My Weekend in Paris (Part 1)

I left finally had the opportunity to go to Paris for the weekend. No sooner had I arrived and the metro workers went on strike. That is soooo NOT when you want to be in Paris! So I waited until after "la grève." (According to my uncle Michel nobody really knew what they were striking for; and here, it is strike first, talk later. My father used to say that, "la grève is the national sport of France!" Although, in the defense of France having been here during the World Cup I can assure you the national sport is definitely soccer followed my cycling and tennis!

I left on Thursday, July 3rd.

The above picture is the little train station in Vallon less than 5 miles from my aunt's house. When my cousins were in high school each day they would come here to take the train to school.

Below is my platform selfie and Aunt Basia (whose real name is Barbara, have I mentioned that??). It seems that every where we go Basia runs into someone she knows!

The train ride to Paris was a little over 3 hours and it is really easy and kinda nice. You can relax and watch the picturesque scenery, read or take a nap. I like the trains. Of course I have an on the train selfie too! (I micht have cheated a little too! It's with fresh makeup!)

I arrived in Paris at the Gare Austerlitz which is very much like being welcomed by an old friend. I bought my 5 day metro pass and was once again reminded that things are not as cheap as they used to be! What used to cost around $30 cost me $50. So sad!

Getting to my room wasn't  hard but let's face it, traipsing around Paris with luggage is not exactly a party either! It would not have been so bad if I'd didn't keep running into these danged obstacles! (See below!)

Unfortunately there they were going up and down! I was reminded to be thankful for my health and ability to be able to conquer the stairs and I was also reminded that when I return in a few weeks with BOTH my suitcases that I will need to be sure to have cash for a Taxi! While I am strong and healthy I am not about to try and do it with ALL my luggage in tow!

I made good time and was EARLY to meet the person with the keys to my room which meant I got to wander around with my luggage for a few hours. Luckily, I wasn't the only one doing that so it wasn't completely awful. I first found my lodgings (with no problem). The room is in a great location, very close to the metro in a lively neighborhood with easy access to shopping and restaurants. I even found the Holy Grail of traveling...

This beautiful beacon of love contained several thing I much desired and needed: a cold, creamy, caffeinated Carmel Frappiccino, a bathroom, and free WiFi! It was, to say the least, GLORIOUS!!

I should perhaps mention that while the weather here has for the most part been fantastic it does have quite a lot of humidity. Parisians take absolutely no notice if that fact and often are dressed as we would be for our Arizona winter. In fact, that is not really a Parisian thing as much as it is just a French thing (a later post on cultural observations is forthcoming). However, being an inhabitant of a dry desert leaves me with zero tolerance for the humidity. So please forgive any picture that clearly depicts my inability to tolerate humidity at any level (sooo not looking forward to coming home in the midst of our humid monsoon season!) which I should mention is most of them!

Thanks to my sister Valerie, I was able to locate a room using www.airbnb.com. The room was called a "studette" and was located on the 6th floor of a little apartment building tucked inbetween another small hotel and a café. The elevator (approximately 18" deep and 30" wide, no way two people could fit in it! With my luggage it was a snug fit!) took me up to the 5th floor and you had to walk up to the 6th floor! 

The room itself was approximately 8ft by 16ft. 

This first picture is looking from the window towards the door.

This second picture is looking from the door towards the window.

This third picture shows the shower which was just to the left as you walk in. The shower had two temperatures: too hot and scalding!

Next to the shower was the kitchenette. The dark panel under the stove top is the refrigerator. 

Beyond the kitchenette on the left there was a cabinet for clothing and a desk where in theory you could use the internet however the WiFi never worked in the room so I wasn't able to post until I got back to the countryside. On the right hand side you can see the couch/sofa/bed thing. This is really just a room for one but if you really liked someone you could potentially have another person on the floor with an air mattress for a few nights but let's face it personal space would be non existent!

This picture shows the "beanbag" chair (a complete waste of space) and the cubbard that held all the kitchen supplies. The lower cabinet was the "pantry."

If you have been paying attention you will notice that I have not mention the location if the toilet. That is because it was not located in the room! Just outside the room right across the hallway was a blue door...

And behind the blue door?? Yep, you guessed it! The potty!

Now, having the toilett across the hall wasn't really that big a deal in the bigger scheme of life. But it was a little weird at night because my room did not have a door knob. It opened by skeleton key so trying to be quiet was next to impossible!

Finally, I took this picture from the window. The view was just so pretty and charming. 

Finally, after getting situated in my roomI got cleaned up and met my beautiful friend Laurence at the café on the corner where I was staying. I had such a terrific time catching up with her! She is so lovely and just has a beautiful soul!


Stay tuned for part 2!

Fête de la Musique and the village of Epineuil-le-Fleurial

On Saturday June 21, 2014 I attended the Fête de la Musique in the small village I am staying in called Epineuil-le-Fleurial. Epineuil is located in the center of France, like literally in the center of France. If you were to stick your finger in the middle of a map of France, somewhere very close to that finger you will find Epineuil! The fête was set to begin around 9pm. I left early to walk down to the main road where the party was being held. As I walked I decided I would take pictures along the way to give you an idea of what the village is like. There are only about 500 people who live here.

 

This is me, all dolled up, heading to the main street. Okay, not really dolled up but if you put a dress on with a little makeup in a place this small you are pretty dolled up!

 Nice country road isn't it?

 This is a charming decoration in a green belt area on the walk towards the main street.

This is Epineuil's claim to fame. This is the school house featured in a book called Le Grand Meaules by Alain Fournier. The village has a small museum that hosts tours of the school and provides information about the author.

Below is the gate that encloses the school. Notice the flowers to the left of the gate.

 These flowers are a close up picture to the ones shown next to the gate above. You really can not separate any self respecting village, town, or city in France from it's flowers. They really go hand in hand!

 These next two pictures are houses. Notice the tiled roofs and shutters on the windows. Many of the houses in this area started out as farmsteads so often they have a "barn" look to them.

 To the right you have the Marie. This is essentially city hall. The mayor does his mayor work there and if you are married in France your first set of vows must take place in front of the Marie in order to make it legal. Having a church wedding is optional.

 Another house. Again, notice the shutters on the windows, count the doors. Do you think that is one house or two? Notice the brick work on the far right of the photo. Again, all of these elements are typically French.

This is the corner café located, quite nicely, on the corner of the two main roads in the village.

 This picture cracks me up! This is the  only Bar in town and it is conveniently located next to the boulangerie (bread baker).

 This picture allows you to see the actual doors and how close they are. This is important because, go figure, the baker owns the bar. I asked why I had never seen it opened and was told that is because we usually don't head out any place until after lunch. The Bar closes at the same time as the boulangerie because it is owned by the Baker! I asked how they could call themselves a bar whethe only thing they were serving was coffee?! I was then informed there were many a good French person who enjoyed their glass of rosé at 9h30 in the morning! You gotta love the French!!

The picture to the right is the village church. It was constructed early in the 12th century. Again, notice the pretty flowers in the next few photos! Charming aren't they?

This picture to the left is again showing one of the village lanes. This picture was taken after 9pm! Sunset is very late here in June.

 Some signs advertising stuff happening in the village. The one on the right is for the event I attended.

 This is the pay phone in town. It is interesting that it is still here because with the introduction of the cell phone these are harder and harder to find in France (as are those in the US!).

 This particular telephone booth and I have a long history. The first few time I was here I would buy my telephone card and walk to the phone to call home. The phone cards and credit/debit cards here are interesting because they have a chip in them. If you look close enough at the picture above you will see that there is no place to put coins. France has had cards with computer chips for well over a decade. I wonder what is taking the US so long to figure out that technology.

 Found this sign tucked into a random garage. Not sure why it is there.

Above is the patio in front of the only café in the village.

 

 So here is our little Fête de la Musique. The band is a small folk band playing traditional music. They are set up in front of the Museum office so that the people could dance on the patio in front of the office.

Here (above and below) you can see people doing the traditional steps and the sun has set. This picture was taken sometime around 10: 15pm.

 

 

The volunteers who put on the evening also donated desserts to be sold.

 Here is a close up of a rhubarb tart.

Above and below are more pictures and a few videos of the shenanigans. What was fun to watch were the dancers who really knew what they were doing. There were a few couples who were really good and I was told they they belong to a group that does traditional dances. It was neat because often the dances required you to change partners. They were very generous and those who were trying to learn each had the opportunity to dance with a great partner. Great partners always make you feel like a better dancer!

I love this picture! This man was with his daughter and all night long they were practicing their moves! It was so fun to watch them. Eventually they joined in the fun with the others. It was so sweet.