Happy New Year's Eve!

Wishing you all the happiest New Year's Eve! Be responsible and don't end up washed up in a toilet like these dinosaurs! Cheers to 2011!

{photo: Bonton display on Blvd Beaumarchais}

Day 7: Day Trip to Mont St. Michel

Having guests in Paris can go one of two ways - getting really bored doing the same thing over and over, or spicing things up and using your visitors as an excuse to try new things. Mont St. Michel is one of those places I've always known about in France, but have never been too. Lucky for me, it was one of the places that had sparked Angie's interest and together we had a new adventure.
I called on my friends via Facebook and Twitter, and got the scoop - and was quite humored by the fact that everyone mentioned the over-rated omlettes (turns out omlettes of Normandy are made with more milk than eggs). There were pros and cons to any way of getting there and seeing the Mont.
To be a purist, taking the train seemed the way to do it. But even the train ride to Rennes involves a bus ride to Mont St. Michel and a fair amount of coordinating. After all the costs, it actually worked out to be around the same price to go on a bus tour. Lucky for me, I had credits with Viator from my Grantourismo win, so we decided to cash them in, live it up, enjoy the 14 hour day trip (4-5 hour bus ride each way), "free" lunch (enjoyed our omlettes and getting to know the fellow travelers at our table from Australia and the US), and guided tour (it helped actually knowing what was going on, as the rooms were pretty minimal).
The big thing they warn you about when you visit is that it's 300 stairs to the stop. Maybe it's the fact that I have 100 to climb to my apartment, but they're spread out enough, so they're fairly manageable.
Throughout the whole experience you may have to imagine what the place was like before tourists. They're everywhere, and so are the shops. Going to mass at 7am would be one option. We managed to find a tavern that did have a local feel to warm up with vin chaud, but couldn't help but ponder when and how this shift all happen. If it took 800 years to build, how long until cheap goods were being sold? And how exactly did Hello Kitty become associated with Mont St. Michel?!?!?
The other major tip of the trip is if you ever find yourself in a French travel plaza, chances are likely that the line for the women's room will look more like a snake than a line. You could waste your entire life away in that line - or you could just stroll into the men's room and use one of those stalls. Trust me, everyone's doing it.

Day 6: Local Flavor {Food}

One of the easiest way to live like a local in France is through the food. Throughout her stay, I've insisted that Angie try several French "staples" aka, my personal favorites- kir (cassis + white wine), vin chaud (mulled wine), roasted chestnuts (tis the season), an almond croissant, and of course multiple crepes. While keeping with the theme of staying on budget, we made sure to cook a few meals (another benefit to staying in an apartment rather than a hotel). Sundays are traditionally a big market day, as not much else is guaranteed open in the city (but that seems to be changing over time). So this Sunday we took a trip to my favorite market in Paris, the Bastille Market along Blvd Richard Lenoir [above]. The fact that it was the day after Christmas meant that there were fewer vendors. While I was sad not to be able to show off my favorite chicken stall, it did make for easier maneuvering down the aisles, and still was in full force.
Our second food trip was a bit of a joke, but then we just went with it. In France, Picard is a chain of stores that sells only frozen food. Their selection is quite large and caters to ever possible course of the menu. So we got it into our heads that we would create an all frozen dinner for ourselves. We picked up some meat stuffed zucchini (don't worry, they had a fancier name than that) and potato & leek soup (that came conveniently cubed so we even saved some in the freezer for later). It may have been the bottle of champagne we consumed first, but we found the meal quite delicious, and affordable, and all it needed was a dash more of salt. There definitely were dessert choices galore, but we were excited to get home to our chocolate mousse in glass pots - so dessert will have to wait until another trip. But seriously, how many people can claim to have had an all Picard meal while in France?

Day 5: Joyeux Noël

Christmas this year brought joy in many ways. First of all, sunshine! It's been awhile since I've seen it, so this was a very welcome way to ring in the holiday. However, the sun was quite deceptive, because I think temperatures must have hit a low for Paris (27F) because we didn't make it too far outside without losing feeling in our feet. I was pleasantly surprised to find many places open along Rue des Martyrs, crepes up in Montomarte for lunch, but the main way we stayed warm was by taking advantage that the Pompidou was open all day, not only culturing us, but giving us great views of Paris. The afternoon was spent sipping tea in La Mosquee (it's good to know you can count on the Islamic mosque on X-mas day), followed by dinner on Rue Moufftard where friends made me laugh so hard I was crying. . . Sending joy and cheer to you and your families, from my orphan Christmas in Paris!

Day 4: The Eve of Noël

In the day and age where consumer culture reigns supreme it wasn't too hard to find ways to entertain ourselves on Christmas Eve. Most stores were open until 6pm, and even venturing to Galeries Lafayette and BHV wasn't the hell-ish experience one would expect on the last day before Christmas. But then again, I suppose most shoppers plan a bit more ahead.
Today was full of festive windows [top image from Printemps, above is BHV's Noel Circus], trees, shopping, topped off by figure skating in front of Hotel de Ville (free, but 5Euros for skate rentals - no charge for speed skating ruffians!), and dinner in the Marais.
Just a note for next year, is that finding places open for Christmas eve dinner/drinks is a bit tricky (which wouldn't have been quite as hard had it not been FREEZING cold outside).
P.S. Heather Stimmler-Hall of Secrets of Paris also compiled a nice list of places open during the holidays in Paris. Check it here.

Day 3 - Cold Tourists

It turns out that frigid temperatures and snow are one way to cut down on the tourists and making things feel touristy at all. Wandering up to Montmartre and Sacre Coeur the neighborhood was practically desolate, in high contrast to any other day of the year. I realized I had never seen Place Montmartre without oddles of people (ahem, tourists) and artisans (trying to get rich off of tourists) that I hardly recognized the place.
Of course the snow made maneuvering around hilly Montmartre a bit dicey, but it was a wet snow and part of the adventure.
And just as with our morning visit to the Musee D'Orsay, we realized what a welcome relief "NO PHOTOGRAPHY" is when visiting these places. Overwhelmed and turned off by Notre Dame, Sacre Coeur actually felt like a church and not a touristy museum. And inside the Musee D'Orsay we realized how refreshing it was that people were not clued to their cell phones or behind the lens of a camera - instead they were actually taking in the art and the incredible space. Sadly, a novel concept these days.

Day 2: Being a Tourist

One of the perks of living in Paris is that you can count on having lots of visitors. Most days of the year, I avoid anything touristy, but then it's always fun taking friends to the major spots (especially when they're like Angie and have never been here before). I warned Angie there would be lots of people selling Eiffel Towers and overall crap when we were there, and boy, oh boy, they were out in full force. I thought you meant like one or two, she said, not a hundred!
The police were out too, and this "Pharaoh" got busted. The holidays are nice too because there are Christmas Markets all over the city. Sadly, they are all the same, and have the same things (every fourth stand hand the same hats). It left me pretty dumbfounded, and made me feel like the spirit that these markets were founded upon was completely lost in mass-produced generic goods, or stalls with interesting goods, but no basis for a story. Somewhere over time it seems that these markets switched from being for the locals to for the tourists. (The one at St. Germain is just the same - the same "chain" producing baked goods, donuts and vin chaud - and Abbesse may have a couple interesting stands, but otherwise more of the same).
Even a trip to Notre Dame (too cold and rainy for my hands to take pictures) left us feeling like jaded tourist rather than spiritually enlightened. It's been years since I've set foot in this church, but the flat screen TVs, glass encased confessionals, and "make your own Notre Dame smooshed coin" machines behind the church alter were a bit much for me. But still good to take it all in, discuss and reflect and top it all off with a yummy hot chocolate at Pâtisserie Viennoise, the least touristy place of all. Mmmm.

Day 1: Baggage or Bust

I know I'm celebrating the wrong season, but today I am thankful for the arrival of my friend Angie in Paris, for her first time off American soil (err, not including the unexpected layover she had in Madrid that lengthened her trip by a day and a half).
I left my apartment this morning thinking to myself, wow, what a wonderful day to fly, that is until we went through some tunnel in the suburbs of Paris an emerged in a deep fog. This was particularly strange because it's never foggy in Paris. (There's a scene in the director's cut of Amelie, where Jean Pierre-Jeunet mentions this and said he created fog after the fact as an effect). As my RoissyBus pulled up to Terminal 1, I could hardly see the airport control tower (on the right side of the image above). Not a good sign, I thought to myself. At least I had a good book, and my iPhone said the flight was still on time.
And much to my amazement, her plane landed. Yet, Angie wouldn't land in front of me for another hour. The poor girl after hours and days of exhausting travel and jetlag was forced to interact with a new species - The French. I'm not sure exactly what all happened behind those doors, but she was truly defeated when I first saw her. France 1 - Angie 0. However, I think it was slightly redeeming, when I went up to the first airport employee that I saw and asked him if he could direct me to Terminal 1. His response, I don't speak English (in English), and I responded, but I just asked you the question in French (en Francais). Yes, lesson one: lower all expectations, and have a sense of humor.
Once in Terminal 1 things were calmer. It felt more like a graveyard for suitcases than a lively airport. A series of questions to various people started to feel like a wild goose chase (and if you've ever been in T1, organization isn't really it's specialty). But once at the information desk, I asked the man behind the counter where we could reclaim my friend's baggage that arrived yesterday on the flight she never made on an airline she didn't fly on. He pointed behind us, and said, go through that door and go to the counter - they only work in the mornings, but give it a try. But it's unauthorized access - "violators will be punished" - I responded. He shrugged his shoulders like, so [what]...?
As so we took the man's advice, walked through the no-access doors (of course we had to wait for someone to come out to go through ourselves) and found our first obstacle - a group of four "douane" [customs] officials in uniform. This was it, we're not only getting kicked out of the airport, we're getting kicked out of France. But I kept my composure and told them we're here looking for a lost bag. And the response I get? A smile and a welcoming gesture! Who ever would have imagined? At this point we were giddy. That was Awesome, we agreed - you see, Angie, dealing with the French is a constant game.

And this is where we saw first hand the luggage graveyard, without anyone to tend to it. We were mildly excited for the prospect of actually finding the bag, but getting this far felt damn good. Then, using our detective skills, we pieced together snippets from our 5 prior questionings that seemed quite unhelpful at the time, and found the very counter we needed. It took all of 10 seconds for both of us to spot the bag, and immediately start jumping up and down. We WON!!!! And as redeeming as it was to find the bag, it was also fun to help make the day of the poor worker behind the desk who found us highly entertaining. Luckily too, this boost of adrenaline kept us going for what turned into an hour and a half bus ride home - but at least we made new friends there too.

Tomorrow is a new day.

All I Want for Christmas...

While most people are counting down the 12 Days of Christmas, I'm busy looking forward to the 8 days of Angie, which is now going to be 7 thanks to a delayed take off and missed connection. Besides the fact that we haven't seen each other in several years, I'm most of all looking forward to the fact that she's never been out of the US, and I get to be the one who introduces her to France (complete with small living - she's renting the 9m2 chambre de bonne next door to me, so she gets the "authentic" Paris - quelle chances!). I feel pretty lucky that I get to spend Christmas with an awesome friend and am also looking forward to the fact that she is also a student, so we can do budget friendly Paris. Stay tuned in the coming days for our adventures going local during Christmas in Paris, her first impressions abroad, and everything that comes with it.

It's a pity she didn't make it today, because I was so looking forward to the 3-course 10Euro meal the third Wednesday of every month at Cheri Bibi in Montmartre.

{image: tree at Galeries Lafayette}

Holiday Cheer

Wow, it's been quite a week. It started out with a bang when I found out I won the November Grantourismo! travel blogging competition for this post I wrote on local travel and a big fat Greek wedding. Along with the honor of 1st place, I also picked up a HomeAway Holiday-Rental stay anywhere in the world ($750 !), a Viator tour voucher, an Olympus FE-4040 compact camera and a Trourist Moleskine notebook. Pretty sweet, eh? You can check out the official post HERE. Now the big question is where do I go with my grand prize? The possibilities are practically endless. I'm not sure where it will be yet, but I know it will involve friends. Feel free to take a look and tell me where you think I should go with my prize. Do I go super splurge for a couple days, or a little more average, but great location for a longer time? Hmmmm...

Also, don't worry, it's not too late to win. The December competition is up now, inviting you to share 250 words + 1 image about the joys of celebrating any holiday. You can get the full scoop right here.

{Un}Glamorous Paris: Finding an Apartment

Finding an apartment in Paris is like trying to guess the digi-code to my front door. You can have a million tries but you still may never get it right. If you don't learn anything else from this series, the best lesson you can take is to lower your expectations (or rather have none at all), so things can only go up from there. Otherwise you're setting yourself up for major disappointment.

The first, and most important thing to understand is that apartments in Paris are SMALL. My entire sense of size has totally turned upside down these days. Now I walk into friend's apartments and am like "wow, this is so great, and big." Now "big" is all relative here - this in my new jaded by living in France. The new translation for "big" is comparable to the size of the living and dining rooms combined at my parents house (and I'm not saying they live in a massive house). My other point of comparison is my own apartment which is 12m2 (129sf) which is a whopping 20% bigger than my apartment last year which was 10m2 (110sf) - yes, I am moving up in life! I used to say it's essentially the space for a bed (twin of course), desk and yoga mat on the floor (oh, and there is a "kitchen" and shower in there too). Or, as my friends who visit from the States say, "it's like a dorm room." I guess I'll take that as a compliment...

Now if you're a millionaire, this post doesn't apply to you, but I'm sure you'll still be cursed your own woes dealing with hideous furniture that needs to go, or an ugly paint job. Sorry, I still don't have pity on you. The other bonus to living little, as I do in my chambre de bonne (former maid's quarters, usually on the top floor of apartment buildings) is 1) I have an awesome view of Paris rooftops and 2)that I save money because there is no need to go to the gym when you have a 5th floor, 100 stair walk-up with no option of an elevator. Can you say bonne fesse? (that's the direct translation of "nice ass"). But still, don't go thinking that you're going to easily join the ranks of "Generation Zero" - the minimalist life you learn to live when you live like this - as chambre de bonnes are a hot ticket in this city as they are the most affordable way to live - meaning 400-600 Euros/month (price does not include crappy exchange rate) - unless you want to go to the burbs. The fact is that all apartments are hard to come by, and apparently there are a large amount of empty apartments around Paris, as owners would rather not deal with tenants, as the current laws in place make it incredibly hard to kick someone out. But "affordable" chambre de bonnes are probably even harder to come by. As for those other "big" apartments - use the size and cost of the chambre de bonne and multiply to get a good idea of cost of living in this city. Also, take note that the bigger apartment you pick, the more likely you'll have visitors, and lots of them, and some that you haven't heard for a decade. That being said, starting your own hotel or B&B could be another option. (These I benefit the system and my place is small enough it can mean I get put up in the hotel with my visitors - now that's the ticket). Whatever your style, if you're searching for housing, try to avoid September at all costs as that is when everyone is looking and students are back in town.

Actually finding an apartment in Paris is like trying to find a job (which you'll see in Chapter 3 is NOT fun, and can be quite convoluted). You may as well wear a suit to the first visit, because the process isn't that different from a real job interview, except there is no real rhyme or reason to why you get selected for the apartment over someone else (and there will likely be 40+ candidates lined up from any listing online, so you may as well get picked for having a great outfit). But don't expect to hear anything right away, as the home owner or agent will likely be creating a "dossier" of applications (and yes, there is most often an application involved which helps prove that you have the funds to prove to live in a teeny tiny over-priced apartment).

I must admit, that I was "lucky" enough to be able to get my "charming" apartment through the housing office at my university. While French universities don't offer this service, I can assure you, I still say the process was living hell even with the help. Because when you move to Paris, all you can do is wait to be settled, and so the last thing you want to do is spend your time looking for an apartment (note: if your funds are tight, it's necessary to be in Paris to find a place in person), or waiting 2 weeks for your internet to be installed. But then again, it's just one of those rites of passage. Remember, what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger.
{Remember the view from Chapter 1 [Paperwork]? Well here it is in today's snowstorm. Remember - chambre de bonne = great views}

Here are a few places you can go if you're on the market for an apartment in Paris:

• Listings at the American Church (updated daily - go in person, just look for the 2 bulletin boards. Even if you can't see them, you won't miss the crowds around them). While you're there, you may want to say a couple prayers for housing as well.
• FUSAC - online and print magazine
• PAP and seloger.fr always seemed the most promising to me, but here are some more options: lodgis.com, parisattitude.com, laforet.com, fnaim.fr, 123immo.com, century21.fr
• Roomates aren't a very French thing (and apartments aren't really set up like they are in the US), but collocation - living together - is becoming more popular. However, note, that having a roommate may give you more space, but it doesn't necessarily lower your rent for what you're getting. Sign up for Appartager.fr to start looking for a new roomie.
  
• Independent agencies - go to an arrondisement you're interested in living in, and look at the listings posted in their window; there will likely be additional agency fees, but this may also help with your sanity. Some of these apartments are furnished, others are not which is always something to keep in mind. (Don't worry, there is an IKEA just outside of Paris if you need to furnish your own hobbit hole).
  
• Craigslist is admittedly not as reputable in France as it is in the US, so be warned of scams and hoaxes. However, that being said, I was in a fabulous Craigslist find the other day and I was quite jealous. Also, when I first moved to Paris I found my dream apartment via Craigslist, however, I did not get selected in the dossier process, or rather didn't have the time to sit around and see if I would get picked.
• In some cases you can get a government subsidy for your apartment through the CAF, but it's on a case by case basis, and the apartment must be legally declared by the landlord (which is not always the case). Also note, it is quite a process and involves lots of paper work (I know, you're shocked!).

UPDATE: The best way to find an apartment is to take over for someone who is leaving. Jump on the opportunity! These days landlords expect you to earn 4x the rent each month (which hardly seems possible) and you are expected to have a French "guarant" who will back you if you cannot pay for some reason. This makes it extra challenging for expats, so one alternative is to "freeze" 6 months worth of rent in a bank account (not ideal financially). . . In a recent search, someone recently recommended Hestia to me – it's an agency with lower fees, but seemed quite reputable and impressive when I checked it out (although I did not visit any apartments).

{Un}Glamorous Paris is a multi-part series sharing the less than perfect side to living in Paris. Click HERE to read Chapter 1 : Paperwork.

Boarding Pass - Natasha Lawler

Today's Boarding Pass belongs to Natasha Lawler of HKhousewife, her blog documenting the ex-pat life abroad while her husband's job took them to Hong Kong. As an expat myself, I love reading her tales of life abroad in Hong Kong, from her "first" Thanksgiving (we both agreed this is an awesome holiday to celebrate overseas) to hosting an ugly sweater party. And besides being a slice of life, Natasha also shares practical information for transcontinental jetsetting and comfortable travel. Oh, and she contributes to the Minted blog (they 're a cool card company). Thanks, Natasha!
last trip taken:
Beijing, Vietnam, and Singapore

next trip on deck:
Ralei Beach in Thailand with my flower girl (and her parents)


one place you would go back to again and again:
For snow: Park City, Utah where I grew up skiing and return for Sundance—this will be my 12th year in a row.For sun: Casa de Mita in Punta Mita, Mexico (north of Puerto Vallarta).

place you'd most likely recommend a friend go visit:
For fun: I really like traveling for experiences or events, so I would recommend Munich for Oktoberfest. What I thought would be a drunken frat scene was actually incredibly full of tradition and culture. What’s not to love about live bands, decorated tents, incredible pork knuckle, lots of good beer, dressing up in fairytale garb and grandmothers doing jigs on top of tables? Plus, Munich is such a beautiful, well-edited city with lots of world-class museums and chic shops. And crazy King Ludwig’s nearby castles are out of this world. I also learned the most amazing word there: gemütlich. It means having a feeling or atmosphere of warmth and friendliness; coziness. This is what I now shoot for at every dinner party I throw!

For a meaningful experience:
Haiti. We volunteered there in June and it is a place that needs all the time and hope we can give it.
preferred method of transportation:
Train or junk. Despite the fact that I get on a plane on average about every ten days, I’m really a nervous flyer. Here in Asia, you really appreciate how incredibly efficient and easy trains are. I love taking the Shinkansen in Japan and they are building more and more bullet trains in China—they just completed the line between Shanghai and Hangzhou. I loved seeing Halong Bay by ovenight junk and here in Hong Kong we often rent junks for the day to explore the outer islands and go swimming in clean water.
place you've never been but dying to go:
Moscow. I dream of seeing the Kremlin’s domes and I’m obsessed with Fabergé eggs and Russian icons. And I guess it’s not surprising given that my name is Natasha!

place you'd never go back:
Vegas. It’s just not my thing.

most memorable trip in 2 sentences or less:
My honeymoon which my husband planned and was a complete surprise until I got to the airport …we went to Paris and then did a tour of Italy—including a stay in Ravello at the Palazzo Sasso, which we think is hands-down the best hotel in the world. I am the Type-A, planner in the relationship so I had no idea that he was even capable of planning something like this and I also had no idea that such simple food could be so insanely good!
how do you prepare for a trip?
There is always so much to do! I like to read lots of novels set where I am going. They get me so much more excited than a guidebook ever could and you learn so much more about the history and what matters to the people living there. I usually try to read a little something on the politics or current events of where we’re headed and I try to learn how to at least say ‘hello’ and ‘thank you’ so I don’t seem like a dumb American. I love reading other people’s travel blogs and TripAdvisor. I always bring a print out of addresses so I can send postcards. I’ve also done a few posts on my blog on what I pack. 

how do you record your travels when you're traveling?
I write lots of postcards so that helps me to actually absorb all that we’re seeing. I make sure to keep all of the business cards and receipts from eating out and shopping… unfortunately the money trail is usually a pretty good record of what you’ve been up to ;) Plus, I appreciate good logos! All the rest I’ll remember or can google when I get home. And take lots of pictures.
what is your favorite thing to photograph in a new place?
Usually the food! I like to try to remember a few dishes to try to recreate back home. 

on an average, how many pictures to you take on a trip?
Not as many as some, probably about 75. I always wish I took more, but sometimes you just have to be ‘in the moment’.
what do you do after a trip?
I usually do try to post pretty soon after on HKHousewife and for big trips I try to make a photobook or scrapbook, but that can take years!
favorite souvenir/thing to bring back?

I love cooking and entertaining so I collect things for the tabletop, mainly tablecloths, placemats, napkins, and candles. There is nothing more essential to a place than the way people gather together to break bread. I am also obsessed with stationery (I work for a card company) so I always buy cards, preferably by local artists. When we were in the Riviera in May, I found some linen placemats at a market that I adore. When we were honeymooning, we tracked down Palazzo Sasso’s signature scent in Florence and bought several bottles so now our home smells like we’re permanently in Ravello! I also found some gorgeous cards in Florence hand painted by nuns.

{her logo is by Sydney Newsom- great, isn't it?}

links:

• blog: hkhousewife.com (travel posts here)
• @natashamlawler on Twitter