It's hard to believe it's been two weeks since I arrived in Paris (OK, 17 days if you're counting). Since much of the first week was consumed by settling in and dealing with technology issues, I almost don't even count it. But now having come to the end of the second weekend, here are some of my on-going discoveries, impressions, pleasures and pet peeves about Paris - in no particular order:
- I love that there is really NO excuse for being bored here. With a huge city full of art, movies, shopping, music, and architecture, there is always something to do, even if it's just walking around looking in shop windows or going to the local market to buy haricot vertes (green beans, one of my favorites).
- The pavement is hard on my joints and today I felt like I was developing shin splints after all the walking I had to do yesterday. Shoes and boots are very expensive here so I'm waiting until I get back to the States to look around for something that will fit in with the "look" in Paris but be more comfortable yet fashionable and affordable.
- The dog shit on the sidewalks and even in the subway tunnels. I'm told by people who've lived here a long time that the problem is "better than it used to be" but if that's the case, what was it like before it was "better" because it's pretty bad. I basically have to walk with my eyes down to (a) make sure I don't step in anything undesirable and (b) don't break an ankle on the cobblestones and uneven pavements you find everwhere here. When I want to look around and see where I am, I have to remember to stand still, lest I get distracted and find myself sorry I wasn't paying attention. I know there will come a day when I step in the merde, despite my own best efforts, because it happens to everyone sooner or later, but I'm making a game out of it for myself, just trying to see how long I can go without doing it. But for God's sake, what would it take for the dog owners to carry a baggy and pick it up? I have seen a few people doing the responsible thing but clearly there are more people who just won't bother.
- There are things I like about living in a suburb of Paris -- Vincennes is a very nice town and feels much like some of the towns in and around where I lived in New Jersey, albeit with more interesting and older architecture. They've decorated the lampposts with electric Christmas lights, which feels very familiar, just like back home, and the stores are starting now ready for holiday shoppers, minus the crazy American "Black Friday" frenzy. And it's probably a bit quieter than it might be living right IN the city.
- There one thing (and really, ONLY one thing) I'm discovering I don't like about living in a suburb of Paris and it's mainly to do with how long it takes me to get into Paris to do anything. It's a 10-15 minute walk just to get to the trains, and then depending on WHICH train I choose, 10-20 minutes to get to the center of Paris, where I sometimes have to change trains two or three more time to get where I'm going. Then it might be 5-15 minutes more walking on the other end, again depending on location. Yesterday, for instance, I had two people to visit over in the 15th - one a French friend in the north part near the Tour Eiffel and the other was having Thanksgiving Dinner with my future landlady and her family in the south of the 15th. Getting from the first person's apartment down to the second person's apartment took me 50 minutes - I could practically have walked there in that amount of time. I'm sure it's partly because these train lines and neighborhoods are still new to me, but still, public transportation in Paris, while more efficient than in some cities, is really taking me a lot to get used to it, as someone used to just jumping in my car and getting where I need to go. In time I'm sure I will get more used to public transportation and to leaving more time (and maybe not worrying so much about being prompt), but right now it's probably my #1 frustration.
Discovering macarons and pain au chocolat and the fact that the French eat them (and many other equally sweet and fattening things) with no guilt or judgment whatsoever. The former is NOT like "macaroon" cookies back home but is a delectable, light merinque thing with some filling (see photo). They come in different flavors and are super-yummy! And pain au chocolat is a croissant with a piece of chocolate baked in the center. The French eat it for breakfast although I actually find chocolate in a breakfast food to be a bit too rich. For me it works better as a snack or dessert treat.- Continuing to lose weight DESPITE eating things like macarons and pain au chocolat. Although I complain about all the walking to/from/between trains here and my aching feet and joints, the upside has been that it's obviously burning off a lot of calories!
- I haven't put much time into working on learning much new French, although my current French vocab seems to be holding up well for everyday transactions. At some point I'm going to have to evolve beyond buying produce and paying for tickets to museums though. I brought French study books and CDs but so far haven't used them (shame on me!) and when I'm in the company of a lot of French people I still feel a bit inadequate to participate in the conversation when it's in French.
- LOVE, LOVE, LOVE all the museums here. Today I attended a Meetup group for museum lovers and it was a really nice afternoon. There were about 8 or 9 of us, a mixed group of Americans, French, Italians, and Chinese folks, and we went to an exhibit of portraits at the Grand Palais, with a collection from private owners and museums around the world. One of the first paintings was a large and very nice portrait of none other than George Washington, as well as two very well-known paintings of Napoleon. There was a bust of Ben Franklin, a painting of Samuel Adams (not only know for his beer) on loan from the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and a sculpture of G. Washington portrayed like the Roman Emperors with a laurel wreath on his head that really looked nothing like him at all! There were works by Romney and Turner and Copley, David and others. Although portraits aren't necessarily my favorite art genre, most of these were very good and it was nice to meet such a friendly group of people. Afterward we went to the cafeteria for a bite to eat and a chat, and I always enjoy the chance for good conversation and more tips on finding things to do in Paris.
- Having had TWO Thanksgiving invitations here. And thoroughly enjoying both the food and the company at both of them. Last night's dinner I am still recovering from, meaning we started with aperatifs (my first Kir!) at around 8pm and at Midnight when I had to leave so as to catch the last train home we had just finished dessert and hadn't yet had coffee. These marathon late French dinners do take some getting used to. I was actually glad to have the chance to walk (sprint) it off with all the Métro hiking and two train changes I had to do.
- Last night on the way back home, I witnessed my first really disturbing "city living" moment (OK, other than seeing the tents of the homeless on the banks of the Seine and beggars in the streets and in the Métro). Some young guys and a girl were walking not far from me and they had a pack of about five dogs that seemed to be with them (none of them on a leash but the dogs didn't bother anyone). Then one of the boys got angry with one of the larger dogs and picked him up by around the neck and THREW him to the ground, almost choking him and clearly hurting him judging by the cries and whimpers of the poor animal. It absolutely made me sick to my stomach but there was nothing I could do without risking this crazy guy turning his anger on ME. It was the first time since I've been here that I've had to turn a blind eye and look the other way and it really pissed me off. There were no police anywhere around, either (that phrase "never a cop around when you need one" clearly applies in France as well as in the States). So this was the low point of my time in France so far. I just hope the dog wasn't seriously hurt but knowing how loyal dogs are, he's probably still following his horrible, abusive master around Vincennes somewhere.
- Things I'm grateful for: amazing food everywhere you go; a SO comfortable homey apartment with a killer view of the Eiffel, which I'm still not bored with seeing; having met some very nice people so far; having attracted a new client from the U.K. this week (I LOVE feeling like my business is really "international"); that the sun was out today for the first time in days and the weather still quite mild even when it's been raining; BBC TV (I'm quite getting into some of their TV programs!)
Now with just about three more weeks to go until my flight back to NJ, my calendar is filling up with Meetups, a visit to London in two weekends, a holiday concert at Notre Dame this Friday night, and the opportunity to contact some of the people I've already met to set up some socializing. Plus lots of lovely client projects in progress or pending. I've had moments of missing my friends and family back home, mainly on Thursday when I called them at Thanksgiving dinner (just as they were getting ready for dessert) but the Internet has made it so easy and affordable to stay in touch that I haven't been really homesick at all.
I'd have to call that a very successful start to a new life in Paris, wouldn't you?
