I see London, I see France...

Today I spent the day in London! It's been 8 years since I've been to England - not sure why it has been so long. But it was good to finally get back there! I took the Eurostar - the highspeed TGV train that goes under the English Channel through the Chunnel and gets you from city center to city center in 2 hours 45 minutes. The amount of time you are actually "in the chunnel" (i.e. under water) is about 30 minutes - I made a note this time :-)

So I took the 8am train and arrived in London just before 10am (England is a hour behind France so I gained an hour going over). My train home was at 7:15pm, so I had a full day to see the city. However, unlike Paris - which I can easily do in a day because I know the city so well - London is huge. And the traffic and the quantity of people on the streets reminds me a lot of New York City. So as it turns out, 9 hours in London was a stretch and I spent the day literally running from site to site. I got to see most of what I wanted, but the thing I didn't have time for really was any shopping. And the shopping looked so good! On SkyNews (out of London) they have been saying how all the shops in London were really hurting and talking about the recession and nobody buying. Well... that did NOT seem to be the case! Every store was packed, every store was already set up for Christmas, and business appeared to be absolutely booming!

Anyhow... in preparation for the trip I went online Friday night and bought a few eTickets: double decker on-and-off bus pass; fast track entrance to the Tower of London; and fast track entrance to the London Eye (giant ferris wheel on the Thames River). I am VERY glad I did this - the lines were incredible and I never would have gotten to do those things had I not already had my tickets. Have I mentioned lately how great the Internet is :-)

So I got to London at 10am and basically had 2 hours to sightsee before the highlight (and only relaxing time) of the day - a lunch reservation that I made several weeks ago (again, online) at Gordon Ramsey's restaurant called "Maze". I really like Gordon Ramsey (watch all his shows) and wanted to see if his restaurants stack up. But before lunch...

When the TGV arrived at St. Pancras Station (close to Kings Cross), I jumped on a double decker bus and went to Trafalgar Square. Then I walked from Trafalgar Square, past the Horse Guards Parade, and all the way through St. James Park to Buckingham Palace. This pretty much ate up my morning and I was crunched for time, so I had to jump in a cab to make my lunch reservation.

Lunch at MAZE was cool. The outside was very nondescript - you wouldn't even realize it was a restaurant - much less his - if you didn't look real hard. Inside, very modern with clean lines and a monochrome color pallet of light browns, beiges and sage. Nothing fancy, but clean and chic. I ate in the Maze Grill which is known for its steaks. Here is what I ordered:

Starter: Confit tomatoes, chorizo, potatoes, bitter shallots
Main Course: Casterbridge grain fed 10oz Sirloin
Side: Potato gratin

Lunch was a tad pricey, but very good. There were steaks from different parts of England, Japan and the US - you had to choose. They brought around a tray that showed the different cuts and explained the differences between the meats from different places. I choose a sirloin from England (Casterbridge) that was cooked perfectly and so tender I barely had to move the knife. Hope I don't get Mad Cow though! Sorry England, small joke ;-)

The steak was served on a small cutting board instead of a plate - kind of interesting. And the potato gratin was served in a tiny cast iron pot the size of a ramekin on a slate coaster. What they say is true, presentation is everything. The unique way in which everything is served at Maze is as much a part of the experience as the food is. Needless to say I was stuffed and just wanted a nap when I left, but I pressed on :-)

After lunch I had to zoom over to the London Eye to make my 2:30pm appointment. Not enough time to take the bus, so again I hopped in a cab. I can't emphasize this enough - buy your tickets in advance online people! The lines were astonishing at the Eye, but because I had a fast track ticket, I pretty much just walked right on. The views were incredible! I got some of the best photos of the whole day during the ride.

After the Eye, I got back on the double decker bus and headed to St. Paul's Cathedral for a quick pit stop on my way over to the Tower of London and London Bridge. On my previous trips to London I had seen the Tower of London, but not gone inside. I was determined to see the Crown Jewels this time and made it in just under the wire. Last admission was 4pm and I got there about 5 minutes before that!

Walking around the castle grounds is really cool if you're into history like I am. I didn't have nearly as much time as I would have liked, but I did get to see the Crown Jewels! Looking at all the scepters and crowns of previous kings and queens of England was fascinating. I noticed that when you go in to see the Crown Jewels (no photos allowed by the way) you are actually walking into a vault. The metal vault doors had to be about 5 feet thick. For some reason I kept thinking of the Oceans 11 movie while I was in there :-)

From now until mid-January they have ice skating at the Tower of London - kind of like how they do at Rockefeller Center in New York. And the view of the Tower Bridge from the castle grounds as it started to get dark was just beautiful.

By this time it was completely dark (it gets dark in England at 4pm in the winter) and it was sadly, about that time... so I jumped on the double decker bus to head back to St. Pancras station to catch the TGV back home to Paris. Because it was on the other end off the route, the ride was long - but this was a good thing because I got a free "London by Night" tour and saw all the monuments and buildings (and the Eye) all lit up! I sat up on top of the bus in the open air to take photos and froze - but it was worth it. Oh, did I not mention the weather? The high in London was about 35 today and the temps never made it out of the 30s the entire day while I was there. Thank God it was sunny and didn't rain! And up on top of that bus at night - with the wind - it was definitely very brrrrrrish :-)

I made it back to the train station, checked in, got on board and dozed for much of the trip home. When I arrived back in Paris at Gare du Nord I still had to take the Metro home - another 20 minutes.

When I finally walked back in the apartment it was 11:30pm and I was exhausted. It was a very long and fast-paced, but wonderful day in London. And now I think I'll sleep about 10 hours to recuperate - ha!

Click here to view all of today's photos from London (11/22/08)

Fashion Show @ Galeries Lafayette

The major department stores (Galeries Lafayette and Printemps) put on fashion shows each week, so I thought in my quest for an authentic Paris experience, this would be a good thing to add to the agenda.

The show was pretty interesting! Check out the clothes and styles by clicking on the link below to view all the photos from the fashion show today. I also took a few video brief video clips.

Two things to notice in the videos...

1) You'll see a girl with a big/bulky shiny black bomber-style type jacket with horizontal ribbing - those jackets are EVERYWHERE here. Everyone is wearing them. Personally, I don't really like them because they are so bulky. But I guess if you are super skinny you can get away with it.

2) On some of the girls in the video you'll see they are wearing black knee-high trouser socks/stockings with shoes. The video may look like they are boots, but they aren't. I haven't seen anyone out and about like that, but that's probably because it is winter and that may be more of a spring thing. Just thought it looked odd to see knee high stockings with a dress. But on the models it looked cool :-)

Click here to view all of today's photos (11/21/08)

UNESCO

"Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men
that the defenses of peace must be constructed." -UNESCO

Very busy past few days... I will post more SOON! But for now, here are today's photos from my guided tour of the UNESCO headquarter - the United Nations Education, Scientific & Cultural Organization. (Or what I like to think of as my 'future place of employment' with any luck!)

Funny story about the Iranian delegation that I was on tour at the UN with.... I'm fairly sure I'm on some government "list" now. Guess Obama isn't the only one 'paling around with terrorists'... ha! More about this later....

St-Sulspice

Today after school I went to see St-Sulspice. Like La Madeleine, I had never seen this church either. The picture I had in my head of it was from the movie The DaVinci Code. For some reason I thought I remembered it being small. Wrong. This church is HUGE!

Unfortunately, like so many buildings in Europe, one side of the church is almost entirely covered in scaffolding under renovation. Outside the church in the Place Saint Sulspice is a beautiful fountain.

Construction on St-Sulspice began in 1646, but it wasn't completed until nearly the end of the 1700s. There is an absolutely gorgeous alter inside along with one of the largest pipe organs in the world.

Click here to view all of today's photos (11/18/08)

La Madeleine

Somehow, I never saw the Eglise de Madeleine on any of my previous trips to Paris. Since this stay is a quest to see as much as I can that I haven't before, I headed over to check it out. The church was designed in 1764 and as you'll see in the photos, quite beautiful.

In the are surrounding the Place de la Madeleine are many high fashion stores and gourmet food shops. One of them - La Maison de la Truffe - had some truffles in the window priced at 2,500 Euros for one kilogram!

From the steps of Madeleine you can see the Place de la Concorde, so I walked down and took a few night pics. In the Place de la Concorde is an Egyptian Obelisk from a 3,000+ year old Luxor temple that was a gift to France from Egypt in 1833. Also in the Place de la Concorde - but only around the holidays - is a giant ferris wheel. I didn't go up in it, but I may before I leave Paris. We'll see how my ride on the Eye in London goes on Saturday!

Click here to view all of today's photos (11/17/08)

"Give Geneva a Chance" Day

Okay, so I decided to give Geneva a second chance today. I slept in, watched some more English television and then headed out to do some siteseeing. The first thing on my list was to go see the UN. So I figured out which tram to jump on and about 10 minutes later was standing in front of the Palais des Nations.

Of course it being a Sunday – and winter – the UN was closed. I knew that though, so it wasn’t a surprise. In winter they only offer guided tours M-F, but there just wasn’t a way for me to get here mid-week given my class schedule at the Alliance Francais. It was still really cool though. And about a block away is the building that houses the UN High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR), which most Americans only have heard of because of Angelina Jolie and the wonderful work she has done as their Goodwill Ambassador.

After the UN, I wandered around that area for a little while then headed back towards the hotel. In addition to being closely situated to the train station, the hotel was also only a 10 minute walk to Lake Geneva. So I walked down to the lake, saw the famous geyser that is shown in all/any photos of Geneva, and then decided to take a boat ride – I figured it was Lake Geneva afterall! The boat ride lasted about an hour and was great. My hands were frozen though (I only brought one set of hand warmer packets with me to Geneva and had used them the night before). It was a nice, scenic ride. Set against the shore line of Lake Geneva you can see the Alps and Mont Blanc (through the haze).

I learned two things on the boat ride:

1) Lake Geneva is central Europe’s largest fresh water lake; and

2) Switzerland had 4 official languages: French, Italian, German and Romanche (What the heck is Romansh?!? I’ll have to Google that!)

Update: This Romansh thing is truly bizarre... take a look at what wikipedia says here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romansh_language

By the time the boat was over, so was my time in Geneva. I went back to the hotel to collect my satchel and then walked across the street and got on the 4:15pm TGV train back to Paris. I’m actually writing this post on the train and will post it when I get back to my apartment.

Would I come back to Geneva? Probably. But really only because someday I want to be able to take the tour of the UN. I don’t know why, but I just wasn’t impressed with Geneva. It just seemed like a big city – any big city. I didn’t really get a real sense of history here despite the Old Town section and it just seemed to lack any sort of ambiance. I may be spoiled though because Paris just oozes history and charm. Every neighborhood here has its own personality.

If I do come back to Geneva, it will probably be just a pass through on my way to Chamonix – the ski resort town on Mont Blanc. Had I had more time here (and a more suitable – i.e. warmer – wardrobe), I would/could have taken a day trip to Chamonix. It just didn’t work out this time. So if I come back to Switzerland, that’s my plan – Chamonix and a pit stop at the UN for a guided tour. But at least I can (finally) add Switzerland to my travel resume :-)

~~~ EDITORS NOTE ~~~
At this point my train arrived back in Paris at Gare de Lyon.
I then took the Metro (Lines 1 & 8) to a stop called Grands Boulevards and
then walked 5 minutes back to my apartment.

Okay, I’m back home now! I missed my little place on the Rue du Croissant. Time to take out the garbage, review my assignments for French class tomorrow and make myself a nice, warm Crepe Fromage (i.e. cheese crepe - natural, not sweet - made with a combination of Brie and Camembert). Oh yeah, and watch some exciting Al Jarezeera TV to cap off the night – ha!

Bonne Nuit

Click here to view all of today's photos (11/16/08)

Finally... Switzerland

This morning I got up and took the TGV to Geneva. Someone asked me if I was going because I was bored with Paris. I can assure you, that is not the case! There are two main reasons I decided to take this side-trip:

1) Switzerland was one of the only countries in Western Europe I had yet to visit and frankly, was tired of explaining why it had always somehow alluded me on previous trips;

2) I wanted to see the headquarters of the United Nations.

The train ride from Paris to Geneva was 3 hours 15 minutes. About 45 minutes outside of Geneva there were some impressive mountains, but other than that the scenery was pretty unremarkable. I tried to take some photos, but the glare on the window – and probably the fact that we were going 320 km/h (200 mph) per hour – sort of hampered my ability to do so!

I’m staying at the Warwick Geneva, located right across the street from the train station where I arrived – very convenient. The hotel gives you a pass for public transit during your stay (trams, buses, etc.) which is good because I did not have any Swiss Francs (or Euros for that matter!). As soon as I checked in, I headed out to the ‘old town’ area of the city. To get there I jumped on a tram – kind of like a cable car. It was only about a 5 minute ride.

After a few hours of walking around I realized I was starving so I found an ATM, got some Swiss Francs and went to… McDonalds. Okay, listen…. this was the FIRST time since I’ve been in Europe that I had McDonalds (or ANY fast food actually).

It’s a little coder in Switzerland than in Paris. I was glad that I had brought with me some pocket hand warmers (little pouches that heat up when exposed to air and stay hot for up to 12 hours). They kept my hands nice and toasty as the temp dipped once the sun went down.

When I got back to the hotel, I took a nice HOT bath – I only have a small ‘shower of death’ in my apartment, so this was a wonderful luxury! And then I watched some television in English – horray! I don’t think I mentioned this before but I only had CNN International and BBC World for the first few days I was in Paris. After that, the channels cut off and the girls at the apartment rental agency can’t seem to find the pass code that will allow me to subscribe to them for the rest of my stay. Grrrrr. So the only “English” television I’ve had for weeks is CNBC, Sky News (London) and Al Jazeera (seriously). All three are “okay” but they are all news! The only respite I have is that I found that on CNBC from 11pm-midnight they show the Tonight Show w/Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien (abbreviated versions with no commercials) – a day late of course, but it’s all I’ve got, so I’m not complaining! Someone mentioned going to ABC.com and watching my shows online (Greys Anatomy, Boston Legal, etc). I thought that was a brilliant idea. But when I tried, it detected that I was accessing the site from a foreign country and brought up a message saying that only viewers in the US could watch episodes on the Web. Grrrrrrr again.

Anyhow, I digress. The hotel in Geneva had 6 whole channels in English and I actually got to watch the Daily Show w/Jon Stewart, the British version of “Dancing With the Stars” (which is oddly called “Strictly Come Dancing”) but has two of the same judges (Len & Bruno) and the British version of The Office. Mindless TV – yeah!!!!

You can probably tell that my first day in Geneva wasn’t that spectacular given that I’ve spent more time talking about McDonalds, television and the hot bath I got to take than anything I saw. To be honest, I just wasn’t that impressed. “Old Town” didn’t seem that old and frankly lacked the charm of Paris. To me, the city is very commercialized. Overall it just lacked that certain “je ne sais quoi”. I guess I'm turning into a Paris snob - ha!

Click here to view all of today's photos (11/15/08)

Sneak Peek @ the Photos!

All the photos I've taken so far are now up on my travel photo Web site. Click here to take a look!

The photos aren't captioned yet - sorry, I'll get to that soon. But for now, I just wanted to get caught up and get all the photos posted.

Currently the photos are arranged by day (i.e. all the photos I took on any given day since I've been here), but I also plan to arrange them by category (neighborhoods, buildings, etc.) as time allows - so check back!

p.s. Until I get them captioned, if there is anything you are really interesting in knowing more about, drop me an email and I'll fill you in on what you are looking at!

The Eiffel Tower @ Night

Tres Magnifique!

I headed over to the Tour Eiffel late this afternoon, right at sunset and was thrilled to find a fairly short line, so up I went! It's been a few years since I've been up to the top at night. I forgot just how beautiful it is to see the city as dusk turns into night and all the monuments start to light up!

No matter how many times I see the "light show" that happens every hour when the tower twinkles for 10 minutes, I'm still mesmerized. When the Tour Eiffel isn't twinkling, it's shaded in blue with a huge illuminated EU symbol on the front, which is very cool. This is to mark the fact that France currently has the rotating reigns of the European Union.

Lots of great photos to share... again though, I have to say "coming soon." But I do have a special treat right to make up for it. How about some video?!?! Enjoy.....




Click here to view all of today's photos (11/12/08)

Montmartre & Sacré-Coeur

Today was such a nice day. Since there wasn't any school, I decided to spend the day wandering around the area called Montmartre, which is known as the artists quarter and is where you find the beautiful Sacré-Coeur (which means "Sacred Heart" in French).

From the steps of the Sacre-Coeur you have an amazing view over the city of Paris. And on weekends (and holidays like today) hundreds of people gather and sit on the steps listening to street musicians and performers who entertain the crowd (see Video Clips at the end of this post).

In the winding back streets behind Sacré-Coeur you will find dozens of cafes and shops. But most notably you'll discover many artists displaying their works for sale in the place du Tertre. Wandering around the square are even more artists carrying sketchbooks offering to do portraits of tourists as they wait.

I never had my portrait done in Paris before. But since everything about this trip is different than all the other trips before it, I decided to have one done. I found an artist that felt right - his name was Theodore. He was an older gentleman and what appealed to me about his offer was he said that when he was done, if I wasn't satisfied, I didn't have to buy it. Sounded like a fair deal.

Theodore was a very interesting character. Originally from Romania, he had spent a little time years ago in the US. He spoke quite good English and took his time doing my portrait. I saw other artists around me do 2-3 in the time that Theodore worked on mine. I really appreciated how much he cared about doing quality work. And while I'm never happy about how I look, I have to say the portrait came out really nice - I'm so glad I had it done! It's something I'll always have to remind me of the month I lived in Paris. Anyone who has the skill to capture the likeness of someone on paper, has my deepest admiration. So what do you think, does it look like me?

Click here to view all of today's photos (11/11/08)

My 1st Day of Class @ the Alliance Française

Today was my first day of class at the Alliance Française! There are a total of 13 students in the class (including me). And as expected (and hoped for) it’s like a little mini-United Nations. Here’s the breakdown of where everyone is from:

United States........... 4  (Michael, Phil, Warren & me)
Iran.................... 1  (Elham)
Saudi Arabia............ 1  (Almanouf)
Finland................. 1  (Piritta)
Italy....................1  (Vincenzo)
Spain....................1  (Ignacio)
Australia................2  (Teresa, Steve)
Japan....................1  (Suich)
Vietnam..................1  (Phoung)

(In case you are wondering how I know this... part of today's lesson was introducing yourself and saying what nationality you are and what language(s) you speak - and doing it all in French of course.)

5 are girls (Elham, Amanouf, Piritta, Teresa & me); the other 8 are guys.

Age range is early 20s to late 60s (guessing). Three of the people are in their 60s, a couple in their 30s and the majority in their 20s.

A few stories to share about the classmates already...

Warren is in his mid-60s and is from rural Illinois. He works for the state government and has lots of vacation time. Like me, he loves Paris (has been here 10+ times) and decided this time around (again, like me) that he should finally attempt to really learn French. He said people at work refer to him as the “Paris guy” since he comes here every year and that he jokes with everyone that he “winters in Paris” since he usually comes around Christmas time. He’s here for 3 weeks renting an apartment in the area of the Bastille.

Teresa is also in her mid-60s. She is from Melbourne, Australia. She's in France for a year! Not sure what she does... She ‘has’ an apartment in Paris, but said she’s splitting her time between Paris and the south of France close to St. Tropez where she is staying in a house that a friend is ‘lending her’ for the year! (Geez, wish I had a friend like that!)

Steve is the other Aussie. He looks like he is in his mid-20s and is from the Brisbane area. He’s in med school and is on break for a few months (I think its summer there now). After class we were on the same Metro train for a few stops and he told me that he’s spending 5 weeks in Paris, a few weeks traveling around Europe, then finishing back up in Paris for Christmas and New Year’s. He’s renting an apartment over by Notre Dame. (And before the comments begin from the peanut gallery... he’s in his mid-20s people!)

As you can tell, I sort of gravitated towards the English speaking people (US & Australia) during breaks and after class today. But I’ll chat up the others (most of whom speak at least some English) and get their stories over the next couple weeks.

As for class itself, I guess it’s good I’m in the ‘absolute beginner’ class. It was a review – today – but I think after maybe one more day it will be all new. It’s really amazing the difference between our educational systems. We covered as much today in 4 hours as a class in the US would in 4 weeks. And their definition of an ‘absolute beginner’ is someone who already knows the basics. For example, when we talked numbers today, it was just given that we all knew like 1-60 and the teacher started from there up!

No English is allowed in class or any other language for that matter, other than French. None. (That’s where the ‘knowing the basics’ comes in. If you didn’t, you would be SO lost!) I like it so far. It wasn’t too taxing today - i.e. I don’t have a headache ;-) Ask me again at the end of Week 1!

So no school tomorrow – it’s a national holiday and school (and EVERYTHING else in France) is closed. Seriously. I was here one other time with Bryan and we only had one day here and we didn't realize it was a national holiday. We joked how “France was closed” for the day because absolutely nothing was open – we couldn’t even find a bathroom – ha! Not sure what I’ll do – I considered going to Belgium (seriously - it's only an hour away by TGV), but opted instead to use those funds to book a trip to Geneva, Switzerland for this coming weekend instead (more on that later). So I guess tomorrow I’ll just wander around taking photos.

Ok, well that’s the scoop on school. I came back to the apartment after class and ate lunch while I wrote this (a nice sandwich I made on a fresh baguette I picked up at the market on the way home). But now, it's time to go out and do some more exploring :-)

p.s. For those of you who are wondering.... I was NOT late to class this morning :-) However, I do admit that I arrived at EXACTLY 9am. Need to try and not cut it so close from now on - he,he!

Click here to view all of today's photos (11/10/08)

A Word About Skype

AMAZING

If you have a microphone or webcam (or preferably both), you HAVE to download Skype and try it out!

Click here to learn more about Skype and to download the free software!

Basically the software enables you to use your computer as a phone and talk to other people (that's where the microphone comes in) AND see them (if you/they have a webcam) - completely free, no matter where in the world they are!

I am using it like crazy! I talked with Sherri the other night for an hour (we both had webcams so we could see each other). I talked with Jeff as well (he doesn't have a webcam so I could just hear him, but he could see me). And tonight I talked with Jessica (with webcams on both ends). It only took her 5 minutes to download the software and get started!

Skype is awesome and totally free from computer to computer over a broadband internet connection!

And another cool thing about it is that for only 2 cents a minute, you can use it to call regular telephone land lines or mobile numbers. So for instance, my Mom doesn't have a webcam or microphone on her computer, but I still used Skype and my computer to call her house the other night and we talked for 20 minutes and it only cost me 60 cents! And I called my nieces tonight and talked to them too. Plus, it's a cheap way for me to call and check my home/cell voicemail while I'm away - only 2 cents a minute! Much cheaper than the cell phone I have at 18 euro cents a minute.

It's kind of weird talking "to" the computer, but you get used to it. The best experience is when both people have webcams. I move my computer around and show people the apartment! And seeing the person you are talking to makes you feel like they are right there!

Ok, enough of the Skype advertisement. I just HAD to mention how incredibly awesome it is, and if you haven't tried it yet, you should. It's FREE!!!!!!!!!!!

p.s. If you decide to try it, email me and I'll tell you my Skype name so you can see me online and Skype me. I don't want to post it for fear of crank Skypers ;-)

Hope to Skype you soon!

So About My Classes at the Alliance Française...

Many of you have been asking about my French classes, so here's the scoop...

When I went to get my student ID and finalize my registration last week, I had to take a placement test. I thought, "No problem" - I can't speak French, but I know a lot of bits and pieces - numbers, phrases, directions, introductions, etc. And I can understand a lot. Heck, I get by just fine in Paris. So I thought...

Let's just say that the intake lady at the Alliance Française had a different opinion of my self-assessment :-( In fact, after briefly 'talking with me' in French, she said I didn't have to take the placement exam (which by the way I looked at and it had nothing basic on it - it was all essay questions and reading comprehension!) and that I should start in the "absolute beginners" class. Grrrr.......

This was annoying for three reasons: 1) "absolute beginner" classes only start on certain Mondays, and of course last Monday was not one of them; 2) the actual fact that I'm NOT an absolute beginner! I bought my books and I know most of what will be covered the first week; 3) I now will only be able to take classes for 2 weeks instead of 3.

{sigh}

But since I didn't know the words to argue with the lady in French...

Things happen for a reason though and it will all work out for the best. I've put this last week to good use, got totally settled into the apartment and into a routine and have seen and done quite a lot. And in the end, I will end up with more instruction anyhow - here's how:

The original plan was to take the 'light' course which was 9-12, Mon/Tues/Thurs (so 9 hours a week) - for 3 weeks - for a total of 27 hours of instruction while I was here.

But with the plan 'nouveau' I am going to take the 'intensive' course which is 9-1, Mon-Fri (so 20 hours a week - more than dbl the other one) - for a total of 40 hours of instruction while I am here.

My brain may explode, but I just felt like I needed to get as much out of the school as I could while I have the benefit of being here to practice. Time will tell whether or not this was a good decision...

So that's the scoop on school. My intensive classes start on Monday. I have my books. I have my student ID. I know where my classroom is and how to get to the school on the metro.

Since I am going to be in the 'absolute beginners' class, I'm really not that worried. The first few days at least should be review and mostly me working on pronunciation. The hardest thing for me likely isn't going to be the French - it will be having to getting up at 7am everyday Mon-Fri for the next two weeks. Très horrible!

And they say I don't know French ;-)

Click here to view all of today's photos (11/09/08)

Going to the Movies in Paris

So tonight I decided to go to the movies. There are several big theaters on the Champs-Élysées and since I was over in that area, I decided to see the new James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace (which apparently isn't out yet in the US???).

Anyhow, before anyone gives me a hard time about going to the movies in Paris... let me just say that my quest in coming here for a month was to experience what it would be like to live here. And if I lived here, going to the movies on occasion is something that I would do - not something someone would likely do here on vacation. So it seemed like a perfectly logical way to spend a Friday evening! Ok, I'm done being defensive now ;-)

So a few observations from the experience:

I never realized this on any of my previous trips to Paris, but most of the new American film releases that are shown here are actually shown in English, with French subtitles! The way you can tell for sure is when you look up at the movie posters on the theater, if it says VO (standing for Version Original) somewhere down at the bottom, then that means it's in English. I can't believe I never knew that!

So tonight I saw the new James Bond movie in a very large theater filled with several hundred French people and as I watched and listened to the movie normally, they all had to read the subtitles. Wild! I guess with the new releases, there isn't time to get them dubbed? Not sure - I'll have to Google that to find out more ;-)

The theater itself reminded me more of one you'd see a concert in than a movie. It had a stage and curtain. The seats were semi-stadium - tiered, but not as much as at home. And the seats didn't recline or have cup holders, but... they were very cushy and more like living room chairs that movie theater seats. When the lights dimmed, the curtain opened and there was a full 25 minutes of fluff. Only two movie previews, the rest was regular commercials for everything from perfume to travel offers. Once the ads were done, the lights came back on and the curtain closed. Then a few minutes later, all the lights went out completely, the curtain opened and the main feature began. A bit peculiar. But nobody seemed confused by what had transpired but me, so I 'think' this is normal in France.

One thing I found really interesting was that people did NOT tolerate talking - which was great! Every time you'd hear a peep, people would loudly shoosh them. But that was actually quite odd given the fact that most of the people in the theater were reading the dialogue, not listening to it. I guess going to the movies is a great way to learn English and/or improve your English skills!

p.s. The Bond movie was good - not excellent. TONS of action (as you'd expect), but the storyline was a little lacking.

Click here to view all of today's photos (11/08/08)

Castles of the Loire Valley

The Loire Valley excursion lasted about 14 (wonderful) hours. I will post extensively this weekend - I promise - with tons of pics of the castles! I know I am falling far behind in getting photos up - I'll try and get caught up this weekend. But for now.... here's one shot of me in front of the Château de Chambord from yesterday. More later!



Click here to view all of today's photos (11/07/08)

Les Catacombes de Paris

Have you ever seen that show "Cities of the Underworld" on the History Channel? Something I've wanted to do for years is visit the Catacombs of Paris. I tried to a few years ago (I think on the trip here with Sherri), but they were closed for repair. Finally, today I was able to see them.

First off, very spooky. You have to go down a very deep and narrow winding staircase that seems to go on forever. When it ends, you are in a vast maze of underground tunnels below the city streets of Paris that are filled with the remains (bones and skulls) of six million people. The bones were moved there in the late 1700s, early 1800s due to a concern that where they were buried was a danger to public health. In the pictures you'll see the bones all neatly stacked. Believe it or not, this was done recently but happened back around 1810 during the time of Napolean I. I'll post more photos later, but for now I wanted to give you a sneak peek! If you are interested in learning more about the history of the catacombs, click here to visit the Web site.



I set off through the tunnels at a quick pace but after a few minutes got a little scared when I didn't see anyone (alive) in front or behind me! So I slowed up until I could hear the people behind me and always stayed within earshot of their footsteps! This afternoon was a very unique and different Paris experience.

Have to cut this short tonight and get to bed - early day tomorrow! I have to be up and out by 6:30am for a tour I'm taking. I'll be spending the day a couple hours outside of Paris in the countryside of the Loire Valley to see castles - the kind fairy tales are based on! I'll be visiting three of the most beautiful château over the course of the day: Cheverny, Chambord and Chenonceau.

Click here to view all of today's photos (11/06/08)

Victory (updated 11/6)

Click here to view all of today's photos (11/05/08)

An Afternoon at the Palace of Versailles

It was such a beautiful day today - 60 degrees and sunny - that I couldn't bear the thought of being inside. So I decided to take a day trip to the Palace of Versailles, about 40 minutes outside of central Paris. It's pretty easy to get to Versailles, the Metro (RER C line) goes all the way there and it's just a 10 minute walk from the train station once you arrive.

I have been to Versailles before, but it has been many years. Admittedly, the grounds and gardens are much more beautiful in spring and summer when the fountains are running and the flowers are in bloom. But even in the autumn, the château and its grounds are awe inspiring.

I spent the afternoon at Versailles then made my way back to Paris. On the Metro, I was sitting across from a Vietnamese couple. The woman spoke to me in French (that's the second time that's happened in the past two days - I take that as a compliment that I'm 'blending in'). Anyhow, when I told her I didn't speak French, she spoke to me in broken English. She said that she has lived in Paris for the past 15 years. And then like the guy last night, asked me about the election. She acted concerned that I was here on election day but was relieved when I told her that I had voted early before coming to Paris. She too mentioned she hoped Obama would win.

And if you were watching CNN today, you saw that they did a segment live from Paris where there are big election parties going on. The French are almost as excited as we are!

On the way back home I got off the Metro at the stop where the Paris Opera House is - so beautiful! And then walked behind it a block to "the" department store in Paris - Galeries Lafayette. They (3 stores) were all lit up for Christmas and were totally packed! So much energy, so much to see - I was like a kid in a candy store. I only bought a few things - this time ;-) One of the things I got was a CD of French Christmas carols/music.

I'm sort of embarrassed to say this but I actually stayed there almost as long as I stayed at Versailles this afternoon! I heard on the news (Sky News out of London) this morning, that Europe is officially in a recession. From the looks of things at the Galeries Lafayette tonight though, I don't think the people of Paris got that memo....

I took tons of photos at Versailles and at the Galeries Lafayette and will post them later tonight on my main photo site. I'll add a link here once they are posted!

Meanwhile... it's already after midnight here and it's still an hour or so before the first polls close in the US (two hours before Florida's polls close). I don't want to miss any of the action, but I may have to take a nap in the middle of the night in order to be awake to hear the result! It could be 7 or 8 am here (1 or 2am Florida time) before there's a winner - or later, God forbid. It should be an exciting night! I'm going to pick up a copy of the Paris newspaper Le Monde on Thursday (and other European papers if I can find them) to see how the world reacts to who wins.

Click here to view all of today's photos (11/04/08)

Election Day

Election day is FINALLY here - woo hoo! Many of you have asked if they are making much of the election here. Does this photo answer the question? Yes, it is a HUGE deal here and all across Europe.

As I walked to Monoprix earlier, a man came up and asked me a question in French. When I politely said, "Je ne parle pas francais," he asked what language and I said English. He then started speaking to me in English and asked if I was from the United States and who I was hoping would win the election. I said Obama and he broke out in a huge smile and said, "We can only hope!"


A little further down the street I walked past a store window where the whole theme was the election, depicting it as a heavy weight boxing match.


I taped some of a French news broadcast tonight (see below). I didn't have the volume up loud enough though, so it may be difficult for you to hear. I will cut a better segment tomorrow during the election coverage. But for now, click on the slide below to watch:

From Movies

L'accident: An Update

So after the shower incident on Friday night, I spent all day Saturday in the apartment with my foot up alternating between ice and compression. By the time it got dark I was starving (and more importantly had run out of Diet Coke), so I hobbled (literally) across the street to the market to buy some food. (Note to self: remember to only buy as much as you can carry AND as much as will fit in a tiny mini-fridge!)

Saturday I kept off the ankle until mid-afternoon and then I just couldn't take being in Paris and being locked away in my apartment for another minute! So I put on my old-school hightop black sneakers (which were GREAT because they totally supported my ankle) and I went out exploring!

I walked close by to the Rue Montorgueil which is one of Paris' oldest market streets. It's pedestrian only and full of shops and cafes. Then I walked over past the Louvre, across the Seine, over to Notre Dame Cathedral, back over the Seine, through the Marais district (w/a pit stop at a crepe stand for a piping hot crepe fromage) and then back to my apartment - about 4 hours of walking. I know, I know... but it was such a nice afternoon! Anyhow, resting my ankle all day Saturday and wearing the hightops seemed to do the trick. I was a little sore when I got home, but by this morning, my ankle is almost feeling normal again - yeah!

So tonight I went to Monoprix - kind of like a Super Target, but tiny so imagine a Micro Target! I couldn't find a mat for the shower of death, but I found these little suction cup fish. Of course when I took a shower tonight, the fish started moving. Or were they swimming...

Who knew that the most dangerous thing about living in a foreign country would be taking a shower!

Click here to view all of today's photos (11/03/08)