Paris is probably known to many tourists, as well as the rest of the non-Parisian French as a very expensive city. I can attest to that, first of all, the rent is ridiculous, and the price won't be dropping anytime soon since there are more people searching for apartments than there are available. Oh we all know that lovely supply and demand chart don't we? For tourists, the most visited areas are filled with restaurants, expensive boutiques, and fancy pastries that all cost a fortune. But honestly, if you do your homework and ditch all the cliches in Paris, you'll find that you can actually do a lot for not a lot!!!
Yes, you have to go to the Louvre, the Musee D'Orsay, and all that jazz, but there are a lot of worthwhile museums that won't cost you a dime. Go to www.musees.paris.fr to check out the list!
One of my favorites is definitely Musee Carnavalet, since I'm such a history geek! The museum is located in the Marais district, so after you grab your falafel from one of the stands, head straight over and it'll be an afternoon well-spent! Also if you're a Victor Hugo fan, head a few blocks over to the Place de Vosages, where you can visit his house.
One of my favorite finds so far is the "Maison Europeene de la Photographie". It is free every Wednesday nights from 5-8pm, where normally it's 7 Euros to get in. The is an amazing permanent exhibit as well as temporary exhibits.
Another great thing about Paris is there there are a number of Cavistes aka wineshops in every quartier! And if you check out some of their websites, they often hold free degustations (tastings) on Thursday, Fridays, and Saturdays. This is a great way to learn and taste wine from different regions of France. One of my favorite wineshops is located in St. Germain de Pres called Le Derniere Gutte. They have happy hour every Friday night where you can sample wine and eat some tasty cheese, and on Saturdays they have winemakers come in for a free degustation.
If you want to taste good food in Parisian restaurants, then go during lunch. Restaurants usually over a food menu (a 3 course meal) or a formule (appetizer plus entree, or entree plus dessert, but keep in mind that in France entree means appetizer!). I've had tasty formules for 10-12 Euros. Even some of the really fancy restaurants often have menus for less than 30 Euros. Also if you're a crepe fan, then head down to the Monparnasse area where on rue Montparnasse, you'll find endless Creperies that offer a menu of a savory crepe, a sweet crepe and a drink for about 10 Euros. Montparnasse is an area filled with authentic Bretonne style crepes.
Also a must-do for is a picnic lunch at one of the many beautiful parks in Paris. Let's be honest, France has the best baguettes, cheese, and wine in the world so if the sun is shining one day, there is no reason to stay inside a restaurant. I personally prefer the baguette tradition over the regular baguettes, and also some baguette de cereale is worthwhile too. And please go to a boulangerie to get one, the ones at Monoprix or Carrefour might be cheaper, but they are horrible! Also for those fearless people out there go to a boucherie, and try out their terrines, pates, rillettes, and other charcuteries.
If you're lucky enough to pass by one of their open markets by chance, then stop by and check it out. My favorite thing to do is go when they're about to close, they'll try and sell everything to you at a bargain.
Oh and of course if you're a winelover like me, then this IS the place to drink wine. I'm not wine connoisseur, but I do know that for less than 10 Euros, you can get a really good bottle of wine. I usually go to the Caviste now and tell them what I'm having for dinner, or what I'm looking for in particular, tell them my budget, and they can usually make a pretty good recommendation.
Oh and last advice, skip the Louis Vuitton bag, if you've been in France long enough, you'll realize that French people DO NOT carry LV anything! So for however much you're spending on that LV bag, you can probably afford a week's stay in Paris filled with fun and eventful activities!
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Monday, November 21, 2011
Beaujolais Nouveau, another hyped up event in Paris!
A few days after my arrival in Paris, I keep hearing about the so-called "Beaujolais Nouveau", which is the day that the new Beaujolais' are revealed in France. It always takes place on the 3rd Thursday of November. I saw signs and even in guide books it made it sound like the entire streets of Paris will be drinking Beaujolais for 4 days straight.
First of all, let me just start off by saying Beaujolais is a horrible wine made out of the Gamay grape. It has a sexy name and it is lauded internationally. But I've yet to hear anyone order beaujolais wine in a restaurant. And for the same price, I'd rather stick to a Cotes du Rhone or something from Languedoc! There were wine shops that held tastings, most of them with one or two beaujolais. I visited the wine shop about 2 steps away from work, and they had one beaujolais available for tasting. I took a sip, and thought "wow this is really crappy wine that doesn't have a lot of body or taste to it." I also find it really acidic.
I was meeting up with a couple of friends that night in the supposed celebration. But as we walked down the streets by Bastille, it seemed very quiet for such a joyful event. We finally settled down in a small restaurant that was packed. We ordered some cheese plates and charcuterie along with a bottle of Beaujolais. Yet again, the Beaujolais tasted horrible. After a few more tastings that I did throughout that weekend, I was convinced that Beaujolais is not a wine that I would ever spend money on again.
Funny thing is I read on the French morning paper that they even held a big tasting event for Beaujolais Nouveau in Tokyo!
So let me put on my smarty I think I know it all hat and say, Beaujolais Nouveau is a hyped up event for foreigners who don't know what good wine is. There now judge me! :)
First of all, let me just start off by saying Beaujolais is a horrible wine made out of the Gamay grape. It has a sexy name and it is lauded internationally. But I've yet to hear anyone order beaujolais wine in a restaurant. And for the same price, I'd rather stick to a Cotes du Rhone or something from Languedoc! There were wine shops that held tastings, most of them with one or two beaujolais. I visited the wine shop about 2 steps away from work, and they had one beaujolais available for tasting. I took a sip, and thought "wow this is really crappy wine that doesn't have a lot of body or taste to it." I also find it really acidic.
I was meeting up with a couple of friends that night in the supposed celebration. But as we walked down the streets by Bastille, it seemed very quiet for such a joyful event. We finally settled down in a small restaurant that was packed. We ordered some cheese plates and charcuterie along with a bottle of Beaujolais. Yet again, the Beaujolais tasted horrible. After a few more tastings that I did throughout that weekend, I was convinced that Beaujolais is not a wine that I would ever spend money on again.
Funny thing is I read on the French morning paper that they even held a big tasting event for Beaujolais Nouveau in Tokyo!
So let me put on my smarty I think I know it all hat and say, Beaujolais Nouveau is a hyped up event for foreigners who don't know what good wine is. There now judge me! :)
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Arrival in Paris, observations so far....
I am into my third week here in France, and it's been kind of an ambivalent feeling that I have so far. I feel pretty well situated here, but there are still things that will take some getting used to. Things at work are still a bit unclear because I came at a very busy time. I had originally planned on being here in the middle of October. But thanks to my many visa issues, I didn't arrive until October 24th. I had two days to prepare for my trip. Luckily for me, my boss here in Paris had found me a temporary apartment so that I didn't have one more thing to stress me out.
Upon my arrival I found out that the following week I was going to Nice for 5 days to attend the protests and events against the G20 which took place in Cannes Nov. 3-4. So needless to say, things started out crazy and still continues to be crazy!
I thought I'd share a few observationst that I've made so far regarding Paris and the Parisians (I say Parisians and not French because there is a difference!)
- Winter in Paris is not pretty. And I mean literally, it's gloomy, the sun rises late and sets early. And on top of that everyone dresses in the depressing color of black...
- Paris is not very clean. Sure we see pictures of the elegant Champs Elysees, le jardin du Tuileries, etc. and it all seems so nice. The reality is that there are dog poop everywhere you walk. People throw their cigarette buds everywhere. What do they do after drinking a bottle of beer? Why leave it on the chair of course!
- 8 out of 10 women wears boots, it seems like. I almost feel out of place with my regular shoes. And how is it that they're able to walk on stony grounds and climb stairs in metro stations with those?
- It's cold and people still love sitting outside. At cafes, parks, on the street, everywhere!
- Many stereotypes might be false, but the one with a French person carrying baguette(s) is absolutely correct!!!! And damn are their baguettes good, and make sure the next time you're in France, buy a baguette tradition from a boulangerie, they're just that much better!
- Markets, I absolutely love them! However there are 2 types of markets. I hate to separate them by class, but it's the truth. I went to an organic market, and prices are double, triple what they are in a normal one. Also there are also markets in the not-as-nice areas, and that's the place you need to go for cheap produce! Go when they're about to close and they'll sell things for a great bargain!
- Every Parisian has their own cheese shop, wine shop, butcher shop that they've been going for years. They know each other, and it's probably like a big betrayal if you go somewhere else :)
- La Duree is so damn overrated. Ok I don't know what the big craze about stupid macarons are, but I've tasted them, and they are TOO sweet TOO expensive and TOO much overrated. La Duree is a famous store that sells them, and literally the line is ridiculous, and they're all tourists. Local Parisians don't go there! In fact I don't think I've ever seen a French person eat a damn macaron!
- Falafel is on every tourist's mind when they're in the Marais district. There's a very famous place called L'as du Falafel in the Marais, and I've tasted it, and it's pretty good. I went to the Marais the other day and there was a line in all 4 shops that sold falafel!
- If you love books and used books go to St. Germain des Pres. I was literally there for 4 hours going from book store to book store.
- Traffic lights, one turns green as soon as the other turns red. And as bad as Parisian drivers are, they do obey their traffic laws. I don't think I've seen anyone run a red light yet.
- I hate the metro. I really do. I got hit hard in the face once; I constantly have to watch my bag because I was close to being pick pocketed once; it's crazy crowded; the stairs are really tiring; and there are a billion different lines to figure out ahhh!!!
- People here seem to be always in a rush. I thought the French were known for taking their time! People will never watch where they're going on the street, even if you try hard to avoid running into them, they just run into you.
- If you want to eat well on a budget, lunch is the time to go out! And thanks to my flexible lunch hours I am able to do that (although not a lot of money to eat out...) But usually plats du jour range somewhere between 8.5 Euros to 15 Euros, depending on the restaurant.
- Now I know why the French can eat out during lunch so often, because their employers are required to give them lunch tickets which are called cheques dejeuner. They can be used all over France in most restaurants. Hell you can even buy groceries at Carrefour with them!
Ok I guess my list of observations ended up being almost a list of complaints. But the fact is there are many things that I love about the French culture, and that is why I decided to come to France. It's a place that I know well, and it's a place where I know I can stay. It's different, of course, because this time I will be here for a long period of time. I just need to find my rhythm, my space, and most of all where I fit into this city. oh and I need to of course have my own cheese, wine, and butcher shop :)
Food, now that's one area that I am taking advantage of! Just like the French says, "Il faut bien profiter!"
Until next time!
Upon my arrival I found out that the following week I was going to Nice for 5 days to attend the protests and events against the G20 which took place in Cannes Nov. 3-4. So needless to say, things started out crazy and still continues to be crazy!
I thought I'd share a few observationst that I've made so far regarding Paris and the Parisians (I say Parisians and not French because there is a difference!)
- Winter in Paris is not pretty. And I mean literally, it's gloomy, the sun rises late and sets early. And on top of that everyone dresses in the depressing color of black...
- Paris is not very clean. Sure we see pictures of the elegant Champs Elysees, le jardin du Tuileries, etc. and it all seems so nice. The reality is that there are dog poop everywhere you walk. People throw their cigarette buds everywhere. What do they do after drinking a bottle of beer? Why leave it on the chair of course!
- 8 out of 10 women wears boots, it seems like. I almost feel out of place with my regular shoes. And how is it that they're able to walk on stony grounds and climb stairs in metro stations with those?
- It's cold and people still love sitting outside. At cafes, parks, on the street, everywhere!
- Many stereotypes might be false, but the one with a French person carrying baguette(s) is absolutely correct!!!! And damn are their baguettes good, and make sure the next time you're in France, buy a baguette tradition from a boulangerie, they're just that much better!
- Markets, I absolutely love them! However there are 2 types of markets. I hate to separate them by class, but it's the truth. I went to an organic market, and prices are double, triple what they are in a normal one. Also there are also markets in the not-as-nice areas, and that's the place you need to go for cheap produce! Go when they're about to close and they'll sell things for a great bargain!
- Every Parisian has their own cheese shop, wine shop, butcher shop that they've been going for years. They know each other, and it's probably like a big betrayal if you go somewhere else :)
- La Duree is so damn overrated. Ok I don't know what the big craze about stupid macarons are, but I've tasted them, and they are TOO sweet TOO expensive and TOO much overrated. La Duree is a famous store that sells them, and literally the line is ridiculous, and they're all tourists. Local Parisians don't go there! In fact I don't think I've ever seen a French person eat a damn macaron!
- Falafel is on every tourist's mind when they're in the Marais district. There's a very famous place called L'as du Falafel in the Marais, and I've tasted it, and it's pretty good. I went to the Marais the other day and there was a line in all 4 shops that sold falafel!
- If you love books and used books go to St. Germain des Pres. I was literally there for 4 hours going from book store to book store.
- Traffic lights, one turns green as soon as the other turns red. And as bad as Parisian drivers are, they do obey their traffic laws. I don't think I've seen anyone run a red light yet.
- I hate the metro. I really do. I got hit hard in the face once; I constantly have to watch my bag because I was close to being pick pocketed once; it's crazy crowded; the stairs are really tiring; and there are a billion different lines to figure out ahhh!!!
- People here seem to be always in a rush. I thought the French were known for taking their time! People will never watch where they're going on the street, even if you try hard to avoid running into them, they just run into you.
- If you want to eat well on a budget, lunch is the time to go out! And thanks to my flexible lunch hours I am able to do that (although not a lot of money to eat out...) But usually plats du jour range somewhere between 8.5 Euros to 15 Euros, depending on the restaurant.
- Now I know why the French can eat out during lunch so often, because their employers are required to give them lunch tickets which are called cheques dejeuner. They can be used all over France in most restaurants. Hell you can even buy groceries at Carrefour with them!
Ok I guess my list of observations ended up being almost a list of complaints. But the fact is there are many things that I love about the French culture, and that is why I decided to come to France. It's a place that I know well, and it's a place where I know I can stay. It's different, of course, because this time I will be here for a long period of time. I just need to find my rhythm, my space, and most of all where I fit into this city. oh and I need to of course have my own cheese, wine, and butcher shop :)
Food, now that's one area that I am taking advantage of! Just like the French says, "Il faut bien profiter!"
Until next time!
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