Bouquinistes, Quais de Seine, Paris
Bonjour les amis,I hope all my favorite moms had a wonderful Mother's Day celebration today.I was lucky to attend a couple of events this weekend. One of them involved re-uniting with a favorite fictional character of mine, Jay Gatsby. I really enjoyed the new movie by flamboyant director Baz Luhrmann (of Romeo and Juliet and Moulin Rouge fame.) It was not perfect, but how delicious to watch Leo-the-Great, (a.k.a. Leonardo DiCaprio) capture Gatsby's soul. I have decided Leo is like a fine wine. He keeps improving with age [insert sizzling sound.]
"Forget Daisy Buchanan. You are the one for me, French Girl!"
This week, I found a funny little video online. It was too good not to share. One petit problem: The video is in French. So, for those of you who read French, enjoy. For those of you who are happy being lazy monolingual bums, I have translated the script below.
Il n'y a pas de quoi. You're welcome. We all love Paris. Some of us return, year after year. Some of us were lucky enough to live in Paris for a while. Some of us wish they did. Jay Gatsby never lived in Paris. But if he had, he may have agreed with the following list...Les amis, I give you, directly from les Parisiens, "Telltale signs you live in Paris."
Translation:
1. Your Monday mornings look like this [ed: on the subway.]
2. For 25m2 [ed: 270 square feet,] your rent is 800 Euros [ed: $1,050.]3. You have never used the Seine river tour boats, but you wave "Hello" to tourists...
4. You never talk to your neighbors.
5. You are happy when it only takes 48:21 to get to work.
6. You never cross the beltway to go to the suburbs. Well, ok, sometimes you do.
7. You say to yourself you really have to visit the Louvre... one day.
8. You know what subway car to get on, to face the nearest exit when you step off the train.
9. To a lot of people you are just a "Parigot" [ed: derogatory nickname given to Parisians, rhyming with...] "tête de veau" (calf's head.)
10. Top three animals you hate the most: Pigeons. Rats. Tourists.
11. You like it when Paris is empty in August... and the Parisians have left the city.
12. You know what "rush hour" means [ed: notice photo of a Parisian park on a sunny afternoon.]
13. You know the best places to kiss.
14. You know each subway line by its color [ed: there are 14 total.]
15. You know how to avoid danger on sidewalks [ed: danger = dog poop.]
16. You can locate each arrondissement (district,) well... almost. [ed: There are 20 arrondissements in downtown Paris.]
17. You constantly visit "awesome" exhibits...
18. You never say turn down a chance to have a cup of espresso on a terrace... not even for 10 Euros [ed: $13.]
19. The hardest part about your vacation, is returning [ed: Sunday evening traffic!]
20. You know that sometimes, Paris can be magical [ed: photo of le P.S.G., the Paris soccer team.]
21. There are 894 shows playing every evening... but you never go.
22. You can test the world's cuisines... simply by changing neighborhoods.
23. You can buy a bottle of wine; too expensive; mediocre; at any hour.
24. You meet poverty every day... but you don't notice it anymore.
25. Once, you found a cab quickly (with a nice driver to boot!)
26. You like it when Paris wakes up at 5:00am... as you are going to bed.
27. You know why la Défense neighborhood will never be Manhattan [ed: Parisians *love* New York City!]
28. You are certain that Paris is the most beautiful city in the world.
Well, what did you think? Did you enjoy the list? Can you relate?
I will volunteer a small contribution to the original list, and it goes something like this...
29. You complain about Paris while you live there, and talk often about "getting out." Yet, you will never feel more Parisian than once you have moved abroad, and constantly think about returning.
And that, les amis, is a fact.
:-) A bientôt.
Parting words
French novelist Jules Renard once said:"Ajoutez deux lettres à Paris et c'est le Paradis."
(Add two letters to Paris... and you get Paradise.)
