All better!

Turns out taking it easy is actually pretty damn good for your health.

In other words...I'm all better...WOO HOO!

Get ready for a major update in the next couple days, with tons of pictures.

Monday is Swiss National Day. It's their version of the 4th of July.

Did you know you can buy fireworks here? These make the ones I had for the 4th look like TOYS. Ahhhh YEAH!

Oh is this going to be a fun weeked ;)

Bluche

Bluche is tiny. Yes, I've said that...but I don't think you quite realize just how small it is. So I wandered around a bit yesterday and took a couple pictures to share with you all.

By the way if you are using Google Earth (which you should be because it is AWESOME) the easiest way to find out where I am is Montana, Switzerland or Sierre, Switzerland. You won't be able to get fine detail of where I am...but it should give you the general gist.

So...pictures!

This is the main school building with the funky lil fountain and kids playground in front of it. Nice mountains eh?

This is the hotel "Little Paradise". The employees are very nice, you get free wireless access there, and the food is really good. It's a great place to hang out away from the whole college kid crowd.

This is the sports field...it's much larger than the picture shows. You can see a touch of the basketball court and of course...the hugely popular football field (soccer...ahem).

This is Tacot (we all call it Taco). it's one of the older "dorms" on campus and below on the left is a bar (not run by the school) and to the right a restaurant (nice dining, again not school). San'Nick is the bar and is really popular. It's usually loud, smokey, with generally awful music. Well...not awful, just too much dance/hip hop for me. But it's a hell of a lot of fun when you are in the mood for it.

And this is my home! We call it the Ghetto 'cause it is fairly old and run down...but it's a great place none the less. It's not too quiet, not too loud, and full of good people.

There will be more to come. And if any of you have requests...let me know.

Management

Although I was a bit ugly sick today I did learn some interesting things about how my semester of Management is going to work. Want to hear about it? I knew you did!

Here is a list of the classes (I think) I’ll be taking.
-Hospitality Managerial Accounting
-Human Resources Management
-Tutorial (I’ve no clue what that is…hmmm)*
-Food & Beverage Management
-Language Special Schedule (I’m guessing this is my foreign language class)*
-Room Divisions Management
-Project (I dunno!)*
-Contemporary World Issues
-Hospitality Marketing
-Economics
-English Support (wow I hope I won’t need that class)
-Facilities Management

Yeah, I don’t quite get it all yet myself. Technically I have 9 classes. I have to get a minimum of 60% in 7 of the 9 classes…and a 65% average for all 9…in order to graduate. But as you can see from that list there are more than 9 classes. Interesting. Well a couple of them don’t have room numbers (*) so…uh…um…I dunno! The bold ones are probably the 9 “real” classes. I’ll find out more tomorrow.

I’ve even already got an assignment. I’ve got to form a group of 5 students and do a proposal to the classes. We’ve got to create a 5 star golf resort and prepare a presentation focusing on three parts….Food and Beverage Management, Room Divisions Management and Facilities Management. Each section requires a 1000-2000 word document (due at week 5…this is the end of week 1), with a 25-35 minute presentation in class with a Q&A session at the end.

Personally I think that is pretty bitching. We’ve got to do serious documentation of everything, and there are a lot of fine details about this proposal. It pretty much comes down to a professional sales pitch…we’ve got to “sell” a resort concept to the facility.

I’ve already got a lil group going…Alex from France, Bruno from Brasil, Robert from China and some girl I haven’t met yet.

For the next couple weeks we’ll all be working together during the class sessions with teachers in sort of “workshops” were we can toss our ideas around and get some feedback.

Beyond that…I’m rather clueless. I’m going to meet with my HOIII head tomorrow and talk to him about being sick. I’m feeling a bit better (good drugs!) but at the same time I still feel pretty crappy…and I really don’t think someone in my condition should be serving food to people. This is a nasty cold.

So I’m going to shut this thing down and get some sleep. Although you can’t really tell that I left. The internet is complicated eh?

Last thing….Jack Johnson is AWESOME. Nice chill music. I’m loving it.

OK...it's now the morning. I'm still sick (BAH!) but I got a chance to meet with the head of the HOIII program and let him know what is going on. He's a very nice guy, very understanding...and all is well. And I learned a couple things too.
-Tutorial and Project are just times all HOIII students share in common in case we all need to get together for one big meeting.
-English Support is an open class for those that need extra help with English.
-Language Section is actually only 1 class a week in a foreign language. Since we can take such a variety of language classes they put all the possible class times on the schedule...which makes my class load much lighter...woot!

It's official, I'm sick

This blows my mind. It is beautiful here. It's sunny and warm...I'd even call it hot. The nights are cool but not cold. I've been getting plenty of fresh air, eating well...perhaps not drinking enough "good" liquids (beer is only mildly more expensive than soda...and juice is pretty much unheard of it seems). Apple juice would make me very happy right now.

But yes, I'm sick. And it sucks.

The school nurse was very nice though...and gave me some strange European drugs to take. I'm almost apprehensive about taking them...but hey, when in Rome eh?

I missed one of my classes this morning because of this...which really bites. I talked to the nurse about it and she said that in order to excuse me from class I would have needed to talk to her before class. Well I tried honestly....I went yesterday when I realized this wasn't just a sore throat...but the office was already closed. And since my class was at 7 am (her office doesn't open until 9 am), there was no way I could have told her before class this morning.

So I slept instead...and woke up around 10:30 feeling like garbage.

I'm going to talk to my course director...I highly doubt this is going to be a problem. I'm 31 and not trying to get out of anything. I would hope they wouldn't want some coughing snot filled dude making sandwiches.

So yeah...it bites. But I am eating food, drinking water, and taking drugs. And after that I'm going to head back to my room and sleep.

Bleah.

She says I'm sick because of the traveling, the altitude, and the change in weather. I think it's also because I haven't been taking very good care of myself.

Doh.

Guess it is time to get back in shape, yes?

Yes.

Confession

I have a cold. It bites. Oh it bites so hard. It's like in the 80's outside and I have an annoying blasted snot nosed cold. It makes me grumpy. It makes me irritated and irritating. And, unfortunately, it leads me to a rant.

I say it leads me to a rant because I really do like the people here...I really do! But there is one glaring problem.

They are kids.

Seriously...kids.

I am the oldest student I know of here. And the youngest student I've met so far turned 17 only 2 weeks ago (I'm 31 for reference). Next oldest I know is 25.

And these kids...they want to party. They want to party like MAD.

Now of course when I went to college the first time...I did too. Hell, I partied HARD at times (too hard *cough*). But I really don't want to right now. Sure...I wanna go out and have fun. I want to hang out and drink beers. But...get this...the school arranged for a free taxi-bus-thingie to take students up to the "bigger" village every Friday and Saturday night...which brings them home at 4 am.

4 am.

Every Friday and Saturday night.

Arranged by the school.

The "fast food" restaurant...from 8:30-10:30...every night...gives you a free beer with any food order.

A free beer...from the school.

The kid turned 17 two weeks ago.

Thankfully I've made some good friends already...some guys from my classes, my neighbor...and they aren't the wild and crazy type.

However...

If one more person asks me if "dude, did you get wasted last night? Wanna get wasted tonight?" I'm going to stick my finger in his or her eye.

So folks...I apologize for my weak posting recently. I'm sick. I don't want to party right now.

And...even thought I just ranted about this...someone very famous said...

The kids are alright.

But I can't wait to interview them when I am running my resturant ;)

The Campus

This is not at all like your typical university...in oh so many ways. But one way that makes it radically different is the layout of the campus.

In essence...there is no campus.

Bluche is a tiny village with roughly 35 buildings. Some are private residences, some are restaurants, there is one hotel and one tiny closet sized store, the rest are owned by the school.

The main building has all the classrooms, the "main" school restaurants, a bar, library, computer facilities, offices, and even dorm rooms.

Then there are a bunch of other buildings spread out with various student accomidations. One is dorms with a gym on the bottom floor. Another has a bar and restaurant (neither owned by the school). Another has a "fast food" restaurant with a club of sorts...TV, pool, etc. Some are just dorms and nothing else.

Mine is 3 stories tall...the ground floor is a restaurant (which isn't open...don't know if it will), and a copy place (think Kinkos but microscopic). The 2nd floor has about 8ish rooms all along the same side sharing one giant common balcony. Then there are about 6 rooms above. It's one of the smaller buildings on campus...and is pretty old. In fact...want to see it?


My room has a sink! I actually LOVE it. I can blast back and forth from the shower and take my time washing, shaving, and all that good stuff. Plus it gives me another window to open to that amazing fresh air...woot!

Note the American flag covering up shelves of stuff. I figured I really ought to hang it up.

This is the door. It is an extremely boring picture. I have weak camera skillz at times. Doh!

This is the wall opposite the door...and leads out to the balcony. On the left is my bed, on the right is my desk, and next to my desk is a MASSIVE heater that seriously scares me. Winter will be a shock...eep.

This is just outside my balcony to the right. It was POURING rain that day with MONSTOROUS thunder echoing up and down the valley walls. I absolutely loved it.


My tiny...small...yet comfortable...bed. See that button on the wall below the light? For some odd reason the Swiss like to put their plugs at chest height...yet don't put any sort of shelf for which to place the plugged in items.

This concludes our first (and very cheap) campus tour. We have gifts available in the main lobby, and the restaurant is open until 9.

Thank you and please come again.

This is how school works

School here is a bit more complex than it is in the US. Hell, it's more complex (it seems) than anywhere else in the world. Even the older students are perplexed by some things. Something tells me we aren't in Kansas anymore Toto!

The school is broken up into 4 sections (mainly).

The first section consists of 6 semesters, or 3 years...and is called Hotel Operations. Completing those 6 semesters will get you the Swiss equivalent of an AA, as well as an American one...among a couple other awards/merits/etc.

The first of the Hotel Operations courses is HOI aka "Service".
The HOI students work as servers, hosts, bussers, etc...for all the school run restaurants on campus (more on that later). Half their work load is Academic (ie class time) and half is Practical (ie working in the restaurant time).

After completing your semester at Les Roches doing that you have a semester in which you do an internship of sorts....they call it a...ugh, I can't spell it. Stah-je. Stage. Sorta. Anyway the school helps set it up for you and at the end you write up a report of what you did.

The 2nd year is HOII....cooking.
It's the same deal as before...1/2 classes 1/2 working. And again afterwords you do your internship.

The 3rd year is HOIII...management. This is where I come in.
This year there is no "practical" work (for the most part). It is all pretty much classroom time with projects, homework, all that typical school jazz. And again...once you finish...you do an internship, write up a report, and boom....you've got your AA.

The couple tricky bits about all this...
-You actually "graduate" after you finish your school bit of HOIII...but you don't get your actual degree until you finish your internship
-The first 2 weeks of school is spent setting everything up...meeting after meeting after meeting as there are an INSANE amount of rules here...rules beyond what you could possible imagine. It is VERY complex. Anyway...the students still need to be fed during that time and since the new students don't know how to cook or serve yet...the HOIII students do it. So today I was a Steward (busser/dishwasher). Tomorrow I'm a Chef. The next day I'm a Server. Thankfully that is the only time I'll have to do that stuff. I've done it plenty enough before here so there is no need to do it again :)

Beyond the HOI-III stuff is the BA program (with an emphasis on Marketing/Finance or Management) which is 2 straight semesters and a Masters program which is another 2 semesters.

There are 114 HOIII students, and 10 of us are "Direct Entry" ie our prior education and work experience counted as credit towards HOI and HOII.

And now a bit on the rules...
We have uniforms and are expected to be in uniform for every single academic/practical function. Everyone has an Academic uniform...blue blazer with a crest, white dress shirt (tie for guys), grey slacks (skirts for women), black shoes. It must be "properly worn" when wearing it...no loose tie, no jacket over the shoulder, no wrinkled shirts.

The service students have a service uniform...similar but black slacks/skirt and grey vest with a bow tie. Same rules apply.

And cooking students have chef garb...chef coat, hat, scarf, pants, shoes.

Now...when wearing those uniforms...you must be clean shaven. You cannot have colored hair. Only women can wear earings, and they must be "simple". You can wear one ring, one watch, and one pin on your shirt. Men cannot have long hair. Your nails must be trimmed and neat.

The BA/MA students must wear business suits.

Oddly enough...as an HOIII student I can grow facial hair. Strange.

It gets more strict folks....

In order to eat lunch/dinner at a school restaurant you must be in the Academic uniform...no exceptions. You actually have to make reservations a minimum of 2 days in advance. Miss your reservation, or show up without one....and you are in trouble. Come in with your phone, or a bag, or school books...trouble.

You are allowed to have 6 bottles of beer or 2 bottles of wine in your room. No hard liquor. But two "dorms" here cannot have any liquor in the rooms.

We will have a drug test next week...and they will randomly test us through the semester. If you've taken illegal drugs...you are gone. Expelled.

Each one of those uniform/dining/etc infractions (excluding the drug one of course) results in points lost...not grade points, but something like demerits. Once you get X points taken off...you are kicked out of school. Lesser amounts results in loss of certain privlidges.

Now I realize this sounds amazingly hardcore and very serious. Well, it is. But at the same time it isn't. The school is trying to accomplish 2 things here...they are trying to prepare students for work in an atmosphere that absolutely depends on appearance. You do not go spend several thousand dollars at a hotel with messy unkept employees who don't understand how the place runs. Secondly...it is a weeding out process. Those students that cannot hack it with these rules are gone...plain and simple.

Personally...it ain't no thang baby. Sure it is complex and sure I have to be on my toes...but it isn't going to be dificult by any means. Personally...I kinda like it. I dig the structure. I dig the rules. To me...it's sorta like having murder be against the law. Me, as in Neil Crawford, doesn't need to be told murder is against the law and that I will be punished for killing someone. I simply am not the type to do it. Do you know what I mean?

First Switzerland pictures

Here is a set of some pictures I've taken. I know I really need to start writing some serious posts here...but it is really dificult to do. Everywhere I go around here, that has internet access, I end up having all kinds of people asking me what I am doing. Don't get me wrong...I like people...but damn, I need to focus!

This is a view from the town of Bluche (where the "campus" is). I believe it is right off my balcony in fact.

This one was taken higher up the valley wall in the town of Montana.

This is again up in Montana. That isn't snow...but there is a lot of snow in the surrounding distant hills...er...mountains.

This would be what you all would call "campus". I'll explain more later...but this is the main buidling for the school, and where all the classes are.

This is a view from my balcony. Pretty amazing huh? The crane is there building a Japanese restaurant (of all things).

I miss...

I, of course, miss all my friends and family. That's a given. But there are some other things...some small and some large...that have been on my mind a lot recently. Here they are in no particular order...

I miss...
-Having a conversation with someone without hearing "how you say in English? Ahhh..."
-Being able to jump into my car and just drive somewhere...preferably to 7-11 where I could easily pick up a huge variety of things that have English descriptions. I never thought that simple shopping could be so tremendously dificult when you can't read.
-Having a huge variety of stores near by that sell all kinds of things. Around here, in the closest town, it's a real crap shoot. I got my phone from the Post o
-Being able to communicate with my friends easily. This time difference is a killer.
-Being with peers. Yes, we are all students after the same goal...but everyone is much younger than I am. Some are very intelligent and mature, and some are painfully not.
-Being able to say "football" without prefacing it with "American". Being able to say "soccer" without getting dirty looks.
-The ability to do laundry easily. I didn't think this would be a problem...but add the complexity of some strange pay card (that is not as simple to use as you'd think) along with a German washing machine...it makes things annoying. The first time I tried to wash my clothes I put the soap in the slot for fabric softener...that did not work out well at all.
-To sort of mix with the other "misses"...being able to undertand the purpose of everything at a glance. Some things are just oddly complicated...even when they are something that appears to be rather simple. I'll go on more about this later.

Having said all that...there are some things that are desperately missed...

Things I would punch someone in the face for...
-Beer. I don't mean pilsner...or this light as water lager...but a REAL beer. Give me an IPA, a Pale Ale, a Stout or a Porter. Everyone is so excited about Corona. Bah! They don't even put limes in it...just lemons.
-Ice. You'd figure in the land of snow that a cold soda in the summer would be a treat...but usually the bottle is only cool and they will give you a glass for your bottle...but rarely will it have ice. Who doesn't like cold drinks?
-A cheeseburger. These people cannot make a cheeseburger to save their lives. The bread is thin and too hard, the burger is thin and almost sausage like, the cheese is white and totally lacks flavor, and they give you ketchup and mayo but no mustard. No onions. No pickles. A cheesesteak would be fantastic too...but they don't even know what those are.
-Hot sauce/salsa. Their idea of salsa is a spoonful of blazing hot thai style chili sauce. Where is my pico de gallo? Where is my salsa verde? And guacamole...forget about it. Even their chicken wings have no power to 'em. And not like I could even get ranch to cool 'em down with.

Having ranted enough about bad things...here are some good ones...

Things I don't miss at all...
-Commercialism. You just don't see signs (at least, not that many) for "buy this!" around. No big billboards, no signs on busses or cars, no telemarketers. If you want to buy something...you go buy it. In some ways it seems they discourage consuming...but that could just be the American in me freaking out.
-Traffic. There is simply no traffic around here. None. Of course I am in a town...hell, a village of roughly 1000 people (including the entire school). But even in town there are no real crowds and definitely no traffic jams.
-Trash. This is one amazingly clean country. They keep it all very neat and clean...even the flowers have all the dead bits picked out to make them look pretty. However there are a ton of cigarette butts all over. This is a country...a continent...of smokers.

Soon...Students, School and a massive amount of pictures.

How do you get to Switzerland?

The day I left Paris (which feels like MONTHS ago now) was another hot one. I got up early and was very ready to make the trip...

Or so I thought...

Turns out I had to pay the hotel in cash, and not American dollars. So I had to jog down the street to get to an exchange. I wasn't sure what time the trains for Geneva were leaving so I wanted to get to the station as soon as possible...so by the time I got back I was sweating in the most awful way. Not a good way to start a long trip.

I paid the extremely nice hotel people, hailed a cab...and was off to the Lyon train station.

Getting there was easy...and figuring out where and what to do was...well, easy. I found an international ticket booth that spoke English (it's good to know what the British flag looks like), got a 1st class ticket to Geneva (a little pricey...90 Euros I think, but VERY worth it). I found where my train was departing and simply waited.

The station was very busy...backpackers, families, kids, soldiers (with serious weapons), business people...you name it. I had a longish wait so I sat on my luggage...watched and read.

In about an hour or so the train started boarding and I had a wonderfully large and comfortable seat...right by the window, with no one next to me.

Turns out there were two American couples behind me....probably in their mid to late 50s. I wanted to punch them. All the women would do was talk about shoes...where the bought them, how cute they were, how cheap they were, where they would wear them...ugh. Both the men were sitting with laptops and phones (obviously working) but the women prattled on...trying to show them their shoes, tell them about the shoes....FREAKING SHOES!

Eventually they fell asleep and I was happy.

The train ride was excellent. It was a TGV, a bullet train, and soon we were hauling SERIOUS ass through the French countryside. I tried to take a picture or two but none came out...we were moving just way too fast. But it was an interesting ride. The view was part California and part North Carolina...lots of farms, TONS of corn, a bit dry and arid but full of trees and little villages. We just cruised and cruised...I think it was at least a 3 hour ride.

Soon the soft rolling hills gave away to larger ones...and eventually the mountains grew up all around me. I didn't recognize many of the trees...not a lot of pine, nor any other plants I'm used to (mountains means manzinita if you ask me!).

As we got deeper and higher into the mountains I started to actually get nervous...this was where it was all going to begin.

We arrived at a Geneva train station...I got off, gathered my luggage and...uh...now what? Where do I go? I'm in Geneva...but....

Crap.

After a bit of mild pacing panic I sat down and collected my thoughts. I busted out my handy paperwork and called the school.

It turns out there are a couple stations in Geneva, and I was at the wrong one! I nabbed the Geneva AIRPORT train...and all was well with the world again.

The ride was quick, and soon I found the Les Roches desk right by International Arrivals.

I met up with about 6 other students...they tossed us on a train to Sierre (the closest town/stop to the school)...we were met by a buss and took a painfully twisty ride up the mountain to Bluche.

We arrived, drank tea, were given keys....I crawled into my room and passed out.

I woke up at 9 am, left the hotel at 10:30...and arrived in my room at 12 pm.

Ugh.

Long day...but I made it...and all was good.

So that isn't the most interesting story. But it wasn't a very interesting ride.

Soon I'll talk about the people...another on the countryside...and a bit about the school.

Man, I'm out of blogging shape!

Contact Info

My address at school is:
Douglas Neil Crawford
Les Roches
CH-3975 Bluche
Switzerland

Phone:
079-812-5028

That is a cell phone number, and I generally have it with me all the time. If you call me it is free on my end...but can get expensive quickly on your end unfortunately. It's not the fanciest phone in the world but it does a decent job...and oddly enough, was very cheap...and I got it from the Post Office (more on that later). I don't have voicemail (I think) and the school is VERY strict about getting calls while in class...so that is something else to deal with.

Oh! One more thing...that number may not be exactly correct. You've got to dial the country code first, then the number...and you may not have to dial "079"...it might just be "79".

Back...

I initially started typing like a mad man here...I just got my computer back. But I realize that it is pretty damn early in the morning over there so there is no real use in babbling randomly.

In other words, I've got a hell of a lot to talk about. And considering my rather...ahem...wordiness, I really ought to organize my thoughts a bit before blasting off on massive posting.

But you all should be expecting a lot of words here soon. I've got stories about my trip, about my first week, about the people...the sights...the...well...everything.

It is so awesome.

So abso-freaking-lutely awesome.

I love you all, miss you all, and wish you all were here.

Time to have another beer and start this off right!

I am alive

Real quick cause I am borrowing someones laptop...I am alive. Seriously.

This place is AMAZING and be prepared for a lot of nutty stories.

I will say this though...
-I wake up with a view of the Alps
-My neighbors are from Sweden, Norway, Canada, Brazil, Korea, etc
-Everywhere you go there is beer...everywhere
-Americans are considered a funny people
-School is going to be absolutely unreal
-I am one of five Americans

So much more...dear lord so much more...but I have to go. I will post soon.

Off I go!

Well I'm off to the train station...wish me luck!

Slow day

Today I don't have too much to report.

I slept in, I completely re-packed my bags, ate some lunch, wandered locally, and am just chilling out.

To be honest I'm done with Paris. Well, only in the way that this whole thing isn't a trip to Paris, but a trip to Switzerland...and I am so very ready to get going on that.

It's a bit after 9 at night and I am going to grab some food and watch Ronin. I figured that would be fitting for a last night in Paris.

I may post a bit more tonight...but if not, you may not be hearing from me for a little bit. Tomorrow I take the train to Geneva and I don't know when I'll have internet access again.

I will however make a couple phone calls to let you all know that I am still alive ;)

Paris has been wonderful...and I can't WAIT to come back again. But next time someone has got to come with me!

Yes...that does mean you :)

Last day/night in Paris

Well everyone, my time in Paris is nearing an end. It's been a blast...I've learned a lot, seen a lot, and certainly experienced a lot. Of course there are about a million more things for me to see here...but time isn't something I have a ton of right now.

It is very gloomy out there and much cooler than days prior. That makes for excellent walking around weather...except for the chance of rain, doh!

So far Paris has been awfully expensive. Forget about $0.75 sodas...hell, even water isn't free! So I'm probably going to take it easy today money wise.

And...wow do I have to re-pack. I've got PILES of stuff around here...

Goals for today:
-re-pack
-figure out the best way to get to Geneva (must do this in advance!)
-email school with arrival details
-eat a really good lunch
-get one really good last wander in

I'm tempted to go back to the Louvre today...and also tempted to see a couple other sights. We shall see!

And I know a lot of you have sent me emails...and I really appreciate them. I'm sorry I haven't been writing back much. I admit that after going off for hours on this thing my desire to write more is lacking.

So now it's shower, clean up, pack and EAT time.

But hey, you are all asleep...so what's it matter to you? :P

The Long Walk and the Horrible Lunch

As I left the Swiss Embassy I was clearly in a more business section of town. The number of high end cars increased radically, the number of people in business suits with briefcases went through the roof, it was lunch time and they were out doing what they do at lunch.

And it was a very beautiful part of the city. I have several pictures to show in fact.

They are sadly...backward in order. Not even completely backward but all mixed up. Sigh! Oh well...deal with it.

This was taken as I laid down on a big grassy field over by a rather high end restaurant. I desperately wanted to enter these gates but there were police stationed all over here. I heard a rooster crow in there. It made me think of home.

This was that restaurant I mentioned above. Porches, BMW, Mercedes parked out front. Nice.
Funny how I use cars to judge the quality of an area.

This is, a famous building...right across the bridge. This is the far side of it up Rue de Winston Churchill.

As I left the embassy I entered a giant park...stretched for a very long distance. Guess I was closer to the tower than I thought! I tossed around the idea of walking over...but today was the Louvre so I skipped it.

This is the front of the famous building. Don't ask me the name because I didn't write it down. Like most historical places in Paris it was undergoing massive cleanup.

This was at the bottom of the park, south of the river. It was another tempting place to examine...but no, another day.

This was along the bridge and approaching Churchill Street. There were many columns and carved statues along this area...all gilded like that. The absolutely sparkled in the sunshine. I marveled like...well...a tourist.

"We shall never give up, we shall never surrender".
Amazing man.

From the Embassy I cruised up along the park, over the bridge...and headed east towards the Louvre. When I got to the rooster fence I entered a beautiful park...so quiet and, well, fun. There were people everywhere...eating, laughing, playing in sprinklers. No homeless asking for change, no litter on the ground. It was just delightful.

However...there was a MASSIVE police presence in this area. In fact, as I left the park and started into the high end tourist area...I came across a heavily guarded building. Police were stationed all around armed with serious looking sub-machine guns. I didn't linger nor take pictures. I walked...

And walked...

And dear lord I walked some more.

Soon I was in Tourist Heaven. The street was lined with such a variety of places. I could have bought t-shirts, caviar, tours, Eiffel Tower pencil sharpeners, Tour de France jerseys, thongs (with PARIS! with glitter on them), even silver by the pound. I could have possibly made some money exchanging various currencies from the exchanges that were everywhere. Everything was much more expensive too...and the tourists...UGH. Yes, I am one of them but YOW it was packed. I've never heard so many different languages spoken. I was bumped, jostled, nearly run over, spilled on, sweated on, and just generally bothered by it all.

I needed food.

And I sorta got it.

I'm really tempted to skip this whole bit. Really I am. It was awful. Screw it...you deserve to know...

Le Carrousel.

Don't go there.

It was one of the busier places along the street, and towards the tail end of the district. I knew the Louvre was right around the corner so I figured a full meal would help me make it through the vast halls.

It was "seat where you want", so I tucked myself in a corner where I could quietly sweat for a bit. Long bloody walk, high bloody humidity.

After a long wait (not a big deal, used to it now) my waiter came over. The menu was complex...but repeated most things in decent English. I again went with a two item meal...entree (starter) and plat (entree). Funny huh?

Anyway I started with a terrine champagne. I know what a terrine is...pretty much a very fancy meatloaf. Technically it is a forcemeat cooked in a mold, and a classic buffet item. Quite often it has fois gras or other items.

Mine was made with dog food.

A dog food pate, very cold...with pickles on the side. There was also some very unhappy lettuce, an extremely old tomato...and the most half ass attempt at a field green garnish I have ever seen in my life. It was brown on the edges. I was seriously unhappy. I ate most of it though.

Note...avoid bread sometimes. As I sat and watched the waiters they would bring the uneaten bread from the tables and dump it in a basket. Then when a new table came in they would scoop it up, bare hands, and drop it in a basket. The bread had been cut so long ago that it was all completely hard. Awful.

I sat and cried silently as the waiters, and cooks, stood...in the kitchen...and smoked. They made some cell phone calls. One waiter sneezed, rubbed his hands on his pants, and grabbed more bread.

I stopped eating bread at that point.

The second course (and final thank god) was a turkey filet...overcooked...with sauce Normandy and a giant pile of fries. The garnish actually made me laugh out loud. It consisted of a sad cucumber round with two tomato skins next to it. Yes...just skins. Old mildly crinkly at the edge skins.

The sauce was so similar to a "just add water" powder that I have made the mistake of trying myself in the past. The turkey breast, though still moist, was way over done on the edges. The fries however were excellent and I ate them all...eventually scooting them out of the sauce so I could actually enjoy them.

Alas, we can't always win.

After lunch...the Louvre. And after the Louvre a loooong walk back here.

It all felt great though. I accomplished two very important things today...and have very little time in Paris left.

The Louvre

Despite the tourist annoyances (see above post) and despite the horrid lunch (see above post) I absolutely had to go that most famous of famous museums...The Louvre.

First I have to get this out of the way. I don't want this to ruin the readers experience of my experience. So I must say it now.

People do NOT stop and STAND and look at your STUPID MAPS right in the middle of a walkway! I cannot stress this enough. I swear I was ready to kick some ASS. Ugh!

Alright...

I'm done with that.

The Louvre is immense. It is, just as I was told, far too massive to see in one day. So I focused on two sections...ancient Greek and Egyptian artifacts and statues. Yes...I didn't see the Mona Lisa. I apologize. I saw some very cool paintings of Paris from way back when...which were fantastic.

But soon I found myself wandering through halls of ancient art. I mean seriously ancient...BC type things from Egypt.

I simply wasn't prepared for what my eyes beheld.

In all my life, through years of Discovery and TLC and History Channel I had never imagined the level of detail that these items possessed. Obviously some artifacts were damaged by time and weather...and people. Some were obviously crafted by unskilled hands. But some...the detail...the tiny fine lines around a 1500 year old stone relief of a woman holding grain, the intricate carving of a bulls head...cut out of granite...burried in the desert for untold centuries...it was almost more than I could handle. I would literally spend 15 minutes looking at one carving, imaging the time it took, the tools, the patience, the care... I was simply lost in a world of antiquity. I felt honored that these people, from days so long past, would be willing to share something like that with me.

I initially wanted to take pictures of EVERYTHING. Then I tried to settle on things that I though would identify with specific family members and friends. But soon I was hopelessly (rather hopefully) lost in trying to absorb as much as my mind could consume.

I found myself reaching out to objects...wanting to touch them. Wanting to feel stone that had been so meticulously cared for and carved...handled...burried...discovered...handled...moved... My hands would brush glass involuntarily as I thought of someone holding that tiny piece of marble, or jade, or wood. I wanted to hold it. I wanted to experience what it was like.

I was filled with a sense of...well...of a lack of place in the world. Where was my lasting contribution? Will someone, a thousand years from now, find something of mine and ponder its meaning...its use...its reason for being?

Then I thought...perhaps I have. Perhaps some silly thing I made in boy scouts, or a piece of refridgerator art in a parents drawer, or picture taken on this very trip...will somehow survive the test of time.

And all was good with the world.

It was very interesting to see the contrast in craftsmanship in the items I saw. Some, obviously utilitarian. Some obviously were practice or by children. Some looked to be made by gods.

But as I moved through Egypt and Greece...through Mesopotamia and Sumaria...I came to statues made in the late 1700s-late 1800s. They were impressive...huge blocks of various stone carved down to minute detail.

But I thought...so what?

OK, so I couldn't possibly create what those artists created. They captures aspects of the human form that even photographs don't show. The veins on a mans arm as he fights a serpent...the folds of a woman's gown as she picks grapes. The curls in the hair of a Baron or King. All beyond my capabilities.

But then I thought of the items...the items that were twice the age. I thought about them and said to myself...well hell, these are just bigger. Impressive for sure...but to me, they simply don't hold that "presence" that the more ancient objects do.

Here are some pictures...that do absolutely NO justice to what I saw. Enjoy them for what they represent...not for what they are.

FYI I have the full size ones should anyone want them emailed.

This one came out very well I think. It was Greek, and beautiful.


I found this interesting. It was massive...several feet high and even more across. But someone, clearly, had deafest this one section (and a bit of another). I stared for a while at it...wondering what the story was. I doubt we will every know.


Cats. Who doesn't love cats?

This was found, I believe, in Greece somewhere, I think closer to present day Jordan. I found it strikingly similar to pre-Columbian South American carvings. It really made me wonder.

Oh how I wish this came out better!! The detail on these tiny items...that oval one in the center is about 1.5 inches long...the detail was astounding. I touched the glass by mistake.

Swiss Embassy

I made it. I got there just in time. Oddly enough they have the same hours as the SF consulate...from 9 to 12. I got there at 11:30.

You may be asking why I cut it so very painfully close. Trust me, it wasn't intentional. I got up early and checked up here, took a quick shower...moved rooms (I decided to stay at this hotel for my last 2 days in Paris) and asked the very nice lady downstairs for directions.

After walking to the nearest metro (subway) station that had a line to get where I needed, and after trying to figure out how to deal with the whole thing...I got on my train and was on my way lightening fast. The metro here makes a thousand stops but runs very quickly...I was impressed.

I got out and suddenly...uh...where the hell am I? It appeared I was in more of a tourist area...a budget tourist area...due to the massive amount of backpack folk. FYI I was on the direct south side of the river, just West of that rather famous cathedral.

I knew it was getting urgent time wise so, foolishly, I quickly glanced at the map and started walking briskly.

Note to self and other would be travelers: If there is some place you NEED to go by X time, be sure you know how to get there WELL in advance.

In other words...I walked the wrong direction. I walked the wrong direction for quite a while in fact. I eventually gave up and nabbed a taxi...which got me to the embassy with 20 minutes to spare.

I get buzzed in and here is where the real story begins.

Not being able to speak French is an issue at times. This was one of those times. Not knowing this embassy's protocol, and me not being able to explain my situation hinders the process tremendous.

My situation was a touch complex. I had applied for my visa in SF at the consulate, but they were unable to process it completely before I left. So they instructed me to go to the Swiss Embassy in Paris to pick it up when I can. My little French language guide book is simply not prepared to explain that.

Thankfully a woman there spoke enough English to help translate, I ended up filling out a form, giving the embassy official my passport and form...with 5 minutes to spare. Yes, they are THAT serious about the timing of things.

She gave me a square metal card...magnetic on the back...with the number 77 on it and instructions in French.

It gets stranger.

Without a doubt the waiting room at the embassy is the most modern structure I have seen in Paris. Glass tables, odd furniture, an extreme multitude of plugs in the walls, very "modern" art...and a strange sign on the wall. I'll get to that later.

Perhaps it was nerves...this is my second to last step in the journey to Switzerland. Perhaps it's the lack of sleep. Perhaps it was the ultra modern decor...but I was on edge. This place was so...different. Like strange different. Like maybe I should just get the hell out of their before something utterly incomprehensible happens.

Let's get to the card and the sign.

The way it works is that the sign on the wall tells you, the number bearer, what room to go to.

Here is the sign.

Obviously someone who has a Masters in Advanced Efficiency or perhaps an escaped mental patient who stopped taking their meds YEARS ago designed it and the system. I'm thinking it was probably both.

I patiently sat and waited. Numbers would change on the wall...people would go upstairs. I swear to you that less people came down than went up.

As I sat and contemplated being #77 I started to think...maybe I applied for citizenship? Maybe, once I get up there, they are going to give me some sort of ultra-modern future jumpsuit and ship me off to a watch factory in Lucern. I kept my pen in hand...ready to fill out more forms (I was prepared to have to fill out a form just to leave that place) and also as a possible weapon to defend myself against smiling efficient Swiss.

In fact, at that moment, something came to mind. I AM in Switzerland. The embassy is part of their country. Dear lord they have my passport! I'm doomed.

Both the SF consulate and the Paris embassy had bullet proof glass separating the employees from the population. Spider senses were tingling.

All of a sudden everything became surreal and questionable. Why is the card magnetic? Why are there...literally...6 plugs on a 5 foot wall...and 12 on the other? What sort of crap do they plug in here??

I was now alone. My helper lady had gone upstairs to be...Swissed. I smiled politely. She may have been a robot.

Eventually my number popped up. Pen-weapon-form filler grasped tightly in my hand I went up stairs. I found room A...another glass box with 2 inch ballistics glass sealing me in.

Turns out all is A-OK. I've got a pretty new sticker in my passport giving me up to 8 days from today to enter Switzerland. After that the school issues me a visa to let me stay in country. The lady in there explained it all very clearly and nicely. She had pictures of fish on her wall...like ancient fish. What kind of lunatic country am I going to?

Time will tell, and I'm keeping my pen handy.

Randoms for the day

I saw my 2nd...maybe 3rd...obviously overweight French woman today. Funny thing was as I sat looking out the window at the restaurant I saw many more portly folk. McDonald's was right next door...coincidence? I think not!

I must have been in a "different" part of town (although it was very close to my hotel) because there were a lot of...well...differences. A lot more cop activity for one. Late at night I hear distant sirens and I'm guessing this is where they were from.

Some places do have smoking vs non-smoking sections...but I think they just ask Americans. I could have stabbed at least two couples with a fork they were smoking that close to me, and I was in the non-smoking section. Funny how it didn't bother me until today. God my clothes must stink.

Car observations:
I've seen no Subaru's. Not one. Not a single freaking one. I'm pretty sure that is the only car company I know of that I haven't seen represented here in one shape or form (and there are some REALLY strange forms).
But I did see...rather hear...and Aston Martin today. A new one. I was in my room and heard that serious V8 rip and had to poke my head out the window. It was black, big, bad ass, and beautiful. I wanted to touch it. Screw that...I wanted to DRIVE it!

Service is slow. Sure I'm jaded by having been a server before...I'm always thinking that my waiter/waitress is slow vs my standards. But service is extremely slow. And tonight I saw what happens when Americans get pissed (or just people in general, sorry to pick on us...)

A gentleman comes into the restaurant and is seated near me. When he orders I hear him speaking in English...American English. No biggie. He orders a drink and food. His drink takes a while...so he bugs the waiter about bringing bread. The waiter brings bread. As I'm eating he is starting to moan, huff, look around, shift around in his chair. He's obviously distressed. So he flags down a waitress at a table near us. She just happens to speak perfect English too.

He tells her that the waiter hasn't taken his order yet and he wants to pay for his coke and leave. She apologizes, gets him a bill for the coke, and he pays and bails.

You know what? He DID order! I heard him talk to the waiter...who spoke French...so there was a mild communication issue. But he ORDERED! Ugh!

I couldn't belive it...flat out lied. I mean totally and obviously lied.

Dude...that guys sucks.

I played a game with a table of French people too. I was flying solo and didn't bring a book with me...so after playing with my camera, the salt and pepper shakers, stirring my drink a lot, re-arranging my silverware...I got bored. So I watched them. They of course noticed me watching them and started watching me. I played it coy and watched them only when they weren't watching me. I'm not very good at being coy so it eventually escalated into pure open eyed staring. The dude was skinny...I totally coulda took him down.

It's raining outside and uncomfortably muggy. I'd trade my air guitar, freshly sink washed socks and my silent cigarettes for A/C. But I'm happy to sit at the window and look.

A real dinner

Tonight, fairly late, I ventured out for a much needed "real" dinner.

OK, that's not entirely true. I saw a McDonald's today. And I thought a quick nab of good (yeah yeah) 'ol American food would be a good thing.

So I walked over...walked in...and walked out. The menu was complex (yes folks, a Royal with cheese...but no Le Big Mac), the line was long, and considering I can only count to three in French the idea of scrambling to figure out what the numbers for the orders were...my only hope was that I'd be order 1, 2 or 3...so I bailed.

So instead I ended up at another place (which shall remain nameless until the end).

Bit of background info for you folks....

I used to work at the Blackhawk Grille in Blackhawk (Danville/San Ramon). It was both a wonderful experience as well as extremely educational. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that I wouldn't be here if I hadn't gotten to work their first. Granted they started me off as a food runner...but hey, they thought I was 20! Geeze!

Anyway...Blackhawk takes their food very seriously. During our shift meetings the chefs would talk about the massive amount of steps that it took to prepare something a simple as butter beans. That's a side folks...not even the entree. The product we got into that place was so carefully looked after, thought over, prepared and presented with such high esteem that it...well...ruined me. Every time I sit down at a place that has cloth napkins I instantly start comparing. Is that server as good? Is that host as efficient? (Note I did NOT say hostess! I was the only male host at Blackhawk...bah). Is the table set up as nicely? Compare compare!

And let me tell you...it is extremely dificult to live up to Blackhawk's standards. In fact I've yet to be as impressed by another restaurant. Perhaps it was because I had such inside knowledge of the steps taken to make EVERYTHING perfect (did you know we went through all the tables before service to align the place settings...so everything was even from all directions INCLUDING from table to table? So next time you bump a table and knock a glass askew...you should feel worse you heathens!) But regardless...the quality from stem to stern will always be a yardstick for me. It will be a tough act to follow.

So let's begin...

The menu looked pretty exciting. It was a combination of Italian and French...all very classic fare...with a decent wine selection. This was, however, a place that catered to those looking for a fine dining experience on a budget.

I ended up going with the two course dinner for 16.90 Euros. You had about 6ish choices for a starter and 6ish for an entree.

Without going on too much of a tangent...they obviously cater to Americans. Not only was the menu in English (not completely, but most of it)...but there were at least 3 American couples seated around me.

I ordered a small coke (came in a bottle...33cl for 3.95), a glass of Muscat de Beaumes de Venise AOC (10cl for 3.95).

My first course was Fois Gras with a fig and pear compote with Seville oranges, served with toasted brioche, Guerande salt and pepper.

It was alright. Not fantastic. The fois gras was a bit too cold, the brioche should have been toasted just a touch longer, and the compote was much too strong in flavor to go with the fois...or the fois just wasn't nearly rich enough. But it was wonderful being able to eat stuff like that again. And those of you who have words for me about those poor ducks...cry me a river.

The next course was risotto with saffron cream and sauted salmon.

Right off the bat, the plate was beautiful. I didn't want to use the flash in there and have people give me the "what the hell are you taking pictures of food for" eye...so you'll have to deal with this as is. But it was a slate grey edge with a striking brick red center. I almost stole it. But what would I do with only one?

The salmon was sauted with shallots and a red wine reduction...seriously reduced au sec. It was fantastic...full of flavors with just enough of the salmon to it so you'd pick it up with every bite. It wasn't a filet, which is understandable considering the cooking method...but there were still large pieces that were still firm without being dry. Excellent.

The risotto...well...meh. It was more of just rice and saffron, as I never really got the cream sensation from a quality made risotto. It was all cooked completely...not dry per say, just didn't "flow" around the bowl like it should have. To be honest it was more like a box type risotto...that someone didn't pay attention to.

Perhaps this is a classic dish...prepared exactly this way...but honestly it didn't go very well together. At least it didn't as far as a mouthful of both salmon and risotto at the same time...you know what I mean? As two separate dishes on a plate with...say...haricot verts...it would have been excellent. Together? A bit odd.

On the table they put one of those pizza place parm shakers. I found that to be extremely out of place. However, as an American, I instantly associate them with pizza...so perhaps I am biased. But adding the parm to the dish did help meld the flavors more agreeably.

The Muscat, however, was excellent. Very rich on the tongue yet silky...not cloying at all (well, a little...but for the price I won't downgrade it). It would have been perfect had the whole dinner been richer. Fois gras, salmon and risotto should be RICH...this simply was not.

The risotto I've had a Blackhawk has always been worlds better, same with any fois gras dishes. Of course this is a bit of apples vs oranges here...but still, similar styles get compared. Deal with it world. However the salmon itself was fantastic and something I'd like to do myself...just a touch less au sec.

For the price of everything it was very good...but honestly I would have preferred to spend the money on something a little more downscale and honest instead of upscale and not loved by the kitchen.

Two more things here...they had all you could eat carpaccio. Yep, an "endless plate". Eep!

And the restaurant was called Bistro Romain. It's a chain...a pretty big one at that it seems. I didn't want to mention that off the bat, I wanted to talk more about the food. Oh well.

Oh yeah...sorry I didn't check out desserts Bill...but I knew they wouldn't stand a chance ;)

Contacts dang it!

OK you freaks...I see you reading this now (I have my ways...oh yes I do).

But for those of you that either didn't get my first couple mass emails or just haven't gotten around to doing it yet...I need your info!

-Name (duh)
-Address
-Phone number
-email addy

I'm trying to put together a giant database of all my friends and families info...that means all you Crawfords out there too...dorks!

My email (if you don't find it on the thingie on the left...or right..or up, whatever) is as follows
mgracer @ yahoo . com

Yes I realize I put spaces in there...but that is to keep those pesky little spam robots away from nabbing my email address and sending me annoying things.

Hasta la vista!

And this is me

There have been some requests for pictures of me recently. Well, I can oblige. I thought about going out and having ones taken of me doing wacky and wild things in the city and sights...but today was recover day and laundry day...so I figured why not show you folks the day to day operations of Neil Crawford, World Traveler?

Here I am in my usual hotel hang out position. Quietly contemplating my place in the world...


Here I am doing the same thing in another place.


While I was in there, I may as well show you my face. This took lots of tries. Note I am not wearing glasses. I did that for a reason.

This is how I shower...but usually with less clothes on. Yes, it is that small and there is no door.


Here I am rocking out to some tunes. Note the air-guitar. It was thankfully small enough to fit in my bags.

Random

The drinking age in France is roughly 15 years old. Well, it's like having your permit at 15...you can drink with an 18+ year old person there. But once you hit 16...free for all.

There was seriously 6-8 weddings today. As I was waking up this morning I kept hearing honking horns. I looked out and saw wedding parties driving by. As I sat outside and had lunch several more drove by. Although I suppose it could have been just one HUGE wedding. I am not sure who I could ask about that, or even how to ask...so I'll let it slide.

Today's lunch was half a baguette with a channel cut into it, stuffed with salad (French-English for lettuce...even the menus that repeat the items again in English call lettuce "salad). Anyway...salad, cold chicken, 2 hard boiled eggs and a mustard/mayo/pepper spread. Again...quite good. The bread had a much softer crust than what our American baguettes get, and the spread was delicious. There were literally 2 eggs on it...they halved 'em and slapped 'em right on top. How do these people stay thin?

The bartender last night, the guy, was a surfer from France. He's worked in Spain, London and the Czech Republic as a bartender...and really wants to go to South America and work...and surf. Bars are the same world round it seems.

Mojitos are VERY popular at bars. Popular enough to have a giant bowl (at least a 2 quart size) filled with mint.
Route 66 Mojito...
-mint leaves
-lime wedges
-simple syrup (like half a shot worth)
-sweet and sour
Muddle all that then add rum and ice
Shake
Poor into glass and top with bottle sparkling water.

They did have a soda gun and I asked them why they don't use the gun soda. The girl just said it's better this way. Interesting.

Drinks have a lot less ice in them too...which sorta sucks. I had to ask for more a couple times. And water isn't automatic...you gotta ask for it.

Today for me is laundry day. My room gets cleaned every day (expected), but I'm starting to stink the place up a bit...and I've been taking plenty of showers. I'm not quite sure how to dry things though...you see, my shower has no door. It's about the size of a closet but with a hand held water spraying thingie. Actually, the fixtures here are remarkably modern and new...right down to the toilet paper dispenser. But the electrical is not. There are only 3 plugs in my room...2 on the floor and one up high on the wall for the wall mounted TV. The two on the floor don't work...so I've got my laptop charger sorta bungied up to the TV. It works...decently. Hums a bit though, which worries me a touch. If my laptop crapped out I'd be in serious trouble here.

You know those govt warning labels they put on cigarette packs? Here they are like 5 times the size...the warning on the front is 1/3 the size of the box...on the back it's 1/2. The front says "FUMER TUE"...I'm trying to get a webpage to translate for me...someone else do it.

Last night the people at the bar told me to go to Amsterdam today. Being drunk I said "HELL YEAH WOOOOO!". Now that I am sober...I don't think so. This place is enough of a trip while sober. Besides...I don't feel like lugging around all my crap. I'm settled here, and very content.

I talked to a friend today...which made me extremely happy. I find myself being a bit more "needy" and "worried" about things these days. It's probably because I'm so used to such instant communication. But right now, at 20 minutes to 6 pm...it's only, what...8 in California? 20 to 9? Yow.

Two things....
Soldes = Sale...like "our store is having a sale"
And according to Google...

Fumer tue = To smoke keep silent.

Intriguing...

To the bars!

There are LOTS of people by the Bastille, and about four hundred thousand bars/restaurants. So many choices!

There is also lots of traffic there. And also people who have drunk too many beers to take actual decent pictures.

Tonight, on the advice of a friend, I went to Route 66.

Route 66 is a bar near the Bastille that pretty much caters towards Americans. Well…sort of at least. There is definitely American food on the menu (fajitas, hamburgers, Caesar salads, etc) and thank GOD a good chunk of the employees speak English. In fact, I had the longest conversations in 3 days.

I knew it was near the Bastille, and I had an address. Unfortunately I didn’t take that address with me. So the taxi (yeah, I shoulda taken the metro/subway/bus/whatever) dropped me off at the plaza and I…well…stood there a while and just looked around.

The area was packed with people…the busiest section I have seen to date. I figured I was pretty screwed. For a hopeful moment I saw street signs and figured I’d be able to come up with some sort of memory…yeah right, not a chance.

So I went ahead and wandered….which I am getting VERY good at by the way. And luck have it, down a little side street…there it was.

I walked right in and had a seat at the bar. This was about 6:30…happy hour. Perfect. I was the only customer there.

To make a long story short it was a blast. A seriously great time in fact. Most of the staff spoke English (I French bartender, a Welsh bartender and an Irish hostess). I made friends, I laughed and talked about everything I have seen and experienced, and I drank a serious amount of liquor. Spell check is constantly figuring out what I am typing…thank you Microsoft!

If anyone at the Blackhawk Grille is reading this…these people can NOT make a Cosmo. It’s in a rocks glass…way too much cranberry juice, and no where near enough triple sec. I did have some crazy French drink with strawberry juice, gin, vodka and triple sec. Very good! Add about a thousand and three beers on top of that and we’ve got a party.

I’ll admit…I’m dead on my feet. I’m dying here. I doubt I can type much longer. But I had to get some choice bits down….

First of all…YOU DON’T NEED TO TIP! Did I say that loud enough? Seriously…the French don’t tip…which is perhaps I reason why I’ve gotten such great service. I’m American…American’s tip. French know this. And there ya go!

Secondly…there are English speakers around here. You just gotta know where to find them. I did…and got some free drinks and a painful shot of tequila as I left (they all wanted to know the proper way to do a shot…there was rampant discussion of salt, lime, tequila and how you do it. I, of course, educated them…and all was good).

Once again…everyone is so freaking nice. My taxi driver had no clue how to get me back here to the hotel…I had to actually bust out the map and give him directions. He barely spoke English and our conversation was pretty much like this…

“Bush no!”

“Chirac so-so”

“Paris bon!”

And lots of other extreme strange combinations of French Spanish and English. Oddly enough the taxi ride back was not only faster (I think…wow, lost track of time) but cheaper (that I am aware of for sure).

I was going to take pictures at the bar but seriously lost track of time…which I am very proud of. By the way, one of the managers is from California so I’m going to cruise over tomorrow and talk to her about how the place is run. I am a hotel/restaurant management student after all.

Oh yeah…last note (before pictures). Drinks are cheaper when you sit at the bar vs. sitting at a table. Odd isn’t it?

Cars and Food: What makes us go

Cars and food here will probably never cease to amaze me. Perhaps that is because those are two pretty huge aspects of my life. That makes sense actually.

Once I sat down outside (they recognize me now at the corner place) I had some decisions to make. What to start the day with?

Well even for a dorky tiny little mildly dingy and dirty corner restaurant, they have a decent menu.

Should I have an Omelet? Nos Sandwich? Nos Croque?

I started out with a cappuccino…and ladies and gentlemen, I may turn into a coffee drinker. It was freaking fabulous.

I ended up ordering…damn I wish I wrote it down…but in essence a lardon (ham) and potato omelet. Oh it was good. Oh it was so very good. I’m amazed that I haven’t had a disappointing meal yet (perhaps because I’ve eaten at 2 restaurants so far) but seriously…fan-tas-tic.

As I sat and made my daily automobile observations I noticed a couple things. One, there is a grocery store nearby because I saw a stream of people walking buy with bags full of stuff. I think I’ll follow them backward like a trail of breadcrumbs. Man I will look like a freak taking pictures of a grocery store. Doh.

Another was there was a lady reading the new Harry Potter book at another table. I was mildly amused by this…and wanted to ask her how it was. But she was like 3 pages in and very intent on her book.

Transportation here is very interesting. Obviously lots of cars…but also lots of people on bikes, and many rollerblading and on razor-style scooters. But unlike those that I see in CA they are using them for actual transportation instead of exercise. Maybe that is why there is a lack of obesity here. It certainly isn’t because of the food!

The cars are remarkably modern around here. Sure some looked to be from the mid 80’s…but none older than that. And they are all in pretty good shape…no obvious “beaters” with dented panels and blowing smoke. Sure some were a bit rough around the edges but the vast majority were very new and in great shape. Perhaps it is some sort of law?

At least 1 out of every 7 cars is a Ford. The rest are VW, Seat, Peugeot, Volvo (rare), Mercedes, BMW (rare), Opel, Renault, Citroen…and the occasional Japanese cars.

I sure as hell hope that GM owns at least 2 of those companies…otherwise it is obvious why they are crapping out. Ford has a huge presence here…and a lot of the cars looked like they would fit in on our streets. Citroen and Renault? Umm…a bit too space age for us…even for San Francisco.

I am curious why I haven’t seen a single Civic Si hatchback (the minivan looking one). Seems to me it would be perfect for these people. Odd.

One other cool car related thingie were these elevator trucks. They were mini pickups with a giant boom type thing on the back. They can extend this boom all the way up to the tops of the tall apartments (everything is 8 stories in this part of town) and use a sort of elevator platform to move things up and down. Extremely clever. I could have used one of those when I moved out!

Random thoughts…

-Paris men don’t have long hair. Like 1 in 75 do.

-I find myself slipping into Spanish now. It is very odd to me that I do that.

-I have yet to see one cat, but plenty of dogs…little ones though.

-The city is remarkably clean…and even when I see people miss the trash can they stop, pick it up, and put it in more carefully. That is very different than Walnut Creek even.

-It’s supposed to storm the next two days. Crap.

Church pictures

This was taken from the steps of the church. Down in that square in the middle is one entrance to the shopping mall...Forum Des Halies, Porte Du Jour.

First I appologize for the lack of light in these pictures...I didn't want to get all tricky with the camera. I didn't feel it was right trying to be all picture crazy. Besides...I doubt the most high tech, bad ass, expensive and high quality camera on this planet could capture what should be seen with your own eyes.

The dirt on the walls, the damaged floors, the cracks in the statues, the faded paintings...that is what made this place real.

I wish this and the second picture posted back to back. Alas.


No need for words.

The Church

This morning I woke up with a mission in mind…a mission to do some serious exploring. Obviously this city has so many historical sights, so many museums, so many funky little stores and restaurants…it’s a gold mine for simply wandering.

But for me, it just isn’t that easy.

Here is a prime example. I wanted to explore that jungle place under the pyramid then head out of the area and check more places out. I started out with breakfast at the corner place (more on that later). The weather was perfect so instead of taking the metro I decided to walk it again. And I am so glad I did…nice light breeze, beautiful sunshine, and just warm enough.

I eventually made it over to the park and tried to figure out how to get in. After a bit of searching I saw people streaming onto an escalator going way down underground. Oddly enough there was a guy at the top searching our bags. Perhaps the London bomb scare? Perhaps…I didn’t ask. Needless to say whatever I had with me was OK.

Turns out that under that park and church is a pretty huge shopping mall. They had all kinds of things down there…store obviously, but also a movie theatre, a funky and disappointing museum, a giant pool/gym, and…the jungle.

The jungle was a big let down I’m afraid. You couldn’t get in to see it and what I could see was really dusty. Oh well. Mission accomplished regardless.

I came out again on the other side of the park, right at the side entrance to the church.

The church was…wow. Pretty much indescribable. I sat for a while sitting on the stone steps by the side entrance…enjoying the cool breeze and watching the people walk by. I spent at least an hour there sitting in quiet contemplation of where I was. The stone steps I was sitting on…I could feel their age. It was nearly overwhelming to just sit and think how many people had walked on those rocks…how many people from so many walks of life…with so many thoughts on their minds. History, what we read at least, is full of stories of major events…wars, discoveries, failures, and events that changed the world. But right there…I didn’t think about all that. I thought of all the simple people with their simple forgotten lives…the ones that didn’t make it into the history books…the ones that carried the stones there, that got married inside, that stopped for countless and unimaginable lunches. Dear lord, how many sandwiches had been eaten there? How many people, just like me, had sat there and just…just watched? It created a huge sense of safety in me honestly. A feeling of belonging to something so huge and complex…significant yet insignificant. It was wonderful.

So after snapping a couple pictures I had to go inside.

The church is obviously going through some major renovations, but it still is a functioning place of worship. Inside there were old chairs all laid out…waiting for service. I don’t know enough about religion to name the bits and pieces…but it was all there.

The ceiling…I’m talking at least 7 stories up and ornately carved. There were statues everywhere, stained glass, you name it. My words and pictures will be completely unable to give any weight to the immensity and beauty of the place.

I’m not a religious person. I’ve never been an avid church patron. But in all my life I have never before felt such a presence of…there simply isn't a word to use here. Of awe. Of wonder. It was both humbling and uplifting at the same time.

Glorious.

I discovered something about myself today. Yes I do love the vastness of this place…of all places. I love the countless areas to explore and touch, taste, smell, experience. But I learned that one doesn’t need always need to go to “the place” to see “that sight”. Don’t get me wrong…I want to see those places…the places everyone talks about. But sometimes even the corner restaurant or the market down the street, or the view out your own window is enough to fill you with a sense of awe. Ain’t life grand?

Attenion chefs

www.dehillerin.com

That is the website for the most amazing retaurant supply store I have ever seen in my entire life.

First of all this place was massive, and painfully cramped. But let me tell you, it had everything you could possibly ever want to run a restaurant (supply wise). I spent nearly an hour in there just walking around, looking at things...and sneaking some pictures in. I admit I felt a bit odd taking pictures of just pots and pans...but people...I just had to share.

This thing may not look like much, and now I'm wishing I had put something next to it for scale. It was nearly two feet in diameter and just shy of a 1/4 inch thick. It was HEAVY (obviously) and very well made.

Again I wish I had put something to help scale these (not the scale in the background. Aren't I funny?). Anyway these were gallon sized pots. Rows and rows of them.

All 2 quart copper with stainless steel insides. Piles!

The thing is...all these picture account for less than a quarter of the size of this place. There were no people in this dark corner so I felt more...comfortable...taking picture of cooking impliments. Upstairs were all the smaller items (knives, spats, serving dishes, baking stuff, misc equipment.) From the look of things they have their own brand of knives and they were works of art. None were sharp though (they were in sort of piles in wooden boxes...perhaps they sharpen them for you after you purchase them?).

By the counter along a back wall they had, mounted up, what looked to be some seriously old knives. I'm talking a chefs knife that was easily 2 feet...perhaps more. Giant massive old blades. It was beautiful!

I knew I could find a treasure house if I wandered a bit. ;)