First weekend in Paris

After a great little sojourn to the Loire Valley, I spent the rest of the weekend getting to know Paris a little better. It was nice because I've gotten to know some people on my program better, so we all went around the city together. I live in a really great area of Paris, as my apartment is about a 10 minute walk from the Bastille. The Bastille area is known for its great crêpe places and bars. I've discovered a great crêperie that sells crêpes for only 2 euros. Great deal and they're absolutely delicious too!

On Saturday, Chelsea and I spelt in really late but we finally left the apartment and went to the Hôtel de Ville, walked up and down the Seine and walked around the french equivalent of Macy's, called BHV. All of the positive stereotypes about France are true. The city is so old and romantic, all of the buildings are so charming. Check out the photos below!

Only 10 minutes away from me

Hôtel de Ville 

View from the Seine

Carousel at the Hôtel de Ville 

Loire Valley + I eat meat now

I just returned home from a two day trip to the Loire Valley, which is a region about 4 hours from Paris.  The Loire Valley was basically the Hamptons for the French Kings and the valley is filled with old châteaux. We saw two while we were there and also got a chance to explore the charming local town of Blois.

The first château that we saw was Château de Chambord. It was used as a hunting lodge by the Duke of Chambord. The château was very fun to explore but it was quite cold inside. Central heating isn't really something found in old castles and it was slightly drafty. Luckily we found a great little fireplace with a fire inside the castle so we warmed up there when we needed.

After that we went to a small vineyard where we got a tour of the winery and had our first wine tasting. We got to try white, rosé and red. My favorite was the red. We also were supplied with fresh goat cheese and baguettes. The experience was definitely dampened by the cold weather but we still had a great time. We stayed the night in a very nice hotel, where we were treated to a great meal of salmon and risotto plus bottomless bottles of wine.

The next morning we went to the Château de Blois. This was by far my favorite château because it was filled with a lot of historical artifacts from the original palace, including some amazing art work. The town of Blois is a quintessential French town, with small patisseries on every corner and narrow, cobblestone streets. We all really enjoyed getting to discover the town.

The trip was really great because it gave everyone on my program a better chance to get to know each other. I also made the decision to start eating chicken again. Meat in France is completely different than the US and it tastes incredibly fresh and delicious. I also didn't want to miss out on anything in Paris and that includes the food. The French really have a hard time handling vegetarians and the chicken dishes here look too delicious to miss.

Make sure to check out my photo tabs for more pictures from the Loire Valley!

Orientation: The first few days

The first few days in Paris have been a little bit of blur. For the past two days, I've been at orientation, which is very similar to orientation in the US, expect it's in french. We've discussed classes, french culture and other aspects of our program and life in France. It's been a little boring having to be stuck in a room all day when I could be out exploring the city, but I know it's important. On the first day of orientation, I left the center during lunch with another person in my program. We walked across the street and ordered a croissant and some coffee before strolling up and down the street. The center is located on la rue Daguerre, which is partially blocked off from cars, making it a very nice place to walk to everyday.

The metro in France is very easy to use and everybody takes it. I actually think it's easier to use than the subway in New York City. The french use ID cards to scan into the station, which is a lot easier to keep track of than a piece of paper like in New York.

That night my room mate Chelsea and our new friend Kevin went to a local bar near le Notre-Dame-de-Lorette. The bar was clearly a local bar and we stuck out instantly but we still managed to have a fun time. The beer in France is delicious, especially la bière blanche, which is the equal price to a Budweiser or Miller Lite but tastes like a Stella Artois.

On the way home from orientation Chelsea and I were really hungry so we stopped in at a small restaurant for a pizza and we had a very nice conversation with the owner about American football and the Superbowl. The thing that's great about France is you can find a great meal anywhere at anytime. So far, I have not been disappointed.

Tonight, I met up with a french friend of mine and it was absolutely wonderful. I want to try and spend as much time with french people and make french friends because I know that's how I will learn to speak. We talked about what young people do in France for fun and french politics. There is a big election in 2 weeks to vote on the legalization of gay marriage in France and I've been told that I will see lots of demonstrations. The french love to protest and a lot of young people dislike the current president because he hasn't done anything to help young people find jobs. My friend said that most young people must leave Paris after graduating because it's not possible to get a job.

Tomorrow I have to be up at 6am because our group is going to the Loire Valley for two days to see the castles and do a wine tasting. More to come soon!

Mon premier jour

First post from Paris!! It still hasn't really sunk in that I'm here and it certainly doesn't feel like I'll be here for 8 more months. I was incredibly lucky and there were no problems with my flight into Paris, despite numerous other travelers who were experiencing cancelations and major delays.

I arrived in Paris just as the sun was rising and I had the most helpful and friendly driver who assisted me with all my baggage and gave me helpful hints about Paris. My host mother is very kind but doesn't speak any english. This is both a good and bad thing. Good, because it means I'm forced to speak french to her but bad because it makes communicating hard.

My room is very nice and I'm lucky enough to have my own space. I also have a little balcony  which will be great to have once the weather gets warm. Unfortunately  the view from my room isn't very scenic because I live on a very small side street off the main street, but it's very close to a metro station and some cute pâtisseries and cafés. My roommate lives in the room next to me and we share a bathroom. My room is lacking some necessities like a full length mirror and hooks for the wall but overall, it's great.

The shower and the toilets are in separate rooms, which has been an adjustment. The utilities in France are extremely expensive and for this reason, showers are to be kept very very short and lights are off most of the time. The shower has been the biggest adjustment because unlike the US, the shower head isn't stationary. This means I have to hold the shower head and this had made washing my hair and body a little difficult.

All of these cultural differences in combination with the jet lag caused me to freak out a little bit but everything ended up okay because my Aunt Robin came to the rescue. Luckily, she was in Paris the same day I arrived and I met her at her hotel for a short nap and then we went out for a wonderful dinner at Chez Georges. We ate escargot, fish and of course, bread and wine. I was also lucky enough to make the acquaintance of Robin's two friends Hubert and Michele, who offered me help at anytime. It is so reassuring to know that if there is ever a problem or even if I want to ask questions about cool places around Paris, I have a very nice couple to help me.

We ended the night with a wonderful drive around Paris. It's true what the say about Paris at night, it is even more beautiful. We saw the Eiffel Tour, le Arc de Triomphe and other famous buildings around Paris. Perfect way to end a long day of travel!

Soundtracking Paris

While I can only assume that the French listen to some American music (and if they don't religiously listen to Beyoncé, I'm just moving), there will undoubtedly be a plethora of new artists to discover and explore.

Since I'm not actually in Paris yet, the first installment of Soundtracking Paris will be the music I've been listening to throughout the semester whenever I'm feeling like getting in a Paris state of mind. 

1. Les Champs-Élysées by Joe Dassin

Named after the famous street, the upbeat tune makes this the perfect song for envisioning myself walking down Les Champs-Élysées.

2. Quelqu'un M'a Dit by Carla Bruni

Like I would have a French themed playlist that did not include the ultimate Frenchwoman, former first lady and YSL model CB.

3. Complainte De La Butte by Rufus Wainwright

Yes, I admit I got this song from the Moulin Rouge! soundtrack but there is no flaw in Rufus Wainwright's perfect voice and the french is an added bonus.

4. Free Man in Paris by Joni Mitchell

This song will always make me think of a conversation I had with a friend about 3 summers ago, driving home from Northern Michigan. The windows were down, we were jamming out to this song and discussing how one day we were going on grand adventures. How ironic that this same friend was in Paris exactly one month ahead of me. Funny how the world works like that. 

5. Diamonds by Rihanna

While this song actually has nothing to do with Paris, it seems the appropriate theme song for the city of lights. I also have a feeling that this song will be huge there and I have big plans to see her perform in Paris.

Paris Preparation

I'm sitting in my bed suffering from severe jet lag and there are a lot of thoughts running through my mind, both bad and good, and I've come to the conclusion that there are too many unknowns about Paris to spend time stressing over them. Sure, my french isn't great but I know how to say wine and coffee and really what more do you need in Paris?

There is a lot of preparation that goes into a semi-permanent cross-Atlantic move, but I've discovered there are really three categories to it all; packing, communication and accommodations.


Packing 
Packing turned out to be quite an endevenor. Bringing 8 months worth of clothes and shoes in two bags is no easy task. The bags ended up being 48 and 49 pounds respectively, which is (barely!) under the weight restriction. I'm still amazed I managed to fit it all, but I definitely have no room to buy so much as a sock in Paris. Considering the price of clothing in Paris, that's probably for the best.

Communication
The phone business turned out to be complicated as well. Verizon offered ridiculously expensive global plans and giving up my iPhone was really not an option for me. Luckily, the iPhone is a very internationally friendly phone and I managed to find a great solution. I've bought a SIM card for my phone and will be using it upon arriving in France. This will give me a new French number, which is really exciting but unforunately, not a great thing for staying in contact with everyone in the states.

If you have an iPhone, download the application "WhatsApp." This app uses WiFi connections to send text messages and because it doesn't relay on a service, it's completely free to send texts or pictures. Here's the link to download it in the app store WhatsApp. I am also a big fan of Skype dates, just keep in mind the 6 hour time difference and I promise to be good about emailing anyone back.


Accommodation 

• I'm living in the 11th arrondissement. My apartment is the "A" 

• I'll be staying with a host family, though it's not really a family because it's just one middle aged woman who has full grown children who no longer live with her. I do have one other room mate who is in the same program as me.

Paris will be amazing, but going is a bittersweet feeling. I'm leaving a great life behind in Ann Arbor and it just seems right to dedicate my pre-Paris post to all of the amazing friends and family that I won't be seeing for awhile and who I will miss quite a lot. Definitely send emails/facebook/carrier pigeons as necessary.

To all my friends studying abroad, hope to see you somewhere in Europe!

More adventures to come!

Bisous (word for kisses in French)
-A

Welcome to my blog

Here are just some basic details about how to navigate my blog

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• Also how to pronounce the name: if you say Paris like the French do (pear-e) then AOC and Paris rhyme! Yeah for fun with French words! 

Looking forward to staying in touch with everyone and I'll really try to post often.

xoxo
A