Oh, Paris, city of...

Lights
Traffic
That special smell of urine mixed with fresh bread with salty armpits and gorgeous cheese
Hot sun and cool wind
Grey tin roofs
Staring
Eyes demanding a "pardon" if one bumps into another person
Welcoming smiles from the local boulangerie and cave
Dog poop in the grates around trees
Short chimneys lined like ceramic pots waiting for gods
Flies who know to dart into an apartment and can find their way out immediately
Daredevil pigeons that blow the hair out of your face
Groups of chanting, drunk tourists
A new "traditional" restaurant on the corner (replacing the old Italian one)
A burned, empty building where I had my last panini (little bugs crawled on my shoes there)


I'm not quite sure what to do with myself. I am frantically trying to re-build my nest. The apartment looked the same when I got in and the first thing I did was unlock the shutters, push them open and let the air in. It rained just after I bought dinner. The subletters left a bit of food and odds and ends. I made my bed and fixed the futon. I took a shower and adjusted things (soap dish over here, shower head like so). I remembered this place. Now, I'm trying to unpack the boxes I left and the things I brought back from Geneve. In between, buying groceries and amenities. In between, running off this afternoon to school to meet with my colleague to talk about the conference, see some friends there. I am Scandinavian American, and we like to keep busy. .. I guess ..

Meanwhile, I'm walking the long way to the supermarche to absorb the city again. It's brilliant. It's brilliant to see the tourists (less now than the past couple of months though) with eyes wide open and giggles as they walk from Pigalle to the Moulin Rouge - all the sex stores surprise them. UK frat boy types posing with arms spread wide in front of the 3-story Sex World store. Older couples giggling with cameras around their necks. And, on the benches, along the promenade, sit all the regulars - some with beers, some waiting for their man, some with sandwiches. I love this neighborhood.

It's easy to jump back in, although it takes me my own sweet time to do it. I miss having the awesome flatmate I had. I miss the lake and the old town and my dear bicycle. I miss petite chat Lion. I made some good friends there and I miss them.

Easing in....

Ban on indoor smoking

This shisha bar is on my street, along with about 6 more or so. I have yet to hang out in a shisha bar in Paris, but tried it back in Madison at The Casbah restaurant/bar. They, too, stopped serving shisha when Madison banned indoor smoking. I don't think it's hypocritical to allow an amendment for exceptions for these bars. But, man, am I excited for the ban next year!!

La grève

It's kind of like a snow day here today. Not that there's any snow but school was canceled due to "la greve." It sounds like a deadly disease or a very serious, grave decision. Instead, it's power of the people!

I have to reiterate how incredibly helpful it was to read "Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong" before coming over here. So, when people started whispering about "la greve" I knew what they were talking about.

It's French culture. It's amazing. It's community. It's using your voice. It's solidarity. It's a huge "stand up and be counted" and a massive "take notice" to the government. Essentially, it's a strike and a protest and a march.

So, my understanding is that Sarkozy is attempting to raise the age of retirement from 55 to 60 or somesuch of all the employees of the major mass transit systems: the train (RER), the metro, and the buses. Apparently they're wondering if this will be like the strke in 1995 which lasted for 3 weeks. Since that time, when then-President Jacques Chirac attempted to reform retirement pensions and ages, no one has attempted to confront the transit workers. See, I don't think we really get it in the States because we all have cars. But maybe some of my pals in NYC could relate (although even there there's like a buhzillion taxis which is not the case here). Imagine if there were 3/4 less taxis in NYC, 1/2 the amount of personal cars, and then put a halt to all subway, buses, and trains coming in and out of the city to places like DC, Boston, Cleveland, etc. It would paralyze the city. Industry, economy, everything is affected. So, the longer this goes the harder it hits the country, the Euro Union, the world (think: wine, cheese, fashion, machinery, platics -- Fra is the 2nd largest exporter of services and farm products), and Sarkozy.

I guess we'll see what happens. I was able to have a nice night out and make it back on the metro by 11:45pm. As I was heading up the stairs out of M: Blanche some metro security workers were heading down, presumably to clear it out and lock it up. I wouldn't have been trapped across town or anything (while I can't get a Velib yet, I can hail a taxi -- if they weren't all taken like the other night when I tried to get home during Fashion Week and every taxi was taken at 2am so I had to walk to Place Opera where this guy told me about taxi lines. After walking 2.5km/1.5mi I was pooped and tired and cold and kind of lonely so I just didn't want to hoof it all the way home). But it's nice to hop on the fast and cheap metro to get home.

Well, since they canceled my one class I figure I'll walk on over to the manifestation and check it out. My friend Sarah told me last night ithttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif's better to check out the beginning than the ending because of rioting, but .. well... isn't that the fun part? Of course, I'll be careful. And, as I'm sure you can imagine, I'll report back with photos.

Speaking of photos, here are a few I've uploaded of late (400 more to upload -- man, digicams make life so much easier and more proliferative).

Valle de la Loire

Valle de la Loire

Before "La Nuit Blanche" [Rue de Douai / 9eme folder]

Car washing in Paris [Rue de Douai / 9eme folder]

Mushrooms on Rue Lepic [Montmartre / 18eme folder]