Planes, Trains, and Parisian Stereotypes

This post goes out to the Parisian metro system, and our tumultuous love/hate relationship.

Aside from the almost constant smell of urine and feces at each metro stop, Paris’ underground subway system isn’t half bad. And let me tell you I’m an expert on the matter… I spend around 1-2 hours each day riding le train.. because no matter where you go in Paris, everything is at least a 15 minute commute (something my overseas studies advisor conveniently forgot to tell me).

The daily commute isn’t too rough though, and to keep things interesting I’ve started keeping detailed notes of the great mixture or mélange of characters I’ve encountered while riding the metro (an anthropological case study if you will). Venice beach has NOTHING on these folks. So without further ado..

PEOPLE YOU MEET WHILE RIDING THE METRO IN PARIS:

The Street Performer/Gypsy: This individual usually steps into the train car at the last minute… but what they lack in punctuality they often make up for in strange dress and singing/performing “ability”… (ability is in quotation marks because most of the time you can’t understand what they’re saying/they don’t have much talent.. at all). Case and point, the man who stepped on to my train today lugging a battery operated amp, microphone, mp3 player, and speaker system only to spend the next 10 minutes garbling along to an eastern european polka… Now I know I’m a foreigner but I don’t think any of the French people riding the train with me knew what was going on either.
The Incredibly Chic French Woman: This creature thrives in Paris… and can often be found wearing a fur coat that’s eerily similar in color to the tiny little dog being dragged on a leash behind them. These women sit on the metro with a stern expression fixed upon their face… and their longchamp bags perched in their laps. You know how it’s considered rude to stare in most cultures?? It seems that these women seemed to have skipped that section in the “Good Manners” class… I always catch them staring at me (or my super trendy turtlenecks… it’s hard to tell). They have no shame, and will never back down. Those eyes will burn holes through your clothing before your commute is through.
The Art Student: I know that Paris is one of the art capitals of the world and so I shouldn’t be surprised.. but holy shit are there a lot of art students in this city. You can easily spot this species by their trademark trendy “bobo” (the american equivalent of the hipster) attire and their oversized portfolio briefcases. Don’t be surprised.. unlike the typical LA HipsteRat, these kids are the real deal.. and can often be found reading Simone de Beauvoir or Paul Sartre.
The “Trendier Than You’ll Ever Be” 12 Year Old Parisian Girls: They can be found in packs briskly cat-walking down the subterranean metro pathways with their oversized bags hanging just off their forearms. Don’t be fooled by their outward grown up appearance.. these tweens still sleep with the night light on.

Now enter me…. awkward gangly american with an olive green snow jacket that’s easily two sizes too big and a bright teal and neon yellow north face backpack. To say I stand out would be an understatement. I won’t stop my attempts at assimilation… but I can tell it won’t be easy… Day 32 on the Island and they’ve been on to me since Day 1

Nico out.

(Here is a selfie of me and the Eiffel Tower #tourist.. ignore Kelan, he’s always getting in the way)

This Week in Sports… (And By Sports I Mean My Life Abroad)

Since most of my peers have the attention span of a goldfish… I’ve decided to condense my blog and highlight only the main things that happened to me this past week (for all of my especially lazy friends out there… I’ve labeled said events with BOLD CAPITALS for your convenience)

SIGNIFICANT EVENT #1: I had my first week of classes!!!! Good news is I’m taking 3 out of the 4 classes pass/fail… bad news is 2 of them are 9ams and all of them have strict attendance policies. Whatever happened to the freedom of traveling while you’re abroad?? USC killed it with its curriculum, that’s what.

SIGNIFICANT EVENT #3: I visited one of the oldest cathedrals in France.. “Cathédrale Notre-Dame des Chartres.” The cathedral is situated in the tiny town of Chartres which is about an hour and a half drive from Paris. Chartres was like a scene out of Beauty and the Beast… you know the one where Belle is singing about books and all the townspeople keep yelling “Bonjour!”… that’s what Chartres was like. They even had a good ol’ fashioned outdoor french market! The cathedral was cold, and massive (as most cathedrals are)… and the stain glass windows were awe inspiring. Chartres is known for its brilliant blue glass, which is created through the oxidization of cobalt (or so I’m told.. chemistry was never really my thing). It was first built during the 12th century, and then later rebuilt after a fire destroyed a significant section of the church in the 13th century. Our tour guide was the world’s leading expert on Chartres, and has given tours to many notable Americans… including President Nixon and Henry Kissinger… so the next time you’re in Chartres ask for a Malcom Miller (don’t be turned off by his stuffy British personality.. the dude’s 80 and he’s been studying Chartres for over 50 years).

Chartres Cathedral

Ignore the iPhone quality of this picture and instead appreciate my attempt to capture the beauty of the windows and the horrible lighting one finds in gothic cathedrals. I’ll tell you one thing, people in the Middle Ages were NOT instagramming with that lighting.

Random piece of Baroque art in a Gothic cathedral… Malcolm Miller is pissed but it’s all french to me.

SIGNIFICANT EVENT #4: I received my library card to the American Library in Paris… the likes of Ernest Hemingway and Gertrude Stein used to hang around these parts… It seems I am moving up in life. One major perk to having a membership to this library (you have to pay for it by the way) is unlimited access to DVD rentals… this is a big deal for an american student in a country that doesn’t allow netflix instant streaming.

SIGNIFICANT EVENT #5: I opened my own creperie!

And the moment you’ve all been waiting for… TURTLENECK UPDATE… I’m still going strong, but I recently bought 2 new, turtle neck free sweaters. Who will win the battle? Only time will tell.

First Impressions

So I know I’m late to the “Travel Blog Game” but I’ve been really busy, and I was waiting to start writing until I found the PERFECT title… and now that I’ve found it I can begin documenting. A quick note on the title: my mom sent me off to France with more than enough turtlenecks for everyday of the week because what’s more chic in Paris than turtlenecks right? Wrong. I’ve suffered endless teasing on behalf of my classmates, and not to mention an ITCHY neck. Anyway mom, if you’re reading this… I’m staying warm, but I’m convinced I’m going to come back to the United States with a turtleneck tanline/imprint/permanent scar.

Anyway, back to business… I’ve only been here for two weeks, but it already feels like so much longer… and I’m not saying this because I’ve integrated into the culture and have become a full-fledged Parisian and blah blah blah… It seems like I’ve been here forever because I hit a few obstacles during my first few days here.

Aside from my constant fear of being taken and sold into the eastern european sex slave trade (I’ve watched one too many Liam Neeson movies), I had the normal fears that come along with living in a foreign country… like the language barrier, cultural differences, foreign food, etc.

Anyway since being in the city of loooooove I’ve had the chance to experience many of the things Paris is known for like….

Laduree macaroons (expensive yet slightly better than Bottega Louie’s)
paying 5 euro for the teeniest tiniest cup of coffee you’ve ever seen.. I’ve since become a regular at a restaurant called “Breakfast in America” which serves UNLIMITED cups of good ol’ fashioned American coffee
easily identifiable Parisian landmarks and monuments i.e. La Tour Eiffel, La Place de la Bastille, L’Arc de Triomphe, La Louvre, and L’Opera Garnier (pictures to follow)
GYPSIES… so many gypsies or as the French call them “les bohémiens”
paying more for a glass of water than a glass of wine
THE MONA LISA (which was surprisingly underwhelming)
witnessing people actually walking in the streets with baguettes under their arms
Jim Morrison, Chopin, Oscar Wilde and Edith Piaf’s grave sites
and more napoleon paintings than I care to look at

My experience so far has been mostly positive and I’m looking forward to my future travels throughout Europe…. there is just SO much culture and heritage in these ancient cities.. it’s mind-blowing..

La Place de La Bastille

This monument was erected after the storming of the prison “La Bastille” just prior to the French Revolution. It is located just a few blocks away from where I take my classes

Oscar Wilde’s Tomb

Oscar Wilde’s tomb is located in the Père Lachaise Cemetery along with many other notable celebrities like Edith Piaf, Chopin, and Jim Morrison just to name a few. On Wilde’s tomb there are lipstick stains left over from the women who used to come pay their respects by kissing his grave many years ago.

La Tour Eiffel

This one needs no explanation… although on a side note… I’ve never seen so many couples taking selfie, kissing pics in one place before.

An Art Piece at Centre Georges Pompidou

This was a really eye-catching piece.

L’Opèra Garnier

This Opera house inspired the story of the Phantom of the Opera. It’s beautiful on the inside and the ceilings are intricately decorated with gold leaf and giant murals. (A gypsy almost stole my friends phone while we were waiting outside the front steps… tourist central)

Jim Morrison’s Grave

Perhaps one of the most famous graves in the Père Lachaise Cemetery, Jim Morrison’s grave used to be topped with a bust of the famous musician. However, during the 80s many Doors and rock n roll enthusiasts used to flock to Morrison’s gravesite to smoke joints, drink, and pay homage to their late idol… and sometime during this decade his bust was stolen! There’s now a fence around the perimeter of his tombstone preventing visitors from getting too close.

A Ceiling Inside L’Opèra Garnier

La Louvre

Just being your average American tourist

The Mona LisaI was half expecting Tom Hanks to jump out and say something about the DaVinci Code.. overall a cool experience though. There were like a zillion tourists standing around the painting so I had to fight and crawl my way through to the front.