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!