Wednesday, August 31, 2011
PS
As of now there is no internet in my new apartment, so unless there is a wireless network I can connect to it's possible I won't have internet access at home until November! I can bring my computer to the family's house and I'm planning to keep my smartphone until then. I'll try my best to keep everything updated until then.
Fourth attempt...
I just returned from my fourth consecutive attempt at moving into the new apartment. This time the main door (to which I don't have the code, but it's unlocked during weekdays) was locked - apparently they lock it around 8pm. I got home from work around 7:30 and left here at 8 only to find myself unable to get it.
But good news: the oil worked and I can now get in the apartment door with only a medium sized struggle.
But good news: the oil worked and I can now get in the apartment door with only a medium sized struggle.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Apartment shenanigans
A lot of people are asking me if I've moved yet, and the answer is no. I should be officially moving out of my current place on Thursday.
So I think I posted on here before that the mother and I tried to get into the apartment for me to see but we could not open the door to get in, and neither could a random lady we asked to help. We weren't sure if it was perhaps the wrong key, but it didn't seem like it. Her husband was away at the time and had the other key so we weren't able to try it with his.
Then she forgot to leave the key for me while they were in Montpelier, in the south, for a month. I was annoyed about that, but it turns out it would not have done me any good - when I finally retrieved the key on Sunday I tried to get with the other key, the same thing happened. Keep in mind that in between those two visits the father went by himself and was able to get in without much trouble (he said).
So I asked if he would come with me today to the apartment, hoping it was just that there is some trick to opening it. But when he tried, he had a lot of trouble. It took him more than five minutes to get it open. It's even hard to open when it's unlocked!
He says he'll give me some oil tomorrow to put on the key and the mechanism and it should work - I really hope so, because if not I won't be able to get in to move my things.
Anyway, it was the first time I had been in the apartment, although I had some pictures of it. It is super tiny, as I expected, but I had completely forgotten that the mother had warned me a while ago that the ceilings are low. And indeed they are quite low! It's essentially an attic room, so the ceilings are slanted. There is a wooden beam between the room and the little kitchen area, and the bottom of the beam is a little below my chin - meaning it's about 4'7" from the ground.
It does have two burners, a little fridge, and a washing machine (yay!), which is the same I have here. However it does not have a toaster oven; now that I know how to use one I want to keep it! Sadface. There is also a somewhat disproportionately large TV...not sure what I'm going to do with that as I don't really watch TV and it takes up some room. I have decent cabinet space and a closet. The bed is not really a futon but the same concept - it can fold into a couch but it's not a pull out bed either.
When I'm able to get in on my own I'll take some pictures.
One of my nerdier French Studies friends suggested I will be a modern grisette. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grisette_(French) Um, presumably without the prostitution implications. They pretty much all live in tiny attic rooms and then die of consumption - think Mimi in La Boheme (or Rent), Fantine from Les Miserables, or some of Zola's characters.
This quote from Twain on grisettes is pretty awesome (note that I am moving to the very heart of the Latin Quarter, still overrun with poverty-stricken students):
So I think I posted on here before that the mother and I tried to get into the apartment for me to see but we could not open the door to get in, and neither could a random lady we asked to help. We weren't sure if it was perhaps the wrong key, but it didn't seem like it. Her husband was away at the time and had the other key so we weren't able to try it with his.
Then she forgot to leave the key for me while they were in Montpelier, in the south, for a month. I was annoyed about that, but it turns out it would not have done me any good - when I finally retrieved the key on Sunday I tried to get with the other key, the same thing happened. Keep in mind that in between those two visits the father went by himself and was able to get in without much trouble (he said).
So I asked if he would come with me today to the apartment, hoping it was just that there is some trick to opening it. But when he tried, he had a lot of trouble. It took him more than five minutes to get it open. It's even hard to open when it's unlocked!
He says he'll give me some oil tomorrow to put on the key and the mechanism and it should work - I really hope so, because if not I won't be able to get in to move my things.
Anyway, it was the first time I had been in the apartment, although I had some pictures of it. It is super tiny, as I expected, but I had completely forgotten that the mother had warned me a while ago that the ceilings are low. And indeed they are quite low! It's essentially an attic room, so the ceilings are slanted. There is a wooden beam between the room and the little kitchen area, and the bottom of the beam is a little below my chin - meaning it's about 4'7" from the ground.
It does have two burners, a little fridge, and a washing machine (yay!), which is the same I have here. However it does not have a toaster oven; now that I know how to use one I want to keep it! Sadface. There is also a somewhat disproportionately large TV...not sure what I'm going to do with that as I don't really watch TV and it takes up some room. I have decent cabinet space and a closet. The bed is not really a futon but the same concept - it can fold into a couch but it's not a pull out bed either.
When I'm able to get in on my own I'll take some pictures.
One of my nerdier French Studies friends suggested I will be a modern grisette. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grisette_(French) Um, presumably without the prostitution implications. They pretty much all live in tiny attic rooms and then die of consumption - think Mimi in La Boheme (or Rent), Fantine from Les Miserables, or some of Zola's characters.
This quote from Twain on grisettes is pretty awesome (note that I am moving to the very heart of the Latin Quarter, still overrun with poverty-stricken students):
- Ah, the grisettes! I had almost forgotten. They are another romantic fraud. They were (if you let the books of travel tell it) always so beautiful—so neat and trim, so graceful—so naive and trusting—so gentle, so winning—so faithful to their shop duties, so irresistible to buyers in their prattling importunity—so devoted to their poverty-stricken students of the Latin Quarter—so lighthearted and happy on their Sunday picnics in the suburbs—and oh, so charmingly, so delightfully immoral!
- Stuff! For three or four days I was constantly saying:
- "Quick, Ferguson! Is that a grisette?"
- And he always said, "No."
- He comprehended at last that I wanted to see a grisette. Then he showed me dozens of them. They were like nearly all the Frenchwomen I ever saw—homely. They had large hands, large feet, large mouths; they had pug noses as a general thing, and moustaches that not even good breeding could overlook; they combed their hair straight back without parting; they were ill-shaped, they were not winning, they were not graceful; I knew by their looks that they ate garlic and onions; and lastly and finally, to my thinking it would be base flattery to call them immoral.
- Aroint thee, wench! I sorrow for the vagabond student of the Latin Quarter now, even more than formerly I envied him. Thus topples to earth another idol of my infancy.
- Garlic and onions! THE HORROR.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Bar mitzvah, French style!
It's much the same as bar mitzvah, American style, except on a (docked) boat. Buffet of appetizers followed by dinner; DJ/performer with slightly-too-loud popular music; friends of the boy's family making up many of the attendees, awkward dancing.
What was different: the cake! It basically a model of the front area of a synagogue, where the boy reads from during his bar mitzvah. It had the table from which the Torah is read (bimah?), the scrolls on top of that, and the ark. It was all very intricate and also, huge. I have to say, I'm not sure I feel right eating a model of the Torah.
The guest demographics were also different. It appeared that the boy didn't really have any friends of his own there - I think all the kids around his age were his cousins or children of family friends. The vast majority of the people there were adults, friends of the boy's parents. I don't know how it is in other places, but at the bar mitzavhs I've been to it's usually about half family/family friends and half the boy's own friends. Secondly, I would guess around 95% of the attendees were Jewish - also unusual in comparison to others I've attended.
DC, the oldest child in the family I'm au-pairing for, told me at the start that she felt there was enough anti-Semitism and ignorance of Judiasm in Paris that she wouldn't necessarily want to invite her friends, had she had a bat mitzvah (she didn't). She said there was only one other Jewish kid in her grade, and they're not friends. She goes to a Catholic school. Anyway, I asked her if she wouldn't want to invite her friends if they weren't Jewish and she said no...because they'd probably think it was weird.
I'm not really sure how right she is, either about the general low-level anti-Semitism, or that her friends would think it's weird. They probably would be very unfamiliar with it, true - because they've never been to one. It was clear though that she'd be uncomfortable with it, and it seemed her mother felt the same way. Also she said it's rare for girls to have bat mitzvah parties in France unless the family has only daughters.
So I asked if she thought it was weird that I would go to this one (aside from that fact that I was working a lot of the time while there). She said no, because "you're from New York!" Fair point?
It was clear as well that as a whole this party had much more of a religious undertone than many bar mitzvahs I've been to, which are basically parties.
Having said that, you'll probably think it's weird when I tell you the theme was Michael Jackson. It was! Every table had a two photos - one of the boy and one of Michael Jackson. The DJ took great delight in taking Michael Jackson requests, and at the end the boy showed off his best Jackson moves. Actually, he and two of his brothers were excellent mini-breakdancers and could do a mean moonwalk. The party favors included keychains with a cute little Michael doll.
So what did I do during this party? Mostly I ran after some kids and grabbed finger foods when I had a moment. I was looking after baby boy O and 3 year old girl M, two of the kids from "my" family, and baby girl C, the little sister of the boy being bar mitzvahed.
O is a sweet, placid little thing and gave me no trouble. M reminds me VERY strongly of my niece E, who is also three. Anyone who has been around E probably knows what I mean - quite stubborn, fearless, energetic, diva-ish, and generally um..somewhat difficult to control. But she's very affectionate and fun to be around. I'm okay with both of them, as long as O doesn't grow up to be like his sister! That would truly be a handful.
But little C, who is a gorgeous baby with the most beautiful blue-green eyes and dark blond curls, was kind of a nightmare. And what I imagine I was probably like as a baby (if the stories are to be believed). She basically hates anyone who is not one of her parents, though she'll tolerate her brothers as long as they're being entertaining. I looked after her while her parents were doing official bar mitzvah business and every time they handed her off she would wail! Not screaming, but the saddest, most miserable cry, and she wouldn't stop. Most babies will give up after a while or at least calm somewhat, but she didn't. The only thing I could do to settle her at all was put her in her stroller and push it around a bit. She also liked when O would come to see her - they're both around 14 months. Even then, though, she'd remember every once in a while that she wasn't with her parents and cry again. Then she'd cry when I took her out of the stroller.
I would definitely go insane if I had to look after her all the time. It brought to mind a story my mother loves to tell, about the time an older cousin helped take care of me for a few days when I was a baby and afterwards swore she'd never have children. Now she has three kids, so obviously it wasn't THAT traumatic.
What was different: the cake! It basically a model of the front area of a synagogue, where the boy reads from during his bar mitzvah. It had the table from which the Torah is read (bimah?), the scrolls on top of that, and the ark. It was all very intricate and also, huge. I have to say, I'm not sure I feel right eating a model of the Torah.
The guest demographics were also different. It appeared that the boy didn't really have any friends of his own there - I think all the kids around his age were his cousins or children of family friends. The vast majority of the people there were adults, friends of the boy's parents. I don't know how it is in other places, but at the bar mitzavhs I've been to it's usually about half family/family friends and half the boy's own friends. Secondly, I would guess around 95% of the attendees were Jewish - also unusual in comparison to others I've attended.
DC, the oldest child in the family I'm au-pairing for, told me at the start that she felt there was enough anti-Semitism and ignorance of Judiasm in Paris that she wouldn't necessarily want to invite her friends, had she had a bat mitzvah (she didn't). She said there was only one other Jewish kid in her grade, and they're not friends. She goes to a Catholic school. Anyway, I asked her if she wouldn't want to invite her friends if they weren't Jewish and she said no...because they'd probably think it was weird.
I'm not really sure how right she is, either about the general low-level anti-Semitism, or that her friends would think it's weird. They probably would be very unfamiliar with it, true - because they've never been to one. It was clear though that she'd be uncomfortable with it, and it seemed her mother felt the same way. Also she said it's rare for girls to have bat mitzvah parties in France unless the family has only daughters.
So I asked if she thought it was weird that I would go to this one (aside from that fact that I was working a lot of the time while there). She said no, because "you're from New York!" Fair point?
It was clear as well that as a whole this party had much more of a religious undertone than many bar mitzvahs I've been to, which are basically parties.
Having said that, you'll probably think it's weird when I tell you the theme was Michael Jackson. It was! Every table had a two photos - one of the boy and one of Michael Jackson. The DJ took great delight in taking Michael Jackson requests, and at the end the boy showed off his best Jackson moves. Actually, he and two of his brothers were excellent mini-breakdancers and could do a mean moonwalk. The party favors included keychains with a cute little Michael doll.
So what did I do during this party? Mostly I ran after some kids and grabbed finger foods when I had a moment. I was looking after baby boy O and 3 year old girl M, two of the kids from "my" family, and baby girl C, the little sister of the boy being bar mitzvahed.
O is a sweet, placid little thing and gave me no trouble. M reminds me VERY strongly of my niece E, who is also three. Anyone who has been around E probably knows what I mean - quite stubborn, fearless, energetic, diva-ish, and generally um..somewhat difficult to control. But she's very affectionate and fun to be around. I'm okay with both of them, as long as O doesn't grow up to be like his sister! That would truly be a handful.
But little C, who is a gorgeous baby with the most beautiful blue-green eyes and dark blond curls, was kind of a nightmare. And what I imagine I was probably like as a baby (if the stories are to be believed). She basically hates anyone who is not one of her parents, though she'll tolerate her brothers as long as they're being entertaining. I looked after her while her parents were doing official bar mitzvah business and every time they handed her off she would wail! Not screaming, but the saddest, most miserable cry, and she wouldn't stop. Most babies will give up after a while or at least calm somewhat, but she didn't. The only thing I could do to settle her at all was put her in her stroller and push it around a bit. She also liked when O would come to see her - they're both around 14 months. Even then, though, she'd remember every once in a while that she wasn't with her parents and cry again. Then she'd cry when I took her out of the stroller.
I would definitely go insane if I had to look after her all the time. It brought to mind a story my mother loves to tell, about the time an older cousin helped take care of me for a few days when I was a baby and afterwards swore she'd never have children. Now she has three kids, so obviously it wasn't THAT traumatic.
I hate shoes
This is going to be a little gross, as my feet are ugly. Sorry.
This is my foot after wearing real shoes for the first time in months - mostly I wear flimsy sandals during the summer
Notice in particular - my middle toe is bruised under the toenail and the dark spot near my little toe is not, in fact, dirt, but a blister that got dirty. Gross.
I hate when it starts getting cold enough that I have to wear shoes. I only wore them today because I went to the bar mitzvah (more on that later) and I had no idea how conservative the family was.
This is my foot after wearing real shoes for the first time in months - mostly I wear flimsy sandals during the summer
Notice in particular - my middle toe is bruised under the toenail and the dark spot near my little toe is not, in fact, dirt, but a blister that got dirty. Gross.
I hate when it starts getting cold enough that I have to wear shoes. I only wore them today because I went to the bar mitzvah (more on that later) and I had no idea how conservative the family was.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Who needs friends?
Me, maybe. Not sure yet.
All my friends from NYU except one have now left Paris. The one remaining one is here basically until he finds a job in New York - his father lives here so he's staying here rent-free until he gets a real job. With his qualifications I doubt that will take too long; he'll be here until October at most.
Friend #2 is of course Aurelien, who goes AWOL at times and has his own group of friends who actually speak the same language as him.
And..that's the entirety of people I know in Paris at this time.
A friend from high school is visiting briefly at the end of October, and a couple of others are planning to visit over the next year as well.
So it's really hitting me now that I'm going to be here for the next year with one or two friends at most. People keep saying I'll probably make friends but honestly? Where would that happen? I don't really think I'll meet other au pairs, although I guess I could end up meeting interesting people in my language course. I'm not really one to just go out to bars or whatever by myself so I think it's unlikely I'll just meet people randomly.
It's a good thing I'm not a terribly social person to begin with because I'd probably go nuts, but it's nice to have people to hang out with once in a while. As of now I think this is what I'm most apprehensive about for the following year: I'm worried I'm going to end up being either a big loser and not do the stuff I want to do, or I'll just be lonely.
One of my friends who just left suggested joining one of the many ex-pat meetup groups that are here. It's an idea, but I'll probably only do it if I get desperate for company.
So in the future if you see me online too much or I seem like a shut in, please start bothering me to go out more! It might take getting shamed into it.
All my friends from NYU except one have now left Paris. The one remaining one is here basically until he finds a job in New York - his father lives here so he's staying here rent-free until he gets a real job. With his qualifications I doubt that will take too long; he'll be here until October at most.
Friend #2 is of course Aurelien, who goes AWOL at times and has his own group of friends who actually speak the same language as him.
And..that's the entirety of people I know in Paris at this time.
A friend from high school is visiting briefly at the end of October, and a couple of others are planning to visit over the next year as well.
So it's really hitting me now that I'm going to be here for the next year with one or two friends at most. People keep saying I'll probably make friends but honestly? Where would that happen? I don't really think I'll meet other au pairs, although I guess I could end up meeting interesting people in my language course. I'm not really one to just go out to bars or whatever by myself so I think it's unlikely I'll just meet people randomly.
It's a good thing I'm not a terribly social person to begin with because I'd probably go nuts, but it's nice to have people to hang out with once in a while. As of now I think this is what I'm most apprehensive about for the following year: I'm worried I'm going to end up being either a big loser and not do the stuff I want to do, or I'll just be lonely.
One of my friends who just left suggested joining one of the many ex-pat meetup groups that are here. It's an idea, but I'll probably only do it if I get desperate for company.
So in the future if you see me online too much or I seem like a shut in, please start bothering me to go out more! It might take getting shamed into it.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
I missed an earthquake?!
Oh man. So I know earthquakes are pretty awful and devastating. But (always the but) I am semi disappointed that I missed it! I've never been in even a tiny earthquake and I kind of feel like experiencing a small (very small) earthquake is a life experience I would not mind having.
I hope everyone's okay! I've already heard from a lot of people in NY that they felt it but so far haven't heard much about the damage.
On an entirely different note, it's my mom's birthday tomorrow! Well, technically today here. Happy birthday Mother!
I hope everyone's okay! I've already heard from a lot of people in NY that they felt it but so far haven't heard much about the damage.
On an entirely different note, it's my mom's birthday tomorrow! Well, technically today here. Happy birthday Mother!
Monday, August 22, 2011
Still nothing to write about
Hang in there, guys. I have two sightseeing posts planned but one is waiting for photos to be sent and the other requires me to go through a million pictures.
In the meantime, like I said last time, I haven't been doing much. The weather's gotten much more summery, which is nice, but I haven't been doing a ton of sightseeing. This is the time of year when Paris empties of Parisians and just as many tourists come to replace them, and I have a very strong aversion to tourists. I haven't even been to Notre Dame yet this trip because each time I pass it's a mob scene.
I'm moving out of this apartment in one week! I really love this apartment and its location; the other one probably has an even better location but is a six floor walk up, is tiny, and will not come fully equipped with cooking supplies and household items. Did anyone see Midnight in Paris, the newest Woody Allen movie? I haven't (sad!) but all my friends did and they've told me that "the street" in the movie is, in fact, where I will be living, La Rue de la Montagne de Ste Genevieve. Longest street name ever.
My first day of "work" is this coming Sunday. The mother called me this past weekend and I discovered that the event she so urgently needs to go to on the 28th is in fact a bar mitzvah! So I will be going with them to watch the baby and the next smallest kid, along with the other family's youngest child, who is the baby's age. I have my work cut out for me I guess. I'm not really sure whether to be interested in seeing a French bar mitzvah or to be dreading the inevitable bad DJ and awkward 13 year olds.
The school year starts the following week I think, or at least that's when the mother is going back to work. And then the week after that I will be coming back to NY to do all my visa stuff. So pencil it in, people, I'll be in NY September 6-15 (if I haven't already said that).
In the meantime, like I said last time, I haven't been doing much. The weather's gotten much more summery, which is nice, but I haven't been doing a ton of sightseeing. This is the time of year when Paris empties of Parisians and just as many tourists come to replace them, and I have a very strong aversion to tourists. I haven't even been to Notre Dame yet this trip because each time I pass it's a mob scene.
I'm moving out of this apartment in one week! I really love this apartment and its location; the other one probably has an even better location but is a six floor walk up, is tiny, and will not come fully equipped with cooking supplies and household items. Did anyone see Midnight in Paris, the newest Woody Allen movie? I haven't (sad!) but all my friends did and they've told me that "the street" in the movie is, in fact, where I will be living, La Rue de la Montagne de Ste Genevieve. Longest street name ever.
My first day of "work" is this coming Sunday. The mother called me this past weekend and I discovered that the event she so urgently needs to go to on the 28th is in fact a bar mitzvah! So I will be going with them to watch the baby and the next smallest kid, along with the other family's youngest child, who is the baby's age. I have my work cut out for me I guess. I'm not really sure whether to be interested in seeing a French bar mitzvah or to be dreading the inevitable bad DJ and awkward 13 year olds.
The school year starts the following week I think, or at least that's when the mother is going back to work. And then the week after that I will be coming back to NY to do all my visa stuff. So pencil it in, people, I'll be in NY September 6-15 (if I haven't already said that).
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Je préfère le métro
Sorry I haven't posted in a while, I just haven't really had anything to write about!
No, I have not been traveling as some supposed. I'm just hanging around Paris, mostly trying to get everything settled before I start working. Many of my friends have been leaving Paris as well so there have been a lot of going away dinners and such.
Yesterday I hung out with some people I've never met before - the mother and sister of my cousin's fiancee, whom I have not met, either. We went to Montmartre to walk around and have lunch. They were very nice, and the best kind of travelers: very flexible, up for wandering aimlessly and changing plans at the last minute. They're only here for about three days so they obviously can't do a lot while here but I think they'll have a good visit walking around and going to museums.
One thing I found a little strange - and I've heard it from a few people now who have come to visit Paris - is that they were wary of going on the Metro because it seemed complicated. To anyone thinking of coming here: take the Metro, it's your friend. It's pretty cheap, very quick, and one of the easiest subway systems in a large city I've ever used. All you need to know is your destination, what line you're taking, and which direction you're going. Compared to most subway systems it's much easier and more efficient.
Consider, at least, the NYC subway: we have multiple lines of the same colors on the maps, express/non express trains as well as the secondary lines of the same letter/number and the ones that run express sometimes and local other times; multiple lines using the same tracks; trains that will sometimes run on another track for just a few stops. It's legendary for scaring off tourists. But none of those things ever happen here - it's always one line, one color/number, one track with a set route.
Speaking of the Metro..I am obviously a Metro person myself. Besides walking, it's the only way I ever get around Paris (I've taken cabs a total of twice ever besides going to airports). Until last night.
Aurelien and I planned to see a movie a fair distance away from both of our apartments. He said we'd meet at mine, since it's closer, and go from there. Fine, I assume we'll take the Metro - but no! He is not a fan of the Metro. How does he get around? On a bike. Well, you might say, a bike is pretty normal, and a perfectly fine mode of transportation. I wondered how I was supposed to go with him, but he said he had a bike that can hold three people. I assumed that meant he'd gotten a scooter (it's the same word in French), one of the kinds with a really long seat so people could sit behind him.
I was kind of excited to go on the scooter but when we got to it...no, it's an actual bike. Not a tandem bike where all the people riding can pedal. Just, a large bike with places where people can sit while he pedals. In other words, it's completely ridiculous. I can't really find a picture of anything like it online but it's sort of like this:
There is a similar shelf sort of deal behind the seat where another person can ride (or two small people I suppose). But also imagine where you might put a basket on this bike - in front of the handlebars. Imagine another shelf thing there, and imagine I am the basket. Yes, that is how we got to the theater.
Obviously there was some squeaking and shrieking from me - it was scary! - until I got used to it, then I mostly just started cracking up at the looks people gave us. I don't think I'll voluntarily do that again but it was certainly an interesting experience. It was actually pretty fun going downhill!
No, I have not been traveling as some supposed. I'm just hanging around Paris, mostly trying to get everything settled before I start working. Many of my friends have been leaving Paris as well so there have been a lot of going away dinners and such.
Yesterday I hung out with some people I've never met before - the mother and sister of my cousin's fiancee, whom I have not met, either. We went to Montmartre to walk around and have lunch. They were very nice, and the best kind of travelers: very flexible, up for wandering aimlessly and changing plans at the last minute. They're only here for about three days so they obviously can't do a lot while here but I think they'll have a good visit walking around and going to museums.
One thing I found a little strange - and I've heard it from a few people now who have come to visit Paris - is that they were wary of going on the Metro because it seemed complicated. To anyone thinking of coming here: take the Metro, it's your friend. It's pretty cheap, very quick, and one of the easiest subway systems in a large city I've ever used. All you need to know is your destination, what line you're taking, and which direction you're going. Compared to most subway systems it's much easier and more efficient.
Consider, at least, the NYC subway: we have multiple lines of the same colors on the maps, express/non express trains as well as the secondary lines of the same letter/number and the ones that run express sometimes and local other times; multiple lines using the same tracks; trains that will sometimes run on another track for just a few stops. It's legendary for scaring off tourists. But none of those things ever happen here - it's always one line, one color/number, one track with a set route.
Speaking of the Metro..I am obviously a Metro person myself. Besides walking, it's the only way I ever get around Paris (I've taken cabs a total of twice ever besides going to airports). Until last night.
Aurelien and I planned to see a movie a fair distance away from both of our apartments. He said we'd meet at mine, since it's closer, and go from there. Fine, I assume we'll take the Metro - but no! He is not a fan of the Metro. How does he get around? On a bike. Well, you might say, a bike is pretty normal, and a perfectly fine mode of transportation. I wondered how I was supposed to go with him, but he said he had a bike that can hold three people. I assumed that meant he'd gotten a scooter (it's the same word in French), one of the kinds with a really long seat so people could sit behind him.
I was kind of excited to go on the scooter but when we got to it...no, it's an actual bike. Not a tandem bike where all the people riding can pedal. Just, a large bike with places where people can sit while he pedals. In other words, it's completely ridiculous. I can't really find a picture of anything like it online but it's sort of like this:
There is a similar shelf sort of deal behind the seat where another person can ride (or two small people I suppose). But also imagine where you might put a basket on this bike - in front of the handlebars. Imagine another shelf thing there, and imagine I am the basket. Yes, that is how we got to the theater.
Obviously there was some squeaking and shrieking from me - it was scary! - until I got used to it, then I mostly just started cracking up at the looks people gave us. I don't think I'll voluntarily do that again but it was certainly an interesting experience. It was actually pretty fun going downhill!
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Blogging = procrastinating
This will be pretty short as there isn't a lot going on around here at the moment.
It's August so everything is closed. My favorite boulangeries (to get fresh bread), my favorite crepe place (Au Petit Grec, for Mom, is indeed closed all month), lots of restaurants and stores; my favorite sellers at the market - the Lebanese guy, the guy who sells nuts and dried fruit, both cheese sellers, my preferred fruit vendor - are gone until September. I'm left with just the lettuce guy, the depopulated Mouffetard fruit market, inferior boulangeries, and Franprix for my food needs.
The constant raining has stopped for the most part and although it's not quite warm yet it's been much nicer out. I asked Aurelien if this has been a particularly bad summer but he said it's not surprising for Paris to be rainy and cold during late July-August. And I was hoping this was an anomaly! Ah well, with any luck I'll be in Montpelier next August.
I'm happy to report that Aurelien is just as awesome as ever. But despite my much better grasp of French I still can't understand half of what he says. He called last night and we spoke for almost ten minutes but all I got was that he had made a lemon tart and did I want to come hang out? Either I have some sort of mental block or he really needs to work on enunciation, because I can understand every other French person I talk to!
Most people in my program are getting ready to leave, and will be going next week or the week after. My plans have been settled, and I will be going back to NY on September 6th and coming back to Paris on the 15th. Mark your calendars!
It's August so everything is closed. My favorite boulangeries (to get fresh bread), my favorite crepe place (Au Petit Grec, for Mom, is indeed closed all month), lots of restaurants and stores; my favorite sellers at the market - the Lebanese guy, the guy who sells nuts and dried fruit, both cheese sellers, my preferred fruit vendor - are gone until September. I'm left with just the lettuce guy, the depopulated Mouffetard fruit market, inferior boulangeries, and Franprix for my food needs.
The constant raining has stopped for the most part and although it's not quite warm yet it's been much nicer out. I asked Aurelien if this has been a particularly bad summer but he said it's not surprising for Paris to be rainy and cold during late July-August. And I was hoping this was an anomaly! Ah well, with any luck I'll be in Montpelier next August.
I'm happy to report that Aurelien is just as awesome as ever. But despite my much better grasp of French I still can't understand half of what he says. He called last night and we spoke for almost ten minutes but all I got was that he had made a lemon tart and did I want to come hang out? Either I have some sort of mental block or he really needs to work on enunciation, because I can understand every other French person I talk to!
Most people in my program are getting ready to leave, and will be going next week or the week after. My plans have been settled, and I will be going back to NY on September 6th and coming back to Paris on the 15th. Mark your calendars!
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Les Halles and St Eustache
I'm woefully behind in recounting the adventures my mother and I had so here's the next one on the list: Mother requested to go someplace she'd never been, so we picked an area and wandered. This is always a good idea in Paris.
Fortunately, the chosen area - Les Halles - is a very interesting one. You might say, "Oh hey, as an English speaker I recognize that word! Halls!" Indeed. Les Halles used to be the place to go in Paris if you wanted fresh produce. Or meat, dairy, fish, herbs, flowers, live birds, cloth...you get the idea. And when I say "used to be" I mean, from 1183 when this area was established by the king as a market to 1971 when the huge iron rows (ie, halls) of stalls were demolished. Yes, almost 800 years of all your shopping needs.
I am no expert on Les Halles but as I understand it the area always had rows upon rows of these:
You might very well be wondering, if this market is so old and stayed in business so long, why demolish it in the 70s? I don't have a great answer to that, mostly because I am not inclined to research it at the moment. But I think I can give a bit of information that could form a vague hypothesis.
In the 12th century Paris was obviously much smaller than it is today - it started in the small central area immediately around the river. Over the centuries Paris absorbed many of the surrounding suburbs/smaller villages into itself and now they are parts of what is considered "central Paris." Even where I lived last time (the 13th arr) was a sleepy suburb of Paris in the 1830s-40s, though now no one would ever say it's not part of Paris. This started happening at a faster rate a few centuries after the establishment of Les Halles, though.
So when Paris was just this little area Les Halles served most of the people - all classes came here to buy their supplies and it's within easy distance of all the important buildings of the time. When expansion really took hold, in the 18th and 19th centuries, it simply wouldn't have been convenient for people who lived farther away to trek to the center to buy their groceries, and besides, most of the absorbed villages had their own markets that remained after they were integrated into Paris. Today every neighborhood has its own open air market, and I can't imagine that's a new development at all.
My other hypothesis is that the nature of the area around Les Halles changed drastically over time, especially during the 19th century. Les Halles and its surrounding area basically controlled the country known as France at the time of its establishment and for centuries after. The royal family lived smack in the center of Paris; their government buildings were there, they worshiped and gave alms there, and of course their court and officers lived near them. The central authority in France shifted to Versailles starting in the 17th century and the important buildings served more as local authorities or historical sites.
In the mid 19th century Paris was in need of modernization and medieval central Paris was one of the places where the drive was particularly strong. In the 1850's there were massive construction projects in the area and it began to take on its modern shape, which is very much not conducive to an open market. By the early 20th century the stalls had mostly been abandoned and were taking up lots of valuable property.
Reuters claims Les Halles "is now a 10-acre twilight zone, avoided by Parisians and tourists alike.
Drug pushers and gangs hang out under the dark and malodorous alcoves..." Not sure if that's a bit of an exaggeration.
Right now they have a massive project going on to convert the former Les Halles into a sort of huge community center (in reaction to the above sentiments): there is already a big underground mall and...some other stuff that is unclear to me but meant to serve Paris' equivalent of the "bridge and tunnel" crowd rather than Parisians. They're pretty unhappy with the whole thing. The area, and the new construction, is a bit of an eyesore.
So we marveled at its weirdness for a little and proceeded to go underneath the project and out the other side to explore this church, St Eustache, that used to serve both nobles and commoners coming from Les Halles for a long time.
It was really a quite extraordinary church, little known to tourists, and probably one of the most active churches I've seen here in Paris. They hold a lot of concerts and seem to have a pretty large number of adherents.
St Eustache is younger than most of the important church in Paris - most of its construction was during the Renaissance and after. So it has a much more open feel than most Gothic cathedrals and a few more modern touches.
I don't have a lot of photos of the inside as people were setting up a lot of tech stuff in through the middle aisles, but here are a few. Stained glass (the second is particularly pretty and modern) and part of the seating area. I was particularly delighted by the alter containing the piece of art in the last photo - it was donated by someone in the early 70s, after the demolition of Les Halles. The guy seemed super upset that the market was destroyed and wrote a personal essay about it posted next to this. The work itself represents the merchants being forced out of the area, carrying their goods. Obviously it didn't go down like that, but like I said, this guy was pissed.
Just outside the church is a very pleasant park that was full of Parisians picnicking (with wine of course) and lounging around. The gardens are very pretty and somewhat rare for this area of Paris. In this first shot my mom was mostly taking a picture of the black cat there but I thought it was a good shot. The second is an interesting (and large) sculpture in the park.
This post is getting super long so I'll wrap up: there were a couple of other notable thing about that day. We actually went inside the Tour St Jacques - if you recall, people are always asking me what that thing is and why it's there but I never had an answer. Well, it's one of the towers put up along the route of St Jacques, who traveled on a pilgrimage all around Europe, eventually ending at a shrine in northern Spain. There is really nothing inside it, but it's pretty. See my June 28 post for a picture of it at night.
Fortunately, the chosen area - Les Halles - is a very interesting one. You might say, "Oh hey, as an English speaker I recognize that word! Halls!" Indeed. Les Halles used to be the place to go in Paris if you wanted fresh produce. Or meat, dairy, fish, herbs, flowers, live birds, cloth...you get the idea. And when I say "used to be" I mean, from 1183 when this area was established by the king as a market to 1971 when the huge iron rows (ie, halls) of stalls were demolished. Yes, almost 800 years of all your shopping needs.
I am no expert on Les Halles but as I understand it the area always had rows upon rows of these:
You might very well be wondering, if this market is so old and stayed in business so long, why demolish it in the 70s? I don't have a great answer to that, mostly because I am not inclined to research it at the moment. But I think I can give a bit of information that could form a vague hypothesis.
In the 12th century Paris was obviously much smaller than it is today - it started in the small central area immediately around the river. Over the centuries Paris absorbed many of the surrounding suburbs/smaller villages into itself and now they are parts of what is considered "central Paris." Even where I lived last time (the 13th arr) was a sleepy suburb of Paris in the 1830s-40s, though now no one would ever say it's not part of Paris. This started happening at a faster rate a few centuries after the establishment of Les Halles, though.
So when Paris was just this little area Les Halles served most of the people - all classes came here to buy their supplies and it's within easy distance of all the important buildings of the time. When expansion really took hold, in the 18th and 19th centuries, it simply wouldn't have been convenient for people who lived farther away to trek to the center to buy their groceries, and besides, most of the absorbed villages had their own markets that remained after they were integrated into Paris. Today every neighborhood has its own open air market, and I can't imagine that's a new development at all.
My other hypothesis is that the nature of the area around Les Halles changed drastically over time, especially during the 19th century. Les Halles and its surrounding area basically controlled the country known as France at the time of its establishment and for centuries after. The royal family lived smack in the center of Paris; their government buildings were there, they worshiped and gave alms there, and of course their court and officers lived near them. The central authority in France shifted to Versailles starting in the 17th century and the important buildings served more as local authorities or historical sites.
In the mid 19th century Paris was in need of modernization and medieval central Paris was one of the places where the drive was particularly strong. In the 1850's there were massive construction projects in the area and it began to take on its modern shape, which is very much not conducive to an open market. By the early 20th century the stalls had mostly been abandoned and were taking up lots of valuable property.
Reuters claims Les Halles "is now a 10-acre twilight zone, avoided by Parisians and tourists alike.
Drug pushers and gangs hang out under the dark and malodorous alcoves..." Not sure if that's a bit of an exaggeration.
Right now they have a massive project going on to convert the former Les Halles into a sort of huge community center (in reaction to the above sentiments): there is already a big underground mall and...some other stuff that is unclear to me but meant to serve Paris' equivalent of the "bridge and tunnel" crowd rather than Parisians. They're pretty unhappy with the whole thing. The area, and the new construction, is a bit of an eyesore.
So we marveled at its weirdness for a little and proceeded to go underneath the project and out the other side to explore this church, St Eustache, that used to serve both nobles and commoners coming from Les Halles for a long time.
It was really a quite extraordinary church, little known to tourists, and probably one of the most active churches I've seen here in Paris. They hold a lot of concerts and seem to have a pretty large number of adherents.
St Eustache is younger than most of the important church in Paris - most of its construction was during the Renaissance and after. So it has a much more open feel than most Gothic cathedrals and a few more modern touches.
I don't have a lot of photos of the inside as people were setting up a lot of tech stuff in through the middle aisles, but here are a few. Stained glass (the second is particularly pretty and modern) and part of the seating area. I was particularly delighted by the alter containing the piece of art in the last photo - it was donated by someone in the early 70s, after the demolition of Les Halles. The guy seemed super upset that the market was destroyed and wrote a personal essay about it posted next to this. The work itself represents the merchants being forced out of the area, carrying their goods. Obviously it didn't go down like that, but like I said, this guy was pissed.
Just outside the church is a very pleasant park that was full of Parisians picnicking (with wine of course) and lounging around. The gardens are very pretty and somewhat rare for this area of Paris. In this first shot my mom was mostly taking a picture of the black cat there but I thought it was a good shot. The second is an interesting (and large) sculpture in the park.
This post is getting super long so I'll wrap up: there were a couple of other notable thing about that day. We actually went inside the Tour St Jacques - if you recall, people are always asking me what that thing is and why it's there but I never had an answer. Well, it's one of the towers put up along the route of St Jacques, who traveled on a pilgrimage all around Europe, eventually ending at a shrine in northern Spain. There is really nothing inside it, but it's pretty. See my June 28 post for a picture of it at night.
Secondly, we got amazing hot chocolate on the way, which is great as I'm always on the lookout for new cafes. It was done "in the old style" which apparently means they give you hot milk and what is basically fudge to melt in it to taste. Yum.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Job update
I still haven't gotten to this yet but it's been occupying a lot of my time, so I figured I'd give it a shot even though everything isn't settled.
I accepted the job as an au pair for the family in Paris. They have five children: a 14 year old girl, boys 12 and 10, a 3 year old girl, and 1 year old boy. I will mostly be taking care of the youngest two, but I will be helping the eldest with her piano and possibly vocal studies and all of them with English. I am sort of imagining myself as a 19th century governess at this point, but with more feeding of babies. Let us hope there is no Mr. Rochester lurking around.
The apartment in their building that they were offering is miniscule and shares a bathroom with the floor - basically a typical US dorm but smaller. I said I wasn't comfortable with that and it turned out they have another apartment very close to where I live now that they will give me. It's a bit bigger but much more equipped. I will be about four Metro stops from their home.
Dealing with the logistics of everything, though, has been very difficult. The family has been on vacation since mid July, with only a brief stay back in Paris. They were supposed to give me a key to the apartment so I could put some of my things in there while they spend August in Montpelier, but the mother forgot to get the key from the father, who left early. So now I will have to put my things in the extra apartment in their building and possibly stay there for a few nights, depending on the following situation...
The most difficult part so far has been the visa. It turns out you cannot go from a tourist (90 day) visa straight to a longer stay visa - the mother was under the impression I could just go to the prefecture (central police station) and get the visa, but after a VERY long wait there I was informed that was impossible. So I called the US embassy here in Paris to see if they could help. They could not, and said I absolutely have to go back to NYC to get it done.
So then I tried to get in contact with the French consulate in NYC (I can only go to the one in NYC as all residents in NY, New Jersey, and Connecticut must get their visas from that office) to ask about if I should get a long stay visa or an au pair visa - the difference being that au pairs must be enrolled in a certain number of language classes - and they said I must do the au pair visa, with the language class. Sigh. So I began the process of enrolling in the language class. I'll get the registration for it tomorrow, which I will need to get the visa.
Next problem: apparently the NYC consulate is so very busy that as of last week there were no more appointments available in August. The earliest I was able to get was September 7th, the week I'm supposed to be starting work. This of course will throw off the mother's schedule, as she was set to go back to work that week herself. Unfortunately I don't think I can get around this, so now the mother is somewhat annoyed.
My plan as of now if to stay here in Paris until around Sept 6th, go back to NYC, hang around for about a week waiting for the visa to be processed, and then go back to Paris. I am currently trying to find out if I can extend my stay in my current apartment until the beginning of September but I don't know yet. If I can't I will probably end up staying in the apartment in their building until they get back from Montpelier with the key to my actual apartment.
So things are still somewhat up in the air regarding my plans for the next month or so. It's been extremely stressful to try to figure out all this stuff while doing class work (I'm sure I don't need to go into how frustrating it is to try to talk to the bureaucrats in the prefecture, the US embassy, or the French consulate), so I'm glad the courses are over.
Anyway, since I'm (hopefully) going to be in Paris for the next year: would people like it if I continued this blog past the end of this semester? I honestly feel like I'm mostly just writing to my parents and a few friends so it's hard to tell. I probably won't do as many interesting things when I'm not in school but I'm sure I will have more free time when I don't have tons of readings and papers so I might end up traveling a bit or exploring Paris even more. Thoughts?
I accepted the job as an au pair for the family in Paris. They have five children: a 14 year old girl, boys 12 and 10, a 3 year old girl, and 1 year old boy. I will mostly be taking care of the youngest two, but I will be helping the eldest with her piano and possibly vocal studies and all of them with English. I am sort of imagining myself as a 19th century governess at this point, but with more feeding of babies. Let us hope there is no Mr. Rochester lurking around.
The apartment in their building that they were offering is miniscule and shares a bathroom with the floor - basically a typical US dorm but smaller. I said I wasn't comfortable with that and it turned out they have another apartment very close to where I live now that they will give me. It's a bit bigger but much more equipped. I will be about four Metro stops from their home.
Dealing with the logistics of everything, though, has been very difficult. The family has been on vacation since mid July, with only a brief stay back in Paris. They were supposed to give me a key to the apartment so I could put some of my things in there while they spend August in Montpelier, but the mother forgot to get the key from the father, who left early. So now I will have to put my things in the extra apartment in their building and possibly stay there for a few nights, depending on the following situation...
The most difficult part so far has been the visa. It turns out you cannot go from a tourist (90 day) visa straight to a longer stay visa - the mother was under the impression I could just go to the prefecture (central police station) and get the visa, but after a VERY long wait there I was informed that was impossible. So I called the US embassy here in Paris to see if they could help. They could not, and said I absolutely have to go back to NYC to get it done.
So then I tried to get in contact with the French consulate in NYC (I can only go to the one in NYC as all residents in NY, New Jersey, and Connecticut must get their visas from that office) to ask about if I should get a long stay visa or an au pair visa - the difference being that au pairs must be enrolled in a certain number of language classes - and they said I must do the au pair visa, with the language class. Sigh. So I began the process of enrolling in the language class. I'll get the registration for it tomorrow, which I will need to get the visa.
Next problem: apparently the NYC consulate is so very busy that as of last week there were no more appointments available in August. The earliest I was able to get was September 7th, the week I'm supposed to be starting work. This of course will throw off the mother's schedule, as she was set to go back to work that week herself. Unfortunately I don't think I can get around this, so now the mother is somewhat annoyed.
My plan as of now if to stay here in Paris until around Sept 6th, go back to NYC, hang around for about a week waiting for the visa to be processed, and then go back to Paris. I am currently trying to find out if I can extend my stay in my current apartment until the beginning of September but I don't know yet. If I can't I will probably end up staying in the apartment in their building until they get back from Montpelier with the key to my actual apartment.
So things are still somewhat up in the air regarding my plans for the next month or so. It's been extremely stressful to try to figure out all this stuff while doing class work (I'm sure I don't need to go into how frustrating it is to try to talk to the bureaucrats in the prefecture, the US embassy, or the French consulate), so I'm glad the courses are over.
Anyway, since I'm (hopefully) going to be in Paris for the next year: would people like it if I continued this blog past the end of this semester? I honestly feel like I'm mostly just writing to my parents and a few friends so it's hard to tell. I probably won't do as many interesting things when I'm not in school but I'm sure I will have more free time when I don't have tons of readings and papers so I might end up traveling a bit or exploring Paris even more. Thoughts?
Sunday, August 7, 2011
The last hurrah
I finished up classes this week, so all that's left to do is one paper and taking the exams! Woooo!
This week we had a string of low-key celebrations of the end of the program, which is why I haven't been around much. Also I've spent a ridiculous amount of time trying to get my visa stuff straight for staying here the next year but nothing is going as planned. :( It's very stressful.
We FINALLY went to this place I've been nagging people about all summer: Le Caveau des Oubliettes.
http://www.caveaudesoubliettes.fr/
Last time I was here I passed this bar/club every day on my way to classes and mostly I noticed a sign in the window saying "La Guillotine." So obviously I really wanted to go. For whatever reason (probably because the people in my program last time were lame) I never went but this time around I looked up more info to convince people.
It turns out this place 1) has an actual, formerly in use guillotine 2) incorporates the many caves/vaults below many of the old buildings in the central part of Paris and was supposedly an oubliette for a time (a kind of dungeon) 3) is one of the premier places in the city for live modern jazz. Could there be any more perfect place for me? I'm not sure - live music, a guillotine, and an interesting history in Paris is pretty ideal.
It was completely awesome except for one huge, glaring, flaw: the guillotine was lent out for a movie shoot! Grrrrrr! But it was a really fun time; I'm hoping to go back sometime this week if I can.
Last night we went to a concert of two indie rock groups in the 11th arrondissement, Paris' equivalent of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The bar/club in fact looked like someone replicated it piece by piece from any of the bigger hipster hang out spots. But the bands were good and that was also a lot of fun. Then we went to karaoke which of course is always awesome...except this was the weirdest karaoke. Clearly the crowd there was mostly regulars who had "their" songs, and the performances consisted mostly of System of a Down, Black Sabbath, and other such classic yelly type bands. We were perhaps a little out of place but everyone loved us when we started doing the Beastie Boys (Fight for Your Right and No Sleep 'Til Brooklyn).
Sartorially, it was probably the most amusing place I've been to in Paris, primarily because of two guys who I think were just completely nuts: one wore a grey button down shirt with combat boots and a lovely kilt, and the other wore tight hipster jeans with...get ready for it...Enjolras' revolutionary vest from Les Miserables. I swear - it was the exact same thing. It looked like a jumped an Enjolras after a show and mugged him for his awesome vest.
I'm not entirely convinced Enjolras would have been a Black Sabboth fan but it's okay.
And tonight one of the guys in the program organized a trivia game for us that was a ton of fun - but I love trivia games in most forms. My team won. Obviously. Little did he know how good I am at identifying string arrangements of pop songs or my vast knowledge of Shakespeare plays (I got five points alone for naming all the Shakespeare titles that refer to the main characters indirectly - not by a proper name, ie, the Merchant of Venice).
Weirdly, one of the girls brought a friend who was staying with her for a few days. This friend was from Northport, two years behind me in school, and totally knew who I was even though I didn't recognize her at all and it must be at least six years since she's seen me. Apparently she was in the Symphonic Wind ensemble where I played the harp in high school sometimes. Even in Paris I'm recognized as "that girl who plays the harp."
Tomorrow I'm meeting up with Aurelien, yay! And that's the end of my social life in Paris this time around, probably, as we'll have to finish up the paper and study for the exams.
This week we had a string of low-key celebrations of the end of the program, which is why I haven't been around much. Also I've spent a ridiculous amount of time trying to get my visa stuff straight for staying here the next year but nothing is going as planned. :( It's very stressful.
We FINALLY went to this place I've been nagging people about all summer: Le Caveau des Oubliettes.
http://www.caveaudesoubliettes.fr/
Last time I was here I passed this bar/club every day on my way to classes and mostly I noticed a sign in the window saying "La Guillotine." So obviously I really wanted to go. For whatever reason (probably because the people in my program last time were lame) I never went but this time around I looked up more info to convince people.
It turns out this place 1) has an actual, formerly in use guillotine 2) incorporates the many caves/vaults below many of the old buildings in the central part of Paris and was supposedly an oubliette for a time (a kind of dungeon) 3) is one of the premier places in the city for live modern jazz. Could there be any more perfect place for me? I'm not sure - live music, a guillotine, and an interesting history in Paris is pretty ideal.
It was completely awesome except for one huge, glaring, flaw: the guillotine was lent out for a movie shoot! Grrrrrr! But it was a really fun time; I'm hoping to go back sometime this week if I can.
Last night we went to a concert of two indie rock groups in the 11th arrondissement, Paris' equivalent of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The bar/club in fact looked like someone replicated it piece by piece from any of the bigger hipster hang out spots. But the bands were good and that was also a lot of fun. Then we went to karaoke which of course is always awesome...except this was the weirdest karaoke. Clearly the crowd there was mostly regulars who had "their" songs, and the performances consisted mostly of System of a Down, Black Sabbath, and other such classic yelly type bands. We were perhaps a little out of place but everyone loved us when we started doing the Beastie Boys (Fight for Your Right and No Sleep 'Til Brooklyn).
Sartorially, it was probably the most amusing place I've been to in Paris, primarily because of two guys who I think were just completely nuts: one wore a grey button down shirt with combat boots and a lovely kilt, and the other wore tight hipster jeans with...get ready for it...Enjolras' revolutionary vest from Les Miserables. I swear - it was the exact same thing. It looked like a jumped an Enjolras after a show and mugged him for his awesome vest.
I'm not entirely convinced Enjolras would have been a Black Sabboth fan but it's okay.
And tonight one of the guys in the program organized a trivia game for us that was a ton of fun - but I love trivia games in most forms. My team won. Obviously. Little did he know how good I am at identifying string arrangements of pop songs or my vast knowledge of Shakespeare plays (I got five points alone for naming all the Shakespeare titles that refer to the main characters indirectly - not by a proper name, ie, the Merchant of Venice).
Weirdly, one of the girls brought a friend who was staying with her for a few days. This friend was from Northport, two years behind me in school, and totally knew who I was even though I didn't recognize her at all and it must be at least six years since she's seen me. Apparently she was in the Symphonic Wind ensemble where I played the harp in high school sometimes. Even in Paris I'm recognized as "that girl who plays the harp."
Tomorrow I'm meeting up with Aurelien, yay! And that's the end of my social life in Paris this time around, probably, as we'll have to finish up the paper and study for the exams.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Notre Dame de Reims
The cathedral at Reims is one of the things that hits so many of my geek spots - history, French monarchy, Gothic architecture, art - that it's kind of amazing I didn't make it until now. You can probably imagine how excited I was to get there, I'd been waiting a long time for this!
The facade appears quite high Gothic, with every space covered in statues and carvings. They really are exquisite examples of Gothic art and architecture.
Compare those shots with the facade of the abbey in the previous post and marvel at how decorated this thing really is.
The story goes that way back in around 500AD the Frankish (a Gallic-Celtic tribe that held some of the north and east of modern France) king Clovis married Clotilde, who converted him to Catholicism. He was the first Christian king in the area, even though most of the people were already Christianized. St Remi (Remigius) baptized him at Reims and since then all French kings have come back there to be coronated. This ceremony was an important part in establishing the king's legitimacy - Joan of Arc's desperately tried to get the not-yet-coronated king to English-held Reims so the people would recognize him as king, a key part in her turning the tide of the Hundred Years' War.
During the Revolution of course this cathedral, with its ties to the monarchy, was targeted by revolutionaries, but they did not destroy much given the circumstances. The true destruction of the cathedral came during WWI, when the Germans bombed it to try to lower French morale. Our tour guide said the cathedral received more the 300 points of damage, but that doesn't really begin to convey the amount of destruction.
This is an overhead shot of what was left after the bombing: there is no roof, the nave is mostly intact but the transept (arms of the cross) and top of the cross are largely destroyed. You can see the pillars that were holding up to roof, but most of the buttresses are gone. Compare to the lower shot of one of the early shells hitting the cathedral.
In the aftermath, many people did not want to try to rebuild the cathedral - either because they thought it simply couldn't be done because there was too much damage, or they wanted to leave it as a monument to the war. Some prominent French sculptors of the time (including Rodin) were quoted as advising against rebuilding.
Given the state of France and its economy at the time, it couldn't have been done, anyway. But John Rockefeller came along and took a strong interest in the cathedral; he paid many millions to have it rebuilt, and twenty years later, incredibly, it was done. You can see in the above pictures of the facade some pieces that are much lighter than others - these are copies of the original, damaged pieces which are housed in the Tau Palace now. Seeing the amount of damage of the cathedral it kind of blows my mind to think that it's now almost back to what it was. However, they can no longer ring the main heavy church bells on a regular basis because the structural damage to the cathedral would not allow such vibrations.
So we signed up for a tour of the cathedral, not really knowing what was involved. When we got there we found out the tour was actually of the upper levels, meaning we had to go up the 240 spiral stairs to the top! While it was awesome to see everything up close it was quite the climb.
Our tour group was little - only us and a Dutch family. At the beginning of the tour it was evident that the Dutch family didn't know much French, though they did know English, and the tour guide didn't know English well enough to do the whole thing in that language. He dithered a bit before asking if I could translate for him - it was the first time I've done a long real-time translation for someone and although at times it was sort of difficult (translating some of the architectural terms is way beyond me and I always have trouble with large numbers in French, like years) I think I did well. It was fun, even, and the tour guide was very nice and personable, probably a couple of years younger than me.
He took us to the gallery, the part in between the second level of the building and the towers. We got beautiful views of the city and good looks at many of the details up there. Of course, my mother was delighted that we were so close to the gargoyles, which she loves.
The second picture is looking up at the towers from directly underneath them, and the second is looking across at the Kings' Gallery. They aren't of specific kings but allegorical representations. The roof is lined with the fleur-de-lys you can see in the last picture, which represent the monarchy of France.
We both really enjoyed the tour, as it gave a lot of interesting information (which I absorbed doubly, I think, after translating everything) and allowed us to see things we definitely would not have otherwise.
After climbing back down the stairs, we were on our own to explore the main part of the cathedral. It's huge and gorgeous.
One of the most interesting aspects of this cathedral is its stained glass windows. Many were, of course, destroyed during the war, but many also did survive. Prominent artists of the time were called in to design new windows to replace the ones that were destroyed. So we get windows in very different styles:
The first two are modern and the last is original. Most of the modern windows, as you can see above, are abstract designs, with none of the traditional bible stories or representation of saints.
However, the most beautiful and impressive of the modern windows, those done by Marc Chagall, are illustrations of stories. I wish I could describe how gorgeous these windows are but I can't really do them justice. The pictures will have to do:
The colors are simply breathtaking and I love the lines. I don't know why these windows aren't more remembered as masterpieces of Chagall's.
Even with all the modern sensibility here it's easy to imagine the medieval kings of France coming here in state to be crowned. I can hardly say I've seen a more impressive and interesting cathedral, save for perhaps Chartres and maybe Notre Dame de Paris. Since I will be here for the next year I definitely plan to go back and spend most of my time just at the cathedral, as unfortunately we had to rush it a bit to fit other things in.
The facade appears quite high Gothic, with every space covered in statues and carvings. They really are exquisite examples of Gothic art and architecture.
Compare those shots with the facade of the abbey in the previous post and marvel at how decorated this thing really is.
The story goes that way back in around 500AD the Frankish (a Gallic-Celtic tribe that held some of the north and east of modern France) king Clovis married Clotilde, who converted him to Catholicism. He was the first Christian king in the area, even though most of the people were already Christianized. St Remi (Remigius) baptized him at Reims and since then all French kings have come back there to be coronated. This ceremony was an important part in establishing the king's legitimacy - Joan of Arc's desperately tried to get the not-yet-coronated king to English-held Reims so the people would recognize him as king, a key part in her turning the tide of the Hundred Years' War.
During the Revolution of course this cathedral, with its ties to the monarchy, was targeted by revolutionaries, but they did not destroy much given the circumstances. The true destruction of the cathedral came during WWI, when the Germans bombed it to try to lower French morale. Our tour guide said the cathedral received more the 300 points of damage, but that doesn't really begin to convey the amount of destruction.
This is an overhead shot of what was left after the bombing: there is no roof, the nave is mostly intact but the transept (arms of the cross) and top of the cross are largely destroyed. You can see the pillars that were holding up to roof, but most of the buttresses are gone. Compare to the lower shot of one of the early shells hitting the cathedral.
In the aftermath, many people did not want to try to rebuild the cathedral - either because they thought it simply couldn't be done because there was too much damage, or they wanted to leave it as a monument to the war. Some prominent French sculptors of the time (including Rodin) were quoted as advising against rebuilding.
Given the state of France and its economy at the time, it couldn't have been done, anyway. But John Rockefeller came along and took a strong interest in the cathedral; he paid many millions to have it rebuilt, and twenty years later, incredibly, it was done. You can see in the above pictures of the facade some pieces that are much lighter than others - these are copies of the original, damaged pieces which are housed in the Tau Palace now. Seeing the amount of damage of the cathedral it kind of blows my mind to think that it's now almost back to what it was. However, they can no longer ring the main heavy church bells on a regular basis because the structural damage to the cathedral would not allow such vibrations.
So we signed up for a tour of the cathedral, not really knowing what was involved. When we got there we found out the tour was actually of the upper levels, meaning we had to go up the 240 spiral stairs to the top! While it was awesome to see everything up close it was quite the climb.
Our tour group was little - only us and a Dutch family. At the beginning of the tour it was evident that the Dutch family didn't know much French, though they did know English, and the tour guide didn't know English well enough to do the whole thing in that language. He dithered a bit before asking if I could translate for him - it was the first time I've done a long real-time translation for someone and although at times it was sort of difficult (translating some of the architectural terms is way beyond me and I always have trouble with large numbers in French, like years) I think I did well. It was fun, even, and the tour guide was very nice and personable, probably a couple of years younger than me.
He took us to the gallery, the part in between the second level of the building and the towers. We got beautiful views of the city and good looks at many of the details up there. Of course, my mother was delighted that we were so close to the gargoyles, which she loves.
The second picture is looking up at the towers from directly underneath them, and the second is looking across at the Kings' Gallery. They aren't of specific kings but allegorical representations. The roof is lined with the fleur-de-lys you can see in the last picture, which represent the monarchy of France.
We both really enjoyed the tour, as it gave a lot of interesting information (which I absorbed doubly, I think, after translating everything) and allowed us to see things we definitely would not have otherwise.
After climbing back down the stairs, we were on our own to explore the main part of the cathedral. It's huge and gorgeous.
One of the most interesting aspects of this cathedral is its stained glass windows. Many were, of course, destroyed during the war, but many also did survive. Prominent artists of the time were called in to design new windows to replace the ones that were destroyed. So we get windows in very different styles:
However, the most beautiful and impressive of the modern windows, those done by Marc Chagall, are illustrations of stories. I wish I could describe how gorgeous these windows are but I can't really do them justice. The pictures will have to do:
The colors are simply breathtaking and I love the lines. I don't know why these windows aren't more remembered as masterpieces of Chagall's.
Even with all the modern sensibility here it's easy to imagine the medieval kings of France coming here in state to be crowned. I can hardly say I've seen a more impressive and interesting cathedral, save for perhaps Chartres and maybe Notre Dame de Paris. Since I will be here for the next year I definitely plan to go back and spend most of my time just at the cathedral, as unfortunately we had to rush it a bit to fit other things in.
Reims, everything but the cathedral
My mom has gone after a lovely visit where she got to do a whole bunch of things she hadn't done yet. We did lots of exploring but the most interesting place we went was definitely Reims.
This is a place with a LOT of history. I don't know much about it Roman roots, but it must have been a significant place back in the day - the town museum was filled with all kinds of Roman stuff, from statues to mosaic fragments to mile markers to tombs, all from the immediate vicinity. It even had a bunch of paleolithic archeological finds.
The next main period of its history is the long medieval era, which I'll discuss more in the next post. Reims was the place where every king of France was coronated, from Clovis on (except, it seems, Charlemagne and Hugh Capet for whatever reasons; see my post on Noyons). It was therefore one of the most significant and symbolic places in the country for centuries.
Its importance in modern times comes mainly from the fact that it was a major target of German attacks during WWI. The main cathedral, where all the kings were crowned, was purposefully bombed, and the rest of the town suffered major damage as well. Again I'll discuss this more in the next post, but it certainly gives the town an interesting blend of medieval and very modern (a lot of art deco) sensibility.
It appears that soon after, Reims was a draw for artists? I'm not entirely sure as I've done no research on it but we saw this cafe on the main restaurant row in town (the Ernest Hemingway if you can't see it):
And we ate dinner here:
A lot of the town looks like this:
Medieval combined with neo-classical - it seems the place had somewhat of a revival around the early to mid 18th century, when Louis XV took an interest in it. The building in the background in the above shot is the Hotel de Ville, the city hall.
And there are the random nice examples of art deco, like the city library. Andrew Carnegie gave a lot of money to Reims, I suppose in the 20s, and funded the building of this library. It's really very cool.
Next stop on our way was the Palais Tau, the cathedral museum. It was the residence of the archbishop of Reims until the early 1900s, but it was used as a storage area for all the bits and pieces of the cathedral that fell or broke during the WWI bombing. In fact it still holds large number of fragments:
You can see the mix of statues, stones, and architectural details there.
It also now holds a wide variety of items pertaining to the cathedral and the coronations. It had a lot of tapestries that used to be in the archbishop's palace, replicas of statues and carvings from the cathedral (notice how the gargoyle below is a cement cast, not stone), the post-coronation banquet room, and a little chapel. This museum also has a lot of royal relics, gold, and jewels (some replicas), many of them from the coronation of Charles X in 1824. He was the younger brother of Louis XVI, who was guillotined during the Revolution, and the last true king of the royal line, and the last to be coronated there.
There are vaults under the palace with a lot of information about the reconstruction of the cathedral and some very striking photos of it when it was bombed. I'll try to find some online for the next post.
Skipping the big cathedral for now, we then went to another important church of the town, but it's almost entirely forgotten by tourists because it's far from the city center. It's a shame because it's a really nice place that seems to have been mostly saved from bombing; it's kept its original windows and everything. This was the abbey of the bishop who converted and baptized Clovis, the first king to be coronated in Reims.
It seems to be rather neglected, though: most of its side chapels had nothing in them, there were virtually no lights, and it has an overall air of disuse.
That was pretty much the last stop on our tour of Reims. There is also an ancient Roman portal - door to the fortified city - in town but we didn't have time to see it. Another interesting point of trivia: it was in Reims where General Eisenhower received the surrender of Germany at the end of WWII. The building where this happened is now called the Surrender Museum, I'm sure making a plethora of France jokes along with it.
Reims is only a 45 minute (and pretty cheap) train ride from Paris on the TGV so keep it in mind if you're interested and you visit Paris!
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