sorry this is boring and crappy but I'm trying to write every day. See above re: self-cheerleading.)
Thomas speaks French better than anybody I know, and he has a do-gooder job that saves the planet. When he told me about an opportunity to do a Captain Planet style job in France, I asked him why the hell he hadn't applied yet. If there's anything I enjoy, it's encouraging people to go for what they might be afraid to want. I really enjoy being that kind of cheerleader. One of these days I might figure out how to root for Team Self.
It had been a year, almost to the day, since Thomas and I had seen each other. It felt like no time had passed. We joked and bitched (mostly me) and sighed like furnaces. I mother-henned Thomas about being careful on his bicycle, because you never know when you might fall off and break your foot. He asked me about losing my father, and I walked through the rain with lightness and clarity after we parted. Some people drain, and others lift. It was good to be lifted. I hope to do that for people, too, but lately I feel like a tiny little hurricane. Fitting, then, that it's almost time to return to the place where I experienced my first flood.
(Sorry this is boring and crappy but I'm trying to write every day. See above re: self-cheerleading.)
Labels: the france
Matt showed me this video last week, and I love its ability to hit a range of emotions in only three minutes. I like the dreamy texture of its skies, the vividness of its colors, and the soft vagueness of the plot. It's not that the narrative is lacking — instead, it invites the viewer to project his or her feelings while watching. And the way it ends is perfect.
Mai Nguyen, one of the Gobelins students who created the film, is insanely talented, and I wish I knew how to come up with something half as beautiful as her work. But I don't, so instead I'll just watch this video again and again. (Thanks, Matt.)
Mai Nguyen, one of the Gobelins students who created the film, is insanely talented, and I wish I knew how to come up with something half as beautiful as her work. But I don't, so instead I'll just watch this video again and again. (Thanks, Matt.)
Labels: the france
A week ago, I was flying from Nice to Paris. The flight took off at 6:20am, just in time to see the sun's rays gently eat away at the darkness. Looking out the window, I watched Corsica get smaller, the red sky intensify into oranges and pinks before breaking into blue. Over the Alps I realized how lucky I am, and then because I can no longer fly without having a tiny peak-oiler freakout, I wondered if I'd ever get to see anything so beautiful again.
Labels: the france, travel
C is off to Paris, and I gave him a long and informally constructed list of things to do while abroad. He's never been there, and in a way I'm envious because he'll see the city with virginal eyes. In case you, too, are planning a trip, here is an abbreviated version of my missive entitled "I'm Rick Steves, bitch!"
ARTSY FARTSY
Palais de Tokyo is the hipster art museum. It makes the MCA look stodgy in comparison. The cafe there, Tokyo Eat, is supposed to be a hot spot. The bookshop is great -- you'll find tons of wonderful and obscure books, CDs, DVDs and so on. It's near Trocadero, so you can get a beautiful view of the Eiffel Tower as well.
Set at least a half-day aside for the Louvre. I find that I can't do it for more than a few hours -- it's beautiful but also exhausting. If you have time, check out the medieval ruins that were excavated in the 1980s. The Mona Lisa is, well, the Mona Lisa. Expect lots of American gawkers discussing the merits of The DaVinci Code.
I wasn't completely blown away by Centre Pompidou, but many people are, so what do I know? I've never been to Musee d'Orsay but I hear good things, etc.
FOOD
It is difficult to have a bad meal in Paris, although you probably won't want to try, say, American or Mexican or Indian cuisine there. They French everything up, so your saag paneer will really be more like creamed spinach a la francaise. I tend to be cheap when it comes to eating abroad, opting to have only dessert in the fancier places, so here's my short list.
Even the lousy bakeries have delicious croissants. Oh my god. I get the vapors just thinking about the croissants. Cheap and deliciously buttery. If you order un cafe, you will receive something along the lines of an espresso. The French drink coffee after, not with, dessert. Choosing the plat du jour is usually cheaper than ordering a la carte, and it's often part of a menu, which includes an entree and dessert as well. The French will not automatically bring you the check. They think this is rude. You'll have to ask for it (l'addition, s'il vous plait) and although service is included, it's polite to leave a few coins if service was great.
If you're into ethnic food, you'll have no shortage of North African food. L'As du Fallafel has the best falafel I've ever had. Seriously. It's cheap and delicious, and you can take it to go (a emporter) or pay a little extra to have it in the restaurant. It's on the Rue des Rosiers in the Marais, and when you walk down this tiny street, the smells are amazing. This place is open on Sundays, and sometimes there is a little line, but it is worth it. Laduree is supposed to have excellent hot chocolate, but I've had only their macarons. They're delicious (and if you go to Printemps, there's a Laduree there. One-stop shopping!). Cafe de Flore is pretty much a tourist trap with overpriced food. See also: Bar Hemingway, where I spent 23 euros on a single cocktail. Whoops! If you need just a quick bite, there's a place on the right bank called La Ferme. Reasonably priced organic (bio) food, lots of seating, and cute little sealed glasses of wine. You can walk around Paris with a wine buzz and nobody cares. Whee! Go to Cafe Charbon if you want to see where the non-obnoxious hipsters hang. It's next to Nouveau Casino, a venue that hosts a lot of electro nights. Kong is supposed to be hotsy-totsy. Designed by Starck, it has a great view but the food is reputed to be just so-so. Don't know if you want ice cream, but Berthillon's chocolate ice cream is rich and wonderful.
GETTING AROUND
There is little reason to get a cab in Paris. It's easy to walk all over the place, and the Metro is great -- clean, efficient, inexpensive. Don't buy a Paris Visite card; it's a ripoff. How long will you be there? Either get a carnet, which is 10 tickets, or a weekly pass. Cheap and great. I love the Paris Metro.
ODDITIES
Look for the Space Invaders mosaics around town.
Everyone young wears Chuck Taylors.
The young women all have hair like Cat Power's.
French hip-hop types imitate American rappers, but they get the details slightly off, and it's endearingly cute.
RUH ROH
People say that the 17th and 18th arrondissements can be dicey. Nonsense. If you're from a city, you'll be fine. The only places that felt a little sketchy to me were the 19th and 20th, and the area around Gare de l'Est. The Quartier Latin is filled with tiquetonnes (pickpockets). It isn't dangerous, but keep an eye on your wallet. Same goes for the Metro and Gare du Nord. Just don't look like a wide-eyed tourist and you'll be fine.
SHOPPING
Shops are generally closed on Sundays (except in the Marais) and open later on Thursday nights. They don't have sales in France the way we do here; things go on sale twice a year, so you'll probably be paying full price. Tax is included, and the detaxe is a 12% refund for non-EU residents. It sounds great, but unless you're going to be purchasing thousands of dollars' worth of merch, it's a pain in the ass. You have to collect your receipts, go to a service desk to get a form, then take that form to the airport. And then at the airport, you will wait in two separate lines for hours (no exaggeration) to get the proper stamps. It's up to you, of course, but I found that I'd rather spend those hours in Paris than in the airport.
Printemps is the department store where I do my shopping. Tourists get a 10% off card, so if you plan to shop there, grab one. Same goes for Galeries Lafayette down the street, which is worth looking at just to see the beautiful ceiling. Le Bon Marche is slightly more snooty and upscale, and you don't get the 10% discount as a tourist. However, its neighboring food market, La Grande Epicerie, is definitely worth a stop. Its bakery is beautiful, you'll be amazed by the variety of cheese, and I assume their meats and whatnot are also nice. They have excellent jams -- I forget the name, but it has kind of a modern-looking label -- with fruit and flower infusions.
Colette is not as hip as it once was, but worth a quick stop if you're in the area. Most of the artsy stuff in there can be found here. However, I had a vegetable gratin in the downstairs cafe, and it was delicious. I think you'd like APC, which is very simple in its stylishness. Comptoir des Cotonniers is also an excellent source for well-made basics with good detailing. Zadig & Voltaire is huge with hip frogs in their 20s and 30s, but I don't get the fuss. Vanessa Bruno's clothing is all very chic, not flashy but definitely beautiful. I wish I'd bought more pieces from there; while they're not cheap, they're much less expensive than they are in the US, and they're beautifully made. Another good store for women is Maje. Habitat has reasonably priced, well-designed contemporary home decor. In Montmartre, Spree is a lovely concept store for women's clothing. Petit Bateau t-shirts are slim, soft and reasonably priced. There are stand-alone shops as well as departments in the department stores. These shirts are about $35 in the US, only about $12 over there. They are, in my opinion, the best t-shirts anywhere.
SLANG
If you want to seem Fraaaanch, you can use:
chouette -- cool, great
charmant -- if a lady says you are charmant, she likes you. Charmant and charmante seem to be the flirty word among the French.
vachement -- literally, "cowish." For some reason, it means "really" or "damned," as in "Ces baskets sont vachement chouettes!" (These are damned awesome sneakers)
une salope -- shh, this means "bitch" but with more nastiness. really, really rude!
les flics -- cops
les poules -- cops, but more like "pigs"
tu me dragues? -- are you chatting me up/hitting on me?
je vous en prie -- you're welcome, but also something that people will say that i take to mean "i'm happy to do it." Servers and shop clerks say this often.
TOURISTY STUFF
Canal St-Martin -- If you need to get away from the hustle and bustle of the tourist areas, the Canal St-Martin is relaxing and pretty. If you've seen Amelie, it's where she skips stones.
Notre-Dame is obviously a must for any good Catholic boy. It's stunning and definitely not overrated. Be sure to hop behind the cathedral so you can see the flying buttresses. Skip the crypt and take a short walk over to Hotel de Ville, which is City Hall. It's, uh, much more beautiful than Da Mare's office here. There's also a lovely flower market that's a birdy market on Sundays nearby.
The cemeteries are beautifully dark, and if you have time to pop into one, you'll find a nice sort of calm. A walk through the Jardin des Tuileries is beautiful, and you can walk from the Louvre on one end to Place de la Concorde (where the Champs-Elysees begins) on the other.
The Grand Palais was closed the day I visited it, but it's beautiful even from the outside.
Montmartre is what you make of it. The view from Sacre-Coeur is lovely, but the tourist shops are annoying. Spend a bit of time wandering through the neighborhood, though, and you'll find good restaurants and charming sights. There are a few independent designers' shops here, too -- great for picking up an accessory or two as gifts.
Champs-Elysees = not as beautiful as you'd think. Not ugly, and definitely worth checking out near L'Arc de Triomphe, but it's filled with Sephora and Lousy Vuitton and the like. Publicis Drugstore is a good spot to check out wine, grab a quick snack or browse magazines until 2am. That's right by L'Arc and the Charles de Gaulle Etoile Metro stop.
The bateaux-mouches are popular, but I never liked the idea of boating down the Seine. Moulin Rouge = Moulin snore. Don't even bother with this Vegas-style catastrophe.
La Tour Eiffel -- if you visit, take a walk down the park to la Musee de la Paix (I think. Something de la Paix, anyway). It's a modernist outdoor sculpture with etched glass, and you can get a pretty view of the Tower or take an arty shot like this.
ARTSY FARTSY
Palais de Tokyo is the hipster art museum. It makes the MCA look stodgy in comparison. The cafe there, Tokyo Eat, is supposed to be a hot spot. The bookshop is great -- you'll find tons of wonderful and obscure books, CDs, DVDs and so on. It's near Trocadero, so you can get a beautiful view of the Eiffel Tower as well.
Set at least a half-day aside for the Louvre. I find that I can't do it for more than a few hours -- it's beautiful but also exhausting. If you have time, check out the medieval ruins that were excavated in the 1980s. The Mona Lisa is, well, the Mona Lisa. Expect lots of American gawkers discussing the merits of The DaVinci Code.
I wasn't completely blown away by Centre Pompidou, but many people are, so what do I know? I've never been to Musee d'Orsay but I hear good things, etc.
FOOD
It is difficult to have a bad meal in Paris, although you probably won't want to try, say, American or Mexican or Indian cuisine there. They French everything up, so your saag paneer will really be more like creamed spinach a la francaise. I tend to be cheap when it comes to eating abroad, opting to have only dessert in the fancier places, so here's my short list.
Even the lousy bakeries have delicious croissants. Oh my god. I get the vapors just thinking about the croissants. Cheap and deliciously buttery. If you order un cafe, you will receive something along the lines of an espresso. The French drink coffee after, not with, dessert. Choosing the plat du jour is usually cheaper than ordering a la carte, and it's often part of a menu, which includes an entree and dessert as well. The French will not automatically bring you the check. They think this is rude. You'll have to ask for it (l'addition, s'il vous plait) and although service is included, it's polite to leave a few coins if service was great.
If you're into ethnic food, you'll have no shortage of North African food. L'As du Fallafel has the best falafel I've ever had. Seriously. It's cheap and delicious, and you can take it to go (a emporter) or pay a little extra to have it in the restaurant. It's on the Rue des Rosiers in the Marais, and when you walk down this tiny street, the smells are amazing. This place is open on Sundays, and sometimes there is a little line, but it is worth it. Laduree is supposed to have excellent hot chocolate, but I've had only their macarons. They're delicious (and if you go to Printemps, there's a Laduree there. One-stop shopping!). Cafe de Flore is pretty much a tourist trap with overpriced food. See also: Bar Hemingway, where I spent 23 euros on a single cocktail. Whoops! If you need just a quick bite, there's a place on the right bank called La Ferme. Reasonably priced organic (bio) food, lots of seating, and cute little sealed glasses of wine. You can walk around Paris with a wine buzz and nobody cares. Whee! Go to Cafe Charbon if you want to see where the non-obnoxious hipsters hang. It's next to Nouveau Casino, a venue that hosts a lot of electro nights. Kong is supposed to be hotsy-totsy. Designed by Starck, it has a great view but the food is reputed to be just so-so. Don't know if you want ice cream, but Berthillon's chocolate ice cream is rich and wonderful.
GETTING AROUND
There is little reason to get a cab in Paris. It's easy to walk all over the place, and the Metro is great -- clean, efficient, inexpensive. Don't buy a Paris Visite card; it's a ripoff. How long will you be there? Either get a carnet, which is 10 tickets, or a weekly pass. Cheap and great. I love the Paris Metro.
ODDITIES
Look for the Space Invaders mosaics around town.
Everyone young wears Chuck Taylors.
The young women all have hair like Cat Power's.
French hip-hop types imitate American rappers, but they get the details slightly off, and it's endearingly cute.
RUH ROH
People say that the 17th and 18th arrondissements can be dicey. Nonsense. If you're from a city, you'll be fine. The only places that felt a little sketchy to me were the 19th and 20th, and the area around Gare de l'Est. The Quartier Latin is filled with tiquetonnes (pickpockets). It isn't dangerous, but keep an eye on your wallet. Same goes for the Metro and Gare du Nord. Just don't look like a wide-eyed tourist and you'll be fine.
SHOPPING
Shops are generally closed on Sundays (except in the Marais) and open later on Thursday nights. They don't have sales in France the way we do here; things go on sale twice a year, so you'll probably be paying full price. Tax is included, and the detaxe is a 12% refund for non-EU residents. It sounds great, but unless you're going to be purchasing thousands of dollars' worth of merch, it's a pain in the ass. You have to collect your receipts, go to a service desk to get a form, then take that form to the airport. And then at the airport, you will wait in two separate lines for hours (no exaggeration) to get the proper stamps. It's up to you, of course, but I found that I'd rather spend those hours in Paris than in the airport.
Printemps is the department store where I do my shopping. Tourists get a 10% off card, so if you plan to shop there, grab one. Same goes for Galeries Lafayette down the street, which is worth looking at just to see the beautiful ceiling. Le Bon Marche is slightly more snooty and upscale, and you don't get the 10% discount as a tourist. However, its neighboring food market, La Grande Epicerie, is definitely worth a stop. Its bakery is beautiful, you'll be amazed by the variety of cheese, and I assume their meats and whatnot are also nice. They have excellent jams -- I forget the name, but it has kind of a modern-looking label -- with fruit and flower infusions.
Colette is not as hip as it once was, but worth a quick stop if you're in the area. Most of the artsy stuff in there can be found here. However, I had a vegetable gratin in the downstairs cafe, and it was delicious. I think you'd like APC, which is very simple in its stylishness. Comptoir des Cotonniers is also an excellent source for well-made basics with good detailing. Zadig & Voltaire is huge with hip frogs in their 20s and 30s, but I don't get the fuss. Vanessa Bruno's clothing is all very chic, not flashy but definitely beautiful. I wish I'd bought more pieces from there; while they're not cheap, they're much less expensive than they are in the US, and they're beautifully made. Another good store for women is Maje. Habitat has reasonably priced, well-designed contemporary home decor. In Montmartre, Spree is a lovely concept store for women's clothing. Petit Bateau t-shirts are slim, soft and reasonably priced. There are stand-alone shops as well as departments in the department stores. These shirts are about $35 in the US, only about $12 over there. They are, in my opinion, the best t-shirts anywhere.
SLANG
If you want to seem Fraaaanch, you can use:
chouette -- cool, great
charmant -- if a lady says you are charmant, she likes you. Charmant and charmante seem to be the flirty word among the French.
vachement -- literally, "cowish." For some reason, it means "really" or "damned," as in "Ces baskets sont vachement chouettes!" (These are damned awesome sneakers)
une salope -- shh, this means "bitch" but with more nastiness. really, really rude!
les flics -- cops
les poules -- cops, but more like "pigs"
tu me dragues? -- are you chatting me up/hitting on me?
je vous en prie -- you're welcome, but also something that people will say that i take to mean "i'm happy to do it." Servers and shop clerks say this often.
TOURISTY STUFF
Canal St-Martin -- If you need to get away from the hustle and bustle of the tourist areas, the Canal St-Martin is relaxing and pretty. If you've seen Amelie, it's where she skips stones.
Notre-Dame is obviously a must for any good Catholic boy. It's stunning and definitely not overrated. Be sure to hop behind the cathedral so you can see the flying buttresses. Skip the crypt and take a short walk over to Hotel de Ville, which is City Hall. It's, uh, much more beautiful than Da Mare's office here. There's also a lovely flower market that's a birdy market on Sundays nearby.
The cemeteries are beautifully dark, and if you have time to pop into one, you'll find a nice sort of calm. A walk through the Jardin des Tuileries is beautiful, and you can walk from the Louvre on one end to Place de la Concorde (where the Champs-Elysees begins) on the other.
The Grand Palais was closed the day I visited it, but it's beautiful even from the outside.
Montmartre is what you make of it. The view from Sacre-Coeur is lovely, but the tourist shops are annoying. Spend a bit of time wandering through the neighborhood, though, and you'll find good restaurants and charming sights. There are a few independent designers' shops here, too -- great for picking up an accessory or two as gifts.
Champs-Elysees = not as beautiful as you'd think. Not ugly, and definitely worth checking out near L'Arc de Triomphe, but it's filled with Sephora and Lousy Vuitton and the like. Publicis Drugstore is a good spot to check out wine, grab a quick snack or browse magazines until 2am. That's right by L'Arc and the Charles de Gaulle Etoile Metro stop.
The bateaux-mouches are popular, but I never liked the idea of boating down the Seine. Moulin Rouge = Moulin snore. Don't even bother with this Vegas-style catastrophe.
La Tour Eiffel -- if you visit, take a walk down the park to la Musee de la Paix (I think. Something de la Paix, anyway). It's a modernist outdoor sculpture with etched glass, and you can get a pretty view of the Tower or take an arty shot like this.
Labels: the france, travel
