Adrienne in Paris

If you want to stop by for a visit...here are the Google directions - hope you know how to swim!
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One month of living like an unemployed person in one of the greatest cities in the world - the City of Lights, the City of Love, and the City that has street stands serving crepes with Nutella on them 24 hours a day.

My three main concerns:

a) will I get bored after all that time?

b) will I run out of money after all that time?

My neighbourhood...notice everyone is wearing black.
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c) will I get attitude from an angry Parisian after I say: " Excuse-moi, Monsieur, mais votre chien a juste épuisé sous le carte de dessert." You can go here to translate: http://babelfish.altavista.com/tr

The answers: maybe, definitely, and probably.  Since I've been to most of the main attractions in Paris on previous trips, I plan on skipping the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower this time around, and find more creative things to do (and cheap places to eat!)   Everytime I try to plan my trip, I get a bit overwhelmed and usually find a distraction, like writing a travel blog.

My tiny apartment. I'll have to go outside to change my mind!
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And yes, they do love their dogs in Paris (where do you think French Poodles come from?) - but each and every morning the streets of Paris are hosed down so we can all start the day fresh.

I'll be staying in the 2nd arrondisement, in a TINY apartment about 900 metres from the Louvre.  The neighbourhood is called "Montorgueil" which has an endless supply of markets, boutiques, and cafes, and a Pâtissier that has been open since 1730 - almost 300 years!

My goals are:

1) find cheap train tickets to go on day trips outside Paris.  I'm currently considering London UK, Cologne, Germany and Geneva, Switzerland - each of which is roughly $100CAD round trip if I book soon - the scenery alone will be worth it.  I don't want to go anywhere I've been before, I don't want to rent a car, and I don't want to spend a lot of time on the Eurostar.

2) never, ever, no matter how broke and hungry I get, say the words "un Big Mac avec des frites, s'il vous plait!" (A Big Mac meal in Paris is roughly 10 euros, which is about $13CAD!)

3) find a Frenchman with a fast car, a villa in Nice, who is easy on the eyes and loose with his Euros!

4) not to shop TOO much.  There are NO DEALS in Paris and most things can be had in North America for cheaper, anyway.  The only 2 things I may do that are shopping-related is buy a bell jar of Serge Lutens fragrance (you can't get this anywhere but France as they do not export it) and also hit an outlet mall about 35km outside of Paris:

http://www.lavalleevillage.com/lavallee/home.asp?lan=en

I will window-shop but only buy things I can't live without.  Seriously.

SERIOUSLY.

5) make sure my French is good enough to get by, and make sure I'm not mistaken for an American.  I've been practicing French for about an hour a day for 3 months now, and key phrases I have learned how to say are:

• I'd like a glass of red wine, please
• I'd like a beer, please.
• I am not American.
• Pardon my French.
• Please unhand my derriere.
• Excuse me, sir, but your dog just pooped under the dessert cart!

Other Thoughts:

How can I pack for 1 month with 1 medium-sized suitcase?  I do have some strategies in mind, but won't bore you with the details.

Will I survive the jet-lag? My last two trips to Europe tell me this will be a tough one - Paris is 6 hours ahead of us, I have an overnight flight (on September 11, the safest day to fly) and I do NOT sleep on airplanes no matter how many spritzes of lavender the flight attendants bestow upon me.

Will my luggage get there when I do? On my last trip to the British Virgin Islands, it was a no show for a few days - although I improvised and used dental floss for hair ties and my finger as a toothbrush.

Will my cell phone work?  Surprisingly, I figured out how to use my Motorola Razr in Europe and get a French phone number - all on the cheap.  If you need to have cell service in Europe or anywhere else outside North America, just ask me because I have the whole SIM card system down pat after a few weeks of grilling high-school kids on internet message boards.

The cell phone services in Europe FAR outclass those we have in North America - no joke.  I'll post my phone number once I have it activated, as long as I don't get any phone calls from coworkers in need of technical help!

How am I going to get all my purchses home?  Yes, I previously said I wouldn't be shopping, and that is true.  However, a number of people have given me a "list" of things they want me to bring them back.  This list includes (but is not limited to):

• alcohol in an aerosol spray can.  yes, alcohol you can drink. in a spray can. I will look for this but don't be surprised if customs takes issue with it.
• "a very expensive Gucci wallet.  or, maybe not Gucci. and maybe not a wallet. but something EXPENSIVE."  (FYI you know who you are and you are getting a mini-eiffel tower statue for 1 euro purchased at the airport!)
• a picture of the hotel where Carrie and Big got back together during the Sex in the City final finale (the Plaza Athénée in the 8th arrondissement, with rates starting at 700 euros a night)
• food.  wine.  chocolate.

I am going to try and get most of the key players in my life a little something - keeping in mind there is such a thing as weight limits for luggage and Canadian Border Services agents that can, as I've discovered on many occasions, be very moody and inflexible.

If I come back and did not get you anything, that means I bought you something, and either it didn't fit in my luggage so I chucked it into the Seine, or customs really liked it, too, and kept it for themselves.

And on that note, I'll end this entry with a quote from Mr. Big, said to Carrie during the finale of Sex in the City:

"I have to hand it to you kid. Most people come to Paris to fall in love. You came and got slapped."