Je Suis Rentre'

At the end of August and beginning of September in France, there is a lot of talk about "la rentrée".  It 's the time when vacation ends, kids go back to school, and life returns to normal. 

On Saturday night I had my "rentrée" when I returned to the U.S.; a little sad to be leaving Paris, but happy to be going home.

I checked out of the apartment on Friday afternoon and moved into a hotel about six blocks away.  Before the check-out, I decided to wheel my one big suitcase down to the hotel.  But I got across the street and it was so heavy, that I decided to take a taxi.  After the check-out, I left the apartment for the last time carrying a very full duffel bag that Rick had brought over on his last trip.  Once again I got across the street to the taxi stop, and took a taxi to the hotel because the bag was so heavy. On that taxi ride I decided there was no way I could pull a very heavy bag, and carry a very heavy bag along with my carry-on bag.  So as soon as I dropped the duffel bag at the hotel, I walked back to the Bastille to a suitcase store and purchased a new rolling suitcase.

So then all I had to worry about was how much overweight those two bags were going to be when I checked in at the airport.

 

I had good karma all day Saturday.  The driver picked me up at the hotel at 9:15 a.m. (he was early).  He asked me which terminal and I told him Terminal 2.  When he asked me which Halle in Terminal 2, I told him I didn't know but it was US Air.  He told me that US Air was in Terminal 1.  I hadn't really checked online to see which terminal US Air left from, but when I had asked Rick, he said Terminal 2.  But the driver insisted and even showed my the airport booklet to prove that he was right. And he was.  He dropped me right outside the door for US Air.  If we had gone to Terminal 2 like I wanted, it would have been a major hassle for me and those two very heavy bags. 

In the airport when the bags were weighed in I was holding my breath, but they must have made the weight limit, because they sent them right through.  At that point I thought I had nothing else to worry about, until.................I had to go through a French immigration line............and since I had never sent in my papers to the immigration office, or gone for the interview etc.,  I was standing in line wondering if they were going to pull me out and throw me in jail.  But no problem, they just stamped me through (they're probably waiting until the next time I try to enter).

And then when I boarded the plane in Paris................I had the entire bank of four seats all to myself.  So I flipped up all the arm rests, grabbed a couple of blankets and pillows, and went to sleep. And then...when I boarded the connecting flight in Philadelphia, I had three seats all to myself, so I did the same thing.

And I got out of Paris, and off the continent, before the snow!

As much as I'm going to miss this view every morning......................

This view is quite nice too..................................

I'm happy to be home with my family and friends.

What to Take - What to Leave?

Since I am checking out of the apartment tomorrow, I spent some time this morning organizing my things and trying to fit it all in two suitcases and one carry-on.

Needless to say..............some things had to go..............

Here is a copy of the email I sent to my friend, Maureen:

Hi Maureen,

When Rick and I came to France in September, he insisted on bringing his FAVORITE beach towel, which just happens to be one he purchased when we were up at Doe Bay.  I told him not to bring it!  My feelings about beach towels are that they are purchased AND disposed of on site.  But ...............we were going to be two weeks on the Med. and he insisted.

And in all of the times that he has left this apartment.............he has never left with the beach towel.  So as I am packing my things to give up the apartment on Friday, I am faced with the Doe Bay beach towel.  Sorry, it didn't make the cut!  So it will go along with a variety of other things down to the square in front of the apartment.  There are three telephone booths on the square.  Needless to say, nobody uses public telephones anymore and it is a good thing in my neighborhood, because all of the phone boothes are inhabited.  And when I drop off the clothes, etc. which I am not taking back to the States....within 30 minutes they are claimed. 

So you and Joe should know that tomorrow night, a gypsy or North African, who is probably an illegal alien (not that I am not!) will be using a Doe Bay beach towel for warmth in the current freezing temperatures.

Here's the towel................

And here are the lucky (they're not exactly LUCKY) recipients.............

We started taking items down when Nicholas and Courtney were here. Rick left two pair of shoes that were in the way, so I had Nicholas take them down to the square and put them by a public trash recepticle near the telephone boothes.  It almost became a game to see how fast they disappeared.  And then there was a coat that Helene left.............. and now some clothes, shoes, towels, yoga mat, tiny coins, cheese, granola bars............ 

And everytime I take a bag down, it somebody grabs it.

 

Too Cold for Ice Cream at Berthillon?

With only a few days left, I picked one of the coldest days yet to check off another "to do" on my list. 

I have no idea why I didn't get ice cream at Berthillon when it was still hot here.  The main store is located on Isle St Louis and I've walked by it numerous times.  I just never stopped.

But I was determined to not leave Paris without having some of their famous ice cream.  So.............

Caramel with salt!  It was delicious!

The Last Demonstration? Maybe!

At the Bastille noise doesn't startle me.  It is always noisy here. But when it turns quiet, like it did yesterday afternoon, that gets my attention.

I was sorting through some papers, making a pile to throw away, and all of a sudden I didn't hear anything outside.  I looked out and there was not one vehicle (other than a bicycle) on the round-about that circles the column.

Every street into the Bastille was stopped. (I can't even imagine what that does to all of the busses!) It's the only time since I've lived here that I felt like I could safely walk out to the column. 

And eventually the crowd came...........in a parade, with a band playing When the Saints Go Marching In, from the Marais.  Some carried flags and some carried large white umbrellas. And there were those huge helium balloons. 

I don't have a clue what they were demonstrating about (as usual), but a big crowd marched up the steps of the Opera, they displayed their signs, and it was over.

The Last French Class

It's all about........"the last time"...........this week.

Yesterday was my last French class.  I thought it would be a little sad.  I have really enjoyed the class and the people I met there.  But what I was really dreading was that I knew I had to take the Play and Pac (portable crib) back to the gal that had loaned it to me for Charlotte. I've actually been dreading this day even before she brought it to me. 

When the crib was handed over I had Rick meet me outside the school so he could carry it home on the metro.  But I didn't have this luxury yesterday, and had to haul it back myself.  It's not that its so heavy (it is kind of heavy), but it's clumsy to carry.  And to get to the metro I had to descend four flights of steps.  And then to get out of the metro seventeen stops later I had to go up three flights of steps.  I planned on leaving early just in case it took me longer than usual to get to the train so I wasn't too worried about that, but what did concern me was whether the metro would be crowded or not.

People bring an assortment of things on the metro.....strollers, rolling shopping carts, plumbing tools, packages, and lots of suitcases, so it isn't unusual to get on with something like a Play and Pac.  Of course when I got to the train it was jammed. In fact I have never made that trip with the train being that crowded.  But what could I do...........I just pushed forward and stood squeezed amongst the crowd, hoping that a lot of my fellow travelers would get off at Republique, four stops away.  But they didn't, in fact more people tried to squeeze in.  Eventually the train car did clear out a bit and the Play and Pac and I had a little room, and I got it to the school.

After class a group of us went out to lunch (with the Play and Pac).  It was a nice end to what has been a nice experience.

Graffitti

It's everywhere in Paris.....................

The Place du Trocadéro

This afternoon I met my friend, Pounette, at the Place du Trocadéro for lunch.  I've ridden through this area, called Chaillot, on the bus, but this was the first time I walked around. The Place du Trocadéro is a popular spot for photography because of its stunning view of the Eiffel Tower.

 

It's the site that Napoleon chose to build an "extraordinary" palace for his son, but the construction was barely begun by the time of his downfall.  The present Palais de Chaillot was built for the World Fair of 1937.  It is quite extraordinary also.

Pounette and I had lunch at a lovely restaurant across the street.

I ordered salmon (always a safe bet in Paris) and I had the choice of salad, green beans, or frites.  Of course, I ordered the frites and they were the best I've ever had.  The salmon was good too.

When we're in the South of France Pounette speaks some English, but in Paris only French.  I was exhausted when I got home.

It's cold, and snow is predicted for later this week.

 I'm trying to get organized for my departure.

Trying to Get Everything Done...........

Even though I have had an obnoxious bronchial thing going on the last five days, I have managed to drag myself out (even if it was only to the neighborhood pharmacy for drugs!) to see the last few things on my list, and do a little shopping.

                                                                   Musee de L'Orangerie
For some reason, I have never been to this museum, so last Thursday after my French class, I hopped off the metro, and checked it out. This is the museum with Monet's large murals of water lilies and weeping willow trees.  When Monet donated The Water Lilies to France he wanted to give Parisians a peaceful haven for relaxation. And as has been true almost everywhere in the past two weeks, there were very view people at the museum, so I had the murals almost all to myself.

Monet is fine, but the murals were not my favorite.  I much preferred some of the paintings in the other galleries.  Paul Guillaume has paintings hung in L'Orangerie, along with Cezanne, Renoir, Rousseau, and Picasso.

And some of my favorites....................

Henri Matisse -----

                                  Odalisque a la culotte rouge - don't you just love the background...
Amedeo Modigiani -----

                                              Paul Guillaume, Novo Pilota - Does he look French or what?

Chaim Soutine -----

Another typical French look...

It is forbidden to take photos (you can't even sneak when you don't know how to turn off the flash!) so I purchased these postcards and took pictures of them.  That explains the bright flash in all of them.

On Friday..................

 I went to another of the City of Paris' museums.  There are fifteen museums in the city that you can enter free (and there isn't much in Paris that is free.....we usually plan 20 euros every two blocks!)
The Musee Cognacq-Jay is in my neighborhood. 

This museum houses the collection of Ernest Cognacq and his wife Marie-Louise Jay. These two were the founders of what was once one of Paris' grand department stores, La  Samaritaine.  Originally the collection was displayed in an annex of La Samaritaine, but when the store closed in 1981 (the building is now being turned into luxury condos) the museum sought a new home in the Marais district at Hotel Donon ("hotel" doesn't necessarily have the same meaning in French and in English).  There are many paintings depicting French life in the 18th century, and the added benefit is getting inside the old mansion.  The furnishings (the writing tables are exquisite) and of course, the architectural details are fascinating.  The Hotel Donon is a typical French Renaissance private dwelling, but the interior has been altered; some of of the interior decor comes from the original museum.  But it is still grand!

On Satruday....................

I took the metro (too lazy to walk and the weather was iffy) to Louvre-Rivoli and went to Les Musees des Arts Decoratifs.  It is adjacent to the Louvre. It displasy the history of the decorative arts from the Middle Ages to the present day.  It was a very difficult museum to tour.  Although in all fairness............if I had taken the free audio-guide or even read the "museum plan" which I am looking at now.......it probably would have been easier.  But I was having trouble finding things, and I was starving so I gave up rather quickly.

At the museum I did visit the special exhibition of Jean-Paul Goude, considered to be a "brilliant image-maker". The collection includes his photography, drawings, films, music, and objects related to advertising, the "live event", and fashion. Here's an example....

I liked his drawings............

And I loved the special exhibition on the history of Babar.  Babar is the hero of a series of children's books about a small elephant who flees the jungle for the city after a hunter kills his mother, written by Jean de Brunhoff and first published in 1931.

The exhibition tells the history of Babar and displays original drawings, paintings, toys, animated features, etc.

We had Babar books (in English) when I was a kid and I loved them.

There is one more museum that I went to when Nicholas, Courtney Anne, and Charlotte were here.  I have no photos because when Courtney is around, I leave the picture-taking to her. The Musee Marmottan-Claude Monet was not on my list of things to do, but it was on Courtney's.  And I'm so glad it was.  The four of us, Nicholas, Courtney, Charlotte, and I took the metro to the neighborhood where the museum is located, and I have to admit, I would probably not have made the trip on my own.

The museum inhabits the old mansion of Paul Marmottan, who left his house and his art collection to the Institut of France. Later Michel Monet donated 65 original paintings that his father had created, including Impression Sunrise. Once again it was a thrill to get in one of those old mansions which still contains the original craftmanship and furnishing that Marmottan had collected.

A busy week, but there is only one left......................



My Apartment - What I Love & What I Don't Love

I think I was really lucky to get this particular apartment.  There are things about it that I really love, but as in anything, there are some things.....................

I had never been to the Bastille area before I took this apartment.  I can admit now, that I was a little worried about it.  This isn't where I envisioned myself living.  But I was desperate for an apartment in order to get my visa, so..............
I don't think I could have asked for a better location.  My apartment is right on the round-about of the Place de la Bastille.  It's a very central location and so many things are an easy walk.  I can walk to Notre Dame and the Left Bank in about 15 minutes, and walk to the Place de la Concorde in about 30 minutes.  The Marais, which is a wonderful quarter, is just a 3 minute walk from the apartment. Now when I walk around the city, I can't imagine myself being anywhere else.

And the metro station is right outside the front door of the building!

There is so much activity in the square below the apartment that I am never nervous coming home, even in the dark.  And then there are the doors............

There are two locked doors before you even get to the elevator..........

You need a code for this door.

                                                           You need a key for this door.

The guardienne (supervisor) lives on site.  And she is very nice to me.  She's always helpful, interested in what I'm doing here, and she talks in very rapid French and doesn't seem to care when I just nod and smile.
She lives in a cabin, in the court in the middle of the building........behind the garbage cans.

I'm very thankful for the elevator every time I come home with a bunch of groceries.  I live on the 6th French floor, which is the 7th floor for us.  I've walked it, but wouldn't want to have to walk it every time. The elevator is small, maximum three people and even that is tight (Although Nicholas and Courtney Anne were once in it with another couple from this floor. Courney told me they were quite close). Twice we've hit the alarm button and had to talk to the French Otis Elevator lady, and several times we've had purses or bags stuck in the door.

The apartment itself is very secure.  In the four months I've lived here I have never been scared.  I think that is because of the locks on the door.

The apartment is small, but not that small.  When I was looking at it online, in Oak Harbor, and I told Rick the square footage, he said it was about the size of our bedroom.  It's bigger than that!

I love that there are terraces.  I've spent lots of time sitting on the terrace and peering at all of the activity and traffic below.  I never get tired of that!

It's fascinating...........even at night!

And the view from the apartment is outstanding!

                                         Including that peek-a-boo view of the Eiffel Tower!

There are several things I really appreciate about this apartment...............

There are metal blinds to close off the bedroom terrace.  They really cut out the light and noise.  Did I mention that this is a huge party area?  There are four cafe's on the ground floor of this building.  And they stay open all night!  So it is loud outside!  The quietest hours are 6 a.m. until 8 a.m.


I love that they use every possible space for storage!

                                                    Under the bed...............

                                                 Wine Storage - very important!

                         Lots of little cubbies - you can see I'm organizing my things for my return to the U.S.

Love the bathtub..............



This little whisk is terrific!  I want one just like it for home.............

I have a love/hate relationship with the hot water.  It is very HOT!  I love it because I feel like everything gets sterilized when I clean with it, but I have been burned more times than I can count.

 I hate the pillows.  They feel like pillowcases stuffed with cotton balls.

 Not too crazy for the washer/dryer combination.  It takes forever and doesn't do such a great job.......

And I'm not so crazy about this table with the beam (which Rick said is only for decor - it's not load bearing) going through the table.  It makes it difficult to have a conversation around the table.

But the owners are quite nice and patient when the bank messes up my wire transfers of the rent.

I feel quite lucky that I fell into this apartment.



Some of the Things I Never Grow Tired of in Paris!

And that make Paris such a great city......................

Plaques that identify places important people lived ...

                         The Presse, always good for a newspaper, magazine, candy, bottled water....

                                                   Copper pans hanging outside a restaurant!

                                                                           Kiosks

                                                         Historical water fountains

                           Old floors that make you wonder whose foot-steps you're walking in

                   Architectural detail everywhere makes it difficult to keep your eyes on the sidewalk

                                                                     Doors!

                                             Green chairs in the parks - there are three styles

                                                             Historical Markers

                                          Metro Signs - this one isn't very traditional, but it is fun