The View From the Bus

They were a handsome couple, probably in their mid 80's. It was Sunday so they might have been coming home from church, dressed so smartly.  Both  were typically french in appearance; small frames, fine skin and high cheek bones with slightly hawkish noses. She was wearing a good wool coat with a gold pin and matching earrings, a touch of mascara and lipstick. He had a wool cap, an overcoat and he held a cane, though it looked decorative  rather than necessary. They both had that elegant, dare I say haughty? look one one typifies as french. I wanted to follow them home and have them invite me in for tea (maybe here you get invited in for espresso?) I'm sure the tale of their life would tell the tale of 75 years of Paris.

This gentleman was middle aged, short and plump. He was wearing an unremarkable jacket, pants and cap, but he had a very large diamond stud in each ear. And there was something about his bearing, how he moved.  I knew he would look sensational dressed as a woman, I could picture him in full drag. And then the clincher....I saw perfectly manicured long fingernails.  I knew it! His tale of Paris might be even more interesting!

The opportunities for people watching while riding the bus in Paris are fantastic. And that's because everyone rides the bus. You are just as likely to see a Gucci shopping bag as a Franprix bag (aforementioned cheap grocery store). Young professional couples in tailored suits sit cheek by jowl with immigrant workers in heavy frayed coats. Young families with strollers laden with parcels jostle with self conscious teens who preen at their reflection in the window. 

Paris has a lot of buses. There are 58 bus lines going all over the city and to the suburbs. Fifty eight bus lines! At each bus stop there is a map and an LCD screen telling you when the next bus will arrive. The longest we've waited was 17 minutes and that was a long time. Usually we wait 6 minutes, even on a Sunday.  In 2000 the main Paris roads were narrowed with curbs to create an express lane for buses, taxis and bikes. This makes for good through ways for buses and even more congestion for cars; which was exactly the point. When you get travel information on the bus /metro website, it also tells you what your carbon footprint is, how many grams of carbon you would have produced by driving and how many by taking the bus. Pretty green idea.

Parisians are polite when a bus is stuck. This happens with great regularity when buses can't make it around a corner because someone has parked in front of the "Do not Park" sign. Buses are 12 meters long and streets here are only 6 meters wide (ish) so picture a bus going around a corner.....not much room to spare. So when a car is parked too close to the corner, the bus driver needs the eye of a surgeon to see if there's room. Drivers are simply amazing; they can get their bus through with literally centimeters to spare. Sometimes there are simply no centimeters to spare and all the driver can do is honk the horn, hoping the owner will emerge and move the vehicle. Sometimes an apologetic person runs out shouting "Pardon" and so on, and moves the car, and sometimes no one emerges. Then we sit.  

Once when this happened the offending vehicle was a motorcycle, the bus was almost touching it, but couldn't make it through. We sat for 10 minutes and nothing. In the end a fellow got out of his car (also stuck) and with the help of a cafe customer muscled the motorcycle onto the sidewalk. Dave would have been out there in a flash, but the translation for " Hey, you get the back end and I'll lift the front end...ok..go!" just didn't materialize fast enough. Stymied by language.

The bus drivers of line 38 have their own website. http://bus38.online.fr/indexeng.html

Nothing official, created by the drivers  because "We feel like talking about our line". There is a profile of each driver, where you can learn that Luis is a famous Portuguese vocalist, and since Jacques and Nicole (both were drivers) retired they spend their days fishing. 

They feature bus 38's from around the world. And hints on how to be polite: 

FRENCH  LESSON #1 (!)

Bonjour... Hello

Je voudrais aller à... I'd like to go to......

Un ticket s'il vous plaît... One ticket please

Merci... Thank You

Au revoir... Good Bye

A bientôt... See you soon

Vous êtes mignon... You're cute.....(well, you're not obliged to say that!)

(I did not make this up)

Of course all this people gazing etc. assumes you can get your eyes off the view from the window. Who needs to pay 25 euros ($45!!) for a  bus tour? For 28 euros you can ride the bus, the metro and the train for FIVE days. And the sights are just plain boggling. 

Spring is in the air



Ok, maybe spring isn't in the air

After a long bus ride nothing beats a $7 coffee!

Of course then I have to go pee. Thankfully there are modern versions of 'pissoirs' available. Just press a button and the door will magically swing open. Inside is a small bathtub for a child's doll. Wait, that's a toilet! Ok, do my business, and exit. The door magically swings shut and I hear flushing. The whole thing is being flushed, walls, floor and toilet. This is what I dreamed of when my kids were small, an entire flushing room.



Another tough day in Paris. Good thing Dave has made Cassoulet for 12!

KA

Photos by DM

The Pleasures of Petanque in the Park

Family and friends will recount -- with pleasure I hope -- the hours we've enjoyed together playing the game of Bocce. 

Bocce on the beach in southwest Washington, January 2007

So it was easy for Kim and I, at the end of a day-long stroll, to rest our feet awhile and follow the similar game of "Petanque" at the "boulodrome" of the Jardin du Luxembourg. 

Pétanque originated in southern France the early 1900s as a form of boules particularly suited to those with arthritis and ailing limbs (other forms of boules, or lawn bowling, involve larger "pitches" with running tosses). With Petanque, the playing area is less precise and smaller. But more importantly, the feet remain stationary and close together, a fact from which the game was originally named. Today, we're in one of some 20 boulodromes in Paris to find out exactly how it's played here.

Firstly, you need to be a member of  "L'Association Sportive du Jardin du Luxembourg", unless you're a guest, family member, or playing off-hours. This space is reserved for ASJL members only. Supposedly, one of the benefits of membership is a "boite" (convenient storage for the heavy boules) in the club locker -- which can also display official trophies -- far easier than hauling these steel balls throughout the city.

Lob the boule and hope it's closest to the jack

Not my photo, I got this photo off a website, sorry to the photographer!

THE RULES

Players (referred to as Boulomanes) gather and form teams, typically from 2 to 4 per side. A small wooden ball -- the "jack" -- is tossed across the stone and dirt pitch. In rotation, team members then toss, or lob -- each with individual style -- heavy metal balls towards the jack. Points are scored by the team with a boule, or several boules, closest to the jack. Fans of curling take note: there's no call for sweeping here!

Now, that's a nice toss!

THE HOLD

Each player has two boules with distinctive engravings to mark ownership. Players carry a chamois cloth to occasionally clean their boules. The method of gripping a boule is a matter of preference, and experience, but is often guarded.

Leather gloves are a matter of personal preference

THE TOSS

Might you play a lob, in order to send your boule high in the air and stop close to the jack, with minimal role? Or perhaps a slight spin to coax your boule around a protecting opponent's guard? Aggressive players might use "à carreau", a risky shot which attempts to knock away the opponents boule with a smack, while leaving his boule at that exact spot. 

THE STRATEGY

The game has a leisurely pace. Male chatter in low tones concerns itself only with boule position, the occasional quip or jab, and frequently stalls. Players openly discuss strategy, but rarely congratulate a fine shot. A perfectly-placed boule is expected of each toss and the only words heard are personal remonstrations like "ah merde!", or "sacre" after a fumbled shot.

SPECTATORS

A well-positioned boulodrome is a fine place to while away a sunny afternoon.

THE PICKUP

To further the arthritis and weak-limbed theme of Petanque, each player carries their own magnetic pick-up device at the end of a long string. Bending over is eliminated, and more individual style is allowed as players swing their magnet in sweeping arches to grab their own boules!

THE DECISION

There's rarely an arguement once the play is over. A fair game of Petanque does not require a measuring tape; the decision of closest boule is left to the team captains and agreed upon amicably.

ON TO ANOTHER GAME

The first team to reach 13 wins the match. There's no rushing here; the play lasts as long as the remaining hours of sunlight. But we have a dinner to prepare back at the apartment so we must grab our bus on the other side of the park. Perhaps we'll return tomorrow.

DM

Spring Colours

Something green, something yellow,
Something purple, something pink.


GREEN MAPS
Bobbie and Glen gave us a box of map cards just before we left. Each of 50 cards describes a Paris Walk with the corresponding map on the reverse. We've used them alot to revisit some of our past favourites, as well as discover some new areas off the beaten tourist path. Of course with all this walking, one must also take the time to sit with a cold beer!



YELLOW OFFICE SET
Python is "in" this year. Here's an office ensemble decked out in all the season's rage, tanned Python skin. But wait, this from the Musee d"Art Moderne, and it dates from some 50 years ago.





PURPLE MAN
This guy obviously likes purple.

PINK TREE
They really know how to do cherry blossoms at the Jardin des Plantes. On our first visit, this cherry tree barely had any leaves. Three weeks later, the branches are overburdened with pink blossoms. Look closely, that's Kim under the branches.

DM

Two Days Below Ground Exploring the Best of the Paris Metro

Although many of Paris's Metro stations are functionally plain and sorely in need of renovation, there are some jewels. With research in hand, and an open eye for discovery, I headed below ground to visit and photograph as many stations as I could. But what began as a one-day project expanded into two, simply from lack of time (and energy).




CLICK HERE to go to a separate page with all the text and photos. It's a LONG blog so I've posted it on another page.

DM

How Far Would You Go For Love?

Ring by Cartier... Yes, that's 68,800 euros. Using today's exchange rate, that's $112,790. The good news is, that includes tax!

Shopping on the "Right Bank" along Faubourg St. Honore, the intimidation factor is huge. Security guards at the doors, museum quality displays and lighting, everything thick with the smell of money. But why go in when you can look in the windows for free?



Total cost of outfit and accessories (including shoes), 16450 Euros


Total cost of outfit, 18,000 Euros. That includes the $14300 Python purse.


This bargain Chanel ensemble will only set you back 12,100 Euro ($19,800)

These are all hot off the runway for Chanel's winter collection 2009, I know this because one of the only english TV channels we get is the Haute Fashion Network. Believe me, they are stunning in person (well, through the window!)






Translation...( I think, but I'm sure some of it is wrong. Haute Couture doesn't always translate well in the dictionary or on the street)
tailored skirt
stockings
hat
shoes
bag
silk flower
glasses
belt/girdle (?)
velvet flower
flower brooch
gloves





This aptly put moniker was in the Cartier display


KA
photos by DM

The Paris Metro Primer

The Paris Metro is a huge, mostly-underground, network of 133 miles. There are 384 stops, including 245 stations within the 41 sq mile City of Paris. It is the second largest in the world (after Moscow) and hosts the largest station in the world, Chatelet-Les Halles, which is best avoided. The Metro carries an average of 4.5 million passengers a day, (that's an annual total of over 1.6 billion passengers).

I've read somewhere that no matter where you live in Paris, you are never more than a few hundred meters from a metro entrance.

It's the most efficient way to travel quickly within in a city plagued by small streets, too many cars, illegal parking, and way too many people. And it's relatively economical if you buy a monthly pass ($90 including the bus system). BUT, it is can also be crowded, dirty and noisy.




Some people make their home in the darker corners of the Metro


Musicians (some good, others not so,) play the corridors. If you like the music, you offer some spare change.










Advertising billboards line most corridors




Finding the ABNORMAL


It is not normal to see an empty platform.



An empty metro car is a very rare experience



Dancing in an empty metro car, now that's a very VERY rare experience!

DM