The UnTourist

Reposting a previous publication…

While moving around the core of the city is easily done on foot, the easiest way (with a couple of caveats) to get around rapidly to the core and more is by the Metropolitan, or Metro as it is better known. While I know some disagree, I was rather taken with this eclectic system.

While Tokyo still remains my favorite in terms of efficiency and design with non-native in mind, the Metro has a charm and uniqueness that makes it entertaining as well as effective. Unlike most systems with standardized and homogenized sameness to all stations and trains, the Metro seems to revel in being the rebel of the underground world.

Many of the stations still have their unique and original designs, with tile predominating, while others showcase the industrial age ironwork epitomized by the Eiffel tower.

Some are in the process of being upgraded and/or expanded

I failed to get photos of some of the larger and more modern stations, but I’m not convinced that such was a loss. The newer stations tend to be depressingly similar, and full of extra safety features wonderfully lacking in the older and smaller stations. Also, there are a variety of car/train types in use. Some new, some older, and each unique. You will find the older, more interesting cars/trains off the main routes, but they are well worth seeking out just to see them.

One important caveat that has to go with keeping so much original: The Metro is not handicap friendly, or even mobility impaired friendly. While efforts have been made to accommodate, by adding elevators and such, those do not always work nor do all stations have them. There are a multitude of stairs and other delights that will impact the mobility impaired, those with lots of bags or suitcases (nor, as stated earlier, are the entry/exit systems really designed for anyone to have anything other than themselves going through). While one can get through the metro with bags and packages, it can also be quite an adventure.

The system can get you almost anywhere in the city fairly quickly. In addition to the different lines (roughly 19 according to my I-phone Subway Supreme app, which I recommend), the city is divided into eight zones. Most tourist destinations, and many business, are contained within zones 1-2.

This is important as you have a variety of options for using the Metro. You can buy single trips; get discounts buying multiple trips at once; or, make use of cards and the new Navigo system. At the urging of my friends, I brought several 1-inch by 1-inch photos with me and purchased a Navigo Découverte (plain Navigo being reserved for locals only). For a fairly reasonable price (app. €16,80 per week, with a €5 cost for initial purchase of the card ), this rechargeable card contains a chip that allows it to be passed close to a sensor on the entry points, negating the need to stop and feed in and retrieve a pass/ticket or swipe a magnetic swipe card. It comes in two parts, a paper part with the chip, and a plastic case that you put the paper part into once you’ve attached the photo, put your name on it, etc.

One important word of warning: the Navigo pass starts on Monday morning and ends on Sunday. If you buy a week on a Saturday and use it that Saturday, it will expire Sunday night and unless you’ve done a lot of travel, you’re out some money.

The cost of the pass will depend on how many zones you want to include. The cost given above is for zones 1-2, if you want all zones, it will be €37,20. Note that these prices are only good for 2009 and subject to change. While there are other options, if you are going to be using the Metro a good bit, this is what I tried and really liked. Recommended.

One final note, no matter what form of ticket you get, keep it with you and ready to produce. The transit police will set up at the exits to stations at random to catch jumpers/cheats, and to get out you have to produce your ticket, pass, etc. If you don’t have it, well, you deal with the police. If you have it, you are given a fairly friendly wave and sent on your way.

If your friends are given to odd bouts of humor, you may find yourself at the Abbesses Metro station. If you are out of shape, have cardiac problems, or such, do not let anyone talk you into taking the spiral staircase up. According to reports, that is the deepest station in the system, and a walk up is fun. I did it, and that’s all I’m going to say about that. It is also one of the few, if not the only, stations with all the original fixtures up above. For this alone, it is well worth a visit.

One of the things I enjoyed the most were the looks of the different stations. Some samples include:

Just because you go in an entrance like this

Don’t think that it is all going to be old. Almost every station has good signage that shows when the next train is coming and other important information

Maps not only of the system, but the local area around the station abound and are extremely helpful in navigating. Knowing where you are and where you want to go can help you choose the right exit. There is also a lot of advertising, which can be quite entertaining on its own. A future post will focus on some of the ads, but for now, a fairly typical view of a station.

Yet even the newest advertisement may be bordered by the old

One final thing that will help you get around easily: Many of the lines have a feature that I love, and would have the safety nuts screaming in hissy fits here in the U.S. Look at the door as you get in. Many will have a button or lever that you MUST push/raise in order for the door to open at the next station. As the train approaches the station where you want to exit, if no one else has done so, push/raise the button/lever. In the U.S., that would probably cause alarms to sound, guards to come, and safety freaks to faint. In Paris, it is just the way things are done and the doors will NOT open until the train has come to a complete stop. If you wait until the train has stopped, it can sometimes take a bit more effort to raise the lever.

Keep in mind that the Metro lines connect with RER and other train stations, and you can reach almost any rail option quickly and easily via the Metro. Between the two, travel to and from the airports and other destinations on the outskirts of Paris, as well as the rest of France and Europe (more on ICE trains later) is relatively quick and easy.

All in all, for the traveller on the go, the Metro is a great way to get around especially given what can happen to road traffic there. For the business traveller, it is essential, and well worth exploring.

Reposting a previous publication in sort of reverse order…

Not what you expected, was it? Food in France is varied and can be good, average, or even bad just as it can be here or anywhere else. What is different is that for many in France food is a passion, and there is a lot of it. Even more than New York or San Francisco, if you don’t like the food choices, walk a few feet and see what else there is.

Over the next few posts, we are going to explore some of the food I had in France, with an emphasis on what was truly good and not so much on what wasn’t. The fact is, I only had one bad meal in France, one that I would call average (at best), and the rest were variations on delicious. We are also going to make a short detour to Las Vegas, and the fabulous “French” meal I had at Hubert Keller’s restaurant, as a bit of comparison.

First things first, let’s start with breakfast. A pastry, some wonderful yoghurt, and excellent coffee were a staple of life. As much as I love bed & breakfast places, be they a Western B&B or one of the many outstanding Ryokans of Japan, for a lengthy stay anywhere now I am going to look into an apartment.

My time in Paris was at an apartment rented by friends for the month. Through any of several services, you can find apartments in almost any city world wide that can be rented by the week, month, or longer. For anyone truly wanting to experience a city/country, or a business traveller who doesn’t want to spend a fortune on hotels where everything and every service comes with a cost, apartments are the way to go. Many come with a kitchen, washer & dryer, and a larger and more comfortable space than a hotel can provide. Highly recommended.

Rather than cook in the morning, I would go out and get a cup of the delightfully thick, strong and full flavored coffee available nearby, a pastry or bread of some sort, and a container of rich, wonderful yoghurt. That said, you can get the local equivalent of what you get in most grocery stores here, or you can shop around a bit (cheese stores are excellent sources) for the good stuff. Go for the good stuff, trust me.

Unlike my advice for many countries, I will tell you that in Paris at least, go with the street food. Keep in mind that it is a bit different than street food from vendor carts. In many parts of Paris, food stores of different types will roll out display cases and gear from inside out to the curb. For a very reasonable price, you can pick out a pretty good sandwich, or more, for a lunch on the go. I found it mildly distressing that most places have very similar items, but if you look around a bit, you can find some variety without having to stop and eat in place.

If a sandwich is not to your taste, stop at a shop window and get a crepe made to order right there. Savory, sweet, or just filled with good food, the choices are yours. Try the different types of crepes, from what we regard as traditional to Breton/whole wheat (or buckwheat). You can get a good meal and a good variety of taste from the many menu options.

If you desire something sweet and cold, you are going to find loads of wonderful ice cream around. There is a serious competition underway between several chain stores, and it is up to you to decide which of them is the best. May I suggest trying not just different providers, but different stores for each provider since the flavors will vary between them?

Now, I did mention that I had one bad meal in France. The result is, I strongly recommend against eating at Le Buci in the Latin Quarter (52 rue Dauphine 75006). You might have drinks there, but the meal was beyond disappointing. When one has to go brush not just teeth, but tongue, to get rid of the flavor… There are several very good restaurants nearby (across the street even), so good food is not hard to find nearby. I had thought a meal near the train station in Caen would be the low point (average, not bad, not great), but…

There is a lot more to come. I hope you will join me on the culinary explorations to come.

Reposting a previous publication…

There is no better way to start a lunch after a long morning of arriving in France, getting settled, and walking several miles to try to see and do all that is on the schedule. Paris is an easy town for walking, with no steep hills (with one exception) and weather that, at least in September, was perfect for strolling or even a very brisk walk. It had been a perfect day to visit the home of the French Senate and to walk through part of the Luxembourg Gardens. Dropping back down towards the Seine, we stopped for a small bite of lunch, and some much needed refreshment.

My favorite trick for resetting the internal clock when travelling west is to sleep on the flight as much as possible, and stay up all day until normal bedtime once arriving. This usually does fairly well, but it does not hurt to get out and be active as much as possible during that day. With the schedule we had, that was not a problem.

Despite strong temptation to do otherwise, I stuck with a fairly light lunch. A heavier lunch, while it would have been enjoyed, would have slowed me down and possibly to the point of napping, which I have found to be a bad thing when adjusting to the local time. So, I had a nice salad to delight a carnivore’s heart. And lots of water, though not nearly enough as it turned out.

My hosts enjoyed some similar fare, and I admit it all looked good. That said, not much remained to share once we got going.

If you are in the 6th arrondissement, and are looking for good food, simply walk down the Rue de Buci from the Boulevard St. Germain. On that street, and some of the streets off of it, one can find some very nice places to eat (bearing in mind my thoughts on Le Buci, as in avoid). One very quick word of advice, though: If a place has buskers outside to draw you in, give it a pass. Period. Dot. That is almost always a bad sign, and the few times it isn’t are not worth the risk.

Reposting, previously on another blog

Sometimes one can combine business with pleasure, or combine several areas of appreciation into one visit. While in Paris, I had the chance to visit the Cluny museum, which focuses on the middle ages. While the Unicorn Tapestries hold pride of place there, the museum provides a good overview from Roman times up to reasonably recent days. One of the treats of the museum, for me, was a collection of cooking gear.

I will admit that I am as spoiled as the next person in terms of kitchen gear, and I do have to laugh at those who complain that they can’t stand a particular range or oven because it is not precise to within some decimal point of a particular temperature. If you think that is horrid, never look back at the prime means of cooking for many a year, the firepit/fireplace. If you look closely, you can even make out a fish roaster amidst the means of spitting or hanging meats, pots, and more.

Speaking of pots, how would you like this in place of your nice new expensive cookware set? Our ancestors got by fairly well, how would you do?

Some things, however, stand the test of time quite well. The basics always do, though some modern updates to the basics are quite desirable. Some “modern” inventions are quite good, as I admit to being partial to forks.

If you get the chance to go visit the museum, it is well worth doing so. The kitchen implements and such are but a very small part of the collection, but fascinating for the foodie interested in the history of cooking and food.