The conversation goes like this:
Me: Bonjour
Them: Good morning sir (is my French that bad that they pick me with one word)
M: Je voudrais une réservation pour le déjeuner aujourd'hui
T: Yes sir, for how many people?
M: Deux
T: No problem sir, two at what time?
M: Midi et Demi
T: 12.30 yes sir.
M: Merci, A bientôt
T: Thank you sir.
How's a guy supposed to improve his Français?????
My outrageous French accent is apparently atrocious!
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Observations
Disclaimer
The following are meant to be observations, not criticisms. These notes are just to highlight some of the differences in Paris compared to Oz.
Internet cafe
Internet cafes, or Cyber Cafes as they are called, are hard to find in Paris. After everyone had told me there isn't one in the 7eme, where we are staying, and walking 25 minutes to the nearest I could find in the 16eme, I stumbled across one today. One person said to me, this area is too affluent to need such things. There seems to be no shortage of students and tourists in the area; but apparently they do not need such things.
Supermarkets
We've been told that what we call a supermarket is a hypermarché in Paris. There are 6 supermarché within a 5 minute walk of our apartment. Their range of goods is quite limited. A good selection of yohurt and very reasoablye priced vin rouge, I'm please to report, but light on with bathroom products for instance.The absence of pastry, bread and meat is good news supporting several excellent local patiesseries, epiciers, boulangers et bouchers.
Hair
Long hair is still in for the over 40ish cool male. Maybe its fashionable or maybe they haven't moved on. I can tell they are are cool; they drive Porche and have attactive ladies in the passenger seat.
Potatoes
Something I have not realised before is the prominence of potatoes in the meals. It is more likely than not that potatoes in one form or another (frites, boiled, dauphine etc) will accompany your meal. Legumes beyond this need to be ordered as an extra. I'm not sure if this is a winter thing or a Paris idiosyncrasy. I do not recall the pomme de terre having such prominence in the South of France.
Tipping
For those of you that don't know, tipping is no longer a custom in France. L'addition includes all taxes, service and tips. How sensible of le Français! Vive etc..............
Café
Back to the subject of Café - the coffee variety. We know le Français aime beacoup leur café. I suspect this is one of the sacred institutions.
Take away or "Emporter" does not exist except from the American chains, Starbucks and the like. The moral is the most economic way to get the caffine hit first thing is a "un café svp" standing up at the bar.
If you stand at the bar un café can be had for €1.10 . If you sit at at a table €2.20 - fair enough. Add milk à la au lait, latte or cappuccino and bang your up to €3.50/€4.00 at the bar and €4 ish upwards depending on the establishment at the table. There's also a rather irritating practice of serving tourists with a large version of whatever you order unless you spell it out up front.
Chinese restaurants
Sensitive area. Remember Lundi à Chinatown (see separate posting).
In the business district there seem to be a few sit down Chinese restaurants. Moving out into the faubourgs (burbs) the Emporter is called a ASIA Traiteur and out numbers what we'd call a Chinese Restaurant 10 times. The disconcerting thing is that all the food is prepared and waiting for you to in the display cabinet to order and take away. No waiting for it to be freshly cooked, only heated before your eyes in the Microwave if you so request. But if you think about it the epicier, fromagier etc all have their take away food there pre cooked ready for you to take home and heat yourself; so why not the Chinese?
Gold ring trick
There's a trick that is fashionable here where this guy near you picks up a gold ring and asks if its yours.You say no, he tries it on his finger and makes signs that it doesn't fit and is of no use to him, gives it to you and them walks off. He keeps walking but eventually comes back to ask for some money. How the trick works after this I don't know as I gave him the ring and told him to go away. I've been approached twice more with this routine.
Apartment numbers
In older buildings, like the one we are staying in, there are no apartment numbers. Our building has 2 apartments per floor with a board on the ground floor giving floors and names of residents in each floor. This is evidently usual. I don't know if this happens in the new apartment blocks.
The following are meant to be observations, not criticisms. These notes are just to highlight some of the differences in Paris compared to Oz.
Internet cafe
Internet cafes, or Cyber Cafes as they are called, are hard to find in Paris. After everyone had told me there isn't one in the 7eme, where we are staying, and walking 25 minutes to the nearest I could find in the 16eme, I stumbled across one today. One person said to me, this area is too affluent to need such things. There seems to be no shortage of students and tourists in the area; but apparently they do not need such things.
Supermarkets
We've been told that what we call a supermarket is a hypermarché in Paris. There are 6 supermarché within a 5 minute walk of our apartment. Their range of goods is quite limited. A good selection of yohurt and very reasoablye priced vin rouge, I'm please to report, but light on with bathroom products for instance.The absence of pastry, bread and meat is good news supporting several excellent local patiesseries, epiciers, boulangers et bouchers.
Hair
Long hair is still in for the over 40ish cool male. Maybe its fashionable or maybe they haven't moved on. I can tell they are are cool; they drive Porche and have attactive ladies in the passenger seat.
Potatoes
Something I have not realised before is the prominence of potatoes in the meals. It is more likely than not that potatoes in one form or another (frites, boiled, dauphine etc) will accompany your meal. Legumes beyond this need to be ordered as an extra. I'm not sure if this is a winter thing or a Paris idiosyncrasy. I do not recall the pomme de terre having such prominence in the South of France.
Tipping
For those of you that don't know, tipping is no longer a custom in France. L'addition includes all taxes, service and tips. How sensible of le Français! Vive etc..............
Café
Back to the subject of Café - the coffee variety. We know le Français aime beacoup leur café. I suspect this is one of the sacred institutions.
Take away or "Emporter" does not exist except from the American chains, Starbucks and the like. The moral is the most economic way to get the caffine hit first thing is a "un café svp" standing up at the bar.
If you stand at the bar un café can be had for €1.10 . If you sit at at a table €2.20 - fair enough. Add milk à la au lait, latte or cappuccino and bang your up to €3.50/€4.00 at the bar and €4 ish upwards depending on the establishment at the table. There's also a rather irritating practice of serving tourists with a large version of whatever you order unless you spell it out up front.
Chinese restaurants
Sensitive area. Remember Lundi à Chinatown (see separate posting).
In the business district there seem to be a few sit down Chinese restaurants. Moving out into the faubourgs (burbs) the Emporter is called a ASIA Traiteur and out numbers what we'd call a Chinese Restaurant 10 times. The disconcerting thing is that all the food is prepared and waiting for you to in the display cabinet to order and take away. No waiting for it to be freshly cooked, only heated before your eyes in the Microwave if you so request. But if you think about it the epicier, fromagier etc all have their take away food there pre cooked ready for you to take home and heat yourself; so why not the Chinese?
Gold ring trick
There's a trick that is fashionable here where this guy near you picks up a gold ring and asks if its yours.You say no, he tries it on his finger and makes signs that it doesn't fit and is of no use to him, gives it to you and them walks off. He keeps walking but eventually comes back to ask for some money. How the trick works after this I don't know as I gave him the ring and told him to go away. I've been approached twice more with this routine.
Apartment numbers
In older buildings, like the one we are staying in, there are no apartment numbers. Our building has 2 apartments per floor with a board on the ground floor giving floors and names of residents in each floor. This is evidently usual. I don't know if this happens in the new apartment blocks.
A week of visitors and rain
The last week has been quite cold and we've had drizzle to heavy rain on and off all week.
Kwan's friend from USA and a friend of hers have been with us since Thursday.
I noticed for the first time some green shoots on some of the trees. Spring is certainly on the way.
Today, Sunday, it has warmed up with a max of 10 expected. The sun is shinning, which makes it feel warmer. This week it is expected to return to fine days of around 16C.
For some reason, possibly to coincide with the beginning of Daylight Saving, all of the department stores have a 3 day promotion (read sale) and, unusually, are open on Sunday. This has given me a day off from being tour guide and Metro navigator while they have their day of therapy. A whole day of cruising department stores would be like water torture for me. A thankful dispensation.
Kwan's friend from USA and a friend of hers have been with us since Thursday.
I noticed for the first time some green shoots on some of the trees. Spring is certainly on the way.
Today, Sunday, it has warmed up with a max of 10 expected. The sun is shinning, which makes it feel warmer. This week it is expected to return to fine days of around 16C.
For some reason, possibly to coincide with the beginning of Daylight Saving, all of the department stores have a 3 day promotion (read sale) and, unusually, are open on Sunday. This has given me a day off from being tour guide and Metro navigator while they have their day of therapy. A whole day of cruising department stores would be like water torture for me. A thankful dispensation.
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Saturday, March 17, 2007
More photos of the Apartment
Looking to the entrance of our apartment building (on the right) and the end of the cul de sac
View over park from rear of apartment.
View along Rue St Dominic - on block from apartment
View along our street toward Rue de Grenelle
Lounge room window looking over our street
Dining Room
Dining Room
Le SalonFriday, March 16, 2007
Friday with Van
Tonight we have tickets to see Van Morrison at the Olympia.
We catch the Metro to Madeleine and find something light to eat. Kwan is concerned that we are running late for the 8pm start. I inform her that we will only miss a few minutes of the support act. We arrive at 8.10 and the bars are full. Maybe everyone is sitting out the support. After people watching for a few minutes we go in. No one on stage! Oh well running late... We are shown to our seats. We purchased the B reserve in the circle as they didn't look too far back on the plan and we were pleased at being able to get seats on the aisle. It turns out the aisle seat is a jump, or folding seat. Presumably this is to make for wider aisles when people are leaving, but it doesn't make for particularly comfortable seating. Kwan is stoic. I note that they have not sold all the jump seats... local knowledge.
At a little after 8.30, "Ladies and gentlemen Mr Van Morrison" and the 7 piece band and 2 backing singers strike up Moondance. I'm in heaven. We experience an hour and a half of the most amazing Jazz meets country sprinkled with rock and roll and Irish folk. The set includes Brown Eyed Girl, Bright Side of the Road, Days Like This, Stranded, St. James Infirmary, I Can't Stop Loving You and the Olympia erupted when he concluded with GLORIA. One of the classiest concerts I've been to in years. Van Morrison in Paris
10.15 we head home thoroughly satisfied.
We catch the Metro to Madeleine and find something light to eat. Kwan is concerned that we are running late for the 8pm start. I inform her that we will only miss a few minutes of the support act. We arrive at 8.10 and the bars are full. Maybe everyone is sitting out the support. After people watching for a few minutes we go in. No one on stage! Oh well running late... We are shown to our seats. We purchased the B reserve in the circle as they didn't look too far back on the plan and we were pleased at being able to get seats on the aisle. It turns out the aisle seat is a jump, or folding seat. Presumably this is to make for wider aisles when people are leaving, but it doesn't make for particularly comfortable seating. Kwan is stoic. I note that they have not sold all the jump seats... local knowledge.
At a little after 8.30, "Ladies and gentlemen Mr Van Morrison" and the 7 piece band and 2 backing singers strike up Moondance. I'm in heaven. We experience an hour and a half of the most amazing Jazz meets country sprinkled with rock and roll and Irish folk. The set includes Brown Eyed Girl, Bright Side of the Road, Days Like This, Stranded, St. James Infirmary, I Can't Stop Loving You and the Olympia erupted when he concluded with GLORIA. One of the classiest concerts I've been to in years. Van Morrison in Paris
10.15 we head home thoroughly satisfied.
Une promenade tôt de matin
With absolutely perfect weather, an early morning walk really shows off Paris to its best.
It is such a stunning city.
La tour et Champ de Mars
Ecole Militaire from Champ de Mars
Ave de New York
La Seine
Magnifique
Early morning shadows
Les Invalides et Pont Alexandre III
Quai des Tuileries
Invalides cannons
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Paris est très beau
Today is our eleventh day here. Other than the first one and half days the weather has been fantastic.We haven't seen a cloud in the sky for the last 9 days; low 5 and up to 18 during the day.
Such weather shows off Paris to its best. We have been making the best of the beautiful weather walking all over the place. We have walked between 10 and 20k every day. All the walking is the only thing saving us from being many kilos heavier as a result of the irresistible food.
Such weather shows off Paris to its best. We have been making the best of the beautiful weather walking all over the place. We have walked between 10 and 20k every day. All the walking is the only thing saving us from being many kilos heavier as a result of the irresistible food.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Monday, March 12, 2007
Thursday, March 8, 2007
Notre appartment est très beau
Our apartment is sur le troisième etage (on the third floor) of a 5 story Hussmannian style building in the 7th arrondissement. Square de la Tour Maubourg is a cul de sac off Rue de Grenelle. We are at the end overlooking the street and a lovely primary school on one side- with the sounds of children playing wafting up at different times during the day - and to the rear a park leading to the American University of Paris (AUP)
Our floor is serviced by an old fashion cage style lift; an outer hinged wrought iron door with an inner concertina folding wooden gate, both of which must be closed before any movement is possible. There are only two apartments per floor.
We are one block from the Metro and a 20 Minute walk from the Eiffel Tower and the Musee dÓrsay. location
The Rue Cler market is 150m and there are many pattisserie, boulangerie, épicerie fine, fleuriste and restaurants in the area.
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
à Paris enfin
We have finally arrived in Paris on Monday to start our adventure. Departure from Sydney was anxious as you might imagine..... and the journey.... well travel is always fraught. Our flight was delayed 1 hour which meant we missed our connection in London; the replacement flight was also delayed an hour. All this translated to a door to door travel time of 36 hours - phew. But the sun was shining in Paris - un tres beau journee
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