PARIS PAPERS VOLUME XI ~ June 8, 2006

Dear Family and Friends

Well, here it is your last Paris Papers from this hemisphere, but don’t fret just yet, I will be doing one more once I get back to the states! So, on your mark…. Get set……….. GO!

Making fresh whipped cream, soaked from doing dishes, Paris has not cured by clumsyness

Two weeks ago was my final cooking class. We turned in our final papers, and had to give a short oral presentation (in French) of our topic. For our last meal we made roast pork with a sweet prune glaze and roasted apples, and we made a chocolate cake for dessert. It was very good, and very sweet. Overall that class was a very cool experience. So much of France’s culture and history is based around food, and if nothing else, now, I can make something presentable for when I have a home of my own and have dinner guests!

Angelina's

For touristy adventures, I visited to the Monet Museum (the Marmottan), which is home to the largest collection of Monet’s work. It was a nice museum, with an entire floor devoted to nothing but Monsieur Monet, and the rest of the museum was full of beautiful nineteenth century furniture (a round table made of 110 different types of marble) and a few other impressionist style paintings. I was, however disappointed that Monet’s famed Water Lilies were not in this museum, but more on that topic a little bit later. From there I took a lovely walk along the Seine just browsing the little bouquinistes (little stalls with books along the Seine), and people watching. As a send off for one of our companions, my friends and I went to Angelina’s café for hot chocolate. As a tourism point, I highly recommend going there. The hot chocolate is like melted chocolate ice cream, incredibly thick, creamy, and DELICIOUS.

I went with a friend to the Mosque de Paris, which aside from being a Muslim place of worship is also a café offering delicious Arab tea and middle eastern pastries. Middle Eastern pastries are QUITE delicious. They use a lot of nuts (almonds, pistachios), and honey usually in some sort of puff pastry or filo dough. They two pastries I tried were reminiscent of baklava. They tea was sweet and minty and served in small glasses like water glasses, which (I will explain how I know this later) is a Moroccan style. I think I prefer mugs, as you do not burn your fingers on the hot glass as you sip the scalding tea. But slightly singed fingers aside, very neat.

Me in the Sainte Chapelle

And just incase you forgot how amazing the windows are.......... :o)

I have begun to do the “Lasts.” I started with my last visit to Sainte Chapelle. This time, for a change of pace, I went in the morning (every other time I have gone it has been in the afternoon). The windows on the other side were well lit, and so I got a chance to explore them in full light, which was a nice change. Keeping with tradition, I took more photos than necessary, but when am I going to have the opportunity to take pictures at Sainte Chapelle again? :o)

The Bagatelle Roserie

Roses are red...

...and pink...

...and orange...

... and multi-colored...

...and tie-dyed?

Irises

There were just SO many beautiful colors...

Clematises... or is it Clemati?

Sculpture in the Palais Royal Gardens

I also have discovered the Bois de Boulogne and the Bagatelle Gardens. Yes, the DaVinci Code is correct, the Bois de Boulogne is quite sketchy AT NIGHT ONLY. During the day it is a regular park and perfectly safe and full of normal people doing normal park things. The Bagatelle Gardens are in the Bois de Boulogne, and are INCREDIBLE. They have an entire section called the “Roserie” (no religious connotation), which is full of a few hundred different types of roses. There was also a beautiful area full of all different sorts of irises, and a whole wall of climbing flowers such as clematises and climbing roses. It was really nice. I highly recommend a visit. While we are on the garden theme, I also recently discovered the gardens at the Palais Royal, which is adjacent to the Louvre.

I also have had a heavy dose of markets recently. Nicole (the red head from our last episode) and I stumbled upon an artisan market near Place de la Bastille, and then we went to the giant flea market at Porte de Clignacourt. There were hundreds upon hundreds of stalls selling everything, up to and including knock off Louis Vitton and Dior purses and sunglasses. There were all sorts of odd things, African art, and some very bizarre fashions.

I am finished with my exams. The exam session here in France lasts two weeks, but I was lucky enough to have all three of my exams in the first two days. French exams are somewhat frightening. Considering the lack of continuous assessment, your final is worth half of your grade (that would have been the case even if there had been no strike). Professors do not give study guides, nor do they discuss possible topics in advance. The exam usually consists of two choices, and you write about one of them. The first choice is a French style dissertation (a really difficult essay with a very rigid format), or a text commentary (you place the text in the context of what you have learned and explain it from the perspective of the class: Sociology, History, etc). You get your little exam booklet thing (nothing like the blue books of American Universities), and you have between two and four hours to respond. Not fun. I was fortunate in that I was permitted a French-English dictionary as a foreign student. In short, I miss multiple choice exams, continuous assessment, and the five-paragraph essay. Also, another discovery about the French University system: You may recall my descriptions of classes here in France. They are divided into two parts, the lecture and the TD (Travaux Dirigés, or small discussion classes). Apparently, the TDs are optional; however, if you do not take the TD (with the included exposé, or paper) you have to take two final exams, a written exam, and an oral exam. Either way, I am done and now I am on summer vacation! :oD

Now that classes are over, I sold back some of my books. There are no “required” texts in France, other than the primary sources distributed by professors, but there are recommended texts. Most of the learning in the French system is independent. You are given the skeleton of the knowledge you need in lectures and classes, but it is up to you to read and flesh out your knowledge. I chose to purchase the texts because it is what I am used to doing in the states. To buy the books was somewhat expensive, but not to the criminal level of American text books. However, when selling books back, it is about the same story, if not a little worse. I gained back about a quarter to a third of what I spent on the books, but I suppose it is better than nothing. Some things are the same no matter where you are, I guess.

Me and Nicole at the top of the Arc de Triumphe

A view from the top of the Eiffel Tower

Sunset with the threatening angry clouds

Night time view, Invalides in the foreground, the Pantheon in the upper right, Saint Sulpice in the middle, and Notre Dame in the upper left.

The Eiffel Tower at night

Eiffel Tower, 1:02 AM

To kick of my summer vacation I did some of the traditional touristy things around Paris again. I figure I might as well finish how I started. I went back to the top of the Arc de Triumphe, and I was disappointed to see that the exhibit about Napoleon had disappeared. I walked the Champs Elysses, past the Obelisk, and through the Tuileries Gardens. I also went back for my last Eiffel Tower scaling. I went up while it was still light out, and took in the view in daylight, then watched the sunset from the top, and then took in the twilight and night views. It was really neat. I thought about saving that trip for the last night, but with how the weather has been (all over the place) I thought it was best not to save that trip for the last minute. I also got to see the Eiffel Tower get shut off for the night. Nicole has quite the view out of her apartment, and the Eiffel Tower is right in the middle of her skyline. They shut off the yellow spotlights at 1 AM, but then just the little blue lights flash for ten minutes and it is really cool to see.

One of the huge Water Lilies

Up close and personal with a Monet Masterpiece

I have been on a bit of a Monet kick this Paris Papers cycle, first the Monet Museum, and then I went to the Orangerie. The Orangerie is a museum at the entrance to the Tuileries Gardens, and it has been closed for 6 years for extensive renovations. It opened up at the end of May. The building was reconstructed to house Monet’s Water Lilies (the big ones with are over 10 feet long), and display them in natural light, which is how Monet intended them to be viewed. I very much enjoy the Impressionist Movement, as an uneducated art viewer. I think more along the lines of “wow, that’s pretty,” rather than like true art aficionados who say “these paintings are perhaps the most influential works of art since the Renaissance………. (goes on about the effect of light, etc)” I just like to look at them. In regards to the ones displayed in the Orangerie, they are VERY pretty. I liked seeing the paintings after I had been to Giverny, first seeing the real location, and then the work inspired by the garden.

This church looks familiar... Chartres Part II, the Gothic tower is the one on the left completed in the Flamboyant Gothic style in 1513 and on the right is the Romanesque tower completed in 1164.

Flying Buttresses

The roof, you can clearly see that the cathedral is shaped like a cross, another feature of gothic architecture.

Victory.

Last Friday I returned to Chartres. This time I called in advance to verify that the towers were open and accessible to the public. When I arrived I headed straight to the tower, but found it CLOSED. Turns out the woman on the phone lied. The tower was closed due to a lack of personnel. I was so disappointed. I started talking to one of the Guardians, and I explained to him my story, and he took me up for a private tour! You can only access the Gothic Tower (the one on the left as you face the cathedral). The Romanesque tower (the older one on the right) is hollow. I got to examine the back side of the stained glass windows, and walk along the roof too look down at the flying buttresses. For those who do not know, the flying buttresses are a feature of gothic architecture that allows gothic cathedrals to have huge windows, unlike the cathedrals before them. The flying buttresses support the weight of the stone and lead roofs of gothic cathedrals. Because of course, stained glass windows cannot support much weight. Before the gothic style cathedrals had few, if any windows, and those that existed where very small. However the creation of flying buttresses alleviated the pressure to support the weight of the roof, and therefore allowed for the creation of the beautiful stained glass windows for which gothic cathedrals are famed. Either way, I got to climb the tower of Chartres cathedral after five years of regret after “chickening out” when I was 16. I was able to see all the gargoyles and the bells. The guardian even let me inside the roof structure, between the metal (formerly lead, but replaced in the modern era with copper, which explains the green color), and the stone. It looked sort of like an old ship turned upside down with the “ribs” of the structure. It was VERY cool. I am so glad I went back. I am still afraid of heights, but I feel like I triumphed over an old enemy. I have a much better memory of Chartres this time then I did in 2001.

Tour Montparnasse

Sunset from the Tour Montparnasse

The Lady of Paris at night.

I also went for the “double whammy” last Friday. When I returned from Chartres, I decided to go to the Tour Montparnasse for the sunset. The tour Montparnasse is a 259 storey office building with a terrace on the top floor. The Parisians call it “the Other Tower” (Eiffel being THE Tower). It only takes 30 seconds in the elevator to get to the top floor. I watched a beautiful sunset, with the Eiffel Tower in the foreground. It was most enjoyable. Just to complete the day I decided to go to Notre Dame to see it all light up. I have lived here since January, and had never seen Notre Dame at night. It is VERY beautiful all lit up. There was also a sort of exhibition going on, all sorts of “Fire Dancers,” people doing all sorts of tricks with flaming batons, and fire eaters. It was very interesting to watch.

Zineb and me at the Fountain of Apollo at Versailles

The grounds of Versailles stretching all the way down the the Fountain of Apollo and the Grand Canal

I decided to take another trip to Versailles, just to see the fountains. I went with my friend Zineb (pronounced: Zin-ebb), an exchange student from Morocco, living here in Paris with her brother and his family. The weather was amazing, and we passed a fantastic afternoon enjoying the fountains and the music (I bought the CD if anyone is interested in some incredible Baroque music). After our trip to Versailles, Zineb invited me to have dinner with her family. I had never eaten Moroccan food before. The food was not the most foreign part of the experience. Yes, the food was different, they use different spices, and started the meal with pasta with sugar and cinnamon, but the thing that was the most different was the actual style of eating. Moroccans do not use plates. Everyone sits around a round table and eats from the same dish. You also rarely use silverware. You eat with your hands, and you used bread to pick up pieces of meat or vegetables. They also eat very late, around eleven or midnight. You have tea and a snack around 4, but dinner is much later. Overall it was a fun time, and her family is very kind. I spent the night, because dinner started about the same time the last train was leaving the station. I slept on a home made Moroccan mat, which was intensely comfortable.

In the morning we went to the market. This market not only had the Dior knock offs, but an array of diverse cultural products. There were traditional Moroccan clothes, exotic fruits and vegetables, jewelry, and just about anything you can imagine. There were so many people everywhere! It was very full of life, and of course we had to stop every ten yards to chat with family members or acquaintances, it was reminiscent of going to the supermarket in my hometown on a Saturday! It was very interesting to spend time with a family from a culture so different from my own. Living in small town New England (be it Merrimack or Orono), I have not had the opportunity to interact with another culture so closely. The interesting part was, they had as many questions about my culture as I had about theirs, plus, our only means of communication was French, so it was good practice, though slightly mentally exhausting.

Chateau Malmaison

Emperor Napoleon I's Library and Study

The Emperor's Bedroom, which is meant to recall a tent from his campaigns in Egypt

Napoleon Crosses the Alps, by David

On Monday I paid a visit to the Chateau Malmaison, just outside of Paris. This small chateau was owned by Napoleon’s first wife, the Empress Josephine. Before their divorce, the couple spent time there together to escape the Tuileries Palace in Paris. After their divorce, Josephine retained the Chateau and lived there with her children. The chateau is small in comparison to the Tuileries Palace (which most people know as the Louvre Museum), and much less ornate than Versailles. However, I felt that it had a certain charm. It was lavish, but at the same time, looked more real. Versailles looks too elegant to be lived in. Malmaison had more of a residential feel to it. Some of the rooms were decorated to recall Napoleon’s campaigns in Egypt with the walls draped in fabric to resemble tents. The library was very nice. It is how I imagine a distinguished scholar’s library would look. The chateau also earned some points (in my book) for having an original Jacques Louis David painting, “Napoleon Crossing the Alps.” I love this painting because it is such a farce. As you can see Napoleon is glorified to the extreme. The true story of the crossing of the Alps has Napoleon sitting on a little donkey wearing a tattered gray overcoat and freezing his imperial buns off. Clearly, David’s painting is a more appealing image. However, it is a wonderful example of history being rewritten, or repainted (as the case may be) by the victors.

The Deportation Memorial

Inside St. Etienne du Mont

I also spent yesterday wandering around Paris visiting some of the smaller sights. I paid a visit to St. Merri Cathedral, which is near the Centre Pompidou (the modern art museum with all the pipes on the exterior). I visited the Deportation Memorial on Isle de la Cite behind Notre Dame. This is an underground memorial to all the French men, women, and children who were deported and or killed during the German occupation of France during the Second World War. It is not a massive memorial, but it is very poignant. There are two walls of a tunnel with one small white light for every life lost. I also visited St. Etienne du Mont, the Cathedral is home to what remains of the tomb St. Genevieve (the patron Saint of Paris). The architecture inside the church is quite striking, perhaps one of the more beautiful interiors I have yet seen. As you all know, I usually am drawn to the stained glass, but this time the architecture was really what grabbed me. To finish my day I took a stroll through the Luxembourg gardens, which are always lovely and full of people.

I am going to take a moment to comment/rant about France and customer service. I would like to start by saying there is no possible way to say “Customer Service” in French, because it is a concept that does not exist here. Having worked in customer service back in the states, I am well acquainted with the American outlook on customer service. All of my training taught me one thing: “Do whatever you have to do to please the customer and keep their business, just so long as you don’t cost the company an inordinate amount of money.” In France, they do not care about keeping your business, and actual Parisians tell me this as well. It does not matter if you are buying Metro tickets or an expensive dinner. If you want to buy a train ticket and the person behind the counter is having a cigarette, you will wait until they are done with their cigarette, it doesn’t matter if you are late and about to miss your train. If you have a question about a product or the location of an item, first of all if you are lucky enough to find an employee, you will usually not get a correct or helpful response. The really fun thing is when you ask to speak to a manager, because that does nothing. The managers are as nonchalant as their employees. Ok, rant over, I rather had an difficult time at the train station this week, and also in a store, but this is a common theme, I just happened to have it happen twice in a row.

Well, it has happened, the suitcase has come out from its lurking place beneath my bed. And what’s more, it now has stuff in it. A rather substantial amount of stuff, I might add. It is strange, I cannot decide if I am ready to leave. Granted, I WANT to go home and see my family, and my friends, and sleep in MY bed, and eat American food, and watch the Red Sox, but another part of me does not want to leave my life here, because it truly is another life. In the meantime, I still have a couple more days of my Parisian life to enjoy. So for now I will leave you, but I will be back in 2 weeks for the grande finale! Paris Papers XII, the Epilogue. See you on the other side (of the Atlantic). Paris Papers’ most popular columnist,

~Monica