Last evening in Paris

It is time to say au revoir to Paris.  We are ready to be back in the land of sunshine and big skies, but I always have mixed emotions when it is time to move on.  Granted, this stay in Paris seems quite different than my first one, mostly because the work changed completely and we were stuck with uncertainty for so long.  But one thing does not change - the  friends and relationships we established.  We will miss our new friends.  It is strange, since we've been in Tucson so long and have had a consistent group of friends most of that time. We don't make a lot of new friends in Tucson.  But, come to Paris, there is no choice - you must make new friends (or drive your wife crazy).  Like the last time, we found that we only really started to get to know people after the summer season... and now it is time to go.  Well, hopefully we can keep the acquaintances and will meet again!

We spent our last weeks productively - in spite of cold weather (we were lucky that there was little rain at least).  We were able to enjoy visitors from the UK a couple evenings (Hamish was here one week, and John another).  And Lorenzo has been here most weeks, so we get to visit with him most regularly.  We scheduled a dinner with Aurélie and Floriane, good friends from our first visit (Nanthasinh was unable to make it, unfortunately).  We had a very nice meal at Bouillon Racine in the 6th.  I tried foie gras for the first time - it was good, but very rich (and I ate too much)!  Lorenzo joined us for that also (I think he's going to miss us!).  And we met Pawel, Izabela and their son David downtown for lunch over the weekend!  The time flew by.

 

Besides eating, we spent our time walking through some areas we like - Ile St Louis and Ile de Citi, then over to Luxembourg Gardens.  We also strolled the Champs Elysees with Pawel & Izabela - lots of preparation for Christmas going on right now.  We are a bit sorry to be missing that, but it will be our first Christmas at home in Tucson in 3 years.  So that will also be nice.  Paris was decorated for Armistice Day last weekend (the 11th hour of the 11day of the 11 month) - to celebrate the end of WWI.  It seems very different around Hotel de Ville and Notre Dame on a cold, grey November day, as opposed to summertime!  November has its own grey beauty (provided you are dressed warmly enough!).  Only a few weeks after going off daylight savings time, daytime has gotten very short (like from about 8am to 5pm).  The crowds still come out around Notre Dame in the afternoon, but mornings are quiet, and Luxembourg Garden was positively peaceful.  Quite the contrast from the first week of September in the sunshine, with people everywhere.  Even the metro seems a bit more deserted.

Today, I made my rounds saying farewell to the friends on the 7th floor of the DiVinci building at our customer, then back to the IFS office for lunch and another round of goodbyes, and finally to l'Olivio to see Marwan and Catherine.  Last time I left, I was on my own (Debbie was already back in the states).  Fortunately, this time we had each other's company for our last dinner out at Le Victor Hugo (which was also the first place we ate when we moved in).  Actually, Debbie even had the same salad!  We cleaned and finished packing.  Put our earplugs in (the college kids sound a bit rowdy tonight).  Au revoir, Paris.

a week at work

Hi - so far this blog has been dedicated to my sight-seeing adventures while living in Paris.  Rightly so.  But I thought I'd focus on the more routine events of my week in this posting.  Be forewarned (in case you prefer to just skip it).  But I will say that without the people I work with, being in Paris would get old very quickly.

A little background.  When I arrived in June, there was a team of about 6 IFS consultants, mostly from the UK, whom I joined.  They all would come each Monday and leave Thursday night or Friday morning.  So I knew there would be others to dine and do things with.  Also, I had friends from the customer project team from my previous time here.  We would get together periodically also.  All of this changed when the project was re-organized.  IFS involvement was reduced, and I moved from the customer site to our nearby IFS office in Courbevoie.  As a result, my work on the project changed from actively working with a team to working on my own helping with modifications and testing.  Not so exciting, I must say.  However, the silver lining was getting to know the people in the IFS France office.  The group was very welcoming, and they take care of me (just like my French colleagues from the customer). 

My normal day starts with the commute: walk from the apartment up to Place Victor Hugo.  Take the #2 metro to Charles de Gaulle Etoile and switch to the #1 to la Defense.  Usually it is not too crowded because a leave around 8am.  If I left half an hour later, it would probably be a different story.  Since daylight savings went off, it's light in the morning if it isn't too cloudy.  If weather is OK, I walk by the Grand Arch, then down to Courbevoie, and then to the IFS office. 

The routine at the office typically includes a couple of coffee breaks where a number of people will break for coffee and chit-chat (in French).  Around noon, people will go different directions to get lunch, but they all rendezvous back in the office kitchen to eat together.  A nearby Japanese sushi place is most popular, but I also found a small Lebanese place to get a falafel sandwich to go.  I thoroughly enjoy the lunches, even if I can't understand much (or maybe anything).  There is always lots of animated talking (frequently multiple people at once).  Occasionally, one of the guys will set us up with Ti Punch (sugar cane syrup, lime slice and rum - from Martinique).  This past week, IFS France signed a new customer.  So I also got to help celebrate the deal with champagne and snacks.  And last month, I was on hand for their quarterly meeting, which featured a lunch of various appetizers and wine - quite nice.

Generally, I'll work on my own or with some of the IFS UK team over the phone.  Since I'm on my own I can set my own hours pretty much.  As mentioned, I come in a bit early so I also tend to leave a bit early.  General thought in France is that you MUST be at work from 9am to 6 pm.  It's OK to arrive early, but no leaving early (unless you are like me...).  France is not comfortable with the idea of flex time.  It's a bit more relaxed at the IFS office.  Also, I will typically have lunch with some of my friends from our customer once a week or so.  The flexibility I have is nice, but I'd prefer a more solid assignment working with other people.

As far as evenings go, Debbie and I typically eat at home.  Maybe there will be one night that we will go out with some colleagues from work if anyone is in town, and we may go out ourselves once or twice more a week.  At home, we'll either get something from the nearby Casino (grocery store), or pick up Chinese or Pizza for take away.  I stop on the way home to pick up a baguette and maybe dessert.  It's pretty routine.  With no daylight savings time, it's dark now when I'm coming home - I'm missing summer where it stays light until 10pm.  Dinner time for us is usually around 7:30 to 8pm (early by French standards).  Earlier in the year when it was light, we might go for a long walk after dinner. Now that it's cold and dark, we stay in. We have to wait until 8:50 to watch TV - at that time, you can find reruns of various American TV shows (NCIS, Without a Trace, Desperate Housewives, Bones, and others that we never heard of before).  The Freebox setup we have allows you to change the language (on some shows) to the original.  For every show you can do that with, there are more that you cannot.  Other interesting aspects of French TV include 1) commercials only about once or twice an hour; 2) multiple episodes of the shows are shown one right after another (but not at all consecutive - maybe even from different years).

We do stay up until maybe even 11pm before going to bed (late for AZ, but early in France).  There you have it - a normal day/week of my life in Paris.

Busy weekend in Paris

Our time draws to a close in Paris, so last weekend we attempted to handle some unfinished business.  We hoped to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower at night, but were disappointed to find that the top is not open at night very often outside the summer months.  We tried on Friday evening on our way to meet friends Marwan and Andrea for dinner in the 15th.  So, we just settled for dinner at Caffe Cambronne (good onion soup and confit de canard), and no Eiffel Tower.

On Saturday, we wanted to see Opera Garnier.  We were frustrated to learn that it was not open in the afternoons due to performances.  It's the third time we've been there without seeing the place (the other times, it was open, but we just decided to see it later).  Debbie may have to go herself in the morning!  The reason for going later was that it rained each morning of the weekend, but cleared in the afternoons.  We waited for the rain to stop before starting our site-seeing.  Instead of going to the opera, we walked back through Parc Monceau to Arc de Triomphe, and then paid to go to the top.

283 steps to the top and excellent views all directions!  We stayed for a while taking pictures.  Then went home for a quiet evening.

Sunday, we planned to go to church but woke again to rain.  Debbie's feet got wet as we walked to church, so she had to return home.  I ended up going to the City of Architecture and Heritage Museum in Trocadero on my own (instead of church).  Primarily, it features pieces from entrance ways and other structures from churches throughout France.  There were some secluded sections away from the main exhibits that included paper models and architectural artwork, and also ceiling frescoes.  I enjoyed the museum - the Trocadero was the perfect venue for large structures. 

By the time I was done, the skies had cleared so Debbie joined me.  We took the #6 metro to Edgar Quinet to see an arts and crafts open air market near Montparnasse.  As it turned out, it was primarily artwork, some quite nice - not many crafts.  This area is quite popular, but we really have never spent any time in it.  Its vocal point is Tour Montparnasse, the tallest building in Paris proper - you can't miss it!  It was the skyscraper that caused Paris to restrict future building heights.  You get a direct view of it below the Eiffel Tower if you look from Trocadero.  It stands all alone like a giant tombstone.  It does look out of place.  It has a rooftop restaurant with the reported best view of Paris - I'm sure it does, but have never tried it.

From there, we walked north past Bon Marche to Musee d'Orsay and stood in line for a while.  Stopped on the way at an Eric Kaiser for lunch of quiche, sandwich and hot tea.  It was free museum Sunday (first of the month), so d'Orsay was busy.  We passed time in line talking to a friendly man from Switzerland in front of us (wanted to know who would win our presidential election - a common question for us).  Once in the museum, we spent most of our time in the special Fashion Exhibition (which opened shortly after our last visit).  This showed the actual clothing, and then paintings that incorporated the clothing.  Paintings were from famous painters such as Manet, Monet, Renoir, and more.  Really enjoyed both the displays and the artwork.  The artists were some of our favorites.  We stayed until closing time, and then walked to Concord in twilight just as the city lights were coming on, a very nice time of the day in Paris.

Took the #1 metro up to Charles de Gaulle Etoile, and then climbed up the Arc de Triomphe again!  This time, it was night.  So we had our views of the city in both daylight and at night.  Although the night lights are nice, daytime was better for me.  Paris may be the city of light, but at night the recognizable sites are limited.  We did enjoy seeing the daily ceremony to attend the flame of the Unknown Soldier.  Every evening at 6:30 the flame of remembrance is rekindled by one of France's 900 veteran associations.  The flame was first lit beneath the Arc November 11, 1923 and has never gone out since.

All Saints Day

Hi - All Saints Day (November 1) is a holiday in France.  Offices are closed, so I worked from home this day.  In the afternoon, Debbie and I went to Pere Lachaise Cemetery, as the cemeteries are decorated with flowers that day.  There were quite a few people there, but the place is so big, you don't really notice unless you are at one of the famous graves.

You can take the metro directly from Victor Hugo to Pere Lachaise, which is what we did.  We entered a side gate and wandered until we reached the main entrance.  There we found maps of the cemetery, so we returned to the grave sites of Chopin, Balzac, Oscar Wilde, Baron Hausseman, and Eugene Delacroix.  We searched for Sarah Bernhardt, but could not find her (perhaps she moved!).

Our outing started rainy and ominous (we did get rained on for a short time).  But later, the skies cleared and it was sunny and crisp.  Good views all the way to the Eiffel Tower in some places (check in the picture between Debbie and me).  We had planned a late lunch at a bistro nearby, but found it was closed for the holiday.  Just returned home and dined at the old reliable - Cafe Victor Hugo, near our apartment.  Bon Voyage.

Weekend in Prague

I have been falling down on my blog updates the last couple weeks.  By the time I get around to writing, I'm at least a week behind.  Two weekends ago Debbie and I made a trip to Prague (Praha) in Czech Republic.  It was one of the places we wanted to visit, so we flew over for a couple days.

We were fortunate to have friends of Emilee currently working there at the US Embassy, and Ales (a Czech native) met us at the airport and gave us a tour for the day.  We had a great time, and saw lots.  The only problem with the weekend was the temperature - it was COLD!  It was snowing when we arrived, and below freezing all weekend.  Fortunately, no snow after the first day!  But it did make our tour with Ales a bit difficult - it's a bit harder to look around when you are under an umbrella and trying to avoid stepping in puddles!  Regardless, Ales escorted us to our Hotel Černý Slon, which is off Old Town Square, right next to the Church of Our Lady in front of Týn (which dominates the square).  Emilee had made arrangements for our stay in this historic hotel - very nice.

After dropping our bag, we headed out with umbrellas in hand.  Ales pointed out the various sites in Old Town Square, then we walked over to the Powder Tower.  We returned to follow the King's Way from Old Town across Charles Bridge, and then up to Prague Castle.  Along the way, Ales explained some of the city history.  Prague flourished in the 14th century under the reign of Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Bohemia.  Charles designed and built New Town, founded the Charles University (oldest U in central Europe), erected the Charles Bridge, and started construction of St. Vitas Cathedral in Prague Castle.  He was a busy guy!

We had lunch in a Czech cafeteria-style restaurant (and my first of many Czech beers).  Walked until Debbie's feet got wet, at which point we went to Ales and his partner Rolan's house to dry out.  Later we walked by Lennon Wall and then all went to dinner at an Italian restaurant on a boat in the Vltava River, with a nice view of the castle (Italian restaurants can be found anywhere in the world, I think).  It was all very nice, and the snow gave its own beauty to the city.

But, we were happy to find clear skies the following day (not so thrilled with the sub-freezing temperatures that went with it).  We did some serious site-seeing this day.  We started in the Jewish Quarter.  Next, we watched as the hour turned at the Astrological Clock, and then climbed the clock tower for great views.  Went to Wenceslaus Square, site of the Velvet Revolution in 1989, and strolled through a quiet Franciscan garden off the square.  We saw the Powder Tower again, one of the original city gates.  After lunch in a "cave", we walked back to the bridge and checked out the many statues (supposed to be 15 on each side, but some are missing).  The afternoon was a brilliant, sunny, winter day and I got some great pictures by the river. 

Most of all, we just enjoyed the beauty of the city.  While we have been to other medieval towns, I've never seen such a large city maintained in such a way.  It was lovely!  It was also a definite tourist destination.  Lots of languages being spoken (but, fortunately for us, most people also speak English).  We ended up with dinner at a nearby Czech pub, and had some good pancakes made from cabbage, ham, and potatoes - tasty (yes, had a beer also - only a few $ for 50 ml, compared to 10€ in Paris!).  In the evening, we walked along the river, and saw the "Dancing House".

On our last day, clouds returned, but no rain.  We returned to the Charles Bridge and crossed to Prague Castle.  We toured St. Vitus, and then St. George's Basilica, and the Golden Lane.  We were a bit disappointed that the Palace itself was not open that day.  We walked down from the end of the castle past Wenceslaus vineyards to the Senate building (in Valdstejn Palace), and toured the gardens (along with an interesting/strange "dripstone" wall).  We warmed up over lunch in a nice place near the Anglo-American University and walked along the canal before returning to get our bags and head back to the airport (took the metro, then bus - good way to go for less than $2 / person).  All in all, a successful weekend!