French Pulling Tips #1

Take your cat on the metro

Yes, I actually saw a woman with a cat on the metro yesterday, and not in one of those carriers that you use to take them to the vets. No, it had a harness and a lead on. Which all may seem rather innocent, but when kitty's owner sits in the seat right next to cute French guy and kitty takes a shine to him, it becomes not so innocent.

The kitty (which was so cute by the way!) made friends with the man by purring round him and wandering onto his lap, thus commanding his full attention. He made silly cutesy noises to the kitty and got chatting to the owner. I couldn't believe it! She's lucky he was so understanding, I can't imagine that many people would be enamoured with someone else's cat walking all over them whilst they're trying to maintain their best I'm-pissed-off-because-I'm-on-the-métro face?

Alas, her pulling technique failed as he descended the metro and left her and her kitty without his number. Kitty proceeded to do a cat walk (ha!) and paraded up and down by the seats. Presumably attempting to attract a mate, although whether it was for the cat itself or its owner, I'm not sure. I think I would advise against this method as she was probably pretty lucky to find someone who didn't mind putting their book down for a few minutes to coo over her cat, and not get annoyed at leaving the metro with cat hairs all over his best work trousers.

[As I don't have a picture of le chat dans le métro, here is a photo I took of a cat in another inappropriate place - a bakery window, atop the baguettes.]

Centre Pompidou

Going to a gallery of modern art always reminds me just how much I dislike modern art. I find that it can be distasteful, shocking for the sake of being shocking and pointless. However, it also reminded me just how intelligent some modern thinkers are/were. Actually, I don't dislike all modern art; in fact, it's the really modern stuff that I dislike, rather than the exhibitions at Centre Pompidou. However, some of the pictures and installations made me question how they could possibly be called art. Of course, this is what makes it art; the fact that it invokes such a strong reaction. If you can walk past a piece of art without having any feeling towards it, then it hasn't really achieved its goal - to make you feel, think, question. In my opinion, anyway.

Les Conventions Françaises

Today I had a rather casual experience: sitting my first exam of the term. "Casual" not normally being an appropriate adjective for sitting an exam, unless you are doing it at the uni I'm currently studying at.

I'm not sure if it is just this uni - because, in all honesty, it's pretty rubbish - or all French unis but I was a bit shocked by the way the whole thing was conducted. I walked in, amidst many other students who were chatting away, took my own answer paper and rough work paper from a desk at the front and then sat wherever I liked (on the end of the row quite far back.) Entering an exam in England is so different; you are to be silent as soon as you enter the exam room and you take the seat that is allocated to you where your answer paper will already be waiting for you.

The room proceeded to fill up and people carried on chatting and sitting together; another difference: whenever I have taken an exam in a lecture theatre, we are told to sit with an empty seat between us. Not in this uni! Once (almost) everyone was present and seated, the lecturer began to explain the paper briefly whilst it was distributed among us. We have lackeys - sorry, exam assistants - back home to do that for us. And, in addition to explaining the paper, one of the people overseeing the exam treats us to a long speech about procedures, practices etc.

All the papers were given out and we were able to start. Glancing around the room, I noticed that everyone had their phones sat on the desk, some using them... What?! Back at home that phone isn't even supposed to be on your person let alone your desk or in your hand, while you text someone "Examen de merde!" (Or so I imagine.) The guy next to me could have even been suspected of cheating; he was constantly texting and looking at his phone and then writing. Even if he wasn't, anyone could have been.

Twice during the exam the lecturer (the only person overseeing the exam) decided we were to be trusted and left, not for a short while either. And everyone began to chat.

This whole experience baffled me, perhaps the French education system is more trusting of its students, perhaps it really is a reflection of how rubbish my uni is; or even just that particular module, or perhaps it is in-keeping with that blasé French attitude we have come to know and love.

If the guy next to me doesn't get full marks on the paper, then my faith in honesty and human decency will be restored.

Paris Checklist

Apart from a little scrappy bit of paper sellotaped to my wall, I haven't made a comprehensive list of places to go and things to do in Paris. Despite this, I have actually managed to tick some things off said scrap. So, here is my comprehensive list of things I am yet to see or do.

La Culture

1. Musée d'Orsay - It's scandalous that I haven't been yet.
2. Centre Pompidou - See above.
3. Institut du Monde Arabe - I actually did attempt this one, but I went on a Monday, when it is - of which I was unaware - closed to the public.
4. Promenade Plantée
5. Archives Nationales
6. Sainte-Chapelle
7. Eglise St. Eustache
8. Cimitière de Montmartre
9. Les Catacombes
10. Tour Montparnasse
11. Versailles
13. Palais Royal
14. Museum Nationale d'Histoire Naturelle
15. Maison de Victor Hugo
16. Musée du Quai Branly
17. Cimitière du Montparnasse

Shopping
1. Le Pestacle de Maëlou
2. Hi Panda

La Nourriture

1. The café in the first episode of season 4 Gossip Girl. May need to find out which one it is before I attempt to go.
2. Angelina's - for their allegedly amazing hot chocolate.
3. Baccarat - also inspired by Gossip Girl. This one probably won't happen, but one can dream, non?
4. Breakfast In America
6. The (elusive) British food shop

Pour prendre une verre (ou deux)

1. Planète Mars
2. La Fleche d'Or
3. Pop In
4. L'International
5. Le Tigre

(Merci Indie Travel Guide)

.And go to a gig. This list is not exhaustive; I think of something else I want to do here all the time. So, I will try my best to remember to add to the list and cross off as is appropriate. I'm also interested to see which category gets completed first...

J'ai fait une grosse connerie...

One freezing Saturday, a couple of weeks ago, my flatmate and I found ourselves at the SQY-Ouest centre commercial in St Quentin-en-Yvelines.



It is approximately 50 minutes west of central Paris by the delightful RER C. So, what made me make such a journey, you ask? The answer is: a dress. A rather pretty dress, but just a dress nonetheless. This is where the 'grosse connerie' comes in.

Quite a while ago I placed an order with Zara's online store. Being the cheapskate that I am, I opted for 'in store delivery' which is free. When I entered my postcode, the website gave me a list of three shops to send my item to. I recognised two and, out of curiosity, searched the street address of the third. Google maps showed the shop as being a mere few streets away from my home, so thinking I was being clever, I chose that one. I thought nothing of it until Zara sent me an email kindly informing me that my order was in store...in a store with the postcode 78180. As it didn't begin with 750 (meaning it wasn't in central Paris), I googled it and found out it was at the end of the RER C line, 50 minutes to the west of Paris.



I ended up paying €10 train fare (more than three times the delivery fee!), making a 50 minute journey, and almost freezing to death waiting for the RER. The moral of this story: always pay the three euro delivery fee!

Just Another Night Out in Paris...

Last night, my flat mate and I decided to go out for "a couple" of drinks, and to not make it a "late one." After four cocktails and a glass of wine later, we ended up getting home at 5am with two members of quite a famous (at the time) band, strictly for providing a place to crash and nothing else, you understand.

So we get to Le Motel at around 10pm and find a drinks menu. Unfortunately, two gentlemen had decided to set up camp in front of it so we shuffled over to take a look and due to terrible eyesight, ended up squinting at the menu for a little too long and started to annoy said gentlemen. Luckily, we found another menu.

Le Motel is one of those grimy (in a good way) indie bars. They provide indie music (of course) and soft rock, none that I recognized but good for background music. There is a funky, circular bar right in the middle of the second room and not many places to sit. Luckily we found seats. With €6,50 cocktails, you can't go wrong (this is good for Paris!)

We had no more encounters with the bar guys until much later when they came over and got chatting to us. Friendly Irish chaps who, little did we know, are/were in a pretty famous band. I'm not going to say which, instead I'll just say we had a thrilling evening...

Anyway, bar closes around 2am and we've missed the last metro; so much for "not a late one." As is usual in Paris there were no taxis anywhere near the bar, so we headed to Bastille to catch one, to no avail. We all ended up going to a cafe and I got something I haven't gotten since I left England...post-night out chips! Granted they cost €7,50 but they were good chips!

After we finished chips and wine - oh so French - we headed back to our flat and provided a nice hospitable sofa. This morning (afternoon) my flat mate, being a good hostess, saw them out. A pair of forgotten gloves and a forgotten iphone later, that was it for Celebrity Encounter in Paris #2!

A Few Days in Barcelona

On Monday (technically Tuesday when we landed), I returned to Paris after a rather traumatic experience with delayed flights, no trains or buses running and an expensive taxi ride home, made all the more traumatic by the fact that I didn't want to leave.

Barcelona is amazing; it is pretty, bohemian, laid back and the people are friendly and accommodating. My friend has even decided that she wants to live there in the future. We stayed in the Barri Gòtic (the Gothic Quarter) for 4 days/3 nights. It was truly beautiful and this comes from someone who lives in Paris!

We explored the Gothic Quarter as far as Plaça Catalunya down to the sea front. The side streets were filled with people milling around outside shops, restaurants and bars. It wasn't unpleasantly busy, however, there were just enough people to still get around but enjoy the buzz. We went to La Sagrada Familia, Arc de Triomf, Jardins de la Ciudadela, Catedral de Barcelona, numerous Christmas markets and, of course, the high street.



Another (always) enjoyable experience was sampling the local foods and drinks: paella, sangria and xocolata a la tassa (hot melted chocolate in a mug). However, there was one unpleasant dining experience in the form of 'xocolata con churros.' Evidently, the 'chocolate' part was great, it was the 'churros' (deep-fried doughnut-pastry things) which made me scrunch up my face and throw away €3.50 worth of food.

All dining experiences aside, I found my new favourite spot in the world on Montjüic which is a mountain comprising a few gardens, museums, a castle and my new favourite place; a little cafe with outdoor seating and an amazing view of the city. Paired with reasonable prices, good coffee and a little sun, it was perfect.

The whole experience was, of course, enhanced by the fact that it was 10 degrees hotter than Paris and I got a break from the current end-of-year exams/essays stress. Et alors, time to stop dreaming of sangria and mountain-side cafes and get back to work...