French Quirks

I've been in France for about a month now (Oh my god, has it been that long already??) and I've noticed a few cultural differences and certain aspects that aren't like the cliche stereotypes associated with the French. This post is a culmination of such little "quirks" as I think of them. I'll be continually adding to this list throughout the rest of my time here, so keep checking back every so often.

Here we go:

• The French don't use "Excusez-moi" as much as you would think. Instead, they always say "Pardon."
• Pretty much nothing is open on Sundays. Wanna get something to eat? Go shopping? Too bad.
• French notebooks are all graph paper. They don't use lined paper. I finally found a paper store on campus that sells normal notebooks for us Americans, but they were almost 6 euros each. Worth it?
• [Quick french lesson: 'bonjour' is hello (or literally good day), 'bonsoir' is good evening] There is no way to tell when the French switch from saying bonjour to bonsoir. Sometimes it's 5:00, other times it's not until 7 or 8. Really you just have to take a guess and go with it when they look at you like you don't belong.
• There are a LOT of stairs. Some buildings you're lucky to have an elevator. There are almost no escalators. It's especially evident in the metro. I feel bad for people with kids - they have to lift strollers up and down endless flights of stairs. I don't know how handicapped people get around at all - there are no standards for handicap accessibility like in America.
• Toilets don't have handle flushes like in the US. Instead, there are buttons on top of the water tank, or sometimes on the wall above. Weird.
• French elementary schools don't have classes on Wednesdays. Also, high school kids get two hours for lunch to roam the city. Before you get too jealous though, they do have classes on Saturday.
• Dinners for special occasions are held late at night. They are also usually at least 3 hours long. Don't expect to get to bed early.
• Restaurants and cafes are required by law to post their menus outside on the street. Convenient when you don't know where you want to eat.
• Eating on the metro is actually allowed! They even have vending machines in all the stations. This is weird to me, coming from DC where all food and drink in the metro is strictly forbidden.
• When French people greet good friends, they say "coo coo!"
• You know how in America we call Coca-Cola "coke" for short? Well, in France they shorten it to "coca" instead. Makes more sense that way, really.
• Scooters are a weird fashion trend here. Kids ride them everywhere. I've even seen a few adults using them to get around.
• Pigeons are to Paris as squirrels are to DC. They're everywhere and don't seem to mind the human presence, but rather just ignore you and get in your way. However, they're worse than squirrels in the fact that they can scare the crap out of you by flying into your face.
• Pretty much everyone smokes here. It's rather annoying. Thankfully, they've finally forbidden it in restaurants. But it is still allowed in the outdoor seating area of cafes. So passersby can get a lovely whiff on their walk past. Joy.
• Smiling a lot will instantly get you pegged as an American.
• Arrows that direct you forward are pointing down, while in America, we show this by pointing up. Something you rarely think about or notice at all.
• Titles on the spines of books are facing the opposite way. So when you are reading the titles of books on a shelf, you have to tilt your head to the left, instead of to the right.

Les Jardins du Trocadero

So, I've talked about my apartment already. But I haven't really mentioned where it is. Basically, I live just a few blocks away from Trocadero. For those who don't know, Trocadero is the most popular viewing area of the Eiffel Tower. It also has amazing gardens on either side of a giant fountain area.

Most mornings before class, I try to go jogging around said gardens, early enough to beat the tourists. This is what I see during my run:

leaving my apartment, heading down the street

entering the gardens

on sunny days, this is my favorite study spot

Eiffel Tower approaching

fountains!

every hour, they shoot off the big cannons - it's a pretty awesome sight

last glance back as I head back home

I love living so close to Trocadero. It's such a nice place to hang out, as long as you know where to avoid all the tourists and people trying to sell you cheap souvenirs. But it's such a large area that it's not too hard to do so. Like I said, you just gotta know when and where is best.

A bientot!

Currency

A quick note about currency.

As you know, France is part of the European Union (EU), in which countries all use the same form of currency: the euro

I like the euro. Sometimes it's still strange to use the bright colored bills instead of the same dull green color of "money" we are used to in America. But they have the usual bills - 100s, 50s, 20s, 10s, 5s. Once you get into the smaller units, though, they use all coins instead. There's the 1 & 2 euro coins, and the 50, 20, 10, 5, 2, & 1 cent coins.

Really, there's just SO MUCH CHANGE ALL THE TIME. A word of advice for anyone traveling to Europe in the future: bring a change purse. Best investment of your life. Without mine, I'd be a mess trying to pay for things.

Speaking of paying for things, that's a bit different here too. First of all, there's no tipping. When you go to a restaurant or get a cab or whatever, you don't tip the server/driver/whoever. It's a strange thing to get used to. At first I felt bad, being an avid tipper back home. But unless you had the best service of your life, you just don't tip. It's a culture thing.

Also different, but in a WONDERFUL way, there's no extra tax on things. Let me phrase that differently - there's still tax. But in America, when something costs $9.95, you then add in 6% (or however much) sales tax, so your total is then $10.55. In France, tax is already included in the advertised price. So if something is 9.95 euro, that's how much you pay! Technically, the item really costs 8.32 euro plus tax, totaling 9.95. But you don't have to think about that, which is so nice.

Paying at restaurants is therefore a lot simpler in these respects. You know exactly what you'll have to pay when ordering off the menu because you don't have to factor in tax and tip at the end. So convenient.

I'd have to say, the only thing annoying about the euro is the conversion back to the dollar. Of course, it's the US's fault for the poor exchange rate. One euro is the same as paying $1.29, so everything here is technically more expensive once you convert it back to dollars. But, as frustrating as it is now, I have to admit it'll be nice when I return to the States with 800 euro and realize I actually have over a thousand dollars!

Silver lining people :)

A bientot!

Versailles

Versailles. *sigh* So much history. So much grandeur. So much power!

I can't even begin to describe how amazing this palace and its gardens are today, hundreds of years after its hey-day. But before I try, a history lesson to those unacquainted with this marvel of a place:

It is most well-known for being the palace of Louis XIV, aka the "Sun King." He used it to flaunt his enormous power as king, purposely built outside of the capital city Paris so people would have to travel in order to visit him. He hosted many events and used the splendor as a tool for advocating his superiority.

The palace is also famous for holding the quarters of Marie Antoinette, wife of Louis XVI, before the start of the French Revolution.

I don't know how to avoid making this entry much more than a stream of pictures, but there's really no harm in that. So enjoy and marvel at the beauty:

the entrance gates

first glimpse of the palace

me and my friend Jessica in the front courtyard

model of the giant palace

  if you thought the palace was huge, take a look at it compared to the gardens beyond!

a peek out the window - who wouldn't love to see THAT view when they wake up in the morning?

This next section is of the Hall or Mirrors, the most famous room in Versailles. It was the room in which all the big gatherings were held - parties, balls, etc. Its elegance is so visually attractive due to the windows lining the outside wall, each of which correspond to a mirror, thus amplifying the brilliance in the room. Then add in all the crystal chandeliers that proceed down the length of the hall and it's a beautiful sight to see.

entering the hall

close-up of one of the mirrors

even the ceiling is amazing

The next three photos are of Marie Antoinette's chambers.

her bed

the door from which she supposedly escaped when angry Parisians stormed the palace to take the royal family back to Paris at the start of the Revolution

portrait gallery added by one of the kings

fancy chandelier

This concludes the tour of Versailles: the palace. Now we proceed to the gardens. These were by far my favorite part of the estate! Unfortunately, my camera did not appreciate the exhaustion of taking so many pictures, so its battery died at this point. Sadness. However, I do have a few pictures taken by my friends who were with me. Here we go:

After a LONG walk (but worth it), we were able to reach the little hamlet that Marie Antoinette built when she lived at the palace. Apparently she liked to fantasize herself as a milkmaid... However, it seemed as if we were stepping into a storybook, specifically Beauty and the Beast. All we wanted to do was run up to a second story window and start yelling "Bonjour!"

Maurice's cabin, perhaps?

And finally, a parting glance of the beauty of Versailles:

Pictures just don't do it justice...

A bientot!