Le Printemps (du Cinema)

Bonsoir,

Last weekend was the annual event of "Le Printemps du Cinema", lasting from the 20th to the 22nd of March. The event promotes a limited cinema ticket price of 3.50 euros per person at certain participating cinemas. It's national so isn't limited to Paris, but in a city where a usual ticket costs 9 or 10 euros (although I suppose this is the same in London) I wanted to make the most of the offer.

We went to Le Grand Rex in the 2nd arrondissement, a venue famous for its large auditorium which plays host to a number of concerts as well as films, including the likes of Woody Allen's jazz band. But I've got to be straight with you - it was a let down. Our cinema screen was situated in a small, averagely comfortable room and the staff were incredibly unfriendly (I think it was the English accent that did it). A word of warning: if you do decide to go here at some point, avoid the middle-aged server who will tssk at your attemps of French and laugh at your inability to understand his (I suspect purposefully) quietly spoken replies.

Nonetheless, it was an enjoyable evening and we were brave enough to choose the French film Ma Part du Gâteau which served as a tale of class and sexual conflict within our modern times (i.e. the recession). The male protagonist depicts a successful, arrogant banker who flits between his Paris and London offices earning millions a day, and employs a 40 odd year old single mother as a cleaning lady. She in turn struggles to pay her debts and feed her children, following the desolation of her previous company, which it later turns out is due to him and for which he openly mocks her. It was a good film, but extremely difficult to follow without subtitles or any guidance whatsoever.

Speaking of Le Printemps, I'm blissfully happy to tell you that spring has finally arrived in Paris! It is beautiful, it's as though the city is awakening from her deep winter slumber and has been reminded of her own beauty and is thus singing her own praises. Streets and boulevards are more enchanting whilst flooded with sunlight, and the possibility of spending hours in Paris spending little or no money exists again. J'adore ca! Yesterday after school we sat in the small park next to l'eglise St Germain (which is apparently the oldest church in Paris)and ate our home-made lunch.

Today I embarked on another bike ride along the Seine in Le Vesinet. The Seine is about a 10 minute bike ride away from my doorstep, and it is incredibly enchanting. I think I may have told you before but I have to boast again and remind you that Claude Monet sat along the Seine between Croissy and Le Vesinet (the route that I take) whilst painting.

La vie ici est vraiment superbe!

Bonne Soiree

Comedy Faux-Pas and Haute Couture

Bonjour,

Just a quick post before I pick les filles up from school on a couple of things I want to tell you about since my last update.

Tuesday evening I attended an "English Comedy" show in Le Vesinet with my host family. The show was a birthday present for me from the family and it was nice to spend some time together outside of the house and when the girls weren't my responsibility! I know that the show was the first of its kind in Le Vesinet - a one-off experiment to judge audience reaction. Let me start by saying that there were some very good entertainers present, including a woman named Krissie Illing (from England) whose impersonation of the queen was refreshingly and daringly different as were her dance routines, and a man who went by the stage name Francky O'Right from Las Vegas, whose persona as sleazy American mocking the French went down a treat.

However, nearing the end of the show a lady named Amy G from New York, who had earlier impressed us with her glittery outfits and cabaret style of dancing (in rollerblades no less) proceeded to perform a more unconventional type of entertainment. I don't really know how to put it into words... to be frank, she played a plastic flute from her private parts. It was definitely hilarious and infantile, but a little too adult for my 6-year olds and the many, many younger children present in the audience. As one of my children turned to me and whispered, with a confused look on her face, "what is she doing??" I could barely stop myself from giggling uncontrollably. I decided to go for the safe option and told her to ask her mother. It was a surreal experience and I'm not quite sure Amy G was in the right place or the right time. Having said that, I couldn't stop laughing.

Today I went to the Dior exhibition taking place at Le Bon Marche until the 26th March. Le Bon Marche, the famous Parisian department store, happens to be around the corner from my French school in St Germain des Pres (which by the way, means St Germain "of the fields"). The store isn't normally my cup of tea, bien sur it's grand and beautiful and hosts an array of exquisite expensive things, but the artificial light and maze-like escalators tend to become irritating if one stays inside too long.

But when I heard there was a Dior exhibition there (and for free) I couldn't miss it. It can be found on the 2nd floor, in a small space flagged by the Dior name, surrounded by mirrors and dazzling white lights. The style is minimalist yet grand. The clothes on display were beautiful and consisted of a small number of original pieces of haute couture, including an authentic 1947 "Afternoon Suit" (see below).

Photos of the man himself were few (there were 2) and were in contrast with the feminine beauty of the clothes. If you glance at the photos below you will see what I mean.The exhibition made sure to highlight Dior's success not only in fashion but in its extensions of parfum and make-up, namely by placing a giant J'adore perfume bottle in a corner of the room and a similar huge Dior make-up case. Bright television screens displayed Dior fashion shows and press gatherings, emphasising the brand's exclusivity. A giant interactive object disguised as an open book highlighted Dior's success over the decades. The entire experience was enjoyable and mesmerising.

French fashion is notorious for its understated elegance. I'm no expert on fashion (far from it!) but Dior utilises this elegance to the best advantage. The use of colour and femininity in the clothes displayed were enhanced by the simplicity of the white lighting. I particularly liked the colours of this silk dress from the collection of Spring Summer 2004.

Although the man behind the magic, Christian Dior, is long gone having died in 1957, Dior retains the wow factor it's so famous for. If you're in Paris in the near future, take a quick peep at the exhibition, the nearest metro stop is Sevres Babylone. I leave you with one last photo below of French style, oozing sophistication and class. Oooh la la! A bientot mes amis xxx

Embroidered Pink Gazar Suit, Spring Summer 2007

La Mosquée de Paris

Bonsoir,

Yesterday I had the good sense to visit the mosque of Paris. It's located in the 5th arrondissement not too far from the Jardin du Luxembourg, so it's pretty central. The mosque is grand, spacious and bright. Certain parts such as the prayer hall were of course forbidden to us visitors but we were able to catch glimpses into such rooms including a marvellous looking library in which a group of muslims appeared to be participating in a seminar. There are several outdoor courtyards which would have been even more beautiful if the weather had been somewhat more pleasing (it began raining just as we got there). It's hard to tell you what it all looked like so take a look for yourself below!

Being poor au pairs, we were a little bit annoyed that we scooped out 2 euros to visit the mosque (yes I know, how scrooge of us) particularly as the tearoom turned out to be the best part of the visit! The tearoom can be found outside of the mosque, on the back of the building. It is also located in a courtyard, complete with arabic doorways and table patterns, trees and residential birds (no, really). If you walk through this initial courtyard you will find a small but delicious-looking assemble of arabic cakes (2 euro a piece choose what you will) followed by a beautiful restaurant and another inside room which extends the tearoom.

Arabic tea is served at 2 euros a go - you don't order, the waitors simply carry a full tray of tea at all times and provide you with it when asked. Sheesha smoke pleasantly fills the outside air and a sheesha costs 8 euros. We went for the whole experience: tea, cakes, sheesha. It was delightful.

After spending a substantial amount of time there, relaxing and talking and enjoying the atmosphere, we headed to Jaures for a beer in a student bar by the Seine, and then finished the night at my friend's apartment in Chinatown. Once there we bought cheap French pizza (6 euros a pizza, there were 4 of us and 2 pizzas sufficed aplenty and it was yummy).

Friday night we decided to have a quiet one and ate sushi at the restaurant in Le Vesinet. It was delicious, not too pricey, and the staff were welcoming. Afterwards we indulged in a couple of drinks at what we like to call the Green Pub. Incidentally, we discovered a new yet simple and refreshing drink there called a "monaca" (I think!) which consists of beer, lemonade and grenadine. It was cheap and good, I'll have to have one again soon.

Well today is Sunday and there's not much to report, but I did experience a gorgeous array of French patisserie with my family for dessert. The cousin, who is currently staying with us, is attending a French pattisserie course at one of the best patisseries in Paris, and she spoiled us with a fresh collection of cakes from her work. We cut small pieces of each cake and shared them out. I tried chocolate coffee eclair, lemon tart, orange tart and almond pastry. Yummy, I love France!

A bientot xxx

The beginning of Spring

Bonjour,

As the weather's starting to get nicer here (it's still pretty cold but the sun is showing her face again!) the smell of Spring is in the air. I'm very much looking forward to Les Printemps in Paris as there will be more things to do for less money, plus gloomy weather tends to put most people in gloomy moods.

The other day my host family asked me to keep a look-out for anyone I know who would like to take over from me as an au pair when my contract is up. They did ask if I'd be interested in staying longer but I declined, as I'm itching to start my career. This got me thinking though, as I decided to make the most of my time here (only 4 months, eeek!). I began a small list of things that I absolutely have to do before I leave. One of these things was to visit Les Deux Magots in St Germain des Pres. I walk past this cafe everyday on my way to school, and have so far ignored its presence as it is clearly a tourist hotspot and no longer retains the je ne sais quoi that attracted the likes of Hemingway, Joyce and de Beauvoir. However, feeling the need to at least go there once, I indulged in a chocolat chaud there yesterday.

The chocolat chaud was average - it appeared to have been made out of literally melted chocolate which sounds rather nice but in reality was far too thick and the actual taste was nothing special. But I'm glad that I went and the sun was shining helpfully as I people-watched on the Boulevard St Germain. To my right sat a living stereotype of the American tourist. The woman was large, wore a too tight pink t-shirt, spoke loudly "Ya, ya, I'm in Paaaaris, ya in a cafe. Ya I'll call you later. Love ya" and ate with surprising speed the numerous plates of food that sat before her. Considering that my lonely chocolat chaud put me 7 euros out of pocket, this must have cost her a small fortune. She was also evidently too nice (or naive?) for her own good, as she willingly gave the somewhat rude French man who approached her with "oh madame, tu adores manger oui! Je peux voir ca! Tu manges beaucoup non, c'est bien?" one of her cigarettes when asked, upon which he took 3. I suspect she understood none of his language other than the word "cigarette".

Earlier that day I visited the independent bookshop named I Love My Blender which is situated on the Rue du Temple in the Marais (metro Hotel de Ville). The bookstore hosts a variety of literature (fiction, non-fiction and childrens) in English and French, as well as a small number of bilingual books. The man working there, who I took to be the owner, was friendly and continued reading his book after welcoming me, allowing me to peruse at my own leisure (I like this a lot, I can't stand it when shop assistants follow me around, particularly in a bookshop). I did eventually buy a copy of Truman Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's of which I have seen the film version but never read. The copy I bought is bilingual (English and French of course) through which I hope to improve my vocabularly in an enjoyable way.

36 Rue du Temple, Metro: Hotel de Ville

Another thing on my list was to visit the Musee d'Orsay. I've been meaning to do this for some time but something else has always come up. I finally went there yesterday with some friends. The museum is located across the Seine from the Louvre. One of the bridges one can cross to get there is the famous Pont des Arts, upon which lovers notoriously place engraved padlocks symbolising their everlasting love. Altogether now: awwww.

The museum itself is refreshingly full of light and offers practial space in which to appreciate the art it holds. This includes works of Van Gogh and Monet, as well as some of the earliest examples of photography. Taking photos was forbidden but I managed to sneak a few snaps for you lovely people to see.

I really adore the works of Monet and hope to travel to Giverny at some point, the place where he took the images for many of his famous paintings. If you're ever in Paris give the Musee d'Orsay a chance. I leave you with this stunning picture, of which I have to admit I have forgotten the name of the painter. Once remembered I will update.

Bonne Journee xxx

Montluçon

Hello all,

I realised that I had completely forgotten to write about my experience of Montluçon. The French town is located south of Paris, about a 4 hour drive away. My uncle and his wife own a house in the quaint little town and invited me and a friend to stay with them for the weekend. On Friday night we did little but sleep in the car drive although we did make a stop in the centre of France for obligatory photos by a nondescript monument marking the place's centrality to the country! Saturday morning we took a walk through the town's local food market, in which individual stalls are set up selling fresh and locally produced meat, vegetables, fish and of course cheese. The smell alone of the cheese stall was enough to put my friend Stephanie and me on guard, but we ended up buying something from there and it was pretty nice. It pains me to say that I rather dislike goat's cheese (Le fromage de chevre) which is somewhat of a bother in a country where this type of cheese is adored for its strong flavour - the smellier and mouldier the better. There was an elderly lady who sold fresh chickens and other animals (freshly dead, I should say)from the back of a farmer's van and having sampled the chicken later that evening I have to say it was delicious.

Montluçon Market

Oysters from a fish stall served as that day's lunch. It was the first time I had tried the sea creatures and the fact that you eat them raw (that is to say, alive) made me squirm, as did the squeezing of lemon on them to watch them wriggle. However it's safe to say that I was converted to the idea of eating them and enjoyed them a lot! I will be definitely be eating them again.

Oysters!

That evening my aunt and uncle invited some friends over for dinner. Stephanie and I proceeded to get tipsy with plenty of champagne, followed by red wine over the three course meal (four if you count the cheese). The guests spoke French only, which gave us a chance to experiment with what we've learned so far. For the most part I think it went well although my aunt had to interject translations several times as we apparently did not always come across as coherent (this may also have been due to the amount of alcohol consumed).

As you can see the weekend was filled with indulgences, but the highpoint came when my uncle surprised us with a private flight in a jet-plane (I want to say jet plane but I'm sure this is wrong, in any case it was a very small plane). It was both terrifying and amazing. Our terror was enhanced by the conversation between my uncle and his friend, who was flying, which appeared to announce that the headphones generally needed to monitor air traffic i.e. not crash into other planes, had been lost and were therefore not needed. This laissez-faire attitude is oh so French and at times (such as this one) oh so worrying. But all turned out well and we returned to Le Vesinet the next day. Merci encore a ma tante et mon oncle!

Our Private Plane