Two weeks ago, my J-term in Paris ended and I boarded a train for Cannes to start my spring semester. So far I have not experienced any serious homesicknesses and had wanted to leave France, but I will say that the day when all of my friends left to return to their families and their beds while I was to remain abroad for five more months was a very, very difficult and emotional one. The time in Paris felt like a blink. We did, saw, ate, and visited SO much in such a short amount of time (thanks in large part to the architecture class which was essentially a three hour walking tour of the historic churches, houses, and buildings of Paris).
For this post, I'll give some final thoughts on Paris and then later next week I'll introduce you to my new home on coast of the Mediterranean! After spending a month in Paris, here are some of my favorite activities and what I would recommend to anyone visiting the city:
-Tour the Château de Versailles: This mini kingdom exudes the grandeur and excessiveness of Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette. Within minutes of walking through the chapel, ballrooms, and private bedrooms, it's easy to understand the revolutionary sentiment the boiling up among the thousands of commoners that were starving and cold. This place carries immense historical importance from the 18th century as well as more recently in the 20th century with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. I would add the recommendation of going in the spring or summer when the gardens are in their full beauty. Below is a picture of my roommate and I in the Hal of Mirrors and on the left is Marie Antoinette's bed.
-Descend into the Catacombs: Certainly not for the faint of heart, but certainly a major part of French history and a must-see. There are the bones of eleven million people all purposefully placed in a design from the 17th and 18th century. The bones came from graveyards that had reached their capacity (some literally overflowing) so the oldest bodies that had already decomposed were moved here to make room for new graves. Below, the entrance reads "Stop. It is here the empire of the dead."
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-Sacré-Coeur:This is my favorite church in Paris. Not only is it beautiful on the inside, but the view from in front is breath taking. Even though it's on the outskirts of the city and sits high on top of a hill, it's certainly worth the climb. Montmartre is the neighborhood below it full of small streets without cars so it's a great place for finding food, art, and shopping without as many tourists as in the heart of the city.
-Eat the street food: Some of the best food I had in Paris was grab-and-go type food for less than 8 euro. On nearly every block there is a "patisserie" or "boulangerie" and in addition to breads and pastries, these places offer pre-made sandwiches that are very flavorful and filling. Some of these are pressed and heated and are what they call "paninis." Many small restaurants have what looks like a drive-thru window where you can grab a panini, café, and of course a crêpe! The clear favorite among my group was the classic crêpe with Nutella, but my personal preference was for the savory crêpes filled with cheese and veggies. I loved this type of food and all of these places are fast, cheap, and open very late.
-Go up the Eiffel Tower: No picture of "la Tour Eiffel" can compare to standing right under it in person. The entire structure seems to have a glow to it and its size is just massive! I would really suggest going up during the day for an amazing 360 view of Paris and also returning at night to see the entire structure sparkle every hour. This was the most beautiful five minutes in Paris.
There are many great things to do in Paris that I did not mention above, so please comment if you'd like to know more. As for some other important information to know if you are visiting the city:
-Do be on guard for pick-pocketers. They are well-trained.
-Don't smile at passing strangers. In the States it's common to smile in a friendly acknowledgment, but in France this is interpreted as too personal and may make the other person uncomfortable or may bring you unwelcome attention.
-Do greet every store owner with "Bonjour" when you enter and say "Au revoir"when you leave.
-Do try to use some French. Making a little effort to use French when meeting someone or ordering food is appreciated (though it may not seem like it at times).
There's so much more to say about Paris than I could ever write! Feel free to add any comments or questions and I'd be happy to respond.
À bientôt,
Kara
Hello! I found it interesting how you mentioned not to smile at strangers as a nonverbal cultural communication guide. What other nonverbal communication aspects are different in France than in the west? Also why do you think the French people hold their language to the high standard they do without letting modern slang to slip in.
ReplyDeleteSalut!
ReplyDeleteThat's a great question about non-verbal communication. The first thing that comes to mind is the "bisous" or cheek kisses they use to greet someone rather than the handshake that is used in the US. Of course, there are unspoken rules for these bisous, such as how many to give and to whom. Depending on the region, people are greeted with one to four kisses (in Paris it's four and in Cannes it's two). As for to whom gets the kiss, this would be your friends, family, and colleagues, but you wouldn't generally kiss your boss' cheeks, for example. Most Americans may find it too intimate as a greeting, and I personally felt a little awkward the first few times. If you're introduced to a French person who knows you're American, they often won't use the bisous because they know it can be uncomfortable for us. But now my friends and I love using the bisous! I'm still debating if I should try this out at MC or go back to the classic handshake. Probably handshake.
In Cannes I've noticed that they use their hands a lot more when they speak than in Paris, which I imagine is another element of the Italian influence here. Aside from that, the most noticeable things are the different "space-filler" sounds they use. For example, when we would use "uhhhh" when we're thinking, they use a sound like "bahhh". Also, they often use a sound like a "pfft." to emphasize a shrug. The phrase "Ohh la la" can have all kinds of different meanings depending on changes in tone and inflection.
As for slang, they do have slang words as well as English words such as "google" as a verb, "follower" from Twitter, and "fast-food,") that are commonplace and even in their dictionary. However, you are absolutely right about how they value their language. There's a group of people called The Academy that decide what new French words should be accepted into the dictionary and a mastery of the language garners much respect. Many of their slang words are formed using inversions. One type of inversion is to switch the first and last sounds and replace the middle with "eu". For example, the word for woman is "femme" and the slang term commonly used is "meuf." A party, or "une fête" is often called "une teuf."
Sorry for the lengthy response! I didn't know I had so much to say about this, but this was such a fun question to answer!