Fontainebleau

You can tell that we are settling in to life here in Paris. I feel bad when I look at my blog posts from past months and see how they become less and less. Not that life isn't exciting or "new" anymore, but we are getting used to the way things are here. It takes more of an effort to go out, although we are always thankful when we do. Sometimes though, it's just easier to fall into old habits--staying at home watching movies while we have the munchies--rather than going out and discovering more of the beauty around us in one of the world's most fascinating cities. We had a bit of a wakeup call this past Saturday when we had our first actual travel experience since our arrival in Paris...

Life can be a Carousel, you get on and don't even notice what's going on as you go round and round.

I miraculously got the day off on Saturday (first Saturday off since our second week in Paris!) so we decided to make it a holiday! All the rest of Paris has "fait des vacances" (literally "make vacation/holiday"), so why shouldn't we?! Of course, our vacation was different, one day as opposed to the five weeks paid vacation that Parisians gain after just one year of employment in a company. (This is totally standard fare...even at Disneyland everyone gets this after the first year!) Since we had so little time, we had to find something relatively local. However, we also wanted to take the opportunity to get out of the city. We decided to go to visit the Chateau de Fontainebleau in the city of Avon, about an hour outside of Paris by train.

Andrew with the Chateau

We were both very excited upon boarding the train. We wandered around the Art Deco interior of the Gare de Lyon train station in Paris, watching the TGVs coming in from all over France, enjoying the bustle of the city trying to squeeze in a last hurrah before school begins again. We had packed a delicious looking picnic lunch and were settled: this was a day to relax, to enjoy being together, and to have a holiday from the familiar life that we have begun to settle into. We watched the country fly by outside our windows, giddy with the thought of change! This short and simple journey reawakened a desire in us: didn't we love to travel? Isn't that one of the big reasons we came here--to see Europe? We decided to make a more conscious effort to see Paris as much as we could, but also to get out of it as often as possible. This little day trip was a lovely refresher for us, for our relationship, for our being.

We arrived in the town too late to visit the chateau, but we didn't mind...we were here for us, not to get things done! We walked through the grounds and admired the lovely gardens of the chateau.

The extensive grounds. The grand canal begins just beyond the fountain in the background...

We finally reached the Grand Canal that sprawled into a great park behind the chateau. The canal was lined with overgrown banks, full of green life. Next, on either side, came sheltered paths, and then an organized forest.

The Grand Canal, also the view to the left from our picnic spot. You can see the rooftops of the castle behind the trees in the center of the photo.

View to the right...what a perfect day!

We found a perfect spot for our picnic and had a lovely time, at least when we weren't fighting gnats! There were thousands of them along the banks of the canal, and when the breeze would die down, they came to attack us again and again! We fought with valor, and I must say we must have been quite a sight to behold...guarding our precious picnic by warding off the pests with plastic plates!

Our phenomenal lunch

Finally the breeze decided it was on our side, and being stuffed with cheese, bread, wine, fruit, and chocolate, we fell asleep in the tall grass.

Nap time! We are here to relax.

Upon awakening, we wandered back through the grounds to the town. We stopped for some cool drinks (tasty iced coffee for me, and refreshing minted water for Ange) at a cute "Salon de The" (tea house) before catching the train back home.

Cute lil' tea room

Very content to be enjoying this delicious, actual iced coffee at the end of our date!

All in all, a marvelous day!

City of Lights, City of Nights

One often hears about Paris being the “City of Lights.” Being here, I’ve discovered how very true that is! Paris, with its massive monuments and reflecting river, is always beautiful in the daytime. But it is these very qualities which make it so beautiful, so breathtaking, at night. The spirit and pulse of the nighttime city is only more obvious because of the Parisians and their living habits. After all, we’re talking about a culture where the dinner hour regularly commences after 8pm, and most cafés are open until 2am!

Part of what gave me this new cultural insight is the fact that I’ve recently had some early mornings in Paris. Morning on the streets of Paris is one of those times that reveals just how different this city is from other cities, at least the ones I’ve been to. In a big American city, New York, LA, Boston, for example, the whole city seems to be waking up before the sun does. It’s the people who bring the city and its contents to life. In Paris, the opposite is true: it seems to be the sun which warms and wakens the sleepy people. The typical workday here begins at 9am, and most shops don’t open until 10 or 11.

I especially love Paris on a Sunday morning, when you seem to have the whole city to yourself! Nobody is out at this time, no shops are open, no cars on the road. Just you and the city (if you are up, it’s because you weren’t partying until 3am last night)! This past Monday, I got to see morning Paris in “action” on a work/week day…it was interesting, to be sure. I had to be at work for a 7:30am shift, requiring me to take the 6:30am train. Walking to the station a little before 6:30, the only other people I saw in the dark were street sweepers and delivery men. On the train, even in this vast city of commute and commerce, there were people, but no activity. The train was relatively silent, and occupied almost entirely by nodding heads. I literally watched people walk onto the train, sit down, and be asleep before the train had left the platform! Paris really isn’t a “morning person,” though it is lovely and charming in the morning.

While it may be enjoyable in the morning, Paris becomes truly magical only at night! As I said, if one looks at the city you can see how it is so enchanting in the evenings! Andrew and I had the opportunity to really explore this place at night during Shannon’s visit from Russia. Andrew was able to get us into a nighttime bike tour of Paris because he currently works as a mechanic for the tour company. We had a marvelous time, and enjoyed the thrill of the wind in our faces as we took in Paris at its most glorious time of day!

Pictures can tell a story wonderfully, so I’ll just leave you with some. Our bike tour ended with a one hour boat ride on the Seine, offering the perfect opportunity to see the city all lit up! I thought it strange that Andrew and I hadn’t really experienced nighttime Paris much since we’ve been here, until I realized that it’s only just now started getting dark at a “normal” hour (9:30pm). All summer long it’s stayed light until 10:30-11!! I quite like the nighttime look of the city, however, and can’t wait to see more!

Some images from our boat tour on the Seine. Seeing all these beautiful sights from the river really offers the perfect perspective, as the river seems to add an additional depth and illumination!

Still takes my breath away every time!

An artistic shot of the Notre Dame for you. The up-lighting makes it seem even more majestic!

Detail from part of the Louvre Palace. We road through here during the evening bike tour, and liked the ambiance so much we revisited the site this past week!

When we came through the Louvre courtyard during our bike tour, we were met by two powerful sensations: one was the incredible glowing, golden color that the Louvre takes on at night! The other was the somber yet beautiful music of a lone cello player, drifting into the night.

We had a great time with Shannon! Goodbye sister, til we meet again!

Parce que c’est comme ça!

I'm a collector. Ever since I was young, I've collected things. Dolls, rocks, used stamps, keychains, cheap sets of 10 beaded bracelets from Claire's that I used to occasionally wear to school...all at once...on the same arm up to my elbow! As an adult my tastes have (thankfully) become a bit more refined. I now collect teacups, and I have a special place in my heart and soul for old books. I love used things; things that have a history and have been cherished and worn.

Living in Paris has given me the opportunity to collect all sorts of things. The first things I started to collect were doorways. I don't mean just any old regular doorways, either. I mean regal, colorful, curiously-carved doorways that just beckon you to walk through them. I'm constantly saying to Andrew as we walk through the streets of the city "Look at that door! WOW!" Sometimes I take pictures, but I more just like to notice and appreciate them.

From my experience working at Disneyland Paris, I have collected accents. That's something I've been doing for a while, but I'm getting rather good at it. Perhaps too good, in fact, because it has now become a habit. When I speak to a French guest at Disneyland, I speak to them the same way that another French person would, using the appropriate phrases, inflections, and accents. I try to not just speak the language with some word-for-word translation from English, but rather to speak as I've heard it spoken by the native people. When I meet Italian guests, my voice adopts a certain flair and personality that I've learned from even the youngest speakers of this breed. Italians, man, they know how to talk! I hardly know ten phrases in their language, but even with only these I've learned that with Italians that the way you say what you want to say is much more important than how many words you're able to say. With the Spanish I have a field-day. It's TERRIBLE, but how can I help it? I would say that 90% of the Spanish guests I've talked to speak in exactly the same manner, all with such an enthusiasm and certain spark in their eyes, yet talking very quickly and smoothly. The minute they hear Cinderella speak Spanish they shout "SHE SPEAKS SPANISH!!!!" and start pouring forth such a multitude of phrases while excitedly nudging their children, asking for "kisses! kisses!" as I'm trying to just get a word in with the poor kid and avoid as many often slobbery, face-painted kisses as possible. I've taken to speaking to Spanish kids the same way their mothers speak to them, really accentuating my vowels and questions...

"HOla, PrincessAA!!!!!! Como estAS?????? Como te llAmas? PAUla?? HOla, PAUla!!"

I also attempt to construct my phrases as quickly as possible, which starts to fry your brain after a while. Once I had 40 straight minutes of Spanish guests, with the exception of one French and one English family. When I got to the French and English, I actually had forgotten how to speak their languages! I stood there for a moment with a "Eeeuu" (French) or "uuuh" (English) on my lips, a couple faulty starts at conversation (kept starting with "como") and finally was able to get out a simple phrase, giving them the opportunity to talk while I recupperated, became myself once again, and racked my brain for words in the two languages I spoke and understood the most anyway!

I love the French language! It is so beautiful, but it is also very funny. One of my favorite pasttimes is collecting French phrases, and there are so many! Obviously, the language is a very complex construction of phrases, but I am speaking specifically of phrases which characterize the Parisian French. Phrases that give them away the same way that the use of the words "like," "totally," or "awesome" tend to give us Californians away, how we picture all New Yorkers saying "honey" in reference to every other being on the planet, while Southerners use the endearing "honey-chil(d)" or "darlin'". Basically, I'm talking about those mostly true stereotypes of language. Allow me to share some of my favorites...

• Parce que c’est comme ça! -- Literally "Because it's like that!" ("that's the way it is!") This fabulous phrase was actually told to me by an American. I hadn't really noticed it before, but the very next day it was used by one of my French friends at work in the perfectly stereotypical context! My American friend used this phrase because he had learned it from the French. "Parce que c’est comme ça" can be used in a few ways. Firstly, it's considered a satisfactory explanation for when there is no real explanation. Secondly, it can be an answer to a question that you don't actually want to answer (i.e. because you're too lazy), or when you think that the asker is not worth answering to. Thirdly, it can be used when you actually don't know what to say. My American friend learned to use this phrase when French people would ask, for instance, why the photolocation line was now closed? The actual answer is that there has been a character up there for 8 hours that day, that the times were clearly printed on the available literature for that day, and if the guest hadn't found some point during the day with that available knowledge and information, that was their fault. But of course, they KNOW that. So, instead, "Parce que c’est comme ça!" My French friend used it when trying to explain to me the difference between the phrases "C'est bon" and "C'est bien", both of which mean "It's good", but have completely different usages and contexts. I didn't feel that her explanation was making sense, so I would give her actual situations I had been in where I needed to use the phrase "it's good," so that she could tell me which to use. Well, I gave her different situations, one where I was having someone help me with my wig, I would have to say "c'est bon". BUT, if someone would help me with my dress, I have to say "c'est bien." How is that consistent!!?!?!? It's the same action taking place, just in reference to different parts of the body!! When I pointed this out to my friend, and asked why it was like that, you know what she said! "Parce que c’est comme ça!" I like that phrase!
  
• Bah OUI, hun?! -- "uh, YEAH?!" (You know this one in English, the answer to a very obvious, sarcastic, or dumb situation/question) French people LOVE this one. And the best part is, they don't even realize it!!! The best part of this phrase is the accent/pronunciation that comes with it. I wish I could show you so you could hear just how hilarious it sounds! When I use this phrase, I really adopt the accent, and continue speaking with it until I have to stop from laughing so hard. I usually use this one when a French person hears me speak their language, and asks (stupidly) "you speak French??" "Bah OUI, hun!?!" Like yeah, you French person, you just HEARD me speaking French! They are so stunned, so caught off guard, that an American (*gasp*) could possibly not only speak French, but speak it with a good accent, that this is often the first question out of their mouth. Sometimes they even ask me "you are French??" and just for the fun of it, I still respond "Bah OUI, hun!?" Which reminds me, there's also the negative usage of this phrase. When I say it that sarcastically, it's like saying "obviously NOT!" Last week I was eating lunch with some French friends, and a girl who I didn't really know actually got upset at me for using this phrase with my accent, although I was totally joking, and said "Okee, you KNOW zee Frunch not e-use zees phraze like zat!!!" And you know what I said?? Yup, you guessed it. The best part was, I got one of my French guy friends at the table into the conversation, and he sided with ME!! hahaah!! Bah OUI, hun!?!!? That's rich.
  
• C'est pas grave! -- Literally "It's not grave/serious" in a context of "it's not the end of the world, so stop your over-reacting you high-strung moron!" Okay, so maybe that last part was a little exaggerated. After all, no one has ever told me the specific meaning of this phrase, but I've often observed that it is used as a response to someone's exaggerated/unmerrited reaction or concern. French people use this one all the time. I find it especially at Disneyland. One day, I might have a costume that is a little too short, but "c'est pas grave!" Or perhaps my wig that day is a little whacky -- "c'est pas grave" (also, it means that they can fix it, so stop freaking out!) I just think it's a really nice and cute phrase that is used to calm people down and put them in their place. Funny considered that the French can really get up-in-arms about certain very stupid situations. But what am I even saying, I am perhaps the most dramatic person I know! That's probably why I like this phrase so much!
• Super! -- Can have the same meaning it does in our language, but usually is used as a more extreme form of the word "really." Andrew and I both have noticed and love this one! It's just plain funny the way that "Super!" is used in the language, but I think more so because we hardly use this word at all in the English language. I have a very sweet French friend named Elodie at work. She was the first French person at Disney who I really became friends with. She always makes me speak French with her, unless there are other English-speakers around. She seems to have taken a certain pride and joy in my ability to speak her language, because if another French person overhears me speaking, she will tell them proudly "elle parle SUPER bien le français!" (literally "she speaks REALLY well the French!") Hearing the word like this always brings a smile to my face! The word can also stand alone, for instance if you were to propose a favorable situation or outing, a French person may respond "Super!" or even (if you're lucky) "Super-cool!" This phrase seems a conglomeration of what would be the Californian-English equivalent of the words "awesome" "really" "totally" and "seriously" all put together. It's funny to me then, I think, because the above words aren't always interchangeable, whereas in French there's one word that means them all!
  

So, that was our language lesson of the day. Just something I've been thinking about and that makes me love this place all the more! :-) We love and miss you all, and wish you all were here! But, c'est pas grave, parce que c’est comme ça! If you could be here though, it would be Super!! Bah OUI, hun!?!?