Paris Secret Treasures!

Since I know j'adore recommendations and special small places to visit when traveling, I have decided to share with all of you all my Paris favorites! These were the places that stuck out in my mind and made my experience as fantastic as it was... I hope when you visit you will go to some of these places and feel the same! And as usual, let me know what you think...

(M)= metro
*= très très bien!
Restaurants:
*L'Aubergeade= fabulous little bistro with the nicest owners and FABULOUS, inexpensive food! definitely one of my favorite meals of Paris
(M) Diderot

*Le Timbre= restaurant seats about 20 people, one chef open kitchen, delicious food! get the set menu
3 rue Saint Beuve 75006
01 45 49 10 40

*L'Argume= featured in the NYTimes, it was a gourmand experience, and relatively inexpensive... very intimate experience
(M) Les Gobelins

*Le Relais Entrecote= only serve steak frites with salad and wine! sooo good, my fav was the one in Saint Germain
(M) St Germain des Pres

Le Loire dans la Thière= direct translation, "the dormouse in the teapot", a magnificent place to stop and have tea (my fav was caramel) and a dessert (the lemon meringue tart was from heaven)
(M) St. Paul in the Marais

L'as du Falafel= the line is around the corner on Sunday's, not only b/c its so good, but b/c most places are closed on Sundays... great place to get a falafel to walk through the Marais with
(M) St. Paul

Rose Bakery= delightful experience
(M) St. Paul

Le Petit Prince= went here for my bday, very very good food and fun experience... the ambiance is classic, but the waiters are all gay with Abba playing in the background!
(M) Maubert

... there are more... but i think that is a good start... let me know if you want more...
Clubs/Bars:
*Wagg= went here for my birthday, SO FUN! music is classic stuff/ 80's-2000's all stuff you wanna sing along to, the crowd is a bit older (25-35) but a BLAST!
(M) Mabillon

*Bario Latino= beautiful bar/restaurant/club, Wednesday nights are free to get in, and everyone salsa's the night away! Even if you can't dance, watching the pros is amazing
(M) Bastille

Le Cab= fun swanky night club right next to the Louvre... good music and pretty people
(M) Louvre- Palais Royal

Dubbies= fun bar that turns into a club... good old time!
(M) George V

Frog and the Princess= a must see... the street it is on, rue de Princess is always packed and all the bars along that street including Eden Park and Chez George (they play jewish music!) are so fun
(M) Mabillon

Queen= a 'gay club' with fun atmosphere... however, most of the guys are not gay... or you can't really tell soooo you dance with them thinking they like boys, then they try and kiss you... and you get the picture. Fun but confusing. Wednesday Night= Ladies night= Free Champagne!
(M) George V

Jazz: (one of my favorite pass times in Paris)
*L'Ateiler Charonne= great jazz restaurant with gypsy jazz and young good looking people
(M) Bastille

*Tavern de Cluny= really talented group! fun on Sunday nights... not really hip but very authentic
(M) Cluny

*Le Komtoir= GREAT bar right next to the Pompidou, with jazz band downstairs in a large wine cellar... very popular hard to get a seat on Thursday nights
(M) Hotel de Ville

Museums: I literally went to them all... these were my favorites
*Baccarat Crystal Museum= amazing display of crystal everything! Its a beautiful building and very very well worth a visit
(M) Kleber

*Musee Jacquemart-Andre= beautiful mansion of art collector Edouard Andre, this art collection is impressive and makes a great afternoon event!
(M) St. Philippe- du Roule

*Pompidou= gotta give this museum a chance! and make it to the 5th floor, that is where all the magic is!
(M) Hotel de Ville

*L'Orangerie= less known than the Musee d'Orsay, but the impressionist display is impressive! This museum has all of Monet's water lilies
(M) Concorde

Just fun must do's:
-Laying on the grass in Jardin du Luxembourg
-Having a picnic on the Champs de Mars (park right next to the Eiffel Tower)
-Going to all the gourmet food shops around Place de la Madeleine (M) Madeleine
-Going shopping in the Marais (might I recommend my new favorite store L'Art du basic... I would have bought out the place if I could)
-Shakespeare & Co for a Monday night book reading-- every week at 7pm... so fun!

Voila! C'est tout!
And to quote Julie Andrews, "These are a few of my favorite things".... :)

The End of Paris, but the Begining of Something Beautiful

Things are wrapping up for me here in gay ole'Pariee. I'm making the most of every second, seeing my last sights and making my last plans. Looking back on the whole experience, I would have to say my favorite moment was a very simple one... I was walking home on a warm day after running errands, and had to cross through the plaza in front of Notre Dame. As I was weaving my way through the sea of tourists who could barley take their eyes from the ornate facade of the Cathedral, one of the street performers was playing the theme song from Amelie on his radio. In that very moment, I felt like the song was the sound track to my life... my walk was steady, confident, my direction was clear, practiced, and my mind was calm... and in that tiny instant I felt completely and utterly Parisian! It was FANTASTIC... I was (am) in Paris no longer as a tourist, but as a resident, and it was one of the happiest moments of my life.

I have done some reflection on my life, and feel that I have really discovered myself here. Instead of trying to play a role that everyone else was playing or purse a path that was most traveled, for once I did exactly what I wanted to do. On a daily basis I followed my heart, and in the process developing into the person I have always been deep down, but too worried to embody. I have in essence accepted myself. I no longer care to waste my time pretending I like things I don't and go along with things I think are stupid. I know now I can do anything and do not need anyone else to do them; when I want to dine at a restaurant, I dine, go to a museum, I go, learn french, I learn, listen to jazz, I listen. I feel so much more confident in my choices because I am not faking anymore. For a long time I believed you could BS your way through anything, and I considered that a skill of mine. I was wrong. You can not bull shit your way through everything because if you do, you never really do anything you want or feel proud of anything you do. You never get the satisfaction of knowing you did it just the way it needed to be done. Paris has given me that gift... I have done everything, lived everyday with true intentions, and now have had 5 months practice of being true to myself! I have been completely porous to Pariee's opportunities to live life and for that I am thankful.

Now I am returning home excited to have some responsibilities, excited to have more of a purpose, and excited to apply the joys of life I have experienced here to my future. I have been mocked for the title of my blog, but I can say in all honestly, Rachel's Joie de Vivre has come to fruition. The Universe is mine for the taking and I learned here that it is my right to be greedy! :)
Au revoir Paris et franchement merci! A très bientot j'espère...

Having not written in over two months, I feel that it is time again to commence my ciber journal of events... and being jet lagged and since it is 4am having nothing better to do, j'ecris....
Today was the first day back in Paris after spending my two week Spring Break in LA, and Paris is even more enchanting than when I left! (especially since absence makes the heart grow fonder) Every tree is full of leaves and all the flowers are in bloom, all the once gray tree lined streets are now plump with color! I woke up early in the morning, which was a first in Paris for me, ha, and went to go see the YSL Exhibit at the Petit Palace which I have been eager to see. When I got there at opening there was already a huge line! I had tried to go to this exhibit before, at closing time, but the line was about two hours long so I gave up. The french love their fashion! But today I stuck it out, enduring an hour of sun, then rain, then wind, then sun again. But part of the fun of this show was observing the people standing in line and what they were wearing. People were dressed as if they were attending Fashion Week, adorned with all the accoutrement of fine French class. LOVED IT! They make everything look so effortless, when I know for a fact that it is not... like a fine ballerina that appears to not even try when floating through the air.

Anyways, once warm and inside the exhibit took you through all 40 years of Saint Laurent's career and I learned so much! All the styles that I love today (the sailor coat, the safari look, the tailored female pant suit) were all started by him! I hope one day I can also have a profound inpact on other people's lives with some kind of creation.

Then after a mid-day petit somme (nap)... that's probably why I cant sleep now... a friend of mine and I went to a Gypsy Jazz Bar near the Bastille. FABULOUS! I have decided since I only have one month left of this dream world, I am going to go out as much as possible, and to new places to soak up as much of the Parisian flair as possible! Anyways, this bar/restaurant was very chic and had a youthful, lively and good looking ;) crowd. Vanessa and I sat there for hours having drinks and listening to music... mind you the music got better and better with every glass of wine I had... but it was still great. We became friends with the players and spoke with them in French. That's the other thing; when I arrived in Paris after not speaking French for two full weeks, it immediately came to me! The first time in my life I have ever entered into a foreign country and felt confident to converse to others. Such a cool skill that I hope I can hold on to... I couldn't have asked for a more perfect day or a more perfect soiree!

Getting over LA

I did something very normal today... I went to the movies. I know, I know, it was kinda sacrilegious to sit in a dark theater instead of going to one of the thousand museums Paris has to offer... but I felt like it. I have to admit that recently I have been reminiscing about certain fond memories of LA; nothing big, just little things like the sight of the ocean while driving down PCH or going to the Century City mall (I realize I'm insane), and going to the movies. Sooo I went to go see Valentines Day (yes, I am aware that I am a masochist!) and spent the next two hours cringing in disgust at my fellow Angelean's on the screen!!! It was SOOO BAD and I was so embarrassed the whole time thinking that I am associated with these people. The French think Americans are actually like that, but the worst part is that a good chunk of them ARE LIKE THAT!!! Ignorant, morally unjust, classless, self obsessed, image obsessed, shallow souls who do not desire to change and grow... I exited the theater and saw the gorgeous buildings around me like it was the first time, and it felt great to appreciate it again. I am so happy to be in Paris, and just needed a trip down hollywood lane to remind me of what is important in my life.

On a different note, I have really been getting into my classes. I am enjoying them, its the nerd in me, but I really love learning for learning sake... its wonderful! Waking up in the morning to attend these classes is not fun (don't worry mom, have not missed one... yet) but worth the momentary pain. The coolest part is I learn something new everyday, and get to apply it in my everyday life! Like today I learned that I have been asking for tap water all wrong... i have been saying "un caraf de l'eau" but you are suppose to say "un caraf d'eau" haha HUGE difference... but honestly it is very exciting. Now I can hold my head up high in a cafe, and order water without anyone suspecting I am a foreigner. My phonetics class is also very cool. I have never had anything like it, a class solely devoted to speaking correctly and understanding the language 100% in an oral way which I am really responding to... it is like learning a song... needless to say my teacher loves me and I'm the best in my class :) They should have a phonetics class in all American schools! God knows most high school students need a pronunciation standard, the 'english' some people speak is honestly a different language!

Some friends and I are going to go on a day trip outside of Paris tomorrow to Fontainebleau, a quaint town with a huge forest and a beautiful chateau for the Kings of France... excited to see what will unfold...

Beauty... the Best Medicine

Morphine, cocaine, ecstasy, vicodin... forget them all, I'd take the architectural beauty of Paris ANY DAY! Today was the most beautiful day; started out rainy and gray with a violent wind that would literally propel you forward, but by lunchtime it was stunning! The sun was shining and though it was a bit nipple-y outside, the rays seemed to warm my soul. After a French class filled with direct and indirect pronouns, I grabbed lunch and took it to the Luxembourg Gardens (right across from my school!) When I first arrived in January, the gardens were beautiful but brown with no hint of life within their gates. But today they were beginning to 'spring' to life. As I sat in a reclining lounge chair I couldn't help but smile... at first it was just the corners of my mouth, but with every turn of my head in a new direction my grin turned into a full on, million dollar (thanks to braces) smile! À ma droite was the Luxembourg Palace, built for Marie de Medicis in 1615 (which now houses the French Senate)... À ma gauche was what seemed to be an endless display of status... and directly in front of me was a pond populated with different types of birds. I could literally feel my skin drinking up the rays of sunlight, absorbing all the vitamin D I could get!

I am a firm believer in the importance of beautiful things. The reason Paris is such a remarkable city is because they believe in the same thing... promoting happiness by infusing beauty into every aspect of daily life; the romantic architecture, the prevalence of museums covering everything from impressionism to erotica, the accordion music heard on your ride through the metro, and the food that is made into art... all are experienced within one day, leaving absolutely no time for depression! People could save a lot of money on therapy by just buying a plane ticket to Paris rather than undergoing psychoanalysis for decades. Who knew you could be so happy just sitting in a chair and watching, or not even that, closing your eyes and just FEELING! People in the States have forgotten how to just feel. How to live out each moment as though it were a precious gift instead of a God given right... But the French have not forgotten, the French value life turning the mundane into joie de vivre. The French refuse to conform to the costco/ value-pack lifestyle Americans have generated, a life that is made up of unhealthy habits and obsessions (money, stress, food, etc). The French preserve their ways with gusto... and this battle for their fabulous lifestyle is what most Americans perceive as rudeness. As a nation we are sooo hypocritical. When any other culture crosses into our boarders we expect them to first and foremost speak English and second to understand 'American" values (they are in America after-all!) But when Americans travel they expect everyone around them to conform to their habits and are COMPLETELY inflexible... (wow just went on a rant there, haha)

Bottom line is I feel like I have found my friend in Paris, so much so that I love just spending time, me and her, experiencing life together. It is an amazing feeling to be so utterly happy that it makes you almost want to cry... ha, now if I could just get the language down things would be much easier!

(ps. im having lots of difficulty uploading pictures but im trying!)

Cemetery Solitude...

Today walking through infinite rows of tombs stones and crypts gave be incredible perspective. As I observed each stone's unique ornamentation which symbolized the lives of the thousands of people now 6ft under, I felt like I was learning a little about each person. The silence of the Montparnasse cemetery was palpable, but I loved it, it was cleansing in a way... After this weekend of intense sightseeing a hyper-stimulation if was nice to just spend the day by myself in thought.

This cemetery is home to many famous authors, poets and singers as well as generations of families all buried under the same headstone. As I stumbled over the many different levels of tombs I started singing to myself; at first very quietly , just under my breath, but then as I continued through what seemed to be the endless/lifeless cemetery I started belting it out! Jazz classics were what first came to mind (Marisa like on our train ride back to Rome:) and I felt Billy Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and Ole Blue Eyes channeling through my lungs and out my lips. A very windy day, all the trees rustled and leaves danced in cyclones beneath my boots. I liked reading the tombstones and seeing the old and new flowers resting inside the crypts. A section of the cemetery was highly concentrated with Jewish last names and emblems... and of course fake plastic flowers, oy! Typical of Russian Jews at least, it made me think of my grandmother who I think of a great deal as I walk the streets of Paris. She spent her years after the Holocaust living in Paris and always wanted to return to the Paris joie de vivre. I envision what her Paris must have looked like and how much I would loved have walked these streets with her chic self now...

This weekend all the ADPi girls visited my city, coming from Madrid and Rome. Its crazy how much you can do in two days but yet how much more of the city they unfortunately missed out on due to time constraints. We did the major sights, including a trip to the top of the Tour Eiffel which I had not done yet. And I will not do it again! ughhh Even in the off season the lines were awful... I felt like cattle which greatly took away from the experience, but we made the best of it... Having them here was nice, but unfortunately brought on a wave of not what I would categorize as home sickness-- but "people sickness"... haha

Mais... IM IN PARIS! All I need to do is grab a crepe and walk into a museum and the funk is gone... pretty great anti-depressant I would say, non?

Où est la bibliothèque???

Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine I would seriously utter the phrase "où est la bibliothèque" but today I DID! I went to the Sorbonne library to do my french homework and was it beautiful! Few colleges in the US can compare to the utter beauty of la Sorbonne's architecture. Their lecture halls alone are riddled with fresco's and Baroque sculptures of ancient intellectuals of the past, imparting their wisdom as they look down on you with encouragement. I felt embarrassed when I sat down amidst all other french étudiants and pulled out my level two french book, conjugating my -ir verbs, as they intensely studied the laws of physics and the writings of Rousseau. But I held my head up high, and convinced myself that they could not do that in English, so I was fine...

After finishing mes devoirs, I went to the Louvre to meet my art class for a tour of Rubens and van Dyke paintings. Professor Baltay is a fabulous 73 year old woman going on 50, with a salt and pepper coiffure, stream lined physic (honestly she is rail thin), and a fabulous wardrobe of luxurious fabrics in all muted tones... a true Parisian... from New York. But it is her mind that is truly amazing. A walking encyclopedia of all things to do with art and culture she led the class of 10 students through the maze of le ancien palace (the Louvre) at a pace faster than I would like to admit! She brought us to this large room filled with very large Baroque Ruben's paintings that appeared at first glance to be beautiful, gaudy, and somewhat the same. But through her detailed explanation we learned that each of these masterpieces (clockwise) told the story of Maria de Medici's life. From her godlike birth to her marriage to the King of France Henry IV, to her ascension up to heaven, all was elaborated with the extraordinary undulation of a paintbrush. A room which I would have given possibly 5 minutes of my time just browsing by each painting we dedicated an entire 45 minutes in observation, totally worth it!

I transferred into a higher level of french today, "Intermediare" which I will go to tomorrow. I am nervous that I will just clam up the way I always do in my previous French classes, not being able to push myself to the next level. But this is the only opportunity I get... I must try... wish me luck for tomorrow!