Although this post has nothing to do with Paris, it has the world to do with me being in Paris. This goes to the girl that fills my thoughts all of of the time. You deserve the world...
Je t'aime!
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Interpol.
Ok, so we are back a little earlier than expected. I am am gonna jump ahead a bit and show you what I did this evening because it is fresh in my mind and worthy of an immediate post.
21 Novembre
Tonight, I went to an Interpol concert. It was more than amazing! They are a great band and even better live. The concert was help at a place called the Le Zenith. This place was a proper venue. The people here were really into them. I was shocked that so many Parisians loved American music. I will say this though, the majority of the kids at this concert were very clean cut. No one out here has tattoos, at least from what I can see. I haven't seen any tattoos the whole time living here. I stand out like a sore thumb...
Look how packed Le Metro (subway) was on the way home. It took like 20 minutes to catch a freakin' train:
Here is Le Billet:
Anyway, I am gonna keep this post short. Here are some videos to lay your eyes on. The first is of Interpol playing "Evil" live (hosted on Youtube):
The second is the trek back home from Le Metro:
Well, there you have it, more video content. Voila!
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in the U.S. I miss you all! Save me some stuffing...
21 Novembre
Tonight, I went to an Interpol concert. It was more than amazing! They are a great band and even better live. The concert was help at a place called the Le Zenith. This place was a proper venue. The people here were really into them. I was shocked that so many Parisians loved American music. I will say this though, the majority of the kids at this concert were very clean cut. No one out here has tattoos, at least from what I can see. I haven't seen any tattoos the whole time living here. I stand out like a sore thumb...
Look how packed Le Metro (subway) was on the way home. It took like 20 minutes to catch a freakin' train:
Here is Le Billet:
Anyway, I am gonna keep this post short. Here are some videos to lay your eyes on. The first is of Interpol playing "Evil" live (hosted on Youtube):
The second is the trek back home from Le Metro:
Well, there you have it, more video content. Voila!
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in the U.S. I miss you all! Save me some stuffing...
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Monoprix.
Bonjour once again! Welcome back and thanks for taking the time to keep up with my travels. I appreciate it very much. Sorry it took me so long to write this one, but this is a bigger process than I expected...
Grocery shopping.
Where shall I begin? Ah yes... Monoprix:
Inside (notice the electronic price displays):
So I went grocery shopping or "faire des courses" on Sunday for the first time. Let's say that it was an experience! First of all, at this point I knew zero french. This means that unless I could visually identify a particular item, I was just taking an educated guess as to what it was. I would say that about 50% of what I bought that day was a guess. LoL... Here is what I purchased. Take a look:
Le Fromage.
So here are some things that I noticed when shopping on this premiere occasion. First of all, Parisians love cheese. There are way too many kinds of cheese in this country. They have Chevre (goat, "chevre" actually means goat), Gour Noir (goat, very tastey), Compte (cow, has been made for centuries), Brie (cow, goes well with Champagne) and the list goes on forever... I ended up only picking up about 3 different kinds to begin to figure out which I liked the best... Gour Noir was my favorite! I really didn't like Chevre. It just tasted gross (kinda moldy)... Oh well, no problem. I have about 250 more kinds to try...
Le Jambon.
Next, there seemed to be a lot of "le jambon" or ham. So I asked one of my friends why? They told me that pork (le porc) is a favorite meat in France. In the lunch meat aisle, there was ham everywhere, but only a couple selections of Chicken (le poulet) or Turkey (le dinde). I guess I better learn to like ham.
Here are some other interesting facts. Everything is in the metric system, which in and of itself is fine. But it changes the way everything looks as far as packaging is concerned. For instance, milk does not come in 1 Gallon containers. It comes in 1 Litre containers. All the nutrition information is also worded a bit differently due to the metric system. So instead of it listing a serving size and then the calories, fat, protein, etc. per serving, it lists how many grams the product weighs. Then, it lists it like this:
Poids net: 120g (total weight of the product)
Pour 100g (per 100g)
106 kcal (Calories)
447kJ (Joules = high school chemistry? what the...?)
Proteines 22g
Glucides 1g
Lipides 1,5g
Fibres <1g
Notice that instead of a period as a decimal point, they use a comma. It seems to be in all number related items. No clue...
Le Pain.
Also, bread doesn't come packaged as it would in the States. Here it is fresh and on shelves. You simply choose the one you like and wrap it up yourself. Weird, but it tastes delicious!
Finally, here are a couple comments to wrap up the whole grocery store debacle. THERE WAS NO PEANUT BUTTER! What?! They had almond butter, caramel butter, chocolate butter, but no peanut butter... That was a disappointment since it is like my favorite snack. Also, there are zero medical related items in a grocery store or any store in France for that matter. Even for contact solution, you need to visit "une pharmacie". These are small, cozy store fronts where you can get anything from hydrogen peroxide to penicillin.
So there is my shopping experience in Paris. Hope you enjoyed:) Check back soon for updates on my night out at Le Cab (one of the hottest night clubs in Paris). As well, as a full detailed story about my trip to London to see The Arcade Fire.
A Bientot.
Grocery shopping.
Where shall I begin? Ah yes... Monoprix:
Inside (notice the electronic price displays):
So I went grocery shopping or "faire des courses" on Sunday for the first time. Let's say that it was an experience! First of all, at this point I knew zero french. This means that unless I could visually identify a particular item, I was just taking an educated guess as to what it was. I would say that about 50% of what I bought that day was a guess. LoL... Here is what I purchased. Take a look:
Le Fromage.
So here are some things that I noticed when shopping on this premiere occasion. First of all, Parisians love cheese. There are way too many kinds of cheese in this country. They have Chevre (goat, "chevre" actually means goat), Gour Noir (goat, very tastey), Compte (cow, has been made for centuries), Brie (cow, goes well with Champagne) and the list goes on forever... I ended up only picking up about 3 different kinds to begin to figure out which I liked the best... Gour Noir was my favorite! I really didn't like Chevre. It just tasted gross (kinda moldy)... Oh well, no problem. I have about 250 more kinds to try...
Le Jambon.
Next, there seemed to be a lot of "le jambon" or ham. So I asked one of my friends why? They told me that pork (le porc) is a favorite meat in France. In the lunch meat aisle, there was ham everywhere, but only a couple selections of Chicken (le poulet) or Turkey (le dinde). I guess I better learn to like ham.
Here are some other interesting facts. Everything is in the metric system, which in and of itself is fine. But it changes the way everything looks as far as packaging is concerned. For instance, milk does not come in 1 Gallon containers. It comes in 1 Litre containers. All the nutrition information is also worded a bit differently due to the metric system. So instead of it listing a serving size and then the calories, fat, protein, etc. per serving, it lists how many grams the product weighs. Then, it lists it like this:
Poids net: 120g (total weight of the product)
Pour 100g (per 100g)
106 kcal (Calories)
447kJ (Joules = high school chemistry? what the...?)
Proteines 22g
Glucides 1g
Lipides 1,5g
Fibres <1g
Notice that instead of a period as a decimal point, they use a comma. It seems to be in all number related items. No clue...
Le Pain.
Also, bread doesn't come packaged as it would in the States. Here it is fresh and on shelves. You simply choose the one you like and wrap it up yourself. Weird, but it tastes delicious!
Finally, here are a couple comments to wrap up the whole grocery store debacle. THERE WAS NO PEANUT BUTTER! What?! They had almond butter, caramel butter, chocolate butter, but no peanut butter... That was a disappointment since it is like my favorite snack. Also, there are zero medical related items in a grocery store or any store in France for that matter. Even for contact solution, you need to visit "une pharmacie". These are small, cozy store fronts where you can get anything from hydrogen peroxide to penicillin.
So there is my shopping experience in Paris. Hope you enjoyed:) Check back soon for updates on my night out at Le Cab (one of the hottest night clubs in Paris). As well, as a full detailed story about my trip to London to see The Arcade Fire.
A Bientot.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Random Questions and Answers.
OK so, I think from now on, I am gonna take a more freeform approach to this blog thing. I have been receiving some random questions here and there, so here are the answers to most of them.
Time.
Paris is 6 hours ahead of you guys in Eastern Standard time. So just take whatever time it is there and add 6. For those of you on the West Coast, add 9.
Les Toilets.
No, Biff, the toilets flush the same direction. You are thinking of the Southern Hemisphere weirdo. And the toilet paper is just fine. Better than alot of places in the States.
Work.
I work with 4 other people (3 guys and one girl). One of the guys is the creative director. His name is Patrick. The main producer is Jacques. There is another designer who seems to be doing alot of the print design work currently. And then there is one more girl who works hand in hand with Jacques. Her name is Hermine.
So far I have been working on Noel (Christmas) Designs for the Station called TF1. It is the largest TV station in France. They are also broadcast through much of Europe from what I understand.
The computer that I work on is mostly in French which is interesting. I can get around most of it though because I memorized where everything is. But the keyboard layout is also different. Here is a pic:
Drinking Age.
In France, the drinking age is only 16. And it is not common for anyone to ask for an ID unless the child is way too young. The other night at the concert, I saw someone who looked like they were about 14 drinking a pint and chatting with his mates. Very strange to see but apparently, it is very common.
Money.
Currently, the Euro has an exchange rate of about .69 to the dollar. This means that for every dollar you trade, you will receive .69 euros. For instance, when I arrived, the first thing I did after Customs was to exchange some money. I changed in $380 and received back about 264 Euros. Here is what they look like:
The cool thing is that you can use your ATM cards here in any ATM. My bank (Bank of America) even has a partner here with the biggest bank in France so that I don't get charged any fees. Also, you can use your credit cards everywhere. I haven't even been to a place that doesn't accept credit cards or debit cards. Tres facile (very easy)...
Electricity.
So, they have a different kind of outlet here as well as a different Wattage (Thanks to Keffer for clarifying this for me) Not to much to tell you about this but here is a pic of what the outlets look like:
Speaking French.
I took my first lesson for French last night. I enjoyed it very much. I will be taking about 10 hours a week (2 hours a night). Hopefully this will get me up the speed very quickly.
After last night's lesson, I am able to count from 0 - 100. I can hold a very basic conversation saying who I am, where I am from, say my birthday and explain that I am single. LoL...
Addresses.
Will you all please send me your addresses? I have some post cards and things that I want to send out asap. I would greatly appreciate it. My email is crabbey1@email.com
Cheers!
Time.
Paris is 6 hours ahead of you guys in Eastern Standard time. So just take whatever time it is there and add 6. For those of you on the West Coast, add 9.
Les Toilets.
No, Biff, the toilets flush the same direction. You are thinking of the Southern Hemisphere weirdo. And the toilet paper is just fine. Better than alot of places in the States.
Work.
I work with 4 other people (3 guys and one girl). One of the guys is the creative director. His name is Patrick. The main producer is Jacques. There is another designer who seems to be doing alot of the print design work currently. And then there is one more girl who works hand in hand with Jacques. Her name is Hermine.
So far I have been working on Noel (Christmas) Designs for the Station called TF1. It is the largest TV station in France. They are also broadcast through much of Europe from what I understand.
The computer that I work on is mostly in French which is interesting. I can get around most of it though because I memorized where everything is. But the keyboard layout is also different. Here is a pic:
Drinking Age.
In France, the drinking age is only 16. And it is not common for anyone to ask for an ID unless the child is way too young. The other night at the concert, I saw someone who looked like they were about 14 drinking a pint and chatting with his mates. Very strange to see but apparently, it is very common.
Money.
Currently, the Euro has an exchange rate of about .69 to the dollar. This means that for every dollar you trade, you will receive .69 euros. For instance, when I arrived, the first thing I did after Customs was to exchange some money. I changed in $380 and received back about 264 Euros. Here is what they look like:
The cool thing is that you can use your ATM cards here in any ATM. My bank (Bank of America) even has a partner here with the biggest bank in France so that I don't get charged any fees. Also, you can use your credit cards everywhere. I haven't even been to a place that doesn't accept credit cards or debit cards. Tres facile (very easy)...
Electricity.
So, they have a different kind of outlet here as well as a different Wattage (Thanks to Keffer for clarifying this for me) Not to much to tell you about this but here is a pic of what the outlets look like:
Speaking French.
I took my first lesson for French last night. I enjoyed it very much. I will be taking about 10 hours a week (2 hours a night). Hopefully this will get me up the speed very quickly.
After last night's lesson, I am able to count from 0 - 100. I can hold a very basic conversation saying who I am, where I am from, say my birthday and explain that I am single. LoL...
Addresses.
Will you all please send me your addresses? I have some post cards and things that I want to send out asap. I would greatly appreciate it. My email is crabbey1@email.com
Cheers!
Monday, November 12, 2007
Le Louvre.
9 Novembre
Bonjour! Well, here it is, my second post. Yey! Everything is still terrific. So let me begin where I left off...
Friday morning I woke up with a bit of a headache and hangover from the evening before. :( But it was ok since I had such a great time. Work went smoothly and I had to finally go to le dejeuner (lunch) alone and make my first purchase while not intoxicated. It went well. When entering a business here in Paris, it is respectful and common to greet the owner when entering with: Bonjour Madame, Monsieur. So I did. So far, so good. I went to the same Bagel shop once again since it was familiar and less intimidating. "Deux Grand Central, s'il vous plait", I said. I ordered 2 so that I also had some dinner waiting for me for later:) Mister prepared! After work I locked up and headed home with a couple red beers from Belgium. I just sat at home played some guitar and drank. Very relaxing and enjoyable:)
Here are some bikes for rent in the city. It is a cool concept:
10 Novembre
I awoke at about 8:30 and made some coffee and began to plan out the day a bit. I picked up my copy of the Lonely Planet's Guide to Paris and began reading. I settled on Le Louvre for the days activities. Walking seemed like a good way to learn a bit about the city, so I did just that. I did in fact learn something, Paris seems to have a lack of street signs. LOL. After a little exploring and map searching, I was able to come across the street that I needed and proceeded on my way.
Along the road to Le Louvre, I came across many interesting sights. For instance, I came across this example of how NOT to lock up a bike, or maybe where to not lock one up?
Look, they also have Midas!
I also wondered through this staple of Paris called the Place de L'Hotel de Ville. It was beautiful. Take a look:
All of the architecture here is very detailed and refined. I have not seen one building that didn't make me look twice. Which means that I have a lot to see:)
After snapping a few photos at L'Hotel de Ville I stayed on track towards Le Louvre. The road to Le Louvre from my flat is along La Seine (the river that flows through Paris). This made for a beautiful walk during a fridged autumn day. All along the riverbank were small booths selling different second-hand merchandise such as books, small furniture and artwork. It is almost like sensory overload for a foreigner like myself. So much to see, hear and smell all at once.
Which brings me to the next fun fact, chestnuts. Haha, what, you ask... Yes! Chestnuts or at least what I believe to be chestnuts. Upon crossing the road to Le Louvre, I spot this guy standing next to a shopping cart. From my previous experience, I regard him as just a homeless guy asking for change, but as I get closer I realize he is selling, what appear to be, chestnuts. Yes, he has his cart setup with a tray sitting on the top and he is offering roasted chestnuts for sale. Very interesting. Since this first encounter, I have run across numerous other "Chestnut" vendors throughout the city. Gotta love new things:)
Here is what they look like:
So I enter Le Louvre's exterior wall and here is what I see:
It is massive. It is said that it would take 9 months to glance at every piece of artwork within these walls. That is just crazy. Good thing I got an early start:) Once inside the museum, everything was pretty much par for the course as far as museums are concerned. Don't get me wrong though, this place used to be used as a Palace before being repurposed as a museum in 1793. So the building itself is as much a work of art as the pieces held within.
The security here was no joke either.
I must admit that the Roman religious artwork was, to me, the most moving. I have, for some time now, had an interest in this type of artwork. It is very beautiful and was usually created by the master's of the time. The church always had the money to pay for the best...
Anyway, instead of me going on and on about art, I will just show some of my favorite pieces and some of the most popular. Take a look for yourself:
Venus de Milo:
The Mona Lisa was quite popular:
Some Egyptian works:
OK that is enough for now! More to come this post:)
PS: Here is a random walkthrough of the city:
Au revoir
Bonjour! Well, here it is, my second post. Yey! Everything is still terrific. So let me begin where I left off...
Friday morning I woke up with a bit of a headache and hangover from the evening before. :( But it was ok since I had such a great time. Work went smoothly and I had to finally go to le dejeuner (lunch) alone and make my first purchase while not intoxicated. It went well. When entering a business here in Paris, it is respectful and common to greet the owner when entering with: Bonjour Madame, Monsieur. So I did. So far, so good. I went to the same Bagel shop once again since it was familiar and less intimidating. "Deux Grand Central, s'il vous plait", I said. I ordered 2 so that I also had some dinner waiting for me for later:) Mister prepared! After work I locked up and headed home with a couple red beers from Belgium. I just sat at home played some guitar and drank. Very relaxing and enjoyable:)
Here are some bikes for rent in the city. It is a cool concept:
10 Novembre
I awoke at about 8:30 and made some coffee and began to plan out the day a bit. I picked up my copy of the Lonely Planet's Guide to Paris and began reading. I settled on Le Louvre for the days activities. Walking seemed like a good way to learn a bit about the city, so I did just that. I did in fact learn something, Paris seems to have a lack of street signs. LOL. After a little exploring and map searching, I was able to come across the street that I needed and proceeded on my way.
Along the road to Le Louvre, I came across many interesting sights. For instance, I came across this example of how NOT to lock up a bike, or maybe where to not lock one up?
Look, they also have Midas!
I also wondered through this staple of Paris called the Place de L'Hotel de Ville. It was beautiful. Take a look:
All of the architecture here is very detailed and refined. I have not seen one building that didn't make me look twice. Which means that I have a lot to see:)
After snapping a few photos at L'Hotel de Ville I stayed on track towards Le Louvre. The road to Le Louvre from my flat is along La Seine (the river that flows through Paris). This made for a beautiful walk during a fridged autumn day. All along the riverbank were small booths selling different second-hand merchandise such as books, small furniture and artwork. It is almost like sensory overload for a foreigner like myself. So much to see, hear and smell all at once.
Which brings me to the next fun fact, chestnuts. Haha, what, you ask... Yes! Chestnuts or at least what I believe to be chestnuts. Upon crossing the road to Le Louvre, I spot this guy standing next to a shopping cart. From my previous experience, I regard him as just a homeless guy asking for change, but as I get closer I realize he is selling, what appear to be, chestnuts. Yes, he has his cart setup with a tray sitting on the top and he is offering roasted chestnuts for sale. Very interesting. Since this first encounter, I have run across numerous other "Chestnut" vendors throughout the city. Gotta love new things:)
Here is what they look like:
So I enter Le Louvre's exterior wall and here is what I see:
It is massive. It is said that it would take 9 months to glance at every piece of artwork within these walls. That is just crazy. Good thing I got an early start:) Once inside the museum, everything was pretty much par for the course as far as museums are concerned. Don't get me wrong though, this place used to be used as a Palace before being repurposed as a museum in 1793. So the building itself is as much a work of art as the pieces held within.
The security here was no joke either.
I must admit that the Roman religious artwork was, to me, the most moving. I have, for some time now, had an interest in this type of artwork. It is very beautiful and was usually created by the master's of the time. The church always had the money to pay for the best...
Anyway, instead of me going on and on about art, I will just show some of my favorite pieces and some of the most popular. Take a look for yourself:
Venus de Milo:
The Mona Lisa was quite popular:
Some Egyptian works:
OK that is enough for now! More to come this post:)
PS: Here is a random walkthrough of the city:
Au revoir
Friday, November 9, 2007
Bon Voyage!
6 Novembre
Bonjour!
I am very happy that you decided to check out my blog about my travels in Europe, specifically Paris, France. I decided to keep this in order to keep my friend's informed and entertained about my whereabouts and travels. I want to give a shoutout to Biff, Mom, Matt, Jessica, the Keffer's, Asian, Rube, Jim, Ashole, Apollo and to everyone else who has played an important role in where I am today. Merci beaucoup!
So, I decided to make tonight the first post because I have just arrived back from a party and I felt that I wanted to share the evening with the rest of you. In the past 3 days that I have been here, I have seen more than I ever thought I would and it is very exciting.
For starters, I should share the fact that the plane ride over was only 6 1/2 hours and not the anticipated 10-12 hours. Yey! But on the otherhand, it was the most turbulent plane ride that I have encountered thus far. Regardless I was in the last seat on the plane which, Biff can verify, is the safest seat in the house. LoL! Anyway, once I arrived my first task was to pass customs and catch a taxi. No problem, right? Haha. I didn't realize that I needed to sign my passport and the agent at customs gave me a hard time about it. So I am off to a terrific start:) Anyway, then I change over some money to Euros and head out to catch a taxi. After waiting in line for about 15 minutes, I hop in and ask, "Parlez-vous anglais?" This means do you speak English? Of course the answer was, inevitably, no! Haha! So I tried to explain in French where I needed to go and after about 5 minutes we came to an understanding. Yey again!
When I arrive at the company at 5 rue de Charonne, 75011 PARIS, I am greeted by a man known as Jacques. He is one of the partners in the company for which I came to work, known as NAKeD. He takes me to my flat and I am very impressed. It is a terrific space, mostly decorated with IKEA. It is exactly what I was hoping for, a queen size bed, a new computer, a full kitchen and bath. The flat has a wonderful view of both the rue de Charonne (Charronne Road) and the beautiful courtyard in the rear.
Here is a Google Satelite Image:
Here is a video of the place:
After unpacking, Jacques introduces me to Patrick, who is the CReative Director at NAKeD. I have a tour of the office, which is located in the same building and then we go to le dejeuner (lunch):) This was my favorite part because not only did we drink beer but the food was superb. I had what is called fois gras. It is a duck that was overfed in order to make it more fatty. Delicious! But here was my favorite part, and Biff and Face listen up, one of the sides were these little balls of goodness. I have no idea what they were called but they were essentially mashed potatoes inside a deepfried ball of bread. Best thing ever!
After lunch I went back to the office and watched some French TV and passed out for a bit. Then Jacques woke me up to go to le diner (dinner). We went to a small restaurant with Patrick and we just sat and talked for about 3 hours or so. We went through 2 bottles of wine and I tried, per Mike, the Steak Tartar. It was very interesting. Basically, it was ground beef raw mixed with certain spices and sauces like ketchup and tabasco, etc. it was served like a hamburger patty that wasn't cooked and the you are supposed to mix it up more with your fork. I ate about half and that was enough. It wasn't terrible but it definately wasn't my favorite food ever.
7 Novembre
The next day I woke up at about 8:30 and got ready for work. I arrived and was in desperate need of caffeine. I go to the kitchen area at work and pour what the French call le cafe, which is basically the same as a 6 oz. glass of expresso. I added a cube of sugar and down it went. Delicious! Much stronger than what we are used to and I enjoyed that. At about 2pm we went for lunch. Jacques asked if bagels were ok and I said sure. But really thinking, who eats bagels for lunch? Then I realized who. Everyone in Paris. It was the most delicious thing on Earth. I had the Grande Central. I thad turkey, bacon, tomato, mayo, etc. So good:) After work that night, I went home at about 7pm and passed out immediately. It hit me like a ton of bricks, I was tired!
8 Novembre
So the following morning, I woke at 5am because I went to sleep so early the evening before. So I decided that I should beef up (no pun Biff) on my French. So for the next 3 hours, I learned as much as I could. Then I went to work and it turned out to be a pretty normal day for what I do. Then just after lunch, my coworker asked if I would like to go to a concert in the evening. Of course I said yes! So one of her friends met us at the office and off we went. First, we went to a bar very near to the Moulin Rouge! How cool! (Mom stop reading) So then I noticed that there were signs that read SEX every other building. So I asked my friend if "Sex" in English is the same as in French and she replied "Oui!" That is when I knew that I would be just fine here in Paris! Lol!
Anyway, so we met up with a bunch of her friends at a local bar and had some drinks. Then it began to pour and the girls did not want to get soaked so we missed the concert and just ended up drinking and smoking. That is something I forget to mention. Every single person here seems to smoke. It is crazy! And they are allowed to smoke wherever they want. In restaurants, bars, wherever... After the rain dies down, we head over to the after party for the concert. It is in a club similar to what we have in The States. Cheezy music with girls dancing, blah, blah...
This is where I had to speak French for the first time for real. I needed to order a beer or la biere, as they say. so I went up to the bar and did it. I was very proud and very motivated considering that 95% of the people there I could not talk to because of the language barrier. Anyway, the night grew long and it was time for Chris to go to bed. So I had my second chance to use French when hailing a taxi once again. I did get one to stop and when I told him of my destination, again I got the confused look. Apparently, I cannot roll my R's in Charonne well enough and it sounds like something else. After a few minutes, we got it straightened out and all is well. Anyway, I start French lessons on Monday and I will be doing 10 hours per week at my flat. Please wish me well or bonne chance (good luck)!
So there is the story of my first few days in Paris. I hope you all enjoy and come back again to hear new stories in the future. I miss you all very much and hope that some will have the opportunity to visit while I am here:)
Au revoir!
Chris
Bonjour!
I am very happy that you decided to check out my blog about my travels in Europe, specifically Paris, France. I decided to keep this in order to keep my friend's informed and entertained about my whereabouts and travels. I want to give a shoutout to Biff, Mom, Matt, Jessica, the Keffer's, Asian, Rube, Jim, Ashole, Apollo and to everyone else who has played an important role in where I am today. Merci beaucoup!
So, I decided to make tonight the first post because I have just arrived back from a party and I felt that I wanted to share the evening with the rest of you. In the past 3 days that I have been here, I have seen more than I ever thought I would and it is very exciting.
For starters, I should share the fact that the plane ride over was only 6 1/2 hours and not the anticipated 10-12 hours. Yey! But on the otherhand, it was the most turbulent plane ride that I have encountered thus far. Regardless I was in the last seat on the plane which, Biff can verify, is the safest seat in the house. LoL! Anyway, once I arrived my first task was to pass customs and catch a taxi. No problem, right? Haha. I didn't realize that I needed to sign my passport and the agent at customs gave me a hard time about it. So I am off to a terrific start:) Anyway, then I change over some money to Euros and head out to catch a taxi. After waiting in line for about 15 minutes, I hop in and ask, "Parlez-vous anglais?" This means do you speak English? Of course the answer was, inevitably, no! Haha! So I tried to explain in French where I needed to go and after about 5 minutes we came to an understanding. Yey again!
When I arrive at the company at 5 rue de Charonne, 75011 PARIS, I am greeted by a man known as Jacques. He is one of the partners in the company for which I came to work, known as NAKeD. He takes me to my flat and I am very impressed. It is a terrific space, mostly decorated with IKEA. It is exactly what I was hoping for, a queen size bed, a new computer, a full kitchen and bath. The flat has a wonderful view of both the rue de Charonne (Charronne Road) and the beautiful courtyard in the rear.
Here is a Google Satelite Image:
Here is a video of the place:
After unpacking, Jacques introduces me to Patrick, who is the CReative Director at NAKeD. I have a tour of the office, which is located in the same building and then we go to le dejeuner (lunch):) This was my favorite part because not only did we drink beer but the food was superb. I had what is called fois gras. It is a duck that was overfed in order to make it more fatty. Delicious! But here was my favorite part, and Biff and Face listen up, one of the sides were these little balls of goodness. I have no idea what they were called but they were essentially mashed potatoes inside a deepfried ball of bread. Best thing ever!
After lunch I went back to the office and watched some French TV and passed out for a bit. Then Jacques woke me up to go to le diner (dinner). We went to a small restaurant with Patrick and we just sat and talked for about 3 hours or so. We went through 2 bottles of wine and I tried, per Mike, the Steak Tartar. It was very interesting. Basically, it was ground beef raw mixed with certain spices and sauces like ketchup and tabasco, etc. it was served like a hamburger patty that wasn't cooked and the you are supposed to mix it up more with your fork. I ate about half and that was enough. It wasn't terrible but it definately wasn't my favorite food ever.
7 Novembre
The next day I woke up at about 8:30 and got ready for work. I arrived and was in desperate need of caffeine. I go to the kitchen area at work and pour what the French call le cafe, which is basically the same as a 6 oz. glass of expresso. I added a cube of sugar and down it went. Delicious! Much stronger than what we are used to and I enjoyed that. At about 2pm we went for lunch. Jacques asked if bagels were ok and I said sure. But really thinking, who eats bagels for lunch? Then I realized who. Everyone in Paris. It was the most delicious thing on Earth. I had the Grande Central. I thad turkey, bacon, tomato, mayo, etc. So good:) After work that night, I went home at about 7pm and passed out immediately. It hit me like a ton of bricks, I was tired!
8 Novembre
So the following morning, I woke at 5am because I went to sleep so early the evening before. So I decided that I should beef up (no pun Biff) on my French. So for the next 3 hours, I learned as much as I could. Then I went to work and it turned out to be a pretty normal day for what I do. Then just after lunch, my coworker asked if I would like to go to a concert in the evening. Of course I said yes! So one of her friends met us at the office and off we went. First, we went to a bar very near to the Moulin Rouge! How cool! (Mom stop reading) So then I noticed that there were signs that read SEX every other building. So I asked my friend if "Sex" in English is the same as in French and she replied "Oui!" That is when I knew that I would be just fine here in Paris! Lol!
Anyway, so we met up with a bunch of her friends at a local bar and had some drinks. Then it began to pour and the girls did not want to get soaked so we missed the concert and just ended up drinking and smoking. That is something I forget to mention. Every single person here seems to smoke. It is crazy! And they are allowed to smoke wherever they want. In restaurants, bars, wherever... After the rain dies down, we head over to the after party for the concert. It is in a club similar to what we have in The States. Cheezy music with girls dancing, blah, blah...
This is where I had to speak French for the first time for real. I needed to order a beer or la biere, as they say. so I went up to the bar and did it. I was very proud and very motivated considering that 95% of the people there I could not talk to because of the language barrier. Anyway, the night grew long and it was time for Chris to go to bed. So I had my second chance to use French when hailing a taxi once again. I did get one to stop and when I told him of my destination, again I got the confused look. Apparently, I cannot roll my R's in Charonne well enough and it sounds like something else. After a few minutes, we got it straightened out and all is well. Anyway, I start French lessons on Monday and I will be doing 10 hours per week at my flat. Please wish me well or bonne chance (good luck)!
So there is the story of my first few days in Paris. I hope you all enjoy and come back again to hear new stories in the future. I miss you all very much and hope that some will have the opportunity to visit while I am here:)
Au revoir!
Chris
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