Kathie and Jackson's Big Adventure - Mais Oui!

Paris Pastry

2009-10-28T13:27:00.000-07:00

Check out Susan Hochbaum's homage to Paris' pastries!

We didn't try all of these pastries when we were in town so we'll have something to do when we next visit!

From 2009-04-18

Very sad news...

2009-10-24T12:21:00.000-07:00

From 2009-04-27

Stephen Bacon was our first guest when we were in our Paris apartment. I knew Stephen for more than 15 years and also knew of his heart condition. In September, when I was back in Paris for a short visit, I tried contacting Stephen but couldn't reach him. My worst fears were realized when a Google search turned up this article. We're both going to miss him. He was a great friend.

Englishman's search for a heart touches hearts in Cleveland

by Regina Brett
October 9, 2009

This is a story about the search for a heart.

It brought a man from England to America.

Stephen Bacon traveled from Cambridge to Cleveland to get a new heart. He ran out of options back home. His insurance was no good here, but he was ready to pay the price: $400,000 for a transplant. He wanted to live.

His mother died of the heart condition she had passed on to him. The degenerative muscle condition left him with a pacemaker at age 19.

He sold his computer business. He was too weak to continue. When doctors in England declared him too medically complicated for a transplant, he hopped a plane.

The English patient arrived on Sept. 18, 2007, at the InterContinental Hotel with two suitcases and some phone numbers of Clevelanders from his British friends.

It took a while to warm to Cleveland, Ohio. He didn't know a soul. It wasn't quite as cosmopolitan as London.

Cleveland embraced him. Jane Buder Shapiro heard about Stephen from a high school friend. Jane and her husband, Eric, invited Stephen to dinner. It wasn't long before he moved into their home for a few months.

He took up residence in their lives and, soon, in the hearts of all their friends. Stephen was a delicate house guest on and off, a quiet, disciplined spirit who talked politics and movies, cooking and food. He enhanced every conversation, meal and waiting room at the Cleveland Clinic with his dry humor.

A community formed around him. At first, he compared every American custom or culture to the better ways of the British. Then, he fell in love with America. He engaged in lively debates about politics while making gourmet meals of Asian eggs with oyster sauce, pot stickers or homemade ravioli.

There was no one he didn't befriend. He made everywhere his home, resting his giant feet on coffee tables all over Cleveland. He was interested in everything, always analyzing, always questioning, always wondering what you thought.

He never dwelled on being ill, and was fond of saying, "If you have to be ill, you might as well be ill with something doctors are interested in."

When he first arrived, he thought it would take six months to get a heart. But he was too healthy to make the top of the transplant list. A year passed, then another. He became too sick to get a heart.

This is the story about the heart he left behind.

His two years in Cleveland were the happiest in his life. He went back to England on Sept. 9 for medical tests. He had to have so many procedures; he figured he could get them done there under the national health care system. He needed to save his money for the new heart.

He never gave in to self-pity or fear. With every setback, he moved forward, practical, but expecting the best. Every obstacle was another opportunity.

He planned to return for the holidays and had a ticket to come back Dec. 15 to celebrate Hanukah and New Year's Eve with his American family.

Stephen's heart wouldn't last. When Jane got the news, she hopped a plane to England. She sat by his bedside as the respirator struggled. She was with Stephen when he took his last breath. He died on Sept. 26. He was 47.

At his memorial, they compared him to the Tin Man. Instead of Oz, Stephen ended up in Cleveland seeking a heart, but the message from the Wizard still fit: "A heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others."

Stephen's journey didn't end the way he had hoped.

He never got a new heart, but he left a part of his here, transplanted into the lives of all who loved him.

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Stephen Bacon

Vous êtes américain?

2009-09-24T09:41:00.001-07:00

I went to McDonald’s this morning to get on their free wireless since our hotel’s wireless is “en panne” (broken). As we walked to our table an elderly lady asked us “Vous êtes américain?” - “You are Americans?”. I said “oui” and she gave us both a big thumbs-up. This was just one example of how welcome I have always felt in France.

Yesterday, while we were in a bistro down the road from our hotel we made a little mistake at our table during ordering and I said to the waiter in French “Nous sommes américain” – We are Americans – as a way to poke fun at the mistake we just made. The waiter, with a huge grin on his face, replied in French “Oui, j’ai vu” - “I noticed”. Talk about funny.

My point is simply that by using a few words of French and remembering that I’m in a different country and therefore everyday customs may be different has really made my trips to France delightful. Here’s a concrete example of remembering that customs can be different…

Je vous ecoute! I’m listening to you!

A few times I have been in a shop or the bakery and the person serving me looks at me and says “Je vous ecoute!” If you directly translate this into English you get: I am listening to you. Now, the first time I heard this, I was a little bit surprised and mildly insulted. In all honesty, I felt that if I was in the US and someone in a shop addressed me in this way I would walk out. However, I noted it happening to French people – not just me the American – and it happened in different situations to me around Paris. I finally realized that the literal translation was not really accurate. What the person was really communicating was: “I am at your service – you have my attention”. The fact that I was being addressed formally (“vous”) is what started to tip me off. In French, you are normally addressed formally if you are a parent (by your children), someone you have recently met, if you are older than the person that is talking to you or if you are being served by someone. My light bulb moment was realizing that rather than the person being surly they were actually being formal with me.

My “bad” experiences in Paris have been no different than my “bad” experiences in Manhattan but they are experiences nonetheless!

Windows Café to build buzz in Paris

2009-09-22T07:32:00.000-07:00

Well, there you have it! Microsoft is building a café in Paris. Guess where?

Windows Café will open on Oct. 22, the Windows 7 launch date. One report said it will be in the crowded Châtelet-Les Halles metro station.

If you've been to Les Halles you know it is a very crowded metro station. The article doesn't quite explain if the café is on the metro platform itself, up the escalators or in the Les Halles shopping center. If you've been to Les Halles you know they already have a very busy Starbucks right beside the UGC cinemas (Cine Cite Les Halles) so they might have some competition. That said, I guess this is all about trying out Windows7 versus having a coffee.

I wonder how long Microsoft plans to run the café? Maybe if I could get that gig I'd consider moving back to Microsoft! Paris here I come?!

Sunday Market Entertainment

2009-09-21T03:32:00.001-07:00

This mime was entertaining the crowd at the Sunday market on rue Poncelet in the 17th in Paris on Sunday. I've always enjoyed visiting - and buying things - at these markets as everything is so fresh. Having the additional entertainment is always a bonus especially for the little kiddies who are tagging along with their parents.

This market has a very famous cheese shop on it - Alléosse, the only Parisian cheese maker to own his cheese-aging cellars in Paris’s underground. This is my friend Stephen's favorite cheese shop - the one he took us to during his visit in April. Turns out the hotel I am at this week for business is literally around the corner from this market - a nice coincedence.

Spice search

2009-09-19T23:28:00.000-07:00

While we were in Paris we came across a variety of spices in spice shops and at the local supermarkets.

Bouquet de Provence is a favorite that we added to vegetables and other dishes to give a different yet unique flavoring. Yesterday I managed to find some more at the Franprix and added it to my supplies to bring back home. It's just one of the many things on my re-supply shopping list. Too bad I can't bring back a few cases of wine!

Je suis retourné à Paris!

2009-09-18T08:13:00.000-07:00

I have returned to Paris! Just for a week - on business - and without Kathie (pauvre Kathie). She's enjoying the +30C weather in southern California with our son Jake. I'm staying at a nice hotel just down from the Arc de Triomphe in the 8th district.

I'm looking forward to a walk around the quartier this evening and a croissant and café crème tomorrow morning. It's great to be back!

OMG! I can't believe that I'm here and not there.

2009-07-27T19:02:00.000-07:00

Alas, we're home.

2009-07-22T04:35:00.000-07:00

We've been home a week already. I'm resisting. My watch is still set to Paris time.

Jackson added this cool thing to the blog called ClustrMaps, which shows the location of our blog readers. Our next blog will have that added from the "git go". (Yick, I hate that expression.)

My dear friend, Robin, who spent a fantastic year of travel with her husband, Al, told me that it takes as long to adjust as it was being away. So, we should be back to "normal" by mid-October.

Enough of my wallowing - after all, I'm not living under the 520 bridge. I have a lovely home and Bellevue is nice.

I did want to post about our last days in Paris. The parade was a highlight, but I want to add the fireworks and a few other pictures. I also have a few more posts in me if I can muster the enthusiasm. So, don't give up on the blog yet...

We decided to forego Trocadero to view the fireworks since we'd already gotten up close and too personal with our parade friends earlier in the day. We chose Pont Neuf, which provided a cosy spot and even the smell of le feu d'artifice drifted our way.

Everyone loves a parade!

2009-07-14T03:50:00.000-07:00

Today, July 14th, is Bastille Day in France, although the French call it the Fête Nationale ("National Celebration"). We got up this morning with the intention of seeing the parade down the Champs-Élysées but we found out pretty quickly that all the roads to get there were blocked and most of the viewing was for VIPs. Because President Sarkozy's viewing stand was at Place de la Concorde and he was between us and the Champs-Élysées, we weren't going to see the parade down the Champs. So, we had to settle for seeing the parade just off of the Place de la Concorde.

It was certainly an experience to share the parade with tens of thousands of my closest friends. I thought the metro sometimes got crowded! It was worth it just to see the French Foreign Legion march down the street. (The guys pictured just below are engineers or "sapeurs" of the French Foreign Legion and they traditionally wear beards.)

From 2009_07_14

And ooooooh la la la la la la!!!! All those uniforms and all those handsome men! Where are Eric and Marilyn when you need them?????

From 2009_07_14

(BTW, c'est Kathie, pas Jackson, who was admiring the men!)

Paris in the Summer

2009-07-13T12:26:00.000-07:00

From 2009_06_28

I mentioned in a previous post that I was melting in Paris. My good friend JC Cannon sent me a great story from NPR via email called "Sounds Of Paris In The Summer". The audio commentary is 100% accurate. In this city, few people have air conditioning so the citizens of Paris throw open their windows when they need to cool off. For me, this has allowed us to enjoy the Paris mosquitoes with great regularity. But, just as Ms. Beardsley mentions, you do get to hear some interesting sounds emanating from all those apartments.

A few weeks ago we were, in fact, serenaded by a brass band across the street from us - and they were actually really good! The people at the cafe just kept buying them beers and they kept playing - much to the amusement and enjoyment of the whole "quartier" (neighborhood).

Paris in the spring was pretty good. Paris in the summer is shaping up pretty good, too!

From 2009_06_28

From 2009_06_23

Arc de Triomphe

2009-07-12T07:11:00.000-07:00

On Friday we took pictures from La Defense to the Arc de Triomphe. Today, we visited the Arc de Triomphe and took pictures of La Defense. You have to love the symmetry of the major boulevards here in Paris - thank you Baron Haussmann!

From 2009_07_12

Beautiful views from the top of the Arc! If you have time, be sure to visit. Kathie says it's only 195 steps to the top.

From 2009_07_12

In my opinion (c'est Kathie), the best view in Paris! Beautiful!

La Defense

2009-07-11T02:20:00.000-07:00

For the last three months I've made the metro trek from our apartment to the Quest office in La Défense - when I wasn't traveling to some other part of Europe. Yesterday, Kathie came with me while I turned in my building badge, mobile phone and BlackBerry (I was, however, allowed to keep my beret).

We walked around La Defense and went up to the top of the Grande Arche. What I didn't know was there was a computer museum in the Grande Arche. It was fun to see really old PCs, 8" floppy disks, tape drives, computer games, card punch machines and calculators.

What was missing was the "Pong" game that my parents bought us kids for Christmas one year: "During the 1975 Christmas season, Atari released a home version of Pong exclusively through Sears retail stores." Was it that long ago??!!

My, how we have progressed...

It's a sad sad day...

2009-07-10T14:17:00.001-07:00

In True French Fashion

2009-07-08T01:16:00.000-07:00

In true French fashion, when I went to the Banque de France near our apartment to try and change some old French francs to euros, I was told that the only place for this transaction was in the 7th arrondissement. So, yesterday, I decided to go there and give it a try. When I arrived, in true French fashion, the bank was closed. I returned at 1:30, and had to pass a guard in a glass box, push a button, pass through one door, push a button and pass through another door. Et voila! I was in! The place is huge, but there were no customers - I wonder why! After passing the scrutiny of two women at the information desk, filling out a form (asking for my address, phone number, occupation, when and where I got the francs), and being told that some of the francs were "too old" to change, I went to the teller who, in true French fashion, actually said that the "too old" francs were NOT too old to change to euros. Et voila, I left the bank with a grand total of 16,77 euros!

Daily, I peek into the mail room just in case... Sometimes there's a large collection of mail that is sitting on the shelf instead of in the individual mail boxes. Even though our names are on the mail box, I have found mail for us on the shelf emblazoned with a large question mark. (I can just hear him/her saying: Who are these people???)

Here's an example of how my friend Carol confounded the pauvre postal person because she doesn't know how to write a proper 7, even though you can see that she 'incorrectly' wrote another 7 in the postal code directly below the street address! Surely the pauvre postal person knows that the postal code for Paris begins with a 7!

Carole! You are an editor after all. Get it together! And, by the way, thanks for the great pictures of your visit!

I Love Paris in the Summer When It Sizzles...

2009-07-06T01:13:00.000-07:00

It's in the 30s (90s) here and humid and swarming with tourists. Welcome to Paris in summer.

Three million people visit Versailles each year. I think they were all there on Saturday.

We always like to visit the Louvre on free Sundays along with tens of thousands of our closest friends!

If you're not careful, you may end up like this...

or this...

If you're lucky, you can make it out just in time to cool off...

Parmentier and Potatoes

2009-07-02T21:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday as Cheryl and I were trudging through Pere Lachaise cemetery searching for the graves of Jean de La Fontain (France's Aesop's Fables' guru) and Moliere, we noticed the grave of Antoine-Augustin Parmentier, which was adorned with - no, not flowers - potatoes - real ones, though a bit worse for wear because of the 90 degree heat! After returning home, we went directly to our friend, Madame La Google, to investigate the details of Antoine-Austin's claim to fame. And here's what Wikipedia had to say:

"While serving as an army pharmacist for France in the Seven Years' War (1756-1763), he was captured by the Prussians, and while in prison in Prussia was faced with eating potatoes, used by the French only as hog feed."

Returning to France after the war, he began an imaginative marketing campaign to promote the potato as a human food source. His efforts included:

"a series of publicity stunts, hosting dinners at which potato dishes featured prominently and guests included luminaries such as Benjamin Franklin, giving bouquets of potato blossoms to the King and Queen, and surrounding his potato patch at Sablons with armed guards to suggest valuable goods — then withdrawing the guards at night so the greedy crowd could "steal" the potatoes.

Thanks largely to Parmentier's efforts, the Paris Faculty of Medicine declared potatoes edible in 1772."

Why I am melting?!

2009-07-01T10:48:00.000-07:00

Don't get me wrong - I'm loving my Paris experience. That said, as you can see from the picture above, the temperature back in Bellevue, WA is exactly the same as here in Paris. Notice the difference in humidity? That's what's causing me to melt.

I said to Kathie this evening: "We've had the air conditioning on, here in Paris, more in the last three days than all year in Seattle."

Kathie's response? "We don't have air conditioning in Seattle, knucklehead!"

See what the humidity is doing to me?!

You just can't take me out anywhere!

2009-06-28T07:24:00.000-07:00

Toujours le comédien - always the comedian!

We were interviewed on le Pont des Arts!

2009-06-26T11:29:00.000-07:00

A couple of nights ago, we were interviewed on the Pont des Arts by Gary Lee Kraut who is an author of five travel guides to France and Paris. He was interviewing people on why they picnic on the Pont des Arts, what they buy, what they drink (!) and what interesting things have happened to them sur le pont.

We've had a number of picnics on the bridge to watch the sun go down, the Tour Eiffel light up and sparkle on the the top of the hour and just to enjoy the French joie de vivre. As for special events, Chris and Sarah got engaged on the pont while they were staying with us. Mike (l) and Caitlin (m) just above were engaged in Belgium but came directly to Paris afterwards to celebrate with us and Caitlin's mom, Marilyn (r).

It's interesting to see all the people who show up every night on the pont and along the Seine to celebrate. I blogged a few days ago about this very topic ("Fun on and around the Sein e") so it was interesting - and fun - to talk to Gary about our experiences. Gary told us that he visited Paris 20 years ago and never went home.

Hmmm...

Fun on and around the Seine

2009-06-23T15:44:00.001-07:00

There always seems to be a party on or near the Seine - every night. Tonight was no exception as you can see from some of the photos I took while we were on the Bateaux Les Vedettes du Pont-Neuf. The hour long trip is a nice way to see many of the bridges, famous sites and many of the museums - and other characters - that are near the Seine. Of course, it's worth it just for the great views you get of the Tour Eiffel!

The Creepier Side of Paris

2009-06-18T23:15:00.000-07:00

It is a cemetery and a consecrated spot located in the abandoned limestone quarries under the streets of Paris. (They started removing bones from overcrowded cemeteries all over Paris in 1786 and stopped in 1860. Some five to six million skeletons were moved.) However, it's really creepy and probably one that you could cross off your list unless you've been in Paris forever and have seen EVERYTHING else, or you like creepy.

OK, Eric, don't shoot me.

The other creepy thing I paid good euros to see was a temporary exhibition of George Condo's "work" (which can better be described as hideous) even though he is apparently greatly appreciated by many (?). Poor Aristide Maillol, whose lovely work fills the Musee Maillol, must be spinning in his grave.

Hurry, you only have until August 17 to see George Condo's "work" at Musee Maillol, 61 rue de Grenelle 75007!

Lucky Andy Warhol...

A Picnic sur Pont des Arts - Priceless!

2009-06-17T14:55:00.000-07:00

The View

A Sample of the Goodies

The Friends

The View

We got "ringed" and then we got "Whiffed"!

2009-06-12T10:36:00.000-07:00

Last week, the infamous Paris shopkeeper, Eric DuBois, and I were strolling along our beloved streets of Paris. Being a little more experienced in this daily practice, I had to chuckle when a young woman positioned herself between Eric and me on a narrow street. Et voila! There it was! The ring.

Of course, you would have no idea what this scam is all about unless you've been to Paris and had the silly experience. In short, this is what happens. When it happened to me the first time, a man suddenly bent down in front of me and picked up a gold ring from the sidewalk. He immediately showed it to me, smiled, and gestured that he was blessed because he had found this beautiful ring. Then he tried it on various fingers and acted all disappointed that it didn't fit his fat, stubby fingers. He placed it on my finger and voila! Perfect fit! He gestured that he wanted me to keep the lovely ring. And started to walk away. But then he had second thoughts and asked for a few euros for coffee. My alarm bells started going off and I quickly tried to give him back the ring. He wouldn't take it until I started to put it on the ground, then he snatched it up and literally vanished. Of course, this all happened in a matter of seconds.

My first thought was that if I had taken out my wallet to give him a few euros, he would have snatched it and disappeared. However, when I got home, I asked my friend, Le Google, and found out all about this scam. It turns out that the ring is brass and practically worthless, even though there was the story of a woman who got scammed and said that she got $80 from a jeweler when she took it in to have it melted down. Doubtful.

OK, so back to the story. Walking down the street, Eric and I got ringed (yet again).

Later in the day, we hadn't had enough of scams, so we decided to try out a new product that I had learned about on a TV special: Le Whif.

Here's the hype according to Karen Day.

"Le Whif Chocolate Inhaler

Finally, chocolate is no longer a guilty pleasure. Le Whif, which just launched yesterday, combines chocolate and aerosol science with their zero calorie chocolate inhaler.

Beginning in the spring of 2008 as part of a culinary art experiment executed by Harvard professor David Edwards and his students, the innovative concept moves "eating habits to their logical conclusion." While we've yet to actually try the chocolate, we're sure this will spark a new culinary craze and lead to even more gastronomic experiments.

Le Whif is available online, and can be purchased by the box (24-count) for 40€."

OMG! Save your money! Our experiment was €1,80 for one whif. They offered coffee along with Le Whif for an extra 3€. Jokingly, I said that maybe they want you to have coffee to help you get rid of the after taste (moi, toujours le skeptique!). Sure enough, a few minutes after the experience, which I likened to drawing some Ovaltine powder into your mouth through a straw, I asked Eric for some gum to help rid my tastebuds of an unpleasant after taste.

But, go ahead if you must, try for yourself this new culinary craze and be part of the spark!!! It will only cost you 40€ ($56.00) for a 24-pack!

Happy 120th Birthday, Tour Eiffel!

2009-06-09T23:08:00.000-07:00

Since I've become sadly aware that my days in Paris are numbered, I've had to make a list of "must make time for" these things before I leave. On the list for yesterday was the exhibition at the magnifique Hotel de Ville (main Paris City Hall) in honor of Gustave Eiffel: "Le Magicien de Fer".

The exhibit contains paintings, photos, drawings, and models of Eiffel's work - work which included hundreds of metal structures around the world. Cast iron railway bridges were his favorite structures and his innovative company even produced portable bridges sold in kits.

Eiffel (along with Eugène-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc) designed the infrastructure of the Statue of Liberty, which consists of four gigantic steel supports. They also supervised its assembly.

The Tour Eiffel was built for the 1889 Universal Exposition and was meant to be dismantled after 20 years. However, Gustave had other plans. He was determined to find a practical application for the Tour, and he spent the last 30 years of his life working on projects in meteorology, radiotelegraphy, and aerodynamics to ensure that his Tour would remain standing. (And we're glad he did!)

Homage to a master - Henri Cartier-Bresson

2009-06-07T00:52:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we visited the Maison Européenne de la Photographie over in the Marais. I specifically wanted to visit the maison because there was an exhibit of Henri Cartier-Bresson underway and I think he was one of the true masters of photography of our time. It really was an amazing exhibit.

...these images reflect the career of a man who wanted to "put the head, the eye and the heart in the same line of sight".

Unquestionably he achieved this in his photographs.

From 2009_06_06

The Belly of the Beast?

2009-06-04T05:23:00.000-07:00

Everytime I fly in or out of Paris' Charles de Gaulle (CDG) airport - terminal 1 - I always get the feeling I'm in the belly of the beast. First stage is the trip through the intestines - the long, whitish, moving sidewalk ride from the terminal out to the gates - as seen below:

Then, when you arrive back home you reverse the course, go through the intestines once again and into the blood vessels - the long, clear tubes that transport you from the terminal to the baggage claim area and finally out onto the street...

Crazy imagery but that's the way it comes across to me...

I flipped!

2009-05-31T15:43:00.000-07:00

Since we arrived in Paris, Kathie has been telling me over and over again that I will "flip" when we visit Giverny where Monet painted his famous water lilies - and more. Today was the day and boy did I flip!

The photo above is an example. Click on the album link on the bottom to see most of the pictures I took today. If you like Monet, flowers, water lilies, and more, then you'll like these pictures...

I'm still flipping.

2009-05-31

The "Chef" Refuses!

2009-05-30T03:44:00.001-07:00

It should come as no surprise that the French take their food very seriously. They take dining very seriously too. There's no "herd 'em in and get 'em out" attitude here. If you go out for dinner, you are treated as a guest to the point where it is still considered rude to bring l'addition - the bill - without it being specifically asked for. Want to sit at the table all night long? No one will bat an eyelash at you. Want Fido to sit in your lap while you eat? Bring him or her along! (Can you see Fido in the snap above?)

If you don't like something or it isn't cooked to your expectations, you simply send it back. The other night I ordered the "croque madame" because I just had to try one. Remember my previous post on this topic? Well, it appeared without the egg and, as we all know now, a croque madame is not a madame if there's no egg. I mumbled something about the egg and the waiter whisked the dish from the table - my objections only heard by his shadow - to have the egg added. A few moments later it appeared, with a smile from the waiter, and an egg. Yes, it was good.

Of course, the tradition cuts both ways. We were in a sandwich shop and Carol ordered a sandwich on a baguette. The young waiter who took our order came back and sheepishly informed us a little later that "the chef refuses" to make that sandwich on a baguette - a baguette may only be used if the sandwich is "take away" (aka to go), he explained. Imagine, a sandwich chef? Well, if it had been Los Angeles, it would have been the sandwich artiste who refused. In either case, we shut up and ate our chef-inspired sandwiches. Yes, they were good. (And, by the way, when is a sandwich maker a "chef"? Answer is: only in Paris!)

Today we said good-bye and à bientôt to our great friends Carol and Charlie from Washington, D.C. We'll miss you guys!

A Typical Day in Paris

2009-05-25T21:03:00.000-07:00

Our dear friends, Carol and Charlie, arrived on Saturday from Washington, D.C. With no time to spare, off we went for a typical day in Paris.

Starting with a flexible plan with the help of the Internet, tour books, and maps...

First stop - Musee Rodin for a stroll through the beautiful gardens that display his statues...

Then a little sustenance...

Oh regard! (aka LOOK!), there's Les Invalides!

Steps from Musee Rodin, we find Napoleon's modest little tomb...

And a few unassuming statues...

Time for more sustenance at Le Relais de l'Entrecote (oooh, love those steak and frites - this coming from a non-beef eater, but when in Paris...) along with a serenade from a street band...

More strolling on the Left Bank to Place St. Michel...

And at last, more sustenance in the form of Champagne cocktails on a boat by the Seine, again with street music and this view...

Good night, Paris. (Je t'aime!)

And, by the way, welcome to Paris, Carol and Charlie...

Alternative trendsetting in Paris

2009-05-24T00:01:00.000-07:00

I saw this sign the other day...

It basically says that only electric cars that are charging may park here. Anyone else gets towed away and as I mentioned in a previous post the guys on "Parking Wars" are pussycats compared to the parking police here in Paris.

I happened by at exactly the right time because there was an electric car getting charged...

And then last night we were out on our nightly walk and happened to see an electric car driving around - maybe even the that was getting charged? It certainly appeared to me that the two young men that were driving that car were on a trendsetting edge that Paris is known for in many ways!

A Night at the Opera

2009-05-21T15:57:00.001-07:00

When the topic of the opera came up today, my immediate reaction was: I don't think I have the proper attire for the opera. Because I was thinking of this opera house, the fabulous Opera Garnier.

as opposed to this opera house, Opera de Bastille, the people's opera house.

Fortunately, I did have something to wear to this opera house.

Guiseppe Verdi was born in 1813 in the province of Parma and composed 30 operas before his death in 1901.

Composed in 1859, A Masked Ball is an intense melodrama in three acts. We had the privilege - thanks to Kim and Adele - to attend this performance tonight at Opera de Bastille.

The opera is based on a true story - the assassination in 1791 of Swedish King Gustave III during a masked ball. However, Verdi changed the characters where Gustave became Riccardo, the Earl of Warwick, who was in love with his friend Renato's wife, Amelia.

Needless to say, it was a night to remember...

What I love about Europe

2009-05-19T09:21:00.000-07:00

Well, it's "small". And I don't mean that in a pejorative way at all. I can't tell you how thankful I am for the fact that yesterday I took a plane to Copenhagen, met customers and partners and was back in Paris to sleep in my own bed. Today, I took the train to Cologne and spent the afternoon with an important customer and am writing this blog post on the train ride back to Paris. And, I will sleep in my own bed tonight.

Everything - and I mean everything - is within a two hour flight. What's not to like about that?

50% of my business is within a two hour flight and the other 50% of my business is - well - much further away?! Hmmm, let me think about that for a second...

I guess a picture is worth a thousand words, eh?

p.s. Did I mention that I boarded the train 5 minutes before it left the station and no one said a peep? That I didn't have to go through a pat-down search after the metal detector because there was no metal detector?! Oh, and the bar cart is being wheeled through and I don't have to pay for my drinks? Sorry, gotta go now...

VO versus VF

2009-05-17T08:43:00.000-07:00

No, this has nothing to do with a certain Seagram's brand.

VO = Version Originale
VF = Version Française

As movies are released they typically appear here in France - assuming they came from Hollywood - as VO or "version originale" to start with and then a few weeks or months later they get released here as "version française".

What's the difference? VO means the movie is released in English with French sub-titles (sous-titres). VF means the movie is dubbed into French. So, the key for us anglos here in France is to get to the movie while it is still "VO".

This afternoon, we went to see "Good Morning England" which was hilarious and we absolutely recommend it.

Skill testing question for readers: What is popcorn called in France? Le popcorn.

You've gotta love the French!

2009-05-15T00:42:00.000-07:00

Jackson came home yesterday to announce that since he didn't have a holiday this week that there were two next!

The French enjoy 11 national jours feriés each year. During May, there is a holiday nearly every week (except this week, whereas next Thursday's holiday is followed by: "You shouldn't come into the office next Friday since Thursday is a holiday and no one will be here Friday either!"

By law, every French citizen is entitled to 5 weeks of paid vacation. This is even better than Canada!

Success!

2009-05-12T20:50:00.001-07:00

After going around the corner to a less visible (to the people watchers partying at the three cafes in our little square) Velib station, we were able to actually unleash a bike and go for a spin!!!

Parking Wars - Paris Edition

2009-05-11T22:13:00.000-07:00

Paris is awash in law enforcement. So far I have seen cops on foot patrol, cops on bicycles, cops on motorcycles, cops in cars, cops on inline skates, cops on horseback, cops in boats on the Seine and, I'm sure, there are cops in the air. They are everywhere and when you don't see a cop, you see the army walking around in threes with their machine guns.

So, it is not surprising that Paris is also awash with parking enforcement people - and they mean business. I see cars getting ticketed or towed all the time. We also ran across the use of the famous "boot".

If I was A&E TV I'd be thinking about a new series: Guerres de Stationnement, édition de Paris. I wonder if Steve "Garfield" speaks French? I can only imagine what a Paris street argument with Paris parking enforcement would look like. It would be worth pulling up a chair at the local brasserie to watch though!

A perfect day for a 4.5 km (2.8 mile) stroll

2009-05-11T02:44:00.000-07:00

The weather forecast had called for rain, so we awoke to a brilliantly sunny day! To save some energy, we decided for forgo the one hour walk to get to the beginning of our walk and took the metro to the Bastille stop. In an Off the Beaten Path section of someone's blog, I had seen this lovely find.

or to give you a better idea...

From 2009-05-10

A freight train ran here from 1859 to 1969, with a portion of it elevated on a viaduct. It connected the station at Place de la Bastille to the station in Saint-Maur in the 12th arrondissement. After its demise, it became an eyesore until in the 1990s, a project by landscape architect Jacques Vergely and architect Philippe Mathieux transformed it into the secret garden walkway that it is today.

As we walked, we passed through gardens and flowers and in between apartment buildings. One of the most bizarre sights, which stopped us in our tracks, was this.

From 2009-05-10

Though, of course, we didn't know it at the time, (I love the Internet. It makes us much smarter...) but later discovered that it is 12 reproductions of Michaelangelo's "The Dying Slave" which is the crowning glory atop the (believe it or not) Bureau de Police in the 12th arrondissement.

A great way to spend Mother's Day, which was topped off with a lovely dinner compliments of Sarah and Chris with finds from our lively Sunday neighborhood market!

Stephen's Cheese List or We've died and gone to cheese heaven

2009-05-10T09:57:00.000-07:00

Just a few interesting facts to add to Stephen's cheese list.

The French consume approximately 42 pounds of cheese per person per year. Americans, not so much, 20 pounds. Experts say there are nearly 200 varieties with another 100 with similar variations.

Our friend Stephen Bacon stayed with us not long after we arrived in Paris. Stephen is a cheese connoisseur and has sent me his list of favorite French cheeses for publication...

Abbaye de Bellocq (E, fermier)
Ami du Chambertain (C, semi-soft, fr Gevrey-Chambertin in Bourgogne)
Barkass
Bethmale Chevre (G, semi-firm, silky texture)
Bressan (E & C)
Brillat-Savarin (C, semi-soft, triple fat, round, thick crust)
Briede Mellun
Bleu d’Auvergne (C, moist & creamy, 50%, fr Auvergne)
Boulette d'Avesnes (Conical cayenne covered cheese with mixed herbs)
Bucheron (E, short logs, aka Boucheron/Boucherondin, fr Loire Val,)
Camembert Affine au Cidre de la Maison
Cantal (CU, 45%, semi-firm, fr Auvergne)
Cantalet (C, fermier, like cheddar, fr Auvergne)
Chabichou du Poitou (G, 45% fermier, fr Loire Valley),
Chaource (C, 50%)
Coeur d'Arras (C, RW, heart, fr Maroilles fam ?)
Cœur de Camembert au Calvados (C, soft, soaked in Calvados, fr Normandie,)
Coulommiers (CU&P, rich and creamy)
Crottin du Berry (du Chavignol ?) (G, 45%, sft, fr Berry & Perigord)
Epoisses de Bourgogne (C, 50%, RW w/ marc de Bourgogne.)
Explorateur (C, 75%)
Gaperon (Garlic/peppercorns. Bound by string, low fat)
Langres (C, plateau of Langres in the region of Champagne-Ardenne)
Livarot (C, 40%, semi-sft)
L'ami du Chambertin (CU, Epoisses-like, moist, RW w/ Marc de
Bourgogne, fr Gevrey-Chambertin in Burgundy)
Morbier lait cru (Nov-Feb, line of ash in the middle, delicate flavour)
Munster (fr Alsace, very pungent, rich, strong, creamy with a hint of sweetness)
Neufchâtel (soft, slightly crumbly, mould-ripened, Normandy, 6thC, heart shape)
Ossau-Iraty (E, 50%, raw milk, firm, fr Basque)
Pavé d'Affinois (C, soft-white, vegetarian)
Pavé d'auge (C, aka Pave de Moyaux, fermier, Normandy, reddish rind.)
Pont l’Eveque (CU, 40%, white orange rind, Normandie)
Pavé de Moyaux (see Pavé d'auge)
Pouligny-Saint-Pierre (G, AOC, pryamid shaped, fr Berry)
Raclette (C, raw, WR, fr Savoie)
Reblochon (C, semi soft, fr Savoy mountain region)
Roquefort (E, 50%, blue, balance of sweet, acid and salt, deep full flavour)
Roquefort, Petite Cave (Wailtrose)
Soumaintrain (powerful rich flavour w/ pungent smell; sweet, salty, creamy milk)
Tomme Cabriolet
Tomme d’aiguebelette
Tomme de Chèvre au Muscadet (G, firm, fr Loire Valley ; Cambridge Cheese stall)
Tomme de Savoie (C, semi firm, skim? fr Savoie Fr Alps, gray-brown rind)
Tomme Fermière des Lindarets (C)
Tomme Noir des Pyrénées (CP, semi-soft, black wax rind, pale, small holes)
Vecchio Corse

Coffee hunt

2009-05-09T03:35:00.000-07:00

My search for good coffee is finally over. Before we moved to Seattle, I don't think we knew what good coffee really was. Then, after a few years living in the heart of the Starbuck's death star, we grew to understand coffee and its subtleties.

Eventually, we tasted the ultimate: home-roasted, home-ground, home-percolated coffee that was unbelievable. Who was our saviour? None other than Kim Cameron. Yes, that Kim Cameron.

Now, at home in Seattle, we have our own green beans delivered to the house. We roast them in our Italian roaster, grind them in our Italian grinder, and have great coffee every day. Gone are the days of lining up at a Starbucks. (Sorry Howard.)

We recently came across a blog post titled "How not to drink black tar in Paris?". I don't dislike the coffee in Paris but also don't yearn for it. The coffee in Paris is kind of like a slap that would wake you out of a sleep. Nothing wrong with an occassional slap - especially if leather is involved - but I don't particularly wish to endure one with every demi-tasse. As the blog author wrote:

...the French market is saturated with Robusta beans, grown in their own former African colonies. Robusta coffees are high in caffeine content, and brew into dark, oily, acidic liquid that gives me a toothache just thinking about it. In countries that are known for better coffees, like Italy and Spain, the predominant type of bean is Arabica, which is much more aromatic and less acidic than Robusta.

The author was kind enough to name a few places where one could either get a good cup of coffee or buy your own beans and have them ground. One of them was less than a 5 minute walk from our apartment which fortunately is equipped with both a mocha pot and a French press. I walked into Verlet and threw down the gauntlet, in French: Je cherche le bon cafe pour mon press, Monsieur - I'm looking for good coffee for my press. He smiled wryly at me and responded: Then you've found the right place, my friend!

An assault to my senses!

2009-05-08T14:09:00.000-07:00

I felt I couldn't let this one go by without a blog post.

Last week when I was exploring the Left Bank, I started by crossing Pont Neuf at the eastern tip of Ile de la Cite where I snapped this magnificent statue of Henry IV.

I have to admit that I'm so smitten with Paris that I can hardly believe the beauty that awaits around every corner. So, you can imagine my shock when, unsuspectingly, I turned the corner onto Place Michel Debré near Boulevard St. Germain and I came face to face with this.

I thought it was a joke (forgive me, César Baldaccini, sculptor of the strange). But, mais non! Here's the proof.

It is a legitimate piece of art created in the mid-1980s. I literally was shocked. Poor me and my spoiled aesthetic sensibilities.

Artwork everywhere!

2009-05-08T12:24:00.000-07:00

We managed to get to the Kandinsky Exhibit at the Pompidou Center. It was quite interesting to see such a large collection of his works in one place. I didn't know it but he painted in Paris for quite some time and his wife left a lot of his work to the Pompidou Center.

Walking over I was reminded that the French seem to have taken even the lowly cupcake to a new artistic high. Unfortunately, Kathie hustled me out of this store pretty quick - before I could get my sugar fix.

If you ever happen to be in the area and need a cupcake stop by Berko for your fix. I'm told they are delicious!

What about this instead of a truck?

2009-05-07T09:48:00.000-07:00

Chris currently has a car and is planning on buying a truck to transport his tools from job to job. But now, he's considering this instead!

At what age do you think it's a compliment to get carded?

2009-05-05T13:19:00.000-07:00

Today, Sarah, Chris, and I were food shopping (what else do we do here?).

I had purchased my items and Sarah was following with her one purchase, a bottle of wine. As I turned around to see if she was coming, the store clerk (or whatever he's called en francais) kept his hand on the wine bottle and wasn't letting go. He looked at me and asked if this was my wine purchase, which he was hoping I would answer "oui". I laughed and told Sarah that he doesn't think that you're old enough to buy wine. The legal age here is 16. WELL! She was not impressed! She has just recently attained the legal age aux Etats Unis, which is 21. So, I want to know: what is the age that you stop being insulted and think you are being complimented when you're asked for your ID????

Who are these happy people? or What happens when you run away from home!

2009-05-04T20:45:00.000-07:00

When vous becomes tu

2009-05-04T05:57:00.000-07:00

In English, "you", as a pronoun, is used in all types of relationships. However, in French there is a formal you - vous - and an informal you - tu. I was taught in school what the textbook difference was (i.e., your boss or parents versus your friends). I also know that it can be considered impolite if you use tu in the wrong situations. So I have generally always used vous when speaking with anyone in French.

Today I learned a new French verb: tutoyer (to use tu) which is used when one wishes to communicate on more familiar terms (i.e., switch from vous to tu). I learned it when one of my colleagues said I could tutoyer after I responded in the vous form in an instant message to him.

The funny part was when he told me that I could "tutoyer" him my brain thought that tutoyer was some sort of future tense of the verb "kill" ("tuer") so I thought he was telling me that I would kill him for something he did. When I told him that he replied: "mort de rire" - He was dying laughing!

...but at least now I could "tu" him!

Marchés aux Puces

2009-05-03T06:15:00.000-07:00

Paris is well known for its flea markets - "marchés aux puces" - so on Saturday we headed out to the marchés aux puces at the Porte de Clignacourt. It was an easy trip up there from Les Halles on the #4 metro line. We spent a few hours walking around the various shops and itinerant vendors stalls to see all kinds of goodies from clothes, Rolex watches (ya, right!), furniture and gawdy entrapments of all kinds mixed in with the occasional interesting find.

Anyway, the first dozen and a half of the pictures in the slideshow above give you an idea of the flea market. Later that evening we went out for a stroll and I, once again, got a lot of great shots of the area around Notre Dame Cathedral. As I told Kathie: "I can't go by without taking some pictures!". I hope you enjoy them.

There's something about Paris at night that captivates me...

May Day! May Day! or Let's take a day trip to Auvers sur Oise!

2009-05-02T09:23:00.000-07:00

It started on Thursday when I sent Jackson to work with details of all the things I wanted to learn about using the SNCF (Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Français) or train Web site. Futile previous attempts to get information on train schedules and fares had left me fou. Come to find out, when Jackson asked his friend for help, he said that tout le monde has the problems using the SNCF! Great...

A poster in a shop on our street showed information about a "special" train to Auvers sur Oise (the final resting place of my favorite Vincent van Gogh - it was also a place that my art group visited in 2001 - lovely.) We just had to get to Gare du Nord (easy since Jackson had gone there to catch his chemin de fer - they really call them trains - to Koln last week).

Yesterday was a national holiday here, so everything was closed in Paris except the train stations...

After unsuccessfully trying to purchase the billets for Auvers in a kiosk, I went to ask the information person for directions to the guichet with a live person. I don't want to bore you with details, but, as Jackson so fondly likes to describe these life challenges, it was a goat rodeo.

Luckily we were at Gare du Nord plenty of time in advance of our "special" train. To summarize, the information we were given as to where to wait for the "special" train was contradicted many, many times. It became an activity to pass the time just to go up to a different "information" person and see what he/she had to say.

My theory is that since it was May Day (May Day!), the people who were stuck working on the day when the rest of France was not working were all new hires who had no clue about anything train-related.

All this nonsense was forgotten after we spent an exquisite day in the gorgeous warm sunshine of Auvers sur Oise, thinking of poor Vincent who should have spent many more years on this earth creating...

What's a fille to do? or You've got to be kidding me!

2009-04-29T13:53:00.000-07:00

I've been out roaming around Paris neighborhoods for hours on end. And sometimes, I think it might be nice to use one of these:

From 2009-04-17

However, we had these same $150,000 toilets in Seattle until they had to be scrapped because they were havens for drug deals and other such nefarious activities. I never dared use them in Seattle; needless to say, I haven't dared use them here.

Today, we were in the 17th arrondissement - near the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs Elysees - which you would think would be fairly tourist-friendly. On a lovely little side street - rue Poncelet - we decided to have a cafe in a cafe. (Forgive the lack of proper accents, but so far, I'm not French enough to bother to put them in.)

Imagine my surpise (surprise!) when I opened the door to the toilet to find this:

From 2009-04-29

The last time I came face-to-face to one of these was in rural Yugoslavia when Yugoslavia was still Yugoslavia!

Of Souffles and Thimbles

2009-04-29T13:08:00.000-07:00

Last night we had an awesome dinner at Le Soufflé here in Paris. It's not that common to find a souffle at an American restaurant. Usually when you do it's a dessert souffle. However, at Le Souffle it is 3 courses of souffles. Check out their video which itself is delicious! I love the last line of the video which roughly translated is: "We are always waiting with our smile."

Here's what I ordered:

Starter: Soufflé forestie - Forest mushroom souffle
Main: Soufflé sanglier - Wild boar souffle
Dessert: Soufflé pommes et Calvados - Apple and Calvados souffle

It was truly an experience. Kathie and Stephen each had different starters, mains and desserts so we each got to try nine different souffles - really amazing.

Now for the thimble story...

I was sitting in the office when I received this email message from Kathie: "Washing thimble doesn't seem to be working!" at which point I burst into very loud fits of laughter that, I'm sure, only reinforced my image as a "crazy American" to anyone on the 9th floor of the Tour Winterthur - or perhaps all across La Défense. But doesn't it really look like a thimble? Certainly it's nothing compared to the super-sized top load washer we have at home that has a separate dryer while the "thimble" has a self-contained so-called dryer that basically does not dry yet runs up the electricity meter like there's no tomorrow...

From 2009-04-28

My Pauvre Petite

2009-04-27T23:51:00.001-07:00

As you can see in the picture, Monaco seems to be wearing her mud vest with pride (?). Is that a look of pride??? Be prepared, Eric, for the wrath of Julie (the groomer)!

A Glimpse of Paris

2009-04-27T23:35:00.001-07:00

This is one of my favorite Paris sites - le tres petit Smart car. We do have them now in North America, but they're cuter here.

Yesterday on my way to explore the 'lively" Left Bank (Rive Gauche), I crossed paths with this protest. We have them in North America, but they're more polite here. (This one was anyway...)

This is a display for cosmetics. We also have these, but not like this!

We have downspouts, but not like this!

This is one thing that is NOT cuter here - my thimble-sized washer/dryer combination. To quote my dear landlady, Julia: "Laundry dries very effectively hung up to dry in the bathroom." The reason for this is that the dryer part of this very tiny machine ne marche pas. Therefore, readers of this blog who are on the list of visitors: Please remember to bring your own towel(s) and enough clothes to last you your entire stay, or else plan on schlepping down the street to the Laverie. I'll let you know what happens when I try to wash a sheet and hang it to dry. :(

Tent City dans La Ville-Lumière

2009-04-27T08:21:00.000-07:00

From 2009-04-24

These "campers" have chosen a spot just around the corner from the apartment. Their "two-second" tents, which unfurl rapidly and do not require poles, were a gift from the charity, Médecins du Monde, during their "tent city" campaign. Three hundred homeless people were given tents to sleep in on the streets of Paris. This campaign prompted outrage and sympathy, and thus forced the government to allocate €7m for housing for the homeless.

What a difference a day makes!

2009-04-26T13:27:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday evening Kathie and I walked down the rue Montorgueil which is about a 5 minute walk from our apartment and is populated with restaurants and shops of all nature. This morning (Sunday), my friend Stephen Bacon and I walked down the same road only to find it transformed into the most amazing outdoor market. It's really difficult to find any store open on Sunday and to literally run into this was quite a find. We brought back six or seven bags of groceries and had the most amazing meals this afternoon and evening. Tomorrow night we are having a wild mushroom risotto.

And Stephen wonders why we don't want him to leave???

Sunday at the Museum

2009-04-26T08:50:00.000-07:00

We're back from our outing to the museum. Jackson is now sleeping, moaning about son dos, ses pieds, and ses souliers. He hasn't gotten his museum legs (feet) yet.

Musee de L'Orangerie was closed from 2000-2006 for work (?). It's located close to the apartment at the end of the Tuileries Gardens. It was selected and designed by Monet to present his enormous Les Nymphéas (Lily Pads) murals, which are housed in two huge rooms. The museum used to be the location where Napoleon stored his freshest and best supply of oranges for royalty and dignitaries, thus the name.

The lighting in the mural rooms was odd - it made us look gray like the day. However, it certainly enhanced the subtle colors of the paintings.

Downstairs is an impressive collection of works by Renoir, Cezanne, Sisley, Matisse, Modigliani, and Picasso. This one, Claude Renoir en Clown, in particular, made me wonder what was going through this child's mind when he was posing for his father. Did he get a cut of the sale price to make up for the humiliation? Bad Daddy, Pierre-Auguste!

Jackson's Faux Pas

2009-04-24T02:46:00.000-07:00

Every morning (including the day he had to catch the train to Koln), Jackson goes out to buy some pastries for our petit dejeuner. (He may not know it, but the reason that this is his task is so he starts his day with that hellish climb up the stairs.) Since the boulangeries are everywhere, he's been trying a different one every day. I guess I forgot to communicate to him that he had found the most exquisite almond pain au chocolat at Gosselin's - just around the corner on rue St. Honore. So, today he returned with a disappointing find at a different bakery (turn right at the end of our street). If I'm going to eat 408 calories in one pastry, let it be exquisite.

Jackson's vice of choice is the croissant. By law in France, to be called croissant au beurre, it HAS to be made from real beurre, not some other unidentifiable fat (margarine). Jackson had a discussion at his work about this topic. There was some back and forth about margarine vs. butter, when some enlightened individual ended all conversation with this: "If you have to worry about butter or margarine, you shouldn’t be eating the croissant at all!" End of story!

The smallest elevator

2009-04-24T02:37:00.000-07:00

One other highlight of my Parler Parlor experience was the smallest elevator (I hesitate to say "in the world" or "in Paris" because the woman I shared it with said it was "normale". Yikes!).

It felt like being in the box that a big screen TV would come in. Fortunately, the school was on the third floor. Needless to say, next week I will take the stairs.

Parler Parlor

2009-04-24T01:28:00.000-07:00

I finally had the chance to speak to someone in French (besides the sellers of food and the person on the phone who took my credit card information to pay for our assurance habitation for the apartment. [Everyone who rents is required to have their own insurance.])

A quick 10 minute walk from the apartment brought me face to face with 3 francophones and 2 other anglophones. Parler Parlor http://www.parlerparlor.com/ is located in a language school on the boulevard Sebastopol. There are conversation groups three times a week, where you join a group of 6-8. You spend 45 minutes conversing in English followed by 45 minutes in French. To be brief - I was glad when it was over. However, I plan to go back for more torture next week.

By the way, Jackson was conveniently late getting home from work, so he couldn't join me in the fun!

Day 5 pictures...

2009-04-20T12:16:00.000-07:00

Less pictures today since today was a work day. After work Kathie took me over to the Palais Royal to see the garden. It at the opposite end of the street from the "Bourse" which I posted a picture of yesterday. Basically, it's less than 5 minutes away from the apartment. A great spot to eat lunch, read the paper or simply to get some sun on a nice day!

Don't let your wives see the pictures of the beautiful shoes for sale...

Day 4 pictures...

2009-04-19T14:31:00.000-07:00

The lines were too long for the Kandinsky exhibit over at the Centre Pompidou plus it was a beautiful, warm and sunny day so we walked over to the flower market on the Ile de la Cité. After the flower market, we toured the inside of Notre Dame Cathedral, had lunch and walked back to the apartment via the Seine. After a late dinner we took a stroll and took some more pictures at and around the Louvre.

Tomorrow morning I metro in to our office in La Defense - I'm looking forward to seeing everyone!

Why is everyone kissing?

2009-04-18T12:36:00.001-07:00

The first night we were out roaming around, I noticed that everyone was kissing. And I asked, "Why is everyone kissing?" Jackson is more into taking pictures of inanimate objects, else I would have had my hands on the camera and would have been snapping away at all those people kissing. Then I would have been able to add them to this blog post.

Jackson keeps maligning me about the fact that I haven't been blogging. It's the same feeling I get when he blames me every time he goes out of town, we have an IT meltdown at home: "Jackson, the Internet is broken!" And he replies: "Why is it that every time I go out of town, YOU have an IT problem????" (I enjoy IT problems so much that I conspire to have them when my IT guy is absent, which is frequent.)

So, by this digression, you may see why I don't blog. Anyway, back to the topic of kissing. Last night, I spotted some kissing (not nearly the number as the day before), but I did have a blog topic, so I said: "Quick, take a picture!" As we walked past, I noticed that the couple was still entangled in their kiss, and also noticed that they were male. I couldn't tell immediately because they were both dressed very "classé" (as opposed to déclassé) and almost identical. I'm working on getting Jackson into tight, straight-leg jeans, a fashionably tied black scarf, carrying a square black leather mansack. I have three months, so wish me luck! And, by the way, why is everyone kissing?

Day 3 pictures...

2009-04-18T12:18:00.000-07:00

Despite the rain (and jet lag) we managed to get out today!

Petite déjeuner - Breakfast

2009-04-18T03:34:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to get into everyday life here in Paris. So today I got up, walked down the 66 steps and strolled around the quartier (neighborhood) looking for a boulanger (bakery) and a place to get some fresh fruit. I didn't have to go far as you can see! Words cannot describe how awesome the croissants were, the brioche au chocolat was out of this world and the strawberries - from Spain - were pretty good, too.

Parisian apartment living typically means small kitchens and small refrigerators. This forces you into buying fresh food. It's pretty typical to purchase what you will eat for dinner on the way home from work, for example.

Monsieur et Madame Croque teach us a lesson

2009-04-17T18:44:00.000-07:00

From 2009-04-16

Last night I ate a croque monsieur for dinner - it's pictured on the left above. I'm very familiar with croque monsieurs because they are quite popular in Quebec so it wasn't a totally foreign food to me. I loved the way the did mine last night because I've normally had it as a grilled sandwich rather than open face which I quite enjoyed. It's very similar to a Monte Cristo or a grilled-cheese sandwich.

The menu also listed a croque madame which neither of us had ever heard of so I asked the waiter about it. Here's the conversation transcript:

Jackson: Quelle est la différence de la croque monsieur et la croque madame? - What's the difference between the croque monsieur and the croque madame?
Waiter: The croque madame has an egg on top of it.
Kathie: Why is it called a croque madame?
Waiter: Well, the madame has the egg, yes?

As soon as I figured out what he meant I had a serious laugh. Yes, it is the madame who has the egg!

One of the hardest things to figure out is menu items at a restaurant. Menus are a big challenge. If you didn't know what a croque monsieur was you'd never know what it was by literally translating the menu item into "Crunch Mister" or "Crunch Mrs". Half the fun is ordering something that you think is one thing but you end up getting something different or perhaps prepared in a way you'd never had before. It's all part of the adventure!

Day 2 pictures...

2009-04-17T15:44:00.000-07:00

Lots of day and night pictures around the Louvre and Notre Dame Cathédrale.

We've arrived - Nous sommes ici!

2009-04-16T13:53:00.000-07:00

We finally arrived in Paris and got to our apartment around noon. After meeting with our landlady we took a well deserved nap and then went out for an evening stroll and a quick bite. Kathie's already in bed but I thought I'd get a post published before I turned in. Feel free to click on the pictures above to see the whole album.

I'll leave it to Kathie to blog about our plane having to divert to Winnipeg due to overflowing toilets. Yuch. Oh, and her lay flat bed in business class from Toronto to Paris whereas I was relegated to the pretzel-shaped seats in row 58. And my "meat" product dinner on a tray versus her gourmet meals on china. I'm not bitter about any of that. No, really, I'm not.

My latest French word: déclassé

2009-04-14T17:32:00.000-07:00

déclassé = dey-class-eh

The word my wife has been using quite a lot while I am packing my suitcase for our departure to Paris at 6AM tomorrow. Here it is in context:

You can't take that! It's déclassé.

Seems a lot of my fancy Pacific NorthWest attire is déclassé.

Maybe I am déclassé?

dé·clas·sé adj.
1. Lowered in class, rank, or social position.
2. Lacking high station or birth; of inferior social status.

Les Bicyclettes de Paris

2009-04-13T21:59:00.000-07:00

I was so excited to hear that Paris has transformed itself (j'espere) into a bicycle-friendly city. Since its debut in July 2007, Velib has offered more than 20,000 "free" bikes at more than 1,450 sidewalk stations. The first half hour is free with a 1 € charge for an hour.

We do have a 4th floor walk-up, but with Angelina's (the best hot chocolate on the planet) a mere stroll from our apartment, I plan on burning off some of those calories on a bicyclette de Paris.

French bureaucracy - part 1

2009-04-13T19:21:00.000-07:00

This may not actually be bureaucracy but I've decided to put anything that requires extra effort into a bureaucracy post. Maybe this will be part 1 of 1 but, then again, maybe not...(emphasis is theirs):

The tenant must take out a tenant's risks insurance policy, which is MANDATORY, in France, to be covered in the event of damage caused as a result of a fire, an explosion or water damage.

It's only going to cost us about €100 for the three months we'll be in Paris but our landlord wants to see our attestation - a signed letter stating we have assurance habitation before we get the keys. Our thanks to Monsieur Paul Boussard over at AGF Insurance for helping us out with this - nous remercions Paul Boussard de son aide!

P.S. Actually, the bureaucracy of getting Euros, in cash, from Travelex here in Bellevue was far greater than getting our assurance habitation!

Technorati Tags:
assurance habitations, assurance attestation, Paris, tenant insurance

Kathie gets a babybook!

2009-03-14T13:34:00.001-07:00

Kathie was worried that she’d either have to lug her ancient Dell over to Paris or rely on my notebook – and me being at home – in order to communicate with the world. Well, that problem is now solved.

After reading a lot of reviews I bought a netbook for my baby – hence the new name for it: babybook. Here’s Kathie with her new babybook – an Acer One 10.1” netbook.

It’s hard to tell the difference in size but it’s pretty apparent in the picture below of the ancient Dell and the new babybook. Wi-fi ready, 160Gb hard drive, 1Gb memory and Windows XP (not Vista thankfully!) all for less than $400 from Costco. Not bad!

Technorati Tags: internet,Acer One,Paris,Jackson Shaw,France

Internet access in Paris

2009-02-24T08:49:00.000-08:00

I figured that three months would not be enough time to figure out the bureaucracy of France Telecom and who knows who else to get internet access in our apartment. I was trolling around the internet and stumbled across this awesome tool that shows both public (i.e., free) and paid WiFi locations world-wide.

I zoomed into Paris and "our street" and was surprised and happy to see two free WiFi locations near our place. One is at the little restaurant a couple of doors down from our apartment - awesome! In case you ever want to check out WiFi access where you'll be traveling here's the tool that I used: http://www.jiwire.com/.

I was pretty hopeful at the outset that getting easy WiFi access wouldn't be too hard. Afterall, I do have previous experiences with this in Paris...

http://jacksonshaw.blogspot.com/2007/01/whats-that-in-paris-air-why-its-wi-fi.html

Technorati Tags:
Paris, Jackson Shaw, wifi, JiWire, internet

One of my goals - pictures, and lots of them...

2009-02-12T17:31:00.000-08:00

I've been really interested in geotagging my pictures so I recently picked up a couple of Eye-Fi cards. Basically, when I take a picture using my Canon 30D, the Eye-Fi card tags the picture with GPS information as to where the picture was taken.

Once you have a geotagged image it can be uploaded to Panoramio where the image can be superimposed on top of a map. Then, anyone searching for a particular monument or the like can easily pull up pictures taken in that location.

One of the goals I have is to document the area we'll be living in. There are a ton of pictures of the musée du Louvre and the other Parisian tourist attractions but very few where we are going to be situated and that's only a few steps away from the Louvre.

You can see what Panoramio has for our area of Paris by clicking here - remember, we are on rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau...

French is french, isn't it?

2009-02-11T06:26:00.000-08:00

Last night I had an interesting instant message conversation with my colleague Anthony Moillic who works in Quest's Paris office. I vaguely remembered that the English phrase "draft beer" was different in Canadian French versus French French. When I was growing up in Montréal and Ottawa I remembered seeing signs in taverns advertising bière en fût - draft beer. However, the last time I was in Paris I recalled it being called something else.

I happened to have a call with some other Quest colleagues in Ottawa and asked them. Both the anglophones and the francophones said they'd only ever used "bière" (beer) or bière froide (cold beer). One friend jokingly said "The only word I've ever used is Molson - spoken like a true Canadian!

Of course, Anthony said it wasn't really referred to as bière en fût. I remembered "pression" and asked Anthony if that was it. Despite my mis-spelling in my instant message to him I had it right.

Since leaving Canada ten years ago I have barely spoken a word of French. I've forgotten so much. I'm really hoping that I will make up for that while we're in Paris. That said, I know there are a lot of words and phrases that are different between the two countries. Hopefully that won't cause me too many problems. I certainly don't want to resort to: Monsieur, une Heineken s'il vous plait!

In case you're interested, there's an interesting Wikipedia article on Quebec French (le français du Québec) that goes into some of the history of how the languages diverged.

Where's your apartment in Paris?

2009-02-10T08:26:00.000-08:00

I get asked this a lot so I thought I'd include a Google map of the area we'll be staying. We'll be steps away from the Musée du Louvre and many of the best attractions in Paris. We made the decision to pay a bit more for this location rather than being located in a more distant suburb. There's a wealth of restaurants, cafes, museums, shops and markets all around us.

In addition, a number of subway lines are also quite close by including the #1 which is a direct shot out to the Quest Software office at La Défense. After all, who needs a car in Paris?

View Larger Map

At least one of us is going to Paris...

2009-02-09T20:54:00.001-08:00

I booked Kathie's ticket to Paris (and back) finally. I've been looking for a good thing to spend my Aeroplan (Air Canada) points on. Interestingly enough, it was only an additional 15,000 points for Kathie to fly to Paris and back in business class versus coach. I'm sure she'll appreciate that.

Now, I expect I will not receive the same "class" of treatment as my gracious employer will be footing the cost of my ticket - something which I am very grateful for regardless of "class"!

Ah, Paris in the spring...!

Only one left to tell...

2009-02-05T15:25:00.000-08:00

Today I "broke" the news to the last person I needed to tell about going to Paris. So, the only one left to tell, who won't be coming for a visit, is ...