Buttes Charmont

So, here's the thing. The French, and Parisians especially, are very opinionated. The French can tell you everything from the best city to the best cheese. Mention the Pyramid in front of the Louvre to any Frenchman and you will understand what I mean. This is fine except the problem is that once the French tell you this, it is definitive. However, surprisingly, there is one thing the French do agree on. To me, it is the most surprising of all. The French all absolutley love a park in Eastern Paris. Luckily for me, this park is only two metro stops away, or a quick 15 minute walk, depending on the weather. Where is this little slice of heaven, you ask? It is nothing else but Buttes Charmont. Buttes Charmont is a park that was man-made (gasp! yes!) by the famous Baron Haussmann, who in the 19th century, was the architect who re-designed Paris with wide boulevards and turned Paris into what it is today. Now, many, many French are varied with their opinions on Baron Haussmann, which is why it is surprising that they all love Buttes Charmont. So, I had to check this place out. The rumors were true. This park is unbelievable. Although it's placed in a huge urban city, much like Central Park, it is unlike Central Park because it is not in the very middle of the city, and therefore, has a much calmer and peaceful feeling. There's a lake, three waterfalls, a grotto, and large areas of green grass and miles of walking paths. So I will say, with all French decisiveness, that this park is beautiful and worth all the praise it gets.

Riots in Paris

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/11/27/france.riots/index.html

For those who keep up with current events, you are probably aware of the riots going on in the Parisian suburbs. The above link will take you to the CNN story about it, which has been the best coverage I've found on the Internet so far. What's there to say? Time and time again it has been shown that the immigrants here in France, particularly those of former French colonies (particularly Algeria), are treated unfairly by both the French government and the French police. What do I define as "unfair"? I think it is unfair to be turned down for a job, which you are highly qualified for, just because your last name is Algerian in origin. I think it is unfair that because you live in a suburb highly populated by immigrants, you are treated more harshly by the police than if you lived in an area less densely populated by immigrants.

Sadly, the root of these problems go very deep, originating from the time of French colonization in Africa. The Algerian War of Independence is still fresh on many people's memories, even after so many years. It will take time for both the French and African communities to reconcile their differences. The Algerian War of Independence ended in 1962, but the images of the fighting between the French and Algerians are not that different than what is going on today.

God Bless America.

"The dollar has fallen to inglorious depths, turning Manhattan department stores into something like a Tijuana street market for Germans." - The New York Times, November 25, 2007

And I'll be in Paris until May. God Bless America.

Home Sweet Home (Kind of)

I went to America today. I'm sorry I didn't get to see anybody, but I don't know anyone who lives at the Concorde Metro stop. Confused? Well, you see, today I went to the American Embassy, so I was back on American soil. I hadn't scouted out the location of the Embassy because I figured I was living in a relatively safe city, and I wouldn't have to worry about seeking refuge. After all, I am in Paris, not Islamabad. It was nothing like what I expected. It was a large French mansion house that had been converted to the Embassy. It was a beautiful building and I had never been happier to see an American flag. I was in the process of taking a picture when a guard snapped at me, "No pictures! It's forbidden to take pictures of the United States Embassy!" Welcome home.

Thanksgiving...A Time to be Thankful

As I celebrate Thanksgiving in France, I am distinctly aware of my American-ness. After all, Thanksgiving is a uniquely American holiday. And as grateful as I am to be American, I have become ashamed. I can imagine my mother reading this and saying,"I can’t believe you’d ever be ashamed to be an American!” And my response to that would be, “Really?” It is shocking to me how few Americans keep up with current events. Would the average American know who Gordon Brown is? Would the average American know when the upcoming Pakistani election is set to be held? Would the average American know where Sudan is on a map?

The honest answer to these questions would be no. If you asked almost any citizen of Europe, they would be able to answer these questions. Is it because Europeans are smarter than Americans? No, absolutely not. But, Europeans do pay more attention to the world around them. And this is only because they are not isolated from the rest of the world like the United States is. They know that Gordon Brown is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, that the Pakistani elections will be in January and will hold paramount importance for the rest of the world, and that Sudan is only a short plane ride away from their homes. I am ashamed that my fellow Americans fall for the ridiculous media coverage of the war on Iraq as the “War on Terror” and are unaware of the fact that it’s Pakistan, not Iraq that will determine much of the fate of the Middle East in January. I am ashamed that the rest of the world laughs at the United States and Americans for not being culturally sensitive and at the pathetic state of our economy.

But I am thankful to be American because Americans are able to adapt, this is one thing I know, and can testify to. Here I sit, typing this blog in Paris, France and I have easily adapted to this culture so I know that other Americans can, too. And so I say this with great hope that every American who reads this will look for media information outside the United States. Stop blindly believing that every Arab is a terrorist and that every Middle Eastern country is full of terrorists. Stop and learn why our economy is wrecked and why our dollar is virtually worthless outside the United States. Look around you: see the world, find out about Sudan, learn a language and culture other than your own. But, most importantly…Stop. Look around you. Open your eyes.

Question: Where's the best German food?

Answer: Germany, of course!

As I mentioned in the last post, my friend and I went to Luxembourg yesterday. As soon as we arrived in Luxembourg, we were hungry. The entire train ride had been spent talking about all the fabulous German food we would eat while in Luxembourg, because we knew that Luxembourg was incredibly close to Germany, thus, would have awesome German food. When we arrived we noticed on the train schedule that there was a train leaving to a German city, just across the border with Luxembourg, in a few minutes. So...

10 minutes + 8 euros + 1 train ticket to Trier, Germany = The best German food ever

I guess I didn't do enough research on Luxembourg and the surrounding German area to know that I was in the heart of the Rhine land. It was stunningly beautiful and the weather was just how I imagined Germany to be: cloudy, misty and grey. The town in Germany we went to, Trier, is the oldest city in Germany. They document this with evidence from ruins left within the city. But, of course, the most important thing about Trier was the food. For anyone that truly knows me, they know that I am not a big fan of German food. But, I have to say, that the German food in Trier was unbelievable. It had to be one of the best meals I have ever eaten. The people in Germany were so friendly and actually spoke English, a huge culture shock from my life in Paris. Germany also had great pastries. There was even a Christmas makret going on in Trier. And, let me tell you, Christmas markets in Germany are something else. The Germans are really into Christmas. As soon as we got off the train in Trier, we started wandering around the small city, and it suddenly hit me: I had woken up in Paris, took a train to Luxembourg, and somehow ended up in Germany. Life is strange. But the most amazing part of the entire day was when my friend and I were back in Luxembourg and she said, "You know, sometimes I feel really lucky. I mean, we're walking across a bridge in Luxembourg. We have so much time on our hands that we are going to Luxembourg, a country that is probably not even on most people's top 1,000 things to see in their life." And I couldn't have agreed with her more.

A City of Many Layers

After a week of planning, my friend and I departed for Luxembourg this morning at 8:39 out of Gare de l'Est. Our train was on time and we arrived two hours later in Luxembourg City. During arrival we were surprised at first, mostly because we both had imagined Luxembourg to be more old world, when in fact it is very modern. There was renovated buildings and 500 years old buildings side by side. But it wasn't the buildings or the monuments that made the city so interesting... it was the Old Town. The Old Town was constructed around 940 AD and it is so well kept that it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was so well preserved and there were so few people walking around that it almost felt like I was transported to another time, walking around the streets of Old Town. It was really, really interesting to see this. Another interesting thing about Luxembourg City is that it is like one layer on top of another with all the layers connected through bridges. Luxembourg City must have about 4 main bridges and each offered a spectacular view. We visited all the main highlights of Luxembourg...we saw amazing views, saw where the Grand Duchy lived and also visited the old ruins. The amazing thing about Luxembourg is that it's one of the smallest countries in the world and yet it has the highest GDP. That's right, Luxembourg has the highest Gross Domestic Product in the world, even over places like Qatar or Dubai. It is unbelievable what this tiny country can do. So, what can I really say about Luxembourg? It's by no means a "Must See" in Europe, but at the same time it offers the most spectacular views, and hospitable people that I've encountered so far in Europe.

Public Transportation Strike

Métro
Ligne 1 : 1 rame toutes les 5 min
Ligne 2 : 1 rame toutes les 15 min
Ligne 3 : service quasi nul
Ligne 3bis : 1 rame toutes les 10 min
Ligne 4 : 1 rame toutes les 5 min
Ligne 5 : 1 rame toutes les 45 min
Ligne 6 : 1 rame toutes les 20 min
Ligne 7 : 1 rame toutes les 30 min
Ligne 7bis : 1 rame toutes les 35 min
Ligne 8 : 1 rame toutes les 45 min
Ligne 9 : 1 rame toutes les 20 min
Ligne 10 : 1 rame toutes les 40 min
Ligne 11 : 1 rame toutes les 10 min
Ligne 12 : 1 rame toutes les 45 min
Ligne 13 : 1 rame toutes les 45 min (branche G. Péri Asnières Gennevilliers service non assuré) Ligne 14 : fonctionne normalement

That's what's going on with the strike here in Paris. This is a chart telling the times of the various trains on the Paris métro. Thankfully, my train (line 11), is one train every 10 minutes which is better than line 8 which is one train every 45 minutes. Keep in mind that although one train every 10 minutes sounds fine, it's not when you're sharing that with a city population of a little over 10 million people. I am supposed to go to Luxembourg tomorrow for a birthday present from my parents...the international trains are supposed to be running so I am crossing my fingers!

Happy Birthday to me!

As some may, or may not know, this Wednesday, November 14th is my 22nd birthday! It is also the day of a major public transportation strike here in Paris. I have planned a trip to Luxembourg for my birthday on the 17th so I am crossing my fingers that the strike will be over by then. This week has been filled with lots of projects and papers in all my classes. My biggest paper was for my Impressionism class and it required me to visit the Musée d'Orsay. The Musée d'Orsay houses about 90% of the world's Impressionist artwork. Even though I have to go to the Louvre and d'Orsay for class, it is never a chore. That's what makes class so enjoyable. And, that's also why I am going to continue to take this art history class next semester. After all, when will I be able to study art history and actually see the works of art that I am studying on a daily basis? I had been to the d'Orsay a few times, but hadn't been upstairs, and most of the Pointillism and Impressionist works are upstairs. I had been focusing on Pre-Impressionist works, which are downstairs. When I went upstairs, I was impressed by the artwork, but also impressed by the view. Below is the view of Sacre-Coeur, close to where I live, from the second floor of the Musée d'Orsay.

Escargot

Tonight, for the first time, I ate escargot. After I finished eating, my host dad said: We knew you were Parisian, but now you are French.

Mom Time

My fall break was this past week and my mom came to visit me. I think that my mom and I travel well together. The problem is that my mom likes to do about 50,000 things in one day. But, this was good, because she wasn't here in Paris for that long, only about a week, and three of those days were spent in London. She arrived last Friday and we immediatley set off, seeing the Louvre, Tuileries, Notre Dame, St. Chappelle, Eiffel Tower, and a Seine River Cruise. We also spent time just walking around Paris, enjoying the architecture, which is my favorite way of passing time in Paris. Then, on Sunday, we set off for London via the Eurostar. It was amazing. We had first class tickets and all I can say is...WOW. If you ever get the chance to take the Eurostar first class, don't hesitate. It was unbelievable food, service, and comfort. We arrived in London in the morning and set off to do Kensington Palace, Harrod's and the London Eye. The next day we did the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Westminster and we took the train out to Windsor Castle. I have been in London before, but I had never been to Windsor Castle. It was really outstanding. We returned to Paris and the last day she was here we went to Versailles and strolled around my neighborhood. Even though Mom only got to be here about a week, I think she really enjoyed herself. I don't think there is one tourist thing in Paris or London that she missed. It was go-go-go!!! I still have three days left of my fall break and I am spending those days sleeping and working on my architecture and French projects. I will be over here until May, so if anyone who reads this blog wants to visit or will be here, please let me know! I love to see people from America!

South of France

During the SMU-in-Paris semester program there are two study tours. Our first was to Normandy and it was really great, but really intense. It was like a 48 hour non stop class. Our second study trip was a few weeks ago and it was to the South of France. It was like a 5 day vacation. It was awesome. We visited Marseilles, Nice, Cannes, Antibes and St. Tropez. It was unreal. When I was in Monterey this past summer, I thought it was the most beautiful place in the world. I had never seen such natural beauty. The water of the Pacific was so blue, the air was so cool and crisp and the contrast between the mountains and the ocean was stunning. However, Monterey was nothing compared to the South of France. The South of France, particularly Nice, was like Monterey times 1,000. Many expatriate writers from America were in the South of France during the 1920s, including Fitzgerald and Hemingway, creating what is known as the Lost Generation between World War I and World War II. We were able to visit some of the places that these people frequented. I have never seen anything like the Mediterranean Sea. When I was in Nice, a friend and I went to the beach. As I looked out over the Mediterranean, I realized that thousands of people have had the same view. The same waves wash upon the shores of France, Italy, Greece, Israel and even Lebanon. All of these different people have this Sea in common. It was a surreal feeling.