Archive for February, 2008
Kids remembering kids
President Sarkozy wants school kids to remember the 11,000 French-Jewish school kids who were deported during World War II. But rather than talk about those lost lives in dry historic terms, he wants each school kid to be responsible for keeping alive the memory of each individual child that was deported. According to today’s Le Parisien, the responses range from eagerness to participate in the project to objections about the way this project was presented to teachers, parents and teachers’ unions. One historian who is against the project states that ‘emotions’ are ephemeral - that …
Date: February 15th, 2008 |
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Hugs and Kisses for St. Valentine’s Day from Paris!
Parisgirl wishes you hugs, kisses and plenty of sweets!
Thank you Parislogue readers for your ‘fidelity’. Those of you who’ve been reading since the days of Paris and Beyond know that we’re constantly working to make Parislogue a site that brings you one step closer to being here.
If you have had difficulty posting comments, please let me know! Your comments are always appreciated - spam filters are sometimes overzealous, so don’t hesitate to alert us if your comments were returned.
Date: February 14th, 2008 |
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George Clooney and Nespresso
Just how much would you be willing to pay for a good cup of expresso? 1000 Euros? For the past year, French moviegoers have been treated to the humorous George Clooney ad for Nespresso coffee. It was filmed at a Nespresso cafe created just for the ad in Santa Monica, California.
Now, Nespresso has its very own boutique at 119 Champs Elysees. You may not bump into George Clooney here, but you can pick up a fine expresso coffee maker for a mere 999 Euros.
Date: February 13th, 2008 |
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Winter Fashion in Paris ‘08
American groundhogs don’t count when it come to predicting weather in Paris. We’ve had almost a solid week of blue skies and sunshine with a little nip in the air - which doesn’t prevent Parisiennes from wearing shorts.
That is shorts Parisian style. Black, de rigueur with black opaque stockings and a knee length black formal coat - and boots, naturally. It seems like finally, Parisian women are fed up with wearing pantsuits.
Even while the fashion pundits promote color, apparently the only women listening to this ‘advice are women ‘of a …
Date: February 11th, 2008 |
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Hope in the Suburbs
It sounds like the title of a soap opera, but ‘banlieus’ or ’suburbs’ has a totally different connotation in Paris. As some banlieue residents have noted in the past, “If I put the name of the suburb where I live on a job resume, chances are I won’t get a return phone call”.
Hope, or ‘Espoir’ is the title of Nicolas Sarkozy’s new plan for distressed Parisian suburban residents. According to today’s Le Figaro news, 150,000 French youth graduate from school each year without the adequate qualifications to find a job. …
Date: February 9th, 2008 |
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Air Traffic Controllers Strike in France
Finishing its fifth day now, the air traffic controllers strike has held up planes and caused cancellations primarily at Orly rather than Charles de Gaulle airport. As many French families plan to leave this weekend for school winter break vacations, the unions have been moving toward a reprieve, however yesterday, Valentine’s Day still saw delays at Orly.
One of the delayed flights was the historic Paris to Prague flight which supposedly set a first world record for the number of kisses in flight. The 21 couples participated in this historic event were delayed for three hours before take …
Date: February 15th, 2008 |
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St. Valentine and France’s Kissing Capital
Paris may be considered one of the most romantic capital cities in the world, but if you’re looking for kissing connoisseurs, you’d better head south to Roquemaure in the Gard region. The fun begins the weekend following Valentine’s Day when the whole town goes on a free wine and free kissing binge (yes, on the lips!) called Fete de la Baiser (Kissing Festival)
(By the way, you want to be careful with the word for kiss i.e. ‘la baiser’, ‘les bises’, or ‘bisous’. Depending on its context, it can much …
Date: February 14th, 2008 |
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Metro Talk
In the Metro
Photo by Chris Card Fuller ©2008
For a mode of transportation that began in 1900, one has to admit that the Paris Metro system is amazing. Seven days a week it shuttles thousands of passengers thoughout Paris. If you haven’t yet used the Paris Metro system, it should be one of your priorities for getting around Paris easily.
The current cost of a single ticket is 1.50 Euros (Feb ‘08) and a ten-ticket ‘carnet’ costs 11.10 Euros. You can also use these tickets for the bus, the tram, or for certain segments of the RER (regional transit service) within the designated zones.
There are fourteen Metro lines indicated by different colors and different numbers. Each Metro line also is indicated by its two terminals. For example: Porte de Clignancourt and Port d’Orleans are the two terminals for the N. 4 (pink) line that runs from Paris’s Left Bank, starting at Porte d’Orleans, passing through St. Germain des Pres, the student quarter, St. Michel, Odeon, Note Dame de Paris at Cite, Chatelet, where you can pick up the La Defense-Porte de Vincennes line for the Marais or the Champs Elysees, or continue northward toward Porte de Clignancourt terminus for the Paris flea market.
Follow the signs indicating the terminal direction which includes a stop at your destination. Before you walk onto the quai, you’ll see a sign posting all the stops included before reaching the terminal. This way you know whether you’re going the right direction. If you discover you’ve taken the wrong direction, it’s usually pretty easy to get off, climb up the steps and head over to the opposite quai. Just don’t exit from the Metro station (Sortie) or you will have lost your Metro ticket. You can continue to take as many trains as you want as long as you don’t exit. You can spend the whole day in underground Paris, but eventually you’ll probably want to come up to enjoy the sun.
One thing you need to know before taking the Metro - there are tons of steps. You cannot avoid steps when you take the Metro - especially when connections are involved. This is particularly important if you plan on using the Metro to get to the train stations which are all connected to the Metro system. If you do not have easily carried luggage, I would recommend taking taxi or bus rather than using the Metro. This will be particularly apparent if you’re catching a train at Gare St. Lazare. Even though the Metro offers escalators in some locations, it’s hit or miss whether the escalators will be functioning. Sooner or later you’ll be required to carry your luggage up stairs.
You can buy your Metro tickets from agents or from the automatic machines which are the only option at some stops such as Edgar Quinet. Your Metro ticket is good ‘almost forever’ but once you run it through the scanner, it can no longer be used (except in some cases to connect from a local line to an RER line if you remain in the same zone).
You should always keep your Metro ticket handy in case there is a ‘control’. In this case, agents normally stand near the exit to the Metro stop. They will be wearing uniforms and ask to see your ticket. They will verify the time stamp on your ticket. If you don’t have your ticket, you may be required to pay a fine.
Date: February 12th, 2008 |
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Bringing in the Chinese New Year in Paris’s 13th arrondissement
Photo by Chris Card Fuller ©2008
It may be the Year of the Rat, but in Paris’s 13th arrondissement, dragons were in abundance. The New Year began Thursday (Feb 7,’08), but Saturday afternoon, many of the businesses along Avenue de Choisy (Metro: Porte de Choisy) received visits from dragons of many colors to bring good fortune for the entire year.
Photo by Chris Card Fuller ©2008
You can tell where a dragon has already passed because of the red confetti sprinkled along the sidewalk and you can tell when a dragon is about to arrive by the noise of drums and symbols which announces his imminent arrival. A smart shop owner will be sure to have a fresh green salad hanging from the second floor balcony. When the dragon arrives, he gives his blessing to the shop by taking a little stroll through the shop (and hopefully not breaking too much bric-a-brac in his wake). When he exits he stands up on his hind legs to reach bring down the suspended salad which he eats and then regurgitates into the shopkeepers bowl. If you’ve never seen a dragon eating salad, this is something not to be missed.
The feeding frenzy was contagious - feeling similar hunger pangs, Mark and Angelique took us to one of their favorite restaurants in the neighborhood (they have several). Restaurant Imperial Choisy, 32, Avenue de Choisy specializes in Chinese and Cantonese cuisine.
Date: February 10th, 2008 |
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Dining a la Jet Lag - Part 2
Photo by Chris Card Fuller ©2008
In the Latin Quarter . . .
You had every good intention of picking out a typically French bistro. You had carefully studied your guide book listing of the most authentic and the most reasonably priced, but when the reality of hunger and fatigue confront intentions, you’re just looking for an ‘Open’ sign. Of course, you remember now the word for ‘Open’ in French from my previous post.
Date: February 9th, 2008 |
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