(14): l'Esprit de Paris

(14) is Wednesday, 20 January 2010

Title, in English: "The Spirit of Paris"

Fact: Organizing college students to do things in Paris is difficult.

Fact: The later it is, the more difficult it is.

Problem: I slept in on Wednesday.

Problem: I'm developing a habit of getting lost.

But anyway, I did eventually find my friends Rhiannon (yes, like the Fleetwood Mac song) and Yael (no, not like the university. Wait... you could tell that by reading it, couldn't you...). We wandered a bit in the 5e* arrondissement and found the Rue de Mouffetard (which, you'll be glad to know, is a block from the Place Monge metro stop on line 7). Until you visit it yourself, you'll only get glimpses of why I've recommended this entire charming street.

Here, we found a great little cafe with old mirrors and fun French people (many in berets and taking painting lessons that happened to be going on there that day). Here's a sign of how I've embraced price inflation: 2e50 (2 euros and 50 centimes... I realize that looks a lot like the 5e notation) for a hot chocolate is not a bad deal. We strolled this charming little cobblestoned rue some more and found all manner of pastry shops (patisseries) and affordable restaurants (we're talking 10 euros per person for dinner).

There's also a bowling alley. David Adler, you better be reading this and sharing my joy. To find it, you go through this neat little courtyard just off the beaten path and down two flights of stairs**, and the place is actually pretty nice. And affordable: as a student, you can get two games, shoes, and a drink for less than 13e (a drink at most bars here costs more than half that). We haven't gotten to bowl yet, but we will. They're open until 2 AM.

So, we strolled a while and noted how rife the street is with possibilities. This was just a scouting mission; we would be back later. For the time being, the three of us walked back to more bustling Paris, where we found a great patisserie (and I'm kicking myself for not having written the name down... I'll get it for you; I promise) and later found our way to the incomparable Pierre Hermé (72 Rue Bonaparte 75006 Paris, metro Saint-Sulpice). This may be the best gourmet sweet shop in the world. Chocolates, cakes, macaroons-- this is so haute-...whatever that they have introduced the concept of seasonal lineups-- like fashion lineups?-- into the world of things that cost a lot of money but taste really, really good. Those Macaroons are a good example, actually... I got a chocolate, two vanilla ('cause I'm me), and a "rose" one. Didn't know what that was, but I tried it later and... I was in a place. "Transcendental" doesn't do it justice; like, I took that first bite, and then I turned to Heath Ledger and we talked for a good five minutes*** and then I was back again. Anyway, point is: Pierre, Macaroons, buy, love.

We then decided to go see a movie; it was Wednesday, so a new batch had just come out (like Friday in the U.S.). We saw a movie about famous French singer and pianist Serge Gainsbourg; it was good. I still didn't understand that much of it (neither did Heath, so at least I had company), but it was much more creative than the average biopic because they were trying to capture the myth of Gainsbourg more than his life. He had sort of a puppet alter-ego who helped him, which I'm sure reads kinda' weird, but it definitely saved the movie from being just another dull award nominee. Then we got crepes and sandwiches for late dinner and went home.

This was my Parisian day... from a cafe to a favorite street to haute-cuisine to a movie about a French icon to crepes... everything I did today, I felt very Parisian while doing it.

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* "Fifth" and other adjectives denoting number are abbreviated "th" in the united states (like "5th"), but by "e" in France (hence "5e"). That's because "fifth" = "cinquième," and the same principle of abbreviation applies. I think that's neat. I also think I'm becoming a language nerd.

** Bowling and a bomb shelter-- who says the Cold War wasn't fun!

*** Mostly about golf