2 months into my Parisian stay and T - 3 days until I head home for the first time to see my wonderful boyfriend who I've been missing since the second he dropped me off at the airport. A lot has happened and fortunately settled down since my last post, which was about a month and a half ago. It's going to be quite a daunting task to write about the last 40 days, but I'll fill in some of the highlights.
Since the trip to Stockholm, in addition to finally being able to run and bike in the bois de Vincennes without the fear winding up down some rabbit hole, I've managed to find a routine here in Paris that rather suits me. Although I had initially planned on riding my bike to school, the one-speed nature of my two-wheeled vehicle means that its primary purpose has been for cutting the travel time to the tennis courts from 45 minutes on public transport to a mere 15 minutes. Since I have been training with the head pro at the tennis club in Joinville-le-pont 4 times a week, the time savings of about 4 hours a week, plus the added benefit of a pre-tennis warm up, makes the 80 euro purchase price totally worth it.
As for the work week, it's hard to complain about the hours. During the fall semester, I make the trip from my place to the métro Créteil-Université on line 8 three days a week (Monday afternoon, Wednesday morning and afternoon, Thursday morning), so my schedule hardly amounts to the Parisian rhythm of "métro-boulot-dodo" (subway-work-sleep). In fact, the métro is only one of the many options that I usually employ to arrive at UPEC (Université Paris-Est Créteil formerly Paris XII). While my trip always begins (or ends, depending on the direction) on the line 8, the other half of the trip allows me to test several other combinations in order to add a little spice to the commute. Bus 325/métro 8; walk/métro 1/métro 8; walk along the bois de Vincennes/métro 8; walk/bus 46/métro 8... I've actually discovered a new route that I'll test after Christmas: walk/métro 6/métro 8.
In addition to my teaching routine, I have finally begun my trips to the Bibliothèque nationale -François Mitterrand branch (bus 325 direct or walk/métro 1/métro 14) and the Cinémathèque française where an important film library is located. There are two problems with taking bus 325. Although it takes me almost literally door to door, from my place to the library, it is the "almost literally" that poses a problem. In fact, it drops me off at Starbucks' door step. I usually try to avoid it while in France, but it is very tempting when, if it weren't for the bus shelter, the momentum of descending the step from the bus to the sidewalk would send me careening through the Seattle lady's glass entrance. Plus, what better treat/incentive for making it across town and descending into the library's wood and metal vault that a pre-descent caffeine boost. The other inconvenience of the 325 Château de Vincennes - Bibliothèque François Mitterrand line is that it often confronts a fair amount of traffic, lengthening the supposed 33 minute trip to somewhere around 40 to 45 minutes. So, given that the métro Bibliothèque exit is on the opposite side of the street from Starbucks and keeps more reliable travel times, that is actually the
moyen de transport of choice.
My time in Paris has also included several trips to Lyon, to Praz-sur-Arly in the Alps, and to Stockholm. I'm planning on visiting more museums when I return. The first Sunday of every month, many museums offer free admission. Those will be the days for taking in the catalogued French culture and history. For one of the most wonderful parts about living in Paris is being constantly surrounded by it. In how many place in the world do you live down the street from a massive château and fort? Well, I get to pass by mine every time I head to the tennis courts. Wouldn't Christmas shopping be much more enjoyable if it allowed you to walk down the Champs-Elysées, pause for a moment to admire a view that includes the Concorde obelisk, the Eiffel Tower, and Assemblée nationale, only then to continue to walk through the jardin des Tuileries, with a glance at the Louvre's pyramid and grand walls, and then pick up métro line 1 in front of the Hôtel de Ville? The only question being to determine between the options of strolling around Paris and driving in the US from nondescript mall 1 to nondescript mall 2, which is more pedestrian...
