Louvre:
Rodin (Josh took these, since I was at the hospital with Kari) :
And just to give you a taste of the Pompidou (I didn't take these either--I had given my camera to a student...I forgot it for the Orsay, so I'm bummed about that).
Sunday, July 26, 2009
25 July for 24 July: Paris
So photos are in...be sure to check out the rest on Flickr. I'll try uploading them tonight--it often takes the whole night, if it works.
Louvre:
Rodin (Josh took these, since I was at the hospital with Kari) :
And just to give you a taste of the Pompidou (I didn't take these either--I had given my camera to a student...I forgot it for the Orsay, so I'm bummed about that).
Louvre:
Rodin (Josh took these, since I was at the hospital with Kari) :
And just to give you a taste of the Pompidou (I didn't take these either--I had given my camera to a student...I forgot it for the Orsay, so I'm bummed about that).
Saturday, July 25, 2009
25 July 2009, Paris
My ATM card arrived today...and there was much rejoicing! Turns out, and no one can tell me why, it somehow came via Auckland NZ. Go figure. Went to use it and the building with the ATM is closed, so I'll have to wait till tomorrow. We have an early departure b/c of the Tour de France coming in. Some VERY big Armstrong fans who are going to be disappointed but it should be fun. We might do the city-wide skate tomorrow, too. Kids are going to a club tonight. Women get in free and guys are 10€ with an online coupon. 15€ without. Open bar from 24h-1h, but it means the late bus on my own probably, because they'll want to stay till 4 AM or so. Gonna pass and go with a group to Les Deux Canards next Tuesday and then next Wednesday to Angelina.
SEE MAP: Went for a long walk today--through Luxembourg Gardens and down the Boulevard Saint-Michel doing some shopping. I didn't actually walk all this, I took the RER up to the Gardens, and no, I didn't only get striped things...which is what my students have accused me of doing. Shopped at several places, but only found things I liked and in my size at Celio. Got 3 pairs of socks, two sweaters and a tee-shirt. I had already bought a tee-shirt and a sweater there earlier. Know what I want in shoes, but can't find 'em. Students went to the flea market at Porte de Clignancourt and had fun, so I might try that tomorrow after see the Tour de France.
View Larger Map
And here's a google shot of the Garden gates:
View Larger Map
I was sitting pretty much where the woman in blue is sitting...looking out at Notre Dame pondering the people who had walked and were walking along this root.
View Larger Map
Students ran into me sitting there. They had been to the famous Shakespeare and Company book shop, whose stamp in every book supposedly raises its value.
Came back and had some cheese before making a salad of noodles, mâche, cilantro, tomatoes, cukes, zucchini, and onion in a balsamic vinegar, basil olive oil dressing with garlic and dijon mustard. Shared it around, then we all shared candy, coffee, chocolate and wine.
Trying to upload some photos before bed.
Only a couple more days, and that's really hard to believe. Have to make reservations for next year already :)
G'nite
SEE MAP: Went for a long walk today--through Luxembourg Gardens and down the Boulevard Saint-Michel doing some shopping. I didn't actually walk all this, I took the RER up to the Gardens, and no, I didn't only get striped things...which is what my students have accused me of doing. Shopped at several places, but only found things I liked and in my size at Celio. Got 3 pairs of socks, two sweaters and a tee-shirt. I had already bought a tee-shirt and a sweater there earlier. Know what I want in shoes, but can't find 'em. Students went to the flea market at Porte de Clignancourt and had fun, so I might try that tomorrow after see the Tour de France.
View Larger Map
And here's a google shot of the Garden gates:
View Larger Map
I was sitting pretty much where the woman in blue is sitting...looking out at Notre Dame pondering the people who had walked and were walking along this root.
View Larger Map
Students ran into me sitting there. They had been to the famous Shakespeare and Company book shop, whose stamp in every book supposedly raises its value.
Came back and had some cheese before making a salad of noodles, mâche, cilantro, tomatoes, cukes, zucchini, and onion in a balsamic vinegar, basil olive oil dressing with garlic and dijon mustard. Shared it around, then we all shared candy, coffee, chocolate and wine.
Trying to upload some photos before bed.
Only a couple more days, and that's really hard to believe. Have to make reservations for next year already :)
G'nite
Friday, July 24, 2009
24 July 2009: One more week
Boy, it'd be nice if people didn't steal stuff here. I bought dish soap for our group and it disappeared withing 3 days. I bought basil-flavored olive oil and and forgot it the other night--wasn't feeling to well. It's gone. They're not in any other kitchens so they must be in someone's room! It sucks.
Still no ATM card. Tried to take care of forwarding mail just in case...and they wanted $75 to do it for six months, when all I'm waiting on is this card !!!!!
grrrr
off to do budget stuff
Still no ATM card. Tried to take care of forwarding mail just in case...and they wanted $75 to do it for six months, when all I'm waiting on is this card !!!!!
grrrr
off to do budget stuff
SLIDESHOW PROBLEMS
I can't get the second slideshow to work, so I'm going to keep moving photos into the old one in the hopes that it continues to work, and I'll keep posting thumbnails of photos as they come in.
24 July 2009: Paris à nouveau
Still without money. ATM card that was supposed to arrive Monday is still not here. So, I freaked out a bit and asked my TA to help with cash, since my bank won't give me any more free Western Union wires (not that I don't understand). Turns out that the online prices were WAY OFF for the Centre Pompidou. Instead of $285 for the visit, it was $75. Couldn't have been happier. We had a great guide--take note, Tammy and Sarah...M. Font était superbe--he made the students laugh and the whole tour was a class--what they got out of modern art. He gave enough detail to understand the paintings we looked at to be able to carry it to other works. Same amount of time as at the Musée d'Orsay, but fewer works. We saw in detail no more than 8 and 1.5 hours, but it was so much better to have the Q&A, and the students rose to the occasion. He ended up giving the second half in French since there were no objections and the students requested it. They spoke French during the Q&A...although I must admit that it was the more advanced students.
I didn't have my camera with me since I gave it to a student at the Louvre last night. I had lower back spasms--which made for a fun walk on the marble floors, and had a cold. The Louvre is so poorly organized that I imagined the King asking his servants how to get about. Add to it that we had a wheel chair and it was abysmal !!!! Go down in this elevator, go through that corridor to get to a new elevator to go up to another floor, only to come back to the same wing to go down again. Elevators didn't go all the way through. I understand this, because there's respect for the building, but signage could have been a HELL of a lot better !!!! It took me 40 minutes to return the wheel chair and get to the meeting point, when literally I was no more than 100 yards from where I needed to be. The person in the wheelchair--who needs it for comfort and ease, since standing is too exhausting for her condition, gave up herself and decided to walk !!!
All that to say that I haven't seen the photos from last night, nor tonight. We left after seeing the only Pollock they had...an artist whom none of the guides had heard of in French, until I said it in English, only to have them repeat what I had said with a French pronunciation. Went for kebabs, but I decided not to have any since there was no lamb.
Came back to heat up pasta with kalamata olive paste, oil with basil (now stolen, since I forgot it in the kitchen last night--that's the second thing stolen from our group that I know of!) garlic and roasted red peppers. It was a full kitchen with laughter and fun. A group went out tonight because there's a boat with dancing on the Seine. Other stayed behind and did homework, and I have to say that it was wonderful. I love the one-on-one. It's such a nice teaching moment. I've thought about getting out of Academia all together, but nights like tonight make me question that. Put the cafetière on the stove, pull off the gloves, do some grammar and vocab with some wine and chocolate. It was great. I've thought quite a bit about moving to Europe during this trip. I think I fit in better over here. It's just the matter of a job.
Photos still won't upload, so I'm behind on that, but at least you have the Saint-Malo flag from the last trip...with its white ermine. I'll try to get new ones up, but the wireless here is far from healthy. Students uploaded photos yesterday, in batches of 12. It's the first time since they arrived that they've been able.
OK, time to check email and turn in soon.
Pax,
Stosh
I didn't have my camera with me since I gave it to a student at the Louvre last night. I had lower back spasms--which made for a fun walk on the marble floors, and had a cold. The Louvre is so poorly organized that I imagined the King asking his servants how to get about. Add to it that we had a wheel chair and it was abysmal !!!! Go down in this elevator, go through that corridor to get to a new elevator to go up to another floor, only to come back to the same wing to go down again. Elevators didn't go all the way through. I understand this, because there's respect for the building, but signage could have been a HELL of a lot better !!!! It took me 40 minutes to return the wheel chair and get to the meeting point, when literally I was no more than 100 yards from where I needed to be. The person in the wheelchair--who needs it for comfort and ease, since standing is too exhausting for her condition, gave up herself and decided to walk !!!
All that to say that I haven't seen the photos from last night, nor tonight. We left after seeing the only Pollock they had...an artist whom none of the guides had heard of in French, until I said it in English, only to have them repeat what I had said with a French pronunciation. Went for kebabs, but I decided not to have any since there was no lamb.
Came back to heat up pasta with kalamata olive paste, oil with basil (now stolen, since I forgot it in the kitchen last night--that's the second thing stolen from our group that I know of!) garlic and roasted red peppers. It was a full kitchen with laughter and fun. A group went out tonight because there's a boat with dancing on the Seine. Other stayed behind and did homework, and I have to say that it was wonderful. I love the one-on-one. It's such a nice teaching moment. I've thought about getting out of Academia all together, but nights like tonight make me question that. Put the cafetière on the stove, pull off the gloves, do some grammar and vocab with some wine and chocolate. It was great. I've thought quite a bit about moving to Europe during this trip. I think I fit in better over here. It's just the matter of a job.
Photos still won't upload, so I'm behind on that, but at least you have the Saint-Malo flag from the last trip...with its white ermine. I'll try to get new ones up, but the wireless here is far from healthy. Students uploaded photos yesterday, in batches of 12. It's the first time since they arrived that they've been able.
OK, time to check email and turn in soon.
Pax,
Stosh
21 July 2009: Back in Paris bis
Got back latish last night from Saint-Malo.
Saint-Malo corsair's standard. Image by Ivan Sache, 16 January 2005
Went to Montmartre and Sacré Cœur today. Students were a little anxious because tonight's the Harry Potter Premier. I know some came back, made pizza à la Julien and ran off to the movie. Tamara, Tiff and I took the little Montmartrain tour so Tiff could take it easy. Before we left there was a fight between the driver and some kid, who ended up hitting the driver. We saw lots of famous stuff, including the oldest cabaret in Paris--Le Lapin agile (= le lapin à Gill). The original sign is in the Montmartre museum. It was a 24€ cover charge, that included one drink, but didn't open until 9, so we didn't go. Saw the oldest church in Paris, also saw where Toulouse Lautrec once lived and the Pigalle...including the Moulin Rouge.
We did go into Sacré Cœur. Had to tell people I didn't know to stop taking photos. I don't get it. They ask you not to out of respect....so let's do it anyway.
It was gorgeous!
We tried to go to "La Famille" for dinner, but they weren't open yet so we went down the street to a café. My "salade parisienne" was really only a chef's salad, so there wasn't anything really French about it.
Saint-Malo corsair's standard. Image by Ivan Sache, 16 January 2005
Went to Montmartre and Sacré Cœur today. Students were a little anxious because tonight's the Harry Potter Premier. I know some came back, made pizza à la Julien and ran off to the movie. Tamara, Tiff and I took the little Montmartrain tour so Tiff could take it easy. Before we left there was a fight between the driver and some kid, who ended up hitting the driver. We saw lots of famous stuff, including the oldest cabaret in Paris--Le Lapin agile (= le lapin à Gill). The original sign is in the Montmartre museum. It was a 24€ cover charge, that included one drink, but didn't open until 9, so we didn't go. Saw the oldest church in Paris, also saw where Toulouse Lautrec once lived and the Pigalle...including the Moulin Rouge.
We did go into Sacré Cœur. Had to tell people I didn't know to stop taking photos. I don't get it. They ask you not to out of respect....so let's do it anyway.
It was gorgeous!
We tried to go to "La Famille" for dinner, but they weren't open yet so we went down the street to a café. My "salade parisienne" was really only a chef's salad, so there wasn't anything really French about it.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
21 July 2009: Back in Paris
Yes, I'm WAY behind--sorry--and the new slide show is having difficulties loading, but here's a bunch of posts in one. I hope to have time to put the photos in that I want to (where the place holders are), and most of this I've typed up in the hospital room or on a train when I didn't have internet access. Rather than keeping you waiting.....
30 juin
Well the kids come tomorrow, which means hiking it back out to the airport. In the meantime, I needed to get to a major train station to get our train tix. The people in NY forgot about us for 2 weeks until I reinitiated contact. Then they had the nerve to bive me 20 minutes at 5:40 PM New York Time (4:40 in Morris) to get them copies of the credit card to be used for the tix. I don't have it, it's an institutional card, so I contacted Morris--of course, people there were leaving in 20 minutes as well. The transaction couldn't take place.
SO I went on the 30th to Gare Montpanasse to buy them. What a place !! It's so bustling, with stores, people, and then just outside the little bazaar.
and this...is just wrong !
Went up some stairs and took these shots of surround buildings. You can see how high up I am based on the number of floors visible up to the top.
And then the Tour Montparnasse!
Of course, Metro/Bus/Tramway/RER pass is a monthly pass, so it doesn't start until tomorrow. Had to buy little tix.
Came back and prepped for students coming tomorrow, working out what needs to be done when etc.
01 July
They're here ! Had a heck of a wait at the airport. It took forever for them to come out. Nevertheless, no more customs in France. Ya just walk right through...wherever you're from. Not sure how long that's been going on.
We got our RER tix and all but two of us headed in. My assistant stayed with a girl who was ill on the flight.
We got back, I gave them some time to rest up, unpack, and then a couple of walked down to the "Porte d'Orléans" metro station to get the "Navigo Découverte" passes--ticketless travel in Paris, zones 1 and 2, on bus, metro, rer, tramway. Couldn't be easier....well the purchasing could be. Students stood and chatted in the metro station while I stood in line. I ask for 13 of them and she starts in. All of a sudden, one credit card stops working. Switch cards...same thing. Declined. I'm only able to buy 7. It's not that it's really that far, probably about 1 mile, but in this heat and for credit card reasons, it's annoying! I had called the credit card company and they had OK'd everything. So...here we go again. I get back, call my credit card company and they say from their perspective it's fine, that it must be a problem in France. So, I go back down, get a different person, and he tells me that they limit credit card purchases like that to prevent fraud. Not a bad idea, but completely different from "declined."
When the students came with me the first time, I pointed out different shops. A couple went into the grocery store, and then we went back via the Parc Montsouris--kids playing, pony rides, a marionette theater and cafés. I came back and we took a tour--walking in a different direction. People were getting hungry and were grumpy. We went to a Brasserie and all had baguette sandwiches, mostly with goat cheese.
Last night (taking advantage of a break on Tuesday to write) I helped them with their internet set ups, and then a couple of us went to a grocery store that the Assistante knew about. Closer and much nicer ! Came back and worked on accounts, since not every had or could get money for that first meal and I had to temporarily cover them.
Slept well.
02 July
Grabbed a taxi and currently at the Emergency room with a dehydrated student who's been ill since arriving. Rest of the group is off taking the exam for placement into their courses. Still hot as anything here. Walked down to get more money out via Western Union this AM and they refused me again...I had used the same "transaction number." Of course I had...I was told it was the bank's number, not a transaction number. Got back, checked in with Assistante who kindly took several students to get photos for their student IDs--not all of them brought them. She had stayed with the sick girl yesterday at the airport to let her stomach settle a bit, before an hour-long train ride. Thank goodness she's along. She's good.
We're supposed to go to the Arc de Triomphe, Champs Élysées and Eiffel Tower tonight. We'll see how that plays out.
Well, I'm glad the kids will get to see the Eiffel Tower. I feel bad about the one still in the emergency room. She might have to see a specialist, and I don't know what's up yet. She's bummed, of course. Let's hope the kids get in, considering the hassle they gave me last night. Student IDs won't suffice, my being there vouching for them wouldn't suffice...they need a letter from the "director" of the University stating that he gives them permission to visit the Eiffel Tower. The Director of Study Abroad quick sent a letter to this effect, so we'll see. I'm not there, and someone forgot his ID, so I hope there aren't problems. If I knew how long things would take, I could go and come back, but they don't know what's up yet.
It's been hot as Hades here. By 9AM, my undershirt was soaked through. I've had fun riding the metro and the tramway. It's a relatively quick jaunt down here. Tramway 3 from Cité Universitaire to the Porte d'Italie, switch to the Métro line 7 to the Place d'Italie and then switch to line 5 to St Marcel, and the hospital's right in front of you.
A doc just came out, went over to the water machine, put his fingers in the top cup to pull it out so he could get to the clean cup underneath...all the while dirtying the top cup. Hmmmmmm
Falling asleep and don'g want computer to fall off lap. Stp0dsssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssddsdddddddssdddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd
OK, time to go.
21h49
She went in for an MRI, so I went out for a walk. They won't give any time frame, or if she'll be staying the night, and I haven't had dinner so I walked around. Got worried cause places were closing. The place I did find that I could try was full outside, and I DON'T want to sit inside.
Walked the other way and found Au soleil d'Austerlitz, and there's a Mazda dealership right next to me here called Austerlitz Automobiles, so I'm guessing I'm near the Gare d'Austerlitz. Cute little place--getting a beer and a tartine provençale. Outdoor lights, and typical French brasserie :) Can't get a photo because I lent my camera to a student for the Eiffel Tower. He was literally on his way to have his staples out from his appendectomy when my assistante called from the airport and asked where he was? He thought they were leaving the next day. So we have to get them out over here--don't know how that will be with insurance, since it's a pre-existing condition. OK, here's food. Gotta go.
Someone here's wearing Claude's cologne--can't find
---------------
17 July 2009
OK, so I've got some catching up to do. I still haven't had time to post the other blogs, and update the images that will rotate through. I won't try to catch up day by day, I don't think.
Well, I'm on the train to St-Malo with 12 students, not 13. She finally left. Unfortunately, she said just before leaving that she was beginning to feel part of the group, but she had made her decision and that was that. Took here Wednesday to get her jewelry and stuff back. People are settling in to courses, but we've been here long enough now that there are cliques and tensions building. We'll see how this weekend goes. I'm going to have to have a group meeting about the fridges, which are in 3 student rooms instead of in the kitchen, because people are leaving with out giving others access to the food, or people want food and ignore signs that the student, whose room has the fridge, is sleeping. Can't get them on time for anything.
TRAIN ROUTE
We'll be doing le Mont Saint-Michel and the Normandy beaches tomorrow. Then they have two days to hang out in Saint-Malo. People are already planning on hitting the beach. Not the Côte d'Azur, to be sure, but it will still be nice.
Took a second student on Wednesday to the hospital, but this time we went to the American Hospital of Paris. It's in Neuilly, but it's not a one room clinic, and when I asked for directions at the Metro station, the guy wasn't sure I knew what I was saying, since we were in Neuilly...but it's call what it is. Hard to believe people hadn't heard of it.
Passing pig, cow and sheep farms on the TGV. Saw a wind turbine farm not too long ago.
OK, so back to the hospital. MUCH better. Even the woman who took the student's staples out from his appendectomy just before leaving said that the other one was a nightmare. I'll definitely go to this once if I need to and can. The problem is the paying. It doesn't follow regular insurance policies. IN fact, the student had to pay 20 € to have it done. She took the money and put in it in her desk draw !!! Had he been going in for surgery I would have wondered about a black-market organ deal :)
Passing some cute little French villages, with moss growing on roofs. I've got to spend a bit of tonight and tomorrow looking for stuff on Saint-Malo for them to do. This group has very few self-starters. They're getting better, though.
OK, so the big event was the 14th of July--France's national holiday. The fireworks were PHENOMENAL. I spent the day hanging out on the Champs de Mars so we could get a place for our students. Showed up at 13h for the 22h45 show and we had too look for a spot--that's how early people were showing up. For those of you who've been checking the blog--sorry for the absence. I'm going to change the photo slide show to have only the fireworks and Ill imbed some of the movies that I shot, since you're probably tired of looking at the same photos of my arrival her and of Reykjavik.
Fireworks were a stunning combination of launching them behind the Eiffel Tower, from the Eiffel Tower and then using the Eiffel Tower as the screen for a laser show. They were celebrating the 120th anniversary of the Tower so they showed a visual history of the Eiffel Tower...on the Eiffel Tower. The 60's, with the swirling, colored, psychedelic flowers, and the 80's where they made the Eiffel Tower literally dance with the lasers were great. Very solemn during the First and Second World War scenes.
PHOTOS / VIDEO
Johhny Hallyday peformed--pop icon here, but I don't really enjoy him. Softish rock that leans more toward storytelling and ballads. He still has pipes, though !!
PHOTOS / VIDEO
Getting home was rough--it took several hours--and this would e the one reason why I would say that you shouldn't do it. The fireworks were definitely the best I've ever scene, but the trip was a nightmare. I was chest to chest with a riot cop with people pushing me from behind. Hoping to not get pulled off to the side. In these kinds of situations, French police...ask questions later, and you hope you are physically able to answer. One little girl got trampled, and they did arrest someone for something. A group of (*$^*(# Americans forced their way onto an overly packed train, squooshing people. I got chewed out for protecting a little boy and not letting them push more--his father was sitting and shouldn't have been, since you're supposed to stand only during rush hour and busy times like that. Then the Americans kept mocking the people who couldn't get on the train. They were quite drunk, and I had to go downstairs to the 1st floor kitchen at 3h30 last night to tell them to shut up, since they were so loud I could hear them two floors above ! Yep, the perfect picture of why we are often hated abroad.
Met some new people yesterday--one guy's French and American and the other is Dutch. They met at school here and were tasting some nice wines. They invited us in, and the wines were great!
Let's see..I finally got to go somewhere. We went tot he Musée d'Orsay yesterday, but I forgot my camera. It was rough. We had a tour guide, but there were so many people that we only talked about 12 -15 paintings. Not worth the money, and the students wanted to go look at stuff on their own. It was late enought that many were hungry, so I'll do it earlier next time, but without the guide--just the headsets. The guide can be good, but it's hard to get them there before 17h with their classes. I couldn't believe we skipped "Déjeuner sur l'herbe." We're going to do the Louvre with audio guides because they lost our reservation, wouldn't take info over the phone, and then I forgot our address on the fax, so they gave the reservation time to someone else, and now could only propose the Friday before a free weekend--which is a free weekend for the student so they are invited / encouraged to leave. So we changed it to a different day with audio headsets. At least the guide was good last night, and they gave her a mike and us special headsets on the same frequency, so we could hear well with the echoes and noise.
That's the past 3 days. On Monday, the 13th we went to the fireman's ball...and my personality showed up. I'm sure several students thought is was my age, but nope, I hated drunken, meat-market parties where taking a sip of your drink was nigh impossible because of how crowded it was. So couldn't really dance. But they had fun. Girls got kissed by the firemen on the way in, and some went off to dance with them. Everyone got back ok--no "after parties." Tried using Velib (I'll have to get a photo), which are bicycles at lock stations throughout Paris. You grab one when you need one, pull into a lock station at your destination and lock it up. Like "zip cars" in the big cities. But it wouldn't take my credit card to hold a deposit in case I didn't bring the bike back. So I walked a bit and took a night bus. I got home at 3. Some students stayed till 5h30, at which point they took the metro, since it had started back up by then.
MAP
Did laundry in the machines for the 1st time--I've been doing thing s in my sink but have been running around and not able to get stuff washed and hung up to dry fast enough. I did two load of laundry and had the run the single load of the dryer twice...a mere $13.50!!!! I am so glad to have brought my Coleman camping laundry line. Stuff's drying over the weekend :)
Last weekend was a free weekend, so a couple of people left. We cooked together and I made them a Caprese pasta with fresh tomatoes, oil and fresh mozzarella. Unfortunately, there's no basil to found. Oh, BTW, introduce some of my students to my garlic / Dijon mustard / balsamic and oil dressing. THey used the whol batch, so I guess they liked it.
A bunch of people went to Notre Dame de Paris on the 9th, and took the free tour. It was optional and suggested, but we were also supposed to have class, so that didn't' work out well. Some missed the class. On the 8th, Tamara and I went shopping and brought back wine and cheese for the student wine tasting. The wines were liked--we had a very nice Merlot. Only one of the cheeses was disliked--it smelled and tasted a bit like a farm :) I was happy to see how many students were willing to contribute their own money. In general it was probably about 1/2 and 1/2 for who like the cheaper over the pricier. Was it the choice of wines? or their palate. :)
Some people liked my idea of a beer tasting as well, so we did that, and the big favorite was "Desperados" which is a lager and tequila...but it's also flavored, and tastes a bit like a shandy.
30 juin
Well the kids come tomorrow, which means hiking it back out to the airport. In the meantime, I needed to get to a major train station to get our train tix. The people in NY forgot about us for 2 weeks until I reinitiated contact. Then they had the nerve to bive me 20 minutes at 5:40 PM New York Time (4:40 in Morris) to get them copies of the credit card to be used for the tix. I don't have it, it's an institutional card, so I contacted Morris--of course, people there were leaving in 20 minutes as well. The transaction couldn't take place.
SO I went on the 30th to Gare Montpanasse to buy them. What a place !! It's so bustling, with stores, people, and then just outside the little bazaar.
and this...is just wrong !
Went up some stairs and took these shots of surround buildings. You can see how high up I am based on the number of floors visible up to the top.
And then the Tour Montparnasse!
Of course, Metro/Bus/Tramway/RER pass is a monthly pass, so it doesn't start until tomorrow. Had to buy little tix.
Came back and prepped for students coming tomorrow, working out what needs to be done when etc.
01 July
They're here ! Had a heck of a wait at the airport. It took forever for them to come out. Nevertheless, no more customs in France. Ya just walk right through...wherever you're from. Not sure how long that's been going on.
We got our RER tix and all but two of us headed in. My assistant stayed with a girl who was ill on the flight.
We got back, I gave them some time to rest up, unpack, and then a couple of walked down to the "Porte d'Orléans" metro station to get the "Navigo Découverte" passes--ticketless travel in Paris, zones 1 and 2, on bus, metro, rer, tramway. Couldn't be easier....well the purchasing could be. Students stood and chatted in the metro station while I stood in line. I ask for 13 of them and she starts in. All of a sudden, one credit card stops working. Switch cards...same thing. Declined. I'm only able to buy 7. It's not that it's really that far, probably about 1 mile, but in this heat and for credit card reasons, it's annoying! I had called the credit card company and they had OK'd everything. So...here we go again. I get back, call my credit card company and they say from their perspective it's fine, that it must be a problem in France. So, I go back down, get a different person, and he tells me that they limit credit card purchases like that to prevent fraud. Not a bad idea, but completely different from "declined."
When the students came with me the first time, I pointed out different shops. A couple went into the grocery store, and then we went back via the Parc Montsouris--kids playing, pony rides, a marionette theater and cafés. I came back and we took a tour--walking in a different direction. People were getting hungry and were grumpy. We went to a Brasserie and all had baguette sandwiches, mostly with goat cheese.
Last night (taking advantage of a break on Tuesday to write) I helped them with their internet set ups, and then a couple of us went to a grocery store that the Assistante knew about. Closer and much nicer ! Came back and worked on accounts, since not every had or could get money for that first meal and I had to temporarily cover them.
Slept well.
02 July
Grabbed a taxi and currently at the Emergency room with a dehydrated student who's been ill since arriving. Rest of the group is off taking the exam for placement into their courses. Still hot as anything here. Walked down to get more money out via Western Union this AM and they refused me again...I had used the same "transaction number." Of course I had...I was told it was the bank's number, not a transaction number. Got back, checked in with Assistante who kindly took several students to get photos for their student IDs--not all of them brought them. She had stayed with the sick girl yesterday at the airport to let her stomach settle a bit, before an hour-long train ride. Thank goodness she's along. She's good.
We're supposed to go to the Arc de Triomphe, Champs Élysées and Eiffel Tower tonight. We'll see how that plays out.
Well, I'm glad the kids will get to see the Eiffel Tower. I feel bad about the one still in the emergency room. She might have to see a specialist, and I don't know what's up yet. She's bummed, of course. Let's hope the kids get in, considering the hassle they gave me last night. Student IDs won't suffice, my being there vouching for them wouldn't suffice...they need a letter from the "director" of the University stating that he gives them permission to visit the Eiffel Tower. The Director of Study Abroad quick sent a letter to this effect, so we'll see. I'm not there, and someone forgot his ID, so I hope there aren't problems. If I knew how long things would take, I could go and come back, but they don't know what's up yet.
It's been hot as Hades here. By 9AM, my undershirt was soaked through. I've had fun riding the metro and the tramway. It's a relatively quick jaunt down here. Tramway 3 from Cité Universitaire to the Porte d'Italie, switch to the Métro line 7 to the Place d'Italie and then switch to line 5 to St Marcel, and the hospital's right in front of you.
A doc just came out, went over to the water machine, put his fingers in the top cup to pull it out so he could get to the clean cup underneath...all the while dirtying the top cup. Hmmmmmm
Falling asleep and don'g want computer to fall off lap. Stp0dsssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssddsdddddddssdddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd
OK, time to go.
21h49
She went in for an MRI, so I went out for a walk. They won't give any time frame, or if she'll be staying the night, and I haven't had dinner so I walked around. Got worried cause places were closing. The place I did find that I could try was full outside, and I DON'T want to sit inside.
Walked the other way and found Au soleil d'Austerlitz, and there's a Mazda dealership right next to me here called Austerlitz Automobiles, so I'm guessing I'm near the Gare d'Austerlitz. Cute little place--getting a beer and a tartine provençale. Outdoor lights, and typical French brasserie :) Can't get a photo because I lent my camera to a student for the Eiffel Tower. He was literally on his way to have his staples out from his appendectomy when my assistante called from the airport and asked where he was? He thought they were leaving the next day. So we have to get them out over here--don't know how that will be with insurance, since it's a pre-existing condition. OK, here's food. Gotta go.
Someone here's wearing Claude's cologne--can't find
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17 July 2009
OK, so I've got some catching up to do. I still haven't had time to post the other blogs, and update the images that will rotate through. I won't try to catch up day by day, I don't think.
Well, I'm on the train to St-Malo with 12 students, not 13. She finally left. Unfortunately, she said just before leaving that she was beginning to feel part of the group, but she had made her decision and that was that. Took here Wednesday to get her jewelry and stuff back. People are settling in to courses, but we've been here long enough now that there are cliques and tensions building. We'll see how this weekend goes. I'm going to have to have a group meeting about the fridges, which are in 3 student rooms instead of in the kitchen, because people are leaving with out giving others access to the food, or people want food and ignore signs that the student, whose room has the fridge, is sleeping. Can't get them on time for anything.
TRAIN ROUTE
We'll be doing le Mont Saint-Michel and the Normandy beaches tomorrow. Then they have two days to hang out in Saint-Malo. People are already planning on hitting the beach. Not the Côte d'Azur, to be sure, but it will still be nice.
Took a second student on Wednesday to the hospital, but this time we went to the American Hospital of Paris. It's in Neuilly, but it's not a one room clinic, and when I asked for directions at the Metro station, the guy wasn't sure I knew what I was saying, since we were in Neuilly...but it's call what it is. Hard to believe people hadn't heard of it.
Passing pig, cow and sheep farms on the TGV. Saw a wind turbine farm not too long ago.
OK, so back to the hospital. MUCH better. Even the woman who took the student's staples out from his appendectomy just before leaving said that the other one was a nightmare. I'll definitely go to this once if I need to and can. The problem is the paying. It doesn't follow regular insurance policies. IN fact, the student had to pay 20 € to have it done. She took the money and put in it in her desk draw !!! Had he been going in for surgery I would have wondered about a black-market organ deal :)
Passing some cute little French villages, with moss growing on roofs. I've got to spend a bit of tonight and tomorrow looking for stuff on Saint-Malo for them to do. This group has very few self-starters. They're getting better, though.
OK, so the big event was the 14th of July--France's national holiday. The fireworks were PHENOMENAL. I spent the day hanging out on the Champs de Mars so we could get a place for our students. Showed up at 13h for the 22h45 show and we had too look for a spot--that's how early people were showing up. For those of you who've been checking the blog--sorry for the absence. I'm going to change the photo slide show to have only the fireworks and Ill imbed some of the movies that I shot, since you're probably tired of looking at the same photos of my arrival her and of Reykjavik.
Fireworks were a stunning combination of launching them behind the Eiffel Tower, from the Eiffel Tower and then using the Eiffel Tower as the screen for a laser show. They were celebrating the 120th anniversary of the Tower so they showed a visual history of the Eiffel Tower...on the Eiffel Tower. The 60's, with the swirling, colored, psychedelic flowers, and the 80's where they made the Eiffel Tower literally dance with the lasers were great. Very solemn during the First and Second World War scenes.
PHOTOS / VIDEO
Johhny Hallyday peformed--pop icon here, but I don't really enjoy him. Softish rock that leans more toward storytelling and ballads. He still has pipes, though !!
PHOTOS / VIDEO
Getting home was rough--it took several hours--and this would e the one reason why I would say that you shouldn't do it. The fireworks were definitely the best I've ever scene, but the trip was a nightmare. I was chest to chest with a riot cop with people pushing me from behind. Hoping to not get pulled off to the side. In these kinds of situations, French police...ask questions later, and you hope you are physically able to answer. One little girl got trampled, and they did arrest someone for something. A group of (*$^*(# Americans forced their way onto an overly packed train, squooshing people. I got chewed out for protecting a little boy and not letting them push more--his father was sitting and shouldn't have been, since you're supposed to stand only during rush hour and busy times like that. Then the Americans kept mocking the people who couldn't get on the train. They were quite drunk, and I had to go downstairs to the 1st floor kitchen at 3h30 last night to tell them to shut up, since they were so loud I could hear them two floors above ! Yep, the perfect picture of why we are often hated abroad.
Met some new people yesterday--one guy's French and American and the other is Dutch. They met at school here and were tasting some nice wines. They invited us in, and the wines were great!
Let's see..I finally got to go somewhere. We went tot he Musée d'Orsay yesterday, but I forgot my camera. It was rough. We had a tour guide, but there were so many people that we only talked about 12 -15 paintings. Not worth the money, and the students wanted to go look at stuff on their own. It was late enought that many were hungry, so I'll do it earlier next time, but without the guide--just the headsets. The guide can be good, but it's hard to get them there before 17h with their classes. I couldn't believe we skipped "Déjeuner sur l'herbe." We're going to do the Louvre with audio guides because they lost our reservation, wouldn't take info over the phone, and then I forgot our address on the fax, so they gave the reservation time to someone else, and now could only propose the Friday before a free weekend--which is a free weekend for the student so they are invited / encouraged to leave. So we changed it to a different day with audio headsets. At least the guide was good last night, and they gave her a mike and us special headsets on the same frequency, so we could hear well with the echoes and noise.
That's the past 3 days. On Monday, the 13th we went to the fireman's ball...and my personality showed up. I'm sure several students thought is was my age, but nope, I hated drunken, meat-market parties where taking a sip of your drink was nigh impossible because of how crowded it was. So couldn't really dance. But they had fun. Girls got kissed by the firemen on the way in, and some went off to dance with them. Everyone got back ok--no "after parties." Tried using Velib (I'll have to get a photo), which are bicycles at lock stations throughout Paris. You grab one when you need one, pull into a lock station at your destination and lock it up. Like "zip cars" in the big cities. But it wouldn't take my credit card to hold a deposit in case I didn't bring the bike back. So I walked a bit and took a night bus. I got home at 3. Some students stayed till 5h30, at which point they took the metro, since it had started back up by then.
MAP
Did laundry in the machines for the 1st time--I've been doing thing s in my sink but have been running around and not able to get stuff washed and hung up to dry fast enough. I did two load of laundry and had the run the single load of the dryer twice...a mere $13.50!!!! I am so glad to have brought my Coleman camping laundry line. Stuff's drying over the weekend :)
Last weekend was a free weekend, so a couple of people left. We cooked together and I made them a Caprese pasta with fresh tomatoes, oil and fresh mozzarella. Unfortunately, there's no basil to found. Oh, BTW, introduce some of my students to my garlic / Dijon mustard / balsamic and oil dressing. THey used the whol batch, so I guess they liked it.
A bunch of people went to Notre Dame de Paris on the 9th, and took the free tour. It was optional and suggested, but we were also supposed to have class, so that didn't' work out well. Some missed the class. On the 8th, Tamara and I went shopping and brought back wine and cheese for the student wine tasting. The wines were liked--we had a very nice Merlot. Only one of the cheeses was disliked--it smelled and tasted a bit like a farm :) I was happy to see how many students were willing to contribute their own money. In general it was probably about 1/2 and 1/2 for who like the cheaper over the pricier. Was it the choice of wines? or their palate. :)
Some people liked my idea of a beer tasting as well, so we did that, and the big favorite was "Desperados" which is a lager and tequila...but it's also flavored, and tastes a bit like a shandy.
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