Paris Trip Day 13

Leave a comment November 20, 2016 Elsa Fridl

The Eiffel Tower is viewed by the world-over as a symbol of France. I have come to view it as also a catalyst for joy.

Sunday. I walked along the Seine River after taking the #30 bus to Trocedero again. I soaked up the energy near the Eiffel Tower and had a take-away sandwich. I love watching people in their excitement being at the Eiffel Tower: they all have such joy on their faces. There are now large stones in front of E.T. that people can stand on and take selfies (what a word!) or regular pictures. I went to the top of the Eiffel Tower again. (!) It never gets boring. It is so awe-inspiring. The views are so gorgeous.

An aerial view of the City of Paris as seen from the Eiffel Tower.

After the Eiffel Tower, I started my journey to the slip of my dinner cruise. I looked and looked and looked and didn’t see what the gentleman from Le Capitaine Fracasse spoke of, a part jutting out from the Seine River, meaning their slip. A French couple saw my distress and offered to help me find the slip. We found it in plenty of time and I waited in line. I struck up a conversation with an American couple. They were here on business and decided to take some vacation time to see Paris. One thing I’ve noticed: Paris brings out the joy in people, because the tourists I speak to all seem to be in great moods, even serene. The line started to get lonnngggggggg; glad I got there early. When I was asked where I wanted to sit I said that I wanted to sit near a window, and I was told it would be an extra 10 euros for a better view. I said no thanks, as I reflected on Rick Steves’ description of the dinner cruise in which he said to “get there early for good seating;” there was no mention of paying more for a good seat. Then I was seated by myself in full view of a rowdy party, and patrons were using my table as a shortcut to get to their table. I nearly left. After all, a dinner cruise isn’t just about the food: the atmosphere is part of what you pay for. First I moved my table next to the table next to me, and a server smiled in recognition of how I was keeping patrons from brushing past me. (Since he saw my distress, why didn’t he seat me somewhere else?) Then I asked if I could sit farther in the back since there was so much space available. (The ship was at most half-full.) I sat next to a French couple who didn’t take their eyes off of each other. I could not believe that this petite woman ate EVERYTHING presented to her, as thin as she was. She ate basically what I did: a tray of 3 appetizers, (including Foie des Grais, which I didn’t eat), fish with potatoes in a light sauce, a tray of 3 desserts, including a puff pastry that was out of this world, and wine and espresso. Culinary heaven.

A Capitaine Fracasse dinner cruise is an elegant way to experience the views along the Seine River.

A dinner cruise is an elegant way to experience the views along the Seine River.

When I disembarked and started to walk, I felt so alive! I happened to exclaim to no one in particular what a beautiful night it was. The response of a French couple who got off the same dinner cruise: “Of course, you’re in Paris!”

I got back to the hostel and found I had a new roommate. I floated off to sleep.

Salut !

Images of Eiffel Tower and Eiffel Tower view by Elsa L. Fridl. Image of dinner cruise on Seine River by Can Stock Photo.

Paris Trip Day 2

Leave a comment November 9, 2016 Elsa Fridl

The first picture I took when I went sightseeing in Montmartre.

Wednesday. I slept and stayed in bed until just after 2:00 P.M. At 10:00 A.M. I was roused by a roommate who told me I had just missed breakfast! I didn’t want to get out of bed, I was so wiped out from leaving at night and travelling. (I’m not much of a night person.) After showering I went walking to see the neighborhood and take some pictures. I decided I was so hungry I didn’t want to walk around too much before I ate. I found Le Basilic on a strip of land quite close to Plug-Inn Hostel. I was the only patron there it was so early: the French tend to eat fairly late. The food was so good: 2 appetizers, one being salmon with avocado, bread, wine, Perrier, salad, and Cappuccino. All to the tunes of Barbara Streisand and French music playing sweetly in the background. It was fantastic! My first real meal in Paris for this trip, and one of the best meals I’ve ever had. I can’t wait to eat at Le Basilic again.

Inside Le Basilic in Montmartre.

Le Basilic in Montmartre serves the best food I’ve ever had. I ate there six times during my month-long stay in Paris.

I went walking around Montmartre, Pigalle and Clignancourt. Right across the street from the Moulin Rouge I saw a sign peeking through scaffolding for the Gold Hotel. When I walked in, the man at the desk was on the phone. Nonchalantly, I gazed up at a framed piece of paper, and noticed it was a posting of their room rates. I tried not to react when I noticed that a single room was 140 euros. I knew it was the slow season so I might be able to get a better rate. After he hung up the phone and we greeted each other in French (and then I asked him if he spoke English, which he did), in my best confident yet feminine voice, I told him I would like a room for Saturday, since the place I’m staying at for a month doesn’t have room for me for one night. We talked about what I wanted in an une chamber (room), though I honestly don’t remember if I asked for a King- or Queen-sized bed. I asked whether une chamber avec douche et WC (the room had a full bathroom), and he said “Yes, of course.” (Some don’t.) We talked about everything except price. Finally, I could tell he was weighing how much he was going to charge me. Being the good negotiator I am, I allowed him to bring it up and I didn’t rush him. He noticed I didn’t have luggage with me so he couldn’t determine my socio-economic status by the price of my luggage. He gave a good look at me and said, “Seventy euros for the night.” I told him that was acceptable, though inwardly I was celebrating. He then asked if I wanted breakfast for an additional 10 Euros. I told him no, thank you, since I knew I could get back to the hostel for my free breakfast or grab something on the way back for half that price. He told me he didn’t require me to pay up front and I could cancel if I wanted to. He gave me a piece of paper that said I had a reservation and how much the room was, but it didn’t have the Gold Hotel logo on it; he said I would get that when I checked in. (How odd is that?) I walked out feeling pretty confident, since I was going to stay in a 3-Star Hotel (according to the literature I saw on the wall) for half price.

One of my roommates is here for the Photography Conference & Exhibition I read about before I left the U.S. Great! I told her I would love to come with her, or at least go to the exhibit. She said she might have to stick with her group which is being led by her instructor. I also met a French guy who visited one of the staff; he told me an organization is looking for people to teach English. (!) I need to think of all the things I’ve done that relate to teaching English (like substitute teaching, editing, writing, I’m a published author, I created the Essay Pyramid for international students). Unfortunately, when I went to take a shower I found out that my personal care items weren’t in my backpack…when did they go missing? I’m not happy having to spend money again for my personal care items, but I can’t believe I told myself not to skimp on security and then I did just that. I didn’t want to spend another $10 on a lock, and now I have to spend a small fortune re-buying personal care items. How many times do I have to ignore my own advice before I’ll learn?

I need to remind myself to change $200 to Euros tomorrow before I go shopping.

Salut !

Image of exterior of Le Basilic by Wikimedia Commons, CCBY 3.0. Other images by the author.

Happy Halloween!

Leave a comment October 31, 2016 Elsa Fridl

Cats freely wander Pere Lachaise Cemetery where they keep the dead company.

Paris and cats, cats and Paris…the two just go together.

Source: bonjourparis.com

Happy Halloween! If you want to be in the spirit of this day, but like me, you don’t enjoy getting scared, today I’m sharing a photo essay on cats in Paris from a little earlier this year, courtesy of bonjourparis.com.

Au revoir !

Cat at Grave by Daniel Racovitan, Flickr, CCBY 2.0.

5 Reasons to Love Paris in August – INSPIRELLE

Leave a comment August 1, 2016 Elsa Fridl

Source: 5 Reasons to Love Paris in August – INSPIRELLE

Paris plage (beach) along the Seine River.

Oh, how good it feels to be back! After a long absence, today I’m sharing Inspirelle’s post on why you should love Paris in August, along with a few suggestions for activities.

1. Fewer people in the city, period. When I was in Paris during the month of August, it was nearly a ghost town; the only Parisians I remember seeing were mostly older men playing boules in a park. Parisians, like all French people, take their holiday time (vacation) seriously, and August is the traditional month for it. In addition, tourists seemed few and far between. While some tourist attractions, shops, and restaurants close during August, much of Paris is still open, and since there are fewer people in the city, there are few, if any, lines to wait in.

2. Not much car traffic. If you want to drive in and around Paris, you won’t have to dodge traffic or worry about finding a parking space. Fewer cars on the road is also better for pedestrians: Remember, in Europe, cars have the right of way!

3. Much of Paris stays open. Many people believe that New York is Paris’s sister city in the U.S. But if New York never sleeps, then Paris always loves – there is always something to do to make you fall in love with the city, and for the city to love you back. The links below speak to how much of Paris stays open.

Restaurants open during August (per ParisByMouth.com)

Museums and cultural sites closed during August (per Paris Tourist Office)

4. Summer-only activities heat up. Since 2002, 5,000 tons of sand are trucked in every July to create two stretches of beaches: one that starts at the Louvre to Pont Sully along the Seine River, and the other on the Bassin de La Villete in the 19th arrondissement. The beaches are open from July 20 to September 4 in 2016, and are free to the public. Ice cream or a sandwich from a beachside cafe is extra. (!)

Port de Suffren in Paris, France.

After enjoying the sun by the beach during the day, why not dance the night away at Port de Suffren or attend the Paris Quartiers d’Ete festival? From July 14 – August 7, each arrondissement offers their own live entertainment, exhibits and theatre performances. Click here for the full guide.

5. Classical and rock concerts will make you want to sing. Rock en Seine is an annual, 3-day rock-n-roll event that features some artists I’ve heard of (Iggy Pop) and some I haven’t (Massive Attack, The Temper Trap), but no matter, it’s really geared to the younger set, anyway. It runs from Friday, August 26 through Sunday, August 28 in the Domaine Nationale de St. Cloud. Tickets: 3-day tickets cost 119 euros, single day for 49 euros. Click here to purchase tickets from Rock en Seine’s website.

If a rock concert isn’t your style anymore, perhaps a classical concert in a botanical garden is. The Festival Classique au Vert (“Classic Green Festival”) runs from August 6 to September 18 in the Parc Floral in the 12th arrondissement. Admission to the parc is 6 euros. Orchestras and international artists play at Parc Floral.

I believe Paris is always a good idea. Don’t you?

Au revoir!

Elsa

Image of Paris Plage along the Seine River by Laura Cuttler, 2013, Flickr, CCBY 2.0.

Paris for $34 a Night? 24-hour Sale on Hostelbookers!

Madeleine LeBeau, French actress who sang ‘La Marseillaise’ in ‘Casablanca,’ dies at 92 – The Washington Post

Beauty Secrets of French Women…Aren’t So Secret

Leave a comment April 29, 2016 Elsa Fridl

Have you ever noticed how effortlessly beautiful French women are? Gorgeous hair, perfect skin, beautiful figures… and the best look of all: killer confidence. How DO they do it?

Post adapted from Source: French Girl Beauty Secrets: 11 Tips To Look Parisian Pretty – Beauty Guide – Livingly

French women have an allure all their own. It is my experience that many people believe they are simply born beautiful, and that there is nothing that the rest of us mortals can do to attain their beauty and glamour. After working in the beauty industry, however, and upon close inspection, I believe I can offer insights into how to achieve at least a smidgen of French elegance. While I do believe genes you are born with have something to do with how attractive you are, it’s what you do with what you’re born with that matters in the long run. To me, this last point is crucial in understanding “how French women do it.” They take care of themselves today in ways that benefit them tomorrow.

French women are careful in the sun. Think about the pictures of French women you’ve admired: how many have a tan? Probably not many, if any. French women are not sun worshipers because they learn early on about the long-term effects of sun on the skin. Being careful in the sun, which means using plenty of SPF when you are out and avoiding the hottest sun during the day, is the number one thing people can do to avoid premature aging. Many girls and women don’t accept this until it’s too late. While working in the beauty industry, several women I knew from high school came in to my store and were desperate for something to alleviate their dry skin. They were all sun worshipers back in the day. Unfortunately, when they were younger, they didn’t understand that a tan is for the moment; skin is for a lifetime.

French women are not work-out obsessed. Of course, they have better eating habits — fresh food, little if any of it processed, portions in moderation — and they have friends who are likely to gently nudge each other if they notice one of their group putting on weight. They also walk a lot. It makes sense that French women are not work-out obsessed because they don’t have to be. As the French culture is focused on pleasurable experiences, French women choose activities to stay in shape that are fun, such as water aerobics.

French women love water. What is your approach to water? Do you drink it on occasion only because you know you should? Would you rather have iced tea or a diet drink? For French women, water isn’t just a beverage that they drink plenty of, it’s a beauty product, because they know that well-hydrated skin glistens from within, which no rouge can match. As France is well-known from their mineral springs, water and its benefits are incorporated into French cosmetics and skin care lines.

French women get enough sleep. Like water, sleep is acknowledged as the beauty treatment that it is. While you sleep, skin produces collagen, a necessary ingredient for cell turnover. The better your cell turnover, the more radiant your complexion will be. If you chronically deny yourself enough sleep, your skin is deprived of collagen while increasing the amount of cortisol, a stress hormone that leads to inflammation: the result is dull, lifeless skin that is prone to wrinkles. Sleep is crucial to overall good health; it should not be regarded as a luxury or unnecessary. I often cringed when I had clients come in for a product to hide the dark circles under their eyes while telling me about how they deprive themselves of sleep like it was a badge of honor. It isn’t.

French women love masks. If my experience working for Sephora is any indication, American women want beautiful skin without putting in the time to get it. Great skin doesn’t just happen; you have to work at it. French women know this, and learn to do one or two masks a week. Nothing says you have to use the same mask every time, though I would be careful about doing two types of active ingredient masks in one week. This means that if you do a glycolic acid-based mask one day (for its anti-aging benefits), it would be better to use something like Clinique’s Even Better Brightening Moisture Mask for the next one, rather than a different anti-aging mask using retinol or sulfur, for example: your skin might react from using the two active ingredients close together.

French women trust kitchen remedies. Since French women have mothers and grandmothers with beautiful skin, they trust what their elders tell them, and that is, kitchen remedies work. Why buy the latest product if your mother has beautiful skin using a homemade remedy? I use a mask that consists of 3 tablespoons of cooked white rice, 1 tablespoon of honey, and 1 tablespoon of milk. This softens my skin, makes it glow, and helps with wrinkles. In addition, I save the water that I cooked the rice in and wash with it. It makes my skin silky smooth.

French women believe less is more. French women like to look the same with makeup as without, only fresher. Since they have great skin, a little mascara, rouge, eyeliner, and lipstick go a long way to enhancing their looks. That said, if you don’t have great skin, high-end makeup brands such as Dior and Lancome can give you the look of little makeup while covering flaws and enhancing your natural beauty.

French women spend more time on skin care. I would add to this, French women take a pro-active approach to their skin and prevent problem skin rather than try to conceal bad life habits with make up.

Red lipstick makes you stand out. There is a red for every lip.

French women appreciate a simple red lip. Women have been wearing red lip color since the Mesopatamia time, about 3,000 B.C. Perhaps the red lip became French during the 1700s, when upper class French women were encouraged to wear cosmetics, which differed from their arch-rival England, whose anti-cosmetics laws left only the prostitutes to wear them. Certainly, French actress Sarah Bernhardt helped to solidify the red lip as French when she wore it in early films in the late 1800s; red lipstick helped her lips to be seen on black-and-white film. In our modern time, there’s something about red lipstick that just says “classic,” and with so many reds available, it is easy to find a hue you can call your own.

French women don’t fuss with their hair. They don’t wash their hair every day because it strips the hair of natural oils. They set their hair once in the morning and don’t touch it during the day; if a few hairs fall out of a twist, they let it go. After all, a few fallen hairs is sexy.

French women have a signature fragrance. The American women I waited on working at Sephora always seemed to want the latest in everything — skincare, makeup, even fragrance. Conversely, French women stick with what works: they find a fragrance they love and call it their own. It becomes part of their identity, and they aren’t dressed without it. My favorite is Dolce & Gabbana’s Light Blue. What is your favorite scent? Let it become part of you and wear it every day.

Au revoir!

Image of French actress used by permission. Evian designer water bottles by Stella Yoda, Flickr, CCBY 2.0. Red lipstick by Wen Chen, Flickr, CCBY 2.0.

French Culture