French Tips

Bonsoir,

I feel that my time in Paris so far (coming up to 6 months), justifies a small helpful array of tips on surviving in Paris as a non-Parisian.

Here goes:

- When asking for a latte in Parisian restaurants/cafes do not fall for the tourist trap and demand a "cafe au lait", which the French see as bowls of coffee and milk that accompany breakfast at home, but ask for a cafe créme. This gives you a more assertive air. You are letting the waiter know that you may be foreign but you are not another run of the mill easily duped tourist! Please note, this is not idiot proof.

- On a similar note, when asking for a beer "un demi" is decidedly more French and will prevent the waiter from plonking down a huge 50cl expensive glass of a beer that you may not like.

- Tips are included in the bill. This took me a long time to realise as I would always almost automatically round up the bill, which in Paris is usually rather dear. The French system incorporates a service charge at all times. This may explain the rude behaviour of some waiters.

- Although rude French waiters serve as standard jokes made about the French, when you are served by a genuinely polite person who patiently deals with your minimal and badly-pronounced French it is a great experience and restores my faith in Parisian codes of conduct.

- It is worth noting that how you are treated often depends on how you act. True, this ought to be obvious but in England the motto that the customer is always right may be deployed with obvious sarcasm and disdain, but a certain facade of politeness is maintained nonetheless. It is not so in Paris. If you are loud, boshy and arrogant (I hate to say it but Americans tend to adhere to this stereotype) you will be treated as such. That is to say, ignored. I read somewhere that the official French motto on serving standards is "le client est roi" (the customer is king) and that this ought to warn you about being rude and impatient with French staff, given the final outcome of the French Royal Family.

I will update this list when more things occur to me. For now, I will end with an incident from the weekend. Friends and I were wandering around the Marais, as one should on a Sunday in Paris, and decided to enjoy some cafe cremes and chocolat chauds at a nearby cafe. The cafe is called Le Voltigeur and it is home to the best hot chocolate I have ever tasted. Seriously. The milk comes in a seperate jug and the chocolate is a kind of fondue which you deliriously pour in with the milk into your cup. As we enjoyed these drinks, you should know that we were sat inside directly by the glass windows which looked out onto more tables outside belonging to the cafe.

At such a table sat an elderly man, woollen cap and all, casually reading a gay porno. I say reading, there weren't any words on the page as far as we could see. He was evidently completely unaware of the crowd of people huddled at tables inside behind where he sat, and thought himself rather clever for disguising said gay porno in the cover of another, less provocative kind of magazine. My eyes have only just recovered from the images they were made witness to. Eventually, a friend of this man joined him at which point the porn mysteriously vanished. A hilarious if somewhat disturbing experience and a humorous reminder that Le Marais is just as notorious for its gay vibe as its Jewish one.

P.S. If you get a chance, check out the amazing chocolat chaud at Le Voltigeur which is situated at 45, rue Francs Bourgeois near the Rue des Rosiers (which is one of the best streets to go in Le Marais and the only one to get a great Falafel!).

A bientot

Chinatown and Monet

Hello all,

A quick update to recent happenings: Saturday night I celebrated a friend's birthday in Paris. We began at my friend Lindsey's apartment in chinatown (when I say apartment I mean a very, very small room typical to Parisian living arrangements)and indulged in wine and American food which included mac'n'cheese and hot cheetos. As you may have guessed some of my friends are from California! It was all delicious. Bottles of wine in hand we proceeded to travel by foot to a bar named Pop-In.

Most of the night is a slight blur, but we did all have a good time and mini dramas were had as can be expected from any good 21st celebration! Four of us slept spooning each other in Lindsey's bed (which takes up almost the entire apartment) in a sardine-like position, and Sunday morning one man was down whilst the rest of us remedied our hangovers with some cheap and plentiful chinese food in Parisian chinatown. This weekend has been the first time I visited Chinatown in Paris and the area is vibrant and interesting, complete with what can only be described as hookers on many street corners - they tend to huddle in small groups wearing an attempt at business attire which is somewhat odd.

On Monday, also known as Valentine's Day to many of you, I invited three friends back to my lovely house in Le Vesinet as my family was away. We drank more wine and watched silly films and played cards, it was all very romantic. During the day I visited Musee de L'Orangerie with Kelly. This museum (free for under 26s part of the EU) is situated within the Jardin des Tuileries and contains some of Monet's most famous paintings including the notorious Water Lily painting. The paintings are arranged in oval shaped white rooms, which brings a nice calming feeling to the viewer and is refreshingly unusual. I enjoyed this part but didn't think much of the various other pieces of art available which for the most part were embedded within small gold frames and hung upon plain and boring-looking walls in hallways.

Monet in Musee de L'Orangerie

That's all for now,

A bientot

Literature in Paris

Bonsoir,

Just a quick note on some books about Paris that I've read and enjoyed, and am thus recommending to you.

Shakespeare & Co., 37 Rue Bûcherie 75005 Paris

There are some obvious classics:

George Orwell's Down and Out in Paris and London which makes a short but brilliant read on what was apparently Orwell's experience as a poor would-be writer (and sometime homeless person) in the merciless city of Paris. Interesting note: at the time of publication the book was filed under fiction, as it could not be comprehended that an ex-Eton should find himself in such poor circumstances subject to the elitist attitude of the bourgeoisie.

Victor Hugo's Notre-Dame de Paris is a somewhat trying read, although worth it if you want to experience a true French classic. Hugo's obervations of Parisian life and attitudes of the time, as well as the hypocricy of religion, are incredibly amusing and thought-provoking.

Ernest Hemingway's A Moveable Feast is witness to yet another writer's experience of Paris (and another claimed true representation of it). Hemingway's encounters of Parisian cafes and its people are worth the read, as are the frequent mentions of his friendships with fellow well-known writers such as Joyce. It's also great for recognising notorious hotspots in Paris such as Les Deux Magots. The interspersion of Hemingway's far from idyllic private life adds to the book's under-played 'realism'.

I've recently read the books of Stephen Clarke, a modern British writer who satirises (rather successfully it seems, as these books are bestsellers) life in Paris as a Brit. The first of two novels is entitled A Year in the Merde - assuming no translation is needed, you get the gist of the novel. The second is thoughtfully called Merde Actually. These novels follow the life and happenings of Paul West, who due to his decidedely un-French attitude frequently finds himself in sticky situations, both romantically, financially and particularly in his career which is obstructed by a certain Jean-Pierre. There are some laugh-out loud moments (especially if you've experienced the rudeness of French waiters for yourself) and memorable albeit stock characters. I was given these as Christmas presents by my host family, and I find them an easy and enjoyable read - it's good not to feel alone in feeling overwhelmed in living in a foreign city and to be able to relate to many of Clarke's hilarious observations of the French.


In terms of what to read for tips on things to do in Paris, the Time Out Guide is of course rather brilliant, but I was also given the fabulous My Little Paris for my birthday, which is a French book with unusual insights and hotspots to visit and things to do when in Paris. This ranges from how and where to book a luxurious swimming pool for two, dine in a one-table restaurant, and discover secret fashion and underground bars. Je l'aime beaucoup!

More to come at a later date.

Bonne nuit

Fontainebleau

Today being the first Sunday of the month, a friend of mine organised a trip to the town of Fontainebleau so that we could admire the beautiful French castle which resides there. You may not know that many places in Paris are free on le premier dimanche, which is indeed a good system until one recalls that most things in London are free all of the time. At least this system prompts you to take advantage when the time comes.

Fontainebleau is about 45 minutes away from the Gare de Lyon. After several mix ups at the huge station for national and international trains, we set off, somewhat anxious about the day's potential weather (it's been pretty darn cold and miserable in Paris recently), but we needn't have worried as the weather was great for February.

The castle is beautiful, rather similar to Versailles (on which I have yet to properly report) although perhaps less extravagant. Versailles is one of the most extravagant, decadent castles in the world so to say that Fontainebleau in comparison seems less so does not account for a lack of extravagance.

On the contrary, the castle's interior was without exception extremely detailed and symbolic, as demonstrated on the inside of the Chapel as seen in the photo to the right. It was difficult to keep up with the various Kings and Queens, as well as Napoleon, that have lived there. Although I remember that it was kept in use after the Revolution of 1792 which reveals quite a bit about the revolutionaries that they probably wouldn't want you to know. Marie Antionnette's chambers are as ever beautiful and exquisite, designed for pleasure (they include a gaming room, a bed she never had a chance to sleep in as its completion coincided with her death, and a powder room).

Marie Antionnette's bedroom

The adjacent grounds were picturesque, the grand lake being a main feature. On completion of our day of culture and history, we enjoyed a tasty late lunch in the town of Fontainebleau and indulged in some decadence of our own in the form of French Patisserie (which, yes, we did gobble up on the train back!).

A great end to the weekend. Things like this inspire me to continue braving the French language and to improve my knowledge of French history.

A bientot xxx