Podcast Radio France

Hello hello! Had a wonderful Jour de Macaron last Saturday, immediately followed by a horrible stomach sickness (luckily unrelated to the macarons) and today I'm enjoying a pleasant Saturday morning (actually more like afternoon...) finally back to my healthy self.

Taking my former french teacher's advice, I started looking for radio podcasts to take with my on my upcoming trip to Romania over Easter (hooooray!). The search was very successful, and turned out 15 pages of "émissions" or specific programs on the french public radio stations like France Inter or France Culture. Public radio here is just called "Radio France," but unlike NPR they have multiple stations. I'm pretty sure you can stream radio online, or just bump around their stations on their website: http://www.radiofrance.fr/

Two programs that I enjoy are "Allô la planete" and "Hors Champs." The former is a travel show where people call in from their travels around the world just to chat and describe what they see. Apparently there is a recurring guest, an old man, who has embarked on a world journey on foot. :) Hors Champs is an interview program that features a good variety of guests on cultural, societal, artistic themes. The interviewees are generally not in a time crunch, so the conversation is pretty relaxed. This means that the French is generally slow and clear... good for those intermediate (but also beginning!) French folk! I think it is really important to listen to a LOT of radio and/or watch a LOT of tv in the language you are trying to learn especially if you don't have a network in that language. It may seem too passive but I think listening continuously is the basis for gaining an automatic understanding of grammar, the ability to tell right off whether an expression "sounds right" or not. Classes may be good at analyzing and explaining grammar, but to really learn a language it is important to have a reflex of the proper grammar rather than just an intellectual understanding of it. Otherwise you'll be at the awful language limbo level forever, where you can perfectly recite how and when to use the subjunctive, but continually omit it while speaking. (Fascinating how that happens though! I guess learning a language is more akin to learning to ride a bycicle in some ways rather than learning to add fractions.) If you're beginning French and can only pick up on 10% of what is being said, I would still encourage you to listen on a daily basis! Don't be frustrated! I think most of learning happens kind of subconsciously anyway - so you'll be picking up on new words and context all the time, even if you don't necessarily realize it. And if not anything else, you'll start developing an ear for a proper French accent. :)

Anyway, getting back to the podcasts! You should definitely check them out! They're a neat way to maintain your French, practice your aural skills if you're learning, and if you're living outside of France, it's a good way to keep in touch with what your French comrades are currently listening to. You may learn something new, or just enjoy some French garble in the background.

The only problem I'm seeing is that podcasts are erased (?) after a while, since only the most recent few programs are coming up. I will further look into this and come back. :)

free films @ Forum Des Images

If you're into films or free things I would highly recommend visiting Forum Des Images, which is found in the underground mall/shopping area of Les Halles (Metro Les Halles). They're always screening independent films and classics usually centered around a monthly theme so walking there is like walking into a constant film festival, except more tranquil. For 5euro you can usually get one big screening and then two hours in the Salle de Collections. There are different ways of mixing what they offer for similar prices at the entrance and they also have a yearly pass for 80euro.

Every day after 7:30pm (19 h 30) you can go into their Salle de Collections for free. There are couches and flat screens computers with a variety of classic films that you can view "gratuit" until they close at 10pm. At the entrace of the Salle you exchange a pair of huge headphones for an ID, and you're golden. Good for watching with another buddy or a date, but not in groups. (There might be a max of two people per screen, but I'm not entirely sure.)

In any case, with a friend or solo on a lovely cold evening, enjoy your French classics! :)

Weekly Cultural Guide - Pariscope

Hello again! I should have probably written about Pariscope already, but since I've kind of avoided it but recently bought this week's edition, now would be a good time to start. It's a little booklet available at tabacs/newspaper stands that is the Parisian equivalent of Time Out for New York or London. Parisians swear by it, though I'm honestly kind of ambivalent toward it. In any case, it comes out on Wednesdays, which is the day that cinemas rollover their films and costs 0.40 euro at the stands.

The good:
Every film that is playing in Paris will be listed in this guide alphabetically (and the cinemas where they are playing will be bolded at the end of each mini-synopsis). The guide is particularly useful this way in that many good indie or foreign films can be otherwise easily missed in the visual bazaar that is Hollywood advertisement throughout the city. Unfortunately and suprisingly the Hollywood blockbuster invasion is as prevalent in Paris as in the States themselves. I was also suprised to see the quality of American films that are imported here. A film like The Hurt Locker may not play at all, or may only play at select smaller theaters, whereas huge posters of Megan Fox for Jessica's Body were virtually on every bus and metro station back in September. Even here, it comes down to budget and advertisement. If you walk around the city, you'll come accross all the big chain UGC cinemas that generally play a stifling surplus of crappy Hollywood films. It is very easy to spend months and months in Paris and not even see one new French film. You almost have to go out of your way to see one. Luckily, there are many small indie cinemas in the Latin quarter and a good mix of commercial and quality ones in Montparnasse. (The Cinephile "Paris est à nous" guide is excellent.)

Film is not the only cultural category exposed in Pariscope; it also features Theater, Music, Events for Kids, Arts, Restaurants etc. The Arts section is also very thorough, listing all the museums and exhibitions goings-on. If you buy this guide L'Officiel will be redundant.

The bad: Personally, I'm not a fan of the layout. The text is small and mushed together and a bit difficult to read. The amount of information can also be overwhelming; you can spend hours going through just the museums/expos section, and yet still not really know what you really want to see. By comparison, L'Officiel has a picture by each museum that at least gives you a quick snapshot of what the exhibition might be about (which is better than nothing). Pariscope is text-based, and at the same time very much Francophone. If you don't speak any French it might only induce confusion/anger.

Overall: If you speak French fluently or a little/intermediate French and will be in Paris for a weekend or a week, it will probably be worth the 0.40 euro to buy. It will probably also amongst the thriftiest purchases. If you don't speak any French/will only be here for a weekend and not get past the Big Name museums/couldn't care less for motion pictures, don't worry about it.

Hope this review of a guide was helpful.

Visits to London - Eurolines night bus experience

If you're living in Paris for an extended period of time, avoiding at least a weekend visit to London would be a crime. Not wanting to commit any such sort of traveling atrocity, Alej and I just got back from our 4 day weekend deal in our neighboring city.

Small bits of experiential advice. We took the Eurolines overnight bus to and from London as it was the cheapest option available (60 euro roundtrip as opposed to about 200 euro Eurostar) and we had had very pleasant experiences with overnight buses in Japan. Unfortunately Eurolines is not whatever Japanese bus line we took, which featured majorly reclining seats and an uninterrupted drive (except for a convini stop). It's definitely just a regular bus, where the angle of reclining is only good enough for major neck cramps. But that's not really the problem. On our way there our passports were checked on three different occasions. We even took a detour to Charles de Gaulle airport for a passport check before heading to the channel. Then our passports were checked twice again at the border before the channel, once on the French side and another on the British side, which lasted about an hour and a half. I found it extremely strange that our passports were checked so often, and how fairly thoroughly and suspiciously we were interrogated. Sadly, I think the customs methods for Eurolines clients is dependant on the niche market of the passengers, and it ruffled my feathers far more than being awoken every 1-2 hours or the neck-busting seats.

Needless to say, we received very little sleep on our way to London, arrived grumpy in the dark cold and then spent another hour and half trying to figure out how/where to buy city bus tickets (since you can't just pay on board in London) but that is another story.

Upon arriving at the hostel, it was far too early to check in, so there was no relief of a nap in our near future. We wandered around the Thames groggily, sight-saw some obligatory points of interest, ate breakfast, visited Tate Modern, all before 1pm. Probably my most productive tourist morning, ever. We were really exhausted throughout the day though, and took a 3 hour nap as soon as our beds were ready.

In conclusion, if you have the money, take the Eurostar absolutely. Alternately, take the Eurostar to London so you won't lose an English day groggy, and then take the Eurolines back to Paris, where you can finish sleeping through the morning in your bed. If you have school on Monday, you'll want to come back Sunday morning. Going to class shortly following your Eurolines night if you arrive to Paris Monday morning will not ensue in a pleasant classroom experience I can assure you. If you need to save money, go ahead and take the Eurolines both ways. It really is not that horrible of an experience, just know what to anticipate. It's a normal bus and you'll be woken up a lot throughout the night. There really will not be a problem at the border, but do not be surprised by some attitude and unexpected questions.

Used Books!

Check out a store called "Gibert Jeune" by place St. Michel (Metro St. Michel). The store spans several locations (and stories too!) around the plaza, categorized by subject matter. Used books are called "livres d'occasion" and are mixed within new ones by author. Check for the yellow sticker denoting "d'occasion." The used books range from 1-4 euro, depending on the lenght of the piece generally. It is a great place to find essential French readings - from Hugo to Camus, Appolinaire and de Beauvoir for really cheap. You can buy the new versions as well here, which would make wonderful souvenirs for your francophone friends and loved ones back home.

Enjoy!

PS - I'm starting to adore reading again because it is the cheapest activity in many ways. 2-3 euro can give way to days of entertainement, and that's not even counting re-reading. :)

PPS - Here is the website. Sorry I haven't figured out how to make it all fancy clickety links.

http://www.gibertjeune.fr/page/public/index.php

Library at Centre Pompidou

Hello again!

Haven't updated in a while, so here goes. Last Friday night while waiting for my significant other get out of class, I finally got a chance to check out the public library at the Centre Pompidou. It made me pretty happy. Most public libraries here close around 7pm, which would hardly service students. For students, studying or working on papers never stops at 7pm. Ever. Unless you happen to be a student ridiculously well trained in time management, but that is indeed a rarity. I've often wondered how students in Paris manage to finish all their work when the libraries close so early, but from asking around I've found that having jobs on the side of being a student is not as popular as back in the States, which would free up the day for library outings.

Anywhoo, the library at the Centre Pompidou (C.P. referred to as Beaubourg) stays open until 9:45pm all days except Tuesday when the center is closed. It is quite sizable, has lots of tables to sit, free wifi, a music listening area, computers, everything. Most of the works are in French, obviously, but I did find some English resources as well.

Also, on the very bottom floor as you enter, there are a few bookshelves dedicated to finding work, writing letters of motivation and CV's in French etc., which look like a wonderful resource for those of us ready for work but unsure of how to handle the process of being hired in France. (There are all sorts of forms of politeness and little tricks you have to add to your French letter of motivation, stuff that you wouldn't think to add to your cover letter in English for a job in the US.)

The library can be accessed from the opposite side of the main entrance to the museum. The main entrance of the museum is the one with the big open space where musical performers like to entertain, and where the Brancusi atelier is found as well. The library entrance is found on the colorful side of the center.

Check out flyers at museums & libraries

Generally, the smaller more specific theme-oriented museums here allow for brochures or flyers coming from external venues, so you can find out about other events in town within the same interest. Example: Went to the Palais de Tokyo last night, and even though the expos themselves were closed, the lobby area with restaurant & gift shop were open. I found a rack with little flyers from other art places... including one for a contest I might end up entering. :) Public libraries also tend to have flyer/brochure racks. Keep a look out for them because you might find out about awesome events you would not otherwise discover.

Fighting off the winter blues....

Paris has a winter that is indeed wintery - uncomfortable and energy-draining - like all winters in cities above (and below) tropical latitudes. The winter temperatures are fairly moderate for how far north Paris is situated, but it is cloudy on most days, rainy fairly often, snowy occasionally, and humid. For these reasons I would not recommend vacationing in Paris in the winter, but if you do make sure to pack a winter coat, a nice pair of flat, waterproof boots (trust me on this one ladies), scarves, gloves, hats, etc and an umbrella. You want to be prepared for a cold front, even if you may end up not needing all this wooly paraphenelia.

If you're finding yourself feeling a bit out of your element during the colder months, take care to continue eating well, exercise as much as the weather will permit, and not hermit yourself in your apartment (like my confused/cold floridian ass did). You need as much stimulation, if not more, to get through these months, even if it does not feel as natural to seek it. So go out and explore again and again... even if you think having been to the Musee D'Orsay 4 times is enough, you might find a painting you missed, or there might be a new expo open.

Take advantage of museum nocturnes (evenings in which the museums are open late). Generally museums close from about 17h-19h (5pm-7pm) but about once or twice a week, many museums can stay open till 22h (10pm). I'm finding the nocturnes to be particularly relevant in the winter time, as the sun sets pretty early. Save the day time for walking around the city and absorbing what little light can be found, and get your cultural fix in the evening juggling the different "noctures." (L'Officiel notes the nocturne days.) That way you won't miss out on your art needs, or the sunlight (that may be often filtered by clouds, but regardless, it is better than no light).

Muji - school supplies/paper products

Since I mentioned Moleskine in my last entry, I'd like to point a few people to the Muji store. There is one very close to the St. Sulpice plaza and it is a really good place get school supplies like pens and notebooks. Before finding Muji, I bought notebooks from Monoprix, but they had really weird annoying lines on them - which might be supposed to serve as training wheels for writing. Whatever. The notebooks @ Muji are pretty cheap, but also very pleasant. The paper is a little spongy so your pen sinks in a little deliciously while writing - very satisfying. (For comparison, the moleskin pages are hard causing an antagonistic little resistance). On the other hand, for those who find writing to be a solely 2D endeavor and not engraving, you may prefer the harder pages. I'm sure everyone has their own little quirks and requisites in regard to writing utensils. :) Or others may not care or not notice. This is also a possibility (in which case I would advise you to focus more attention to small joys like cushiony paper).

I realize Muji is not very Parisian - so if you want to have an 100% Parisian experience (whatever that may mean) just enter a small papeterie. They're virtually everywhere and are hard to miss: they specialize in notebooks, papers, pens etc. Just look for these products in the windows. Expect to pay more though. :)

Moleskine Paris

For the fans of moleskine, you should know that they have a mini moleskines for cities, including one for Paris. It has little maps of the city, a metro plan, blank pages like a regular moleskine for "creating your own guide of the city" and other little tricks. Personally I haven't bought one (generally I find moleskins to be expensive & overrated) but a few classmates of mine have them and love them. The city notebook idea is really cute though, and practical, and would probably make a really good gift for someone preparing for a Parisian voyage.

http://www.moleskine.com/catalogue/city_notebook/europe/city_notebook_paris.php

Also, you should know that Parisians love moleskines. Even more than the stuffwhitepeoplelike.com demographic, if that is possible. They're virtually ubiquitous around the city - you can find them at Fnacs, bigger/fancier tabacs, papeteries etc.

Macarons, macarons!

What is a macaron: They're not pasta, first off. They're these annoyingly addictive little deserts, akin to a cookie, that come in an assortment of colors and flavors. At first I was a bit hesitant, as I am used to the variety of flourescent, possibly even glow-in-the-dark American boxed treats, which all pretty much taste like crap, and yet.... you still eat them. (And then you keep asking yourself why you eat these things. But then you eat them again. Like candy corn, for instance. The Americans, hungry and ingenious as they are, have discovered that you can make anything not just edible but even tempting by pouring a box of sugar on it). So in the US, the ratio of gram of dessert to gram of sugar is about 1:25 (magic I know), and the ratio of color to crap factor is one to one. All in all, these French macarons did not have a good precedent set out for them.

A few months later, as the macarons were recommended to me by locals over and over again, the time came to risk a toothache and dissapointment for possibly another guilty pleasure. We headed to chez Pierre Hermé, and were genuinely spectacularly surprised. Biting into a well made macaron is, as all fancy french things go, an experience to be had. The outside is a soft merengue-like shell, and inside there is an incredibly perfumed soft creme, which tastes exactly like the flavor it is supposed to represent. The raspberry macarons taste like raspberries, not like red. They're like no other little dessert I've tasted, they're the cookie every cookie envies. And for the sweet-teeth out there, completely unmissable on a Parisian trip.

Artsy plus: macarons are extremely photogenic, great addition to your food-porn collection.

Where to find them:

Laduree
This is the most famous of the macaron makers, and the inventor of the double-decker macaron, which is the form that is popular today. Avoid high-times as the lines are very long; try weekday mornings and afternoons. In my opinion, they have the best pistachio macarons.
http://www.laduree.fr/

Pierre Hermé (not to be confused with designer Paul Hermés)
Situated on the same rue as Laduree but farther south near St. Sulpice, the Pierre Hermé patisserie competes (in my opinion) with Laduree as the place to indulge in these colorful delights. The macarons here are a bit sweeter, which is a minus, but far more creative. While Laduree's macarons are made in the usual chocolate, pistachio, vanilla flavors etc. the Pierre Hermé macarons include interesting combinations: chocolate and cassis, white truffle and hazelnut, matcha and marron (green tea and chestnut cream). Yum! There are new flavors introduced every couple of months. Sitting on a bench in the St. Sulpice plaza is an added benefit to this macaron experience.
http://www.pierreherme.com/index.cgi?cwsid=5876phAC194316ph9528736

Almost every patisserie/boulangerie anywhere
Of varying flavors and quality. I would highly recommend trying the above two places, but going to a simple boulangerie may do the trick for a craving. Also, it is easier on the wallet.

Le Grand Epicerie
Sevres/St. Placide. If you're a foodie you should visit this place for the sake of wandering around food wonderland first, not for their macarons, but you can always try macarons here as well. Though not as creative as the two macaron houses, they're pretty good. Generally anything you buy here will please.

And as a little note of advice, always stick to the small macarons rather than the big ones. They tend to have a better consistency (for whatever reason) and you can try multiple flavors in one outing. :) Happy macarons!

Wiki-travel

It is your friend.

http://wikitravel.org/en/Paris

Metro - Cheaper to Buy Pack of 10

Since I live in the 6eme which is very centrally located, I can walk to school (very easily) and pretty much anywhere in Paris. I prefer walking because I cannot afford a gym membership,* and running in the snow for a half-Floridian doesn't seem amusing. It is also necessary to emancipate oneself from the result of endless croissants, pain au chocolat, and macarons that somehow magically find their way into your system upon entering the great delectable country of France. Really I have no idea how that happens. They just... one second I'm looking through a boulangerie vitrine, then I pass out, then there are very suspicious croissant flakes all over my shirt! How did that happen!? I did not approve this beforehand!

But, I digress. Point is I walk. Since I take the metro so rarely, I haven't bothered getting a Navigo pass or a student pass. I used to just buy tickets every time - not smart.

If you're going the ticket route, do yourself the favor at least and buy a pack of 10 at a time (carnet de dix tickets). It costs 11.60 euro. If you were to buy them individually, at 1.60 euro a pop, 10 would cost you 16 euro. See? Also, the tickets work for buses! And they're also cheaper than paying the bus fare itself. Happy transport!


*(and neither can most Parisians from what I gather - there's no gym culture here like the US, space is limited and prices are exorbitant)

Upcoming entries:

Paris Guides in general
Gibert (used books)
Fnac(s)
Saving money (ongoing topic)
Studying French - Alliance Française
Shakespeare's & Fusac

Do Not Throw Out Your Metro Ticket

... until you have exited the metro station at your destination.

DO NOT THROW OUT YOUR METRO TICKET (until you're out of the station)!!!

Very rarely, they do metro ticket checks and if you've bought a ticket but threw it out at a platform in a connecting station, or lost it, you'll get fined like you never bought a ticket in the first place. The fine is 40 euro... that's $60 with the exchange rate folks, so hold on to your tickets.

Of course, the only time I went through a ticket checkpoint was when I happened to throw out my ticket. Literally, I threw it out in a trashcan at the bottom of the stairs, then climbed up the stairs... and to my horror saw the metro police or whatever verifying tickets. What luck! Not even 2 minutes had passed before making what I then thought was a good decision (so my apartment would not be full of used metro stubs) to paying $60. I even dumpster dived for it (gross), but bonne chance finding the right metro ticket in a sea of expired ones and unmentionables. So I payed the fine on the verge of tears.

The verge of tears/anger that I felt (as I was already having a bad day) I would not recommend. If you do lose your metro ticket, they might let you go if you calmly explain that you're a foreigner and you don't know how these things work. If you speak a little French, try saying "Je suis desolée, mais je suis Americain/Americaine/(insert nationality).* Je ne savais pas que je devais garder mon ticket." If you don't speak any French, try at least saying "Je suis desolée (I am sorry)" and show them your passport or any other foreign ID.

Good luck, but if you have the choice, just don't lose your ticket!


* It's a good idea to find out how to say your nationality in French before embarking on your trip! It may come in handy from small talk to stuff like this. Note: the pronounciation for masculine/feminine nationality is different (m. "Americain" ends in a nasal "a" sound / f. "Americaine" sounds like "Ameri-Ken"), so you want to memorize the right one... but above all... if you're a newbie, remember that the French warm up when you most of all put an effort to speak their language, even if you mispronounce at this level.

L'Officiel - Art Gallery / Museum Guide

If you're into art and you're in Paris for a week (or more) I would highly recommend purchasing a little magazine called "L'Officiel - Galeries & Musées." You can find it at tabacs or possibly even bookstores like the Fnac (I'll double check this next time I go). Right now it costs 3.50 euro, and it spans two months - worthy investment, I think, but you can always do the flip-through-and-jot-things-down if you're short on change.

It has a pretty exhaustive listing of the galleries in Paris and maps for your gallery-hopping needs. Towards the end, you'll find a complete listing of art museums and their ongoing expositions (including addresses and opening times of the museums). I'm pretty excited, I just bought the first today... think I might indeed absorb some art this weekend.

The website of the magazine is also here:
http://www.officiel-galeries-musees.com/web/

In fact, now that I'm looking through the website it looks like they have all of the information posted (minus the articles in the front) so it might not even be worth buying unless you want a handy guide to take with you on strolls. :) But do look out for it!

First Entry (Explanation)

Hello! Welcome to my blog, if you happen to find yourself reading! :)

To introduce myself, I am 22 years old of dual Romanian/American nationality, spending a year in Paris after graduating. I wanted to start blogging bits of advice and recommendations for traveling and living in the city, as I stumble upon them. I am no experienced Lonely Planet writer, but whatever little Parisian discoveries I make throughout the year through trial and error may be helpful to another foreigner either vacationing, studying or living here by chance, as I am. There may be some reflective pieces in here as well, but mostly I'd like to focus on practical advice! :)

PS - Feel free to comment to add to or possibly correct whatever information I post. :D