Le Roi Soleil

Quel weekend! Ok, time to recount, day-by-day.

Friday: Wow, Friday seems so distant now... Ahh, I know where to start: Friday was the last day of the preliminary. After we were let out, I met Taylor and Lindsay's super cool friends (Alex, Morgan, & Hannah), all of whom were visiting from NYU in London. That night, a very LARGE group of us went to Duplex. After nearly passing out from being so hot, Lindsay, Hannah, and I retired to Lindsay's apartment. All I wanted to do was go to my bed. But I had left my things at Lindsay's and the métro had stopped running for the night.

Saturday: I woke up at 5:15 AM, caught the métro back home and threw myself in my bed. So satisfying. Somewhere around 10:30, I woke up, looked out side and ... GASP ... there was SUN! I showered, ran to the boulangerie to get a baguette, and navigated my way to the Luxembourg Gardens. The gardens were absolutely beautiful, despite the cold air and intermittent snow. I left the 6th, and headed up to Montmartre, where I met up with Taylor and his crew to be touristy at Sacre Cœur.

Alex and Morgan (Taylor's friends) had never been to Paris before. So afterwards, we métro-ed to Notre-Dame and wound are way through the Ile Saint Louis towards the Marais district. Our first stop in the Marais was an HSBC so Taylor could get out money. The machine ate his card. Womp Womp. Ellipsis ellipsis ellipsis. We met up with Lindsay, who cooked us a lovely dinner and just hung out at here apartment for the evening.

Sunday: Taylor and crew met me at the RER station right by me to head off to Versailles. On the train, I was literally twitching I was so excited! Words can not summarize how I feel about that place.

It was beautiful. We walked ALOT. My feet hurt. I talked to a 65-year-old man at lunch about his three loves: women, cars, and cigars. Came home and laid in bed.

While at Versailles, I found a DVD for which I have been looking for about three years now. Le Roi Danse is the story of Lully and his relationship with Louis XIV and Molière, and how Louis XIV used ballet and music to add to his power. Gorgeous movie. It's sort of like Marie Antoinette, in that the main draws for me are the aesthetics and the stories of the ancien régime. So, if you don't like Marie Antoinette, chances are you will not like Le Roi Danse. Anywhosies, while laying in bed recovering from our journeys today, I watched this movie. So good. Now I am blogging, and then I will start getting ready for bed. Class starts tomorrow. Woo?

-Dave

Gold gates at Versailles

Alex and Taylor playing Diana & Stag

Versailles version of barbed wire?

Dry skin

Phew! I just finished a quite long assignment in which I basically ended up writing a five page paper about this book. Granted it was basically a book report, but I just am not a fan of analyzing books!

Anywho, I am no longer sick! Woohoo! Though, my throat doesn't seem to want to cooperate, and I am still coughing and have a groggy deep voice.

I did my laundry yesterday while studying for my phonetics test, i.e. I attempted to phonetisize all the signs in the laundromat.

Quoi d'autre... I made some rather delicious green beans this evening. Nothings special about them. They just happened to be cooked just right, and seasoned just right. Yum.

I'm excited for the weekend. I love being here. But I feel like when I am in class or doing homework I am wasting precious time. I know, I know: I am here for school, not vacation.

Oh, last thing: I discovered that from my kitchen window I can see Sacre Cœur. Super! This is all because I decided to eat my yogurt standing up today, not sitting down. Oh right, I was supposed to buy some more yogurt... I guess I'll have a small breakfast tomorrow!

-Dave

Up a wee bit early

Following my sister's advice, Taylor and I ventured to the pharmacy during our break yesterday to get some medicaments for our various symptoms. The pharmacist was very nice, and gave us both a different regiment: Both Taylor and I are to drink a spoonful of this liquid three times-a-day, while I, in addition, need to take Sudafed. We each bought our potions, went back to NYU, and took a shot each of the liquid. I took the Sudafed.

What a bad idea. I could not focus in class to save my life! I'm sure Patrick thought I was being a dunderhead, but I just could not keep both of my eyes on one thing! One would look left, one would look right, no happy harmony. Though, I could feel the expectorant working, loosening up my lungs and throat.

After class, we had a group meeting at Notre Dame de Passy, where NYU told us about the various cultural activities that would be happening this semester. Afterwards, they presented us (when I say us, I mean 95% of the program, so probably close to 200 people) with an enormous buffet on 3 long tables. They said "Bon Appetit," and everyone rushed the tables. Somehow, in the chaos, all I ended up getting was on piece of baguette. Boring. Oh well. I gave up, and sat down to watch the madness, the whole time considering how this scene would be different in Britain: There would be a single file queue from each row, no pushing, no free-for-all. I like rules.

Then some of us headed down to the Pont Neuf to catch a boat cruise on a bateau mouche, paid for by NYU of course. It was very nice, very enjoyable. However, to get the best views, one really needed to position oneself on the roof of the boat. Nothing like standing on the roof of moving boat that is heading down the Seine in the middle of January. Brrrrrr. I'm getting cold just thinking about it. In order to speak to anyone, it was necessary to talk really loudly, which, in the end, was not great for my throat. Oh well, you win some, you lose some.

I came home, made some dinner, did some homework, played a little "Street Fighters" for Sega Genesis, took another shot of liquid and a Sudafed and went to bed. Oops. Another bad plan. Yes, I had no trouble getting to sleep, but I woke up somewhere around 4:45. Again, oh well. That just means I will have plenty of time to eat breakfast! Yum.

I feel much better today, thank you for asking. I should have just gone to the pharmacy on Sunday when I started feeling sick.

Off to eat some coco-krispies!

-Dave

Great Start

After my adventures on saturday and saturday night, I found my way home, exhausted, and threw myself in bed. Unfortunately, life caught up with me. When I the cooing of the pigeons woke me up at 10:30 AM, I swallowed and realized that my throat had decided to die through the night. My head was pounding and just full of fluid. I did not leave my bed until 3:30 in the afternoon, at which point I decided that it was probably necessary to go to the bathroom. Lindsay came over and brought me Advil. The combo of pain killers and good company really helped me feel better.

This morning I woke up to the same feeling. I took some Advil and a really hot shower, and felt much better. Only once or twice during the day did I feel sick, i.e. I coughed and didn't eat any lunch because of a lack of appetite. I finalized my schedule/classes with Patrick (woohoo!) and then sat through one of the most boring lectures ever! "Blah blah blah Turkey blah EU blah blah Islamic birth rates."

Now I am home, and feeling oh so sick once again. I am not hungry, but I know I should eat something. Plus the idea of getting up, going to kitchen and preparing something seems so daunting right now.

Speaking from nearly two days of experience, I think it is easier to be sick in New York than in Paris. You can get anything you need whenever you want it in New York. So you want chicken noodle soup at 2 AM, because that is when your body decided to be hungry. No problem: there is the soup place on the corner, a grocery store one block west and a Duane Reade just up the street, all of which stay open. Here, at least in my neighborhood, the pharmacies close at 5 PM, the grocery stores at 6:00 or 6:30, and good luck finding feel good take out. The only place that I have found that offers take out in my neighborhood is McDonald's, which is 100% unappealing. Don't get me wrong, I am a good American, and I love McDonald's. However, I am not a fan of Parisian McDonald's. Yuck.

Oh well, those are my mucus-y ramblings. I should probably decide on something to eat.

-Dave

Super Tourists

Today, after making my daily trip to Monoprix, I met up with Lindsay and Nikki to be touristy for the day. The following are some pictures from our journey through l'Île de la Cîté and le Quartier Latin:

The Palace of Justice

And so we began our journy with the Pont Neuf

The left bank from l'Île de la Cîté

Notre Dame de Paris

The interior

The rose window of the south transept

I can't take credit for this. It was all Lindsay.

A delicious Croque-Monsieur

Lindsay heading into Shakespeare and Company

A random street in the Quartier Latin

A tower in the Quartier Latin

The central court at the Sorbonne

La Place de la Sorbonne

The Panthéon

The capital of the columns at the Panthéon

Total and complete blog failure

It has been ... 2, maybe 3 days now since I posted. I need to be more committed if this is actually going to work out. Let's rewind:

Thursday:

I woke up at my normal time, but elected to take the RER (Réseau Express Régional) which is basically the Parisian version of an express train. I had two problems though: 1) I had to cross Porte Maillot to get to the train station, which takes a LONG time, and 2) the RER trains run less frequently. So, with the time spent walking to the station and waiting for the train, the actual commute time comes out to be essentially the same.

After class, I ventured to Lindsay's apartment. Wow. That's all I have to say. Afterwards, we went and were super touristy in the Louvre courtyard. Fun fun. This is a picture of Lindsay "holding" one of I.M. Pei's pyramids.

A bunch of us signed up to go to an opera called The Fairy Queen, which is based off of A Midsummer Night's Dream. I must say that I was super impressed with the production! It really was great. The music was beautiful (very Baroque), there was dancing, the sets were exciting, the costumes were fantastic. Overall, A+.

Before hand, some of us met up to get some din-din, so we wouldn't starve in the theater. We wandered for a while, but everything was super expensive thanks to the great locale. We finally ended up at a place called "Un Ami de George" or something like that. I was a bit skeptical going in: it wasn't the nicest place. While the waiter was reading us the menu (there was no actual menu, just a chalkboard), I was giving directions to Georgina on how to get to us from the Métro. Thus, I didn't hear any of the menu. So when it came to be my turn to order, I told him that I wanted him to pick something, and that's what I would have.

He brought out what essentially looked like a French potpie. He sat it down, cut open the top, and inside was a stew-soup thing. That's when I asked "What is this exactly?" - it was turkey and 3 fish stew. Sounds pretty gross, right? NOPE! It was delicious! Everyone really enjoyed their meals, although a little too much. We were almost late for the opera. I got home at 1 AM, and just fell into bed.

Friday:

Class again. Afterwards, my new friend Cait (pronounced Cot, its Gaelic) and I went on a walking tour at the Opéra Garnier. For those that have seen Sophia Coppola's Marie Antoinette, the Opéra Garnier is where the big 80's ball takes place. (One problem though: the Opéra Garnier is about 100 years after said party).

Anywho, it was gorgeous. Absolutely enchanting. It definitely put me in the mood for theater. This is a picture of the main staircase, a place to see and be seen.

Last night, I was absolutely exhausted. But I hauled myself out of bed, and went to a party's at Rob's apartment in the 17th, near Porte de Clichy. It was a nice place, although, very different from mine. I would venture to say that the building was built in the 1960s and that his apartment hadn't changed since the early 1980s. Someone summed it up by stating that it looked like "Miami Beach, Golden Girls." I'm glad I went, I had a good time. Somewhere around 12:45, I got really tired, and decided it was time to leave. When I got home, I was so happy to get in bed.

Saturday: Who knows what today holds?

Coffee Parisien

Yesterday evening, Taylor and Lindsay came over to accompany me to a café called "Coffee Parisien." We walk in, and there is no table, so we wait at the bar. Then Lindsay points out "The specials are in English!" We turn around, and a waitress comes by with a cheeseburger and milkshake. On the wall is a painting of the American flag. Playing on the radio were songs like Gangstas Paradise and YMCA. We had ended up in a Parisian rendition of an American diner.

I suggested we go down to the square to find a real café. But everything was closed! So we found ourselves back at "Coffee Parisien." Taylor got water, Lindsay a cappuccino, and I got a "Docteur Péppeur." We split an app of tortilla chips and guacamole.

Ironic isn't it? I live in a tourist-free zone, and the first restaurant I tried was American!

Well, it's raining, and I should probably get ready to head to class.

À dieu,

Dave

Un-cellphone-less

I have my cellphone back! Super! I feel much more at ease. Why are we so attached to these babies?

What else is new ... My rose bush has little buds. Its really cute.

Went to the University of Paris VII today. The building reminded me of highschool.

Taylor, Lindsay, and possibly Lauren, are coming over in a bit to go to a café around the corner. It's always packed with young Parisians. Well, I guess they're not Parisians; they are Neuilly-sur-Seine-ians.

It's cloudy again. Surprise. I can only see the middle of the Eiffel Tower, not the top.

I'm very proud of myself. I've been here for a week now, and I've only eaten at a restaurant once.

Well, that was a dry post. Sorry!

Breakfast, AKA Le Petit Déjeuner

Last semester, if I would eat breakfast at all, I would eat a quick yogurt and have a glass of orange juice, or I would grab a bag of chips and a bottle of pepsi from Duane Reade on my way to work. This past week, I've been looking forward to breakfast every night! Tea, OJ, and a combo of either yogurt, cereal, and a croissant. I find it strange/interesting. What changed? Perhaps I'm just super susceptible to the energy given off by a city, i.e. the emotions and values of my neighbors.


In New York, everyone is always "go,go,go" and everything is always really intense. Whereas here, things seem a bit more relaxed (as clearly evidenced by my phone situation). I guess I noticed this difference for the first time yesterday during my rush hour commute: At the 77th St stop for the 6 train, the entrance, stairs, and platform were always PACKED. When entering riders hear a train approaching, they run to the platform and try their hardest to squeeze on. On the train, everyone has on their iPod, which is usually blasting either rap, house, or reggaeton. When the conductor comes over the intercom to let the passengers know that the train is being delayed, you feel everyone sigh and shrug their shoulders.


On the other hand, yesterday morning, I was walking down a crowded corridor and there was clearly a train approaching. But no one ran. People continued to walk quickly, but no one ran. Once the train arrived, we all packed ourselves in. It was just as crowded as a New York morning train, but it didn't feel as uncomfortable. NYU has repeatedly told us that Parisians have a different sense of personal space than Americans, but I didn't really understand it until yesterday. People did not try to spread themselves out to make themselves more comfortable. Everyone seemed happy in there cramped little nook.


Then the conductor came on and told us the train would be delayed because of a sick passenger at La Défense. No reaction. Everyone just kept doing what they had been doing, which, by the way, included very few iPods. I'm sure I stood out, tapping my foot, clearly impatient and annoyed.


I'm not saying either approach is right or wrong. It is just very interesting to experience these differences first-hand.


Well, I need to do my dishes, make my bed, and head off to school!


À bientôt,
Dave

Still Cellphone-less

I still don't have a cellphone. Blah. After the first day of language intensive, I went by Orange, the service provider I'm using here in France. The man there was super nice, and really helpful. He said he would get me a replacement. Unfortunately, I can't pick it up until tomorrow after 2:00 PM. Oh well.

I left this morning 50 minutes before class was meant to start. I anticipated that it would take me 25 minutes tops! Nope. The first train stood in the station for about 10 minutes, and then the next station for about 5 minutes. Things went relatively quickly after that, but with the transfer and the walk, I was only about 5 minutes early. Sacre rélige! Anywho, the language intensive is two weeks long. Each day we have a writing session for appx. two hours and then an oral session after that. The oral professor is absolutely hilarious! I had tears today, tears. I don't think I've ever had a professor make me laugh to the point where I cry.

Then I had my fun times at Orange. When I came back out to Neuilly-sur-Seine, I stopped by the Monoprix to get some groceries and laundry detergent. Did some laundry (4,80 € is a bit redic, in my opinion). Transfered my posts from Tumblr to Blogspot. Now Im making a cordon bleu. Is there a better food than cordon bleu? I mean, really: breaded chicken stuffed with cheese and ham? Yummmmmm.

Ah! A success. Two bites in, and its absolutely delicious. I think I might make another one!


Update 7:13 - Number two wasn't as good. :( I didn't move it around enough while it was cooking. Oh well.

Les Petites Roses

What a day! I'm pooped.

After eating my breakfast this morning, I headed out to Monoprix to get light bulbs, hangers, and an allen wrench. Well, I left with lots of hangers, a striped pillow, five notebooks, a turquoise table runner, light bulbs, and batteries. No allen wrench at Monoprix. ZUT! On the way home, I passed through a farmer's market of sorts with the most beautiful flowers. I really wanted to get some, but alas, I had no vase. And so, mission number two began.

--> Side note - Four things that I absolutely love that are soooo cheap here: 1) Bread, 2) Cheese, 3) Wine, and 4) Flowers.

Once I had scaled the six flights to chez moi, I got online to find a hardware store and a laundromat, because my clothes are d-i-r-t-y. The only hardware store I could find in Neuilly-sur-Seine was on the complete other side of town, about 1 mile away. Being the Anal Annie that I am, I marched right over. Surprise, it was closed. Nothing is open on sunday except Monoprix from 8:30 to 12:00.

I turned around, and as if a beacon had been calling me forward, I crossed the street to a floral shop by the name of "Happy." If I needed anymore convincing that this place was the commercial incarnation of myself, my doubts were put to rest when I entered and heard Mika playing on the sound system. Not sure who is and who isn't familiar with Mika, but essentially he writes the happiest music ever. The merchant helped me find pots and vases, the whole time speaking to me in English while I responded in French. I ended up buying a beautiful white ceramic pot and a little yellow baby roses bush. The whole deal was only 10€. In New York, the plant alone would have cost me $15+.

With this turn of fate, I realized that all hope was not lost. So, I couldn't get my allen wrench; I'm flexible. Isn't that the point of studying abroad? I put mission #2 on the back burner, and pulled up missions #3: become better acquainted with my new home. Thus, I wandered home, finding adorable locales on my way, which I photographed and uploaded here. I stopped and got a cheese and ham baguette for lunch, which was absolutely delicious. On my way home, I passed by the laundromat, which is litterally right around the corner. Super! One win for me!

After finishing lunch, I decided I should probably contact Taylor to get my phone charger from him. I trekked across town to the 12th picked up my charger and then trekked home. I was so excited to get my phone charged and working again. But surprise, life doesn't work like that. It seems that the screen on my 5 day old phone is busted: the phone turns on and makes noises and responds to key strokes, but the screen remains black. Of course, the phone stopped working on Saturday night after all the phone stores had closed, and it knew full well that they would not be open on Sunday! I called the service provider to find out if there was anything I could do.

--> Another side note: If you think you have trouble talking to customer service in English, try doing it in a different language!

The woman was really nice, and tried to help me; but we decided that I would just need to go into a store on monday. Oh well! Again, I reminded myself to keep an open mind and be flexible. So, I moved on to another task: laundry. I walked on down to the Monoprix to get some detergent. Closed. I scoured the neighborhood looking for any markets or convenience stores that might have detergent. At 1 o'clock PM on Sunday, the neighborhood was completely shut down, well, except for the laundromat, which, of course, does not sell detergent. That was strike number three, so I gave up on the day and just retired to my sunny chambre.

I hadn't done what I had wanted to, but it's important to look for the silver lining: I have a beautiful yellow rose bush! Just looking at it sitting on my café table in front of my large French windows which frame the Eiffel Tower just makes me so happy! I've calmed down about the whole phone sitch. I just have to keep reminding myself that these things will get done eventually.

Well, I'm going to fool around on the computer for a bit longer then off to bed. After dinner, I fell asleep watching a Charlie Brown special called "Charlie Brown's Allstars." Let's hope for no run-in's with birds tomorrow morning...

À demain,

Dave

Pictures of my new home, Neuilly-sur-Seine

My roofline in the early morning

The Eiffel Tower breaking through the morning fog

Neuilly-sur-Seine Town Hall

Church of Saint-Pierre

How French is this tree?

Why is this image blurry?!

The Sparrow

At 6:00 AM, I was awoken by birds chirping at first light in the elm trees below my window. Yesterday morning, on my way to the kitchen for a croissant and tea, I heard pigeons cooing at the trapdoor to the roof. Yesterday afternoon, while enjoying a tomato salad at a little café in the marché aux puces, I listened to a woman singing some Edith Piaf. I’m not used to all these birds. Granted, pigeons do like to hang out on the fire escape across 75th street, but they always seem removed and quiet. Well, I suppose I’ll get up here and get ready to go out. Stores are open for a VERY limited amount of time on sundays, if at all, and I need to buy a lightbulb, an allen wrench, and some hangers.

A view of the Eiffel Tower from the Passy neighborhood, home to NYU.

Cellphone-less

On my first saturday night in Paris, where am I? Chez moi. I forgot my cellphone charger at the hostel (luckily Taylor picked it up for me), and this baby hasn’t been charged since Tuesday night. Consequently, my cellphone died about 2 hours ago, and now I have no means of communicating with anyone in Paris. Oh well, that just means that I can sit down and start what I’ve been putting off since I got here: creating a blog. This beautiful puppy dog is going to serve three purposes: 1) develop of journal of my days here in the City of Lights, 2) let everyone back at home know what’s going on here, and 3) add some discipline to my life.

I moved in last night to my chambre de bonne, and I think its fair to say that it was love at first sight. Granted, the rooms are small (maybe 9ft X 8ft), but I do have two of them, and they are jam packed with character.

The term chambre de bonne comes from the days when maids - or les bonnes - used to live on the top floor of bourgeois apartment buildings, in single-room units. Since there were no elevators originally, the lower floors were more desirable than the higher floors. So the rooms 7G and 7H were dirt cheap (<—- those are my rooms). The top floor is underneath a mansard roof, so I have sloping ceilings in both rooms, as well as in the communal hallway. Each room has a tall French window with a small balcony, and a view of the Place Parmentier, the Hôtel Concorde LaFayette, and (drum roll) the Eiffel Tower.

19, rue Montrosier is an adorable stone apartment building; however, it’s actually not in Paris, it’s in the suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine, which, along with the 16th and 17th arrondissements, make up the Parisien equivalent of the Upper East Side. The commute to the NYU in Paris site is about 15 or 20 minutes, door to door. I’ll snap some pictures of the chambre and neighborhood tomorrow, so everyone can see its tourist-free beauty.

On that note, I think I’ll sign off for tonight. Hopefully I get my cell phone charger tomorrow…

À bientôt,

-Dave

PS - Here’s a pic I snagged of the Eiffel Tower on Wednesday during my lunch break.