Ice Skating in Paris

ça glisse sur le parvis de l'hôtel de ville !
par mairiedeparis

On Tuesday, Max and I went ice skating at the rink in front of the Hôtel de Ville. For just 5 euro a piece, the city hall rented us each a pair of high-quality (and moderately sharp) skates - they hold onto your shoes as collateral, but this is convenient since there are no storage lockers in the rental chalet. It being shortly after noon, the rink was not at all crowded - a couple of teenage boys showing off, some women practicing figure skating turns, and the usual handful of licentious french men standing just outside the rink and watching the girls skating. I had a blast, despite my being about as skilled a skater as the german primary school students that showed up halfway through our time on the ice.

This winter there are three patinoires de noël in Paris: Hôtel de Ville, Bibliothèque François Mitterrand, and Montparnasse. They are open seven days a week, from 9am-10pm on weekends and from noon-10pm on Monday through Friday. If you bring your own skates, it is absolutely free! Just walk in off of the street (unclear what you would do with your shoes in this instance). I highly recommend the Hôtel de Ville rink... it's a pretty location, and when you get tired of skating, the best hot chocolate in Paris is just a few steps away by metro (Angelina, take Ligne 1 from Hôtel de Ville to Tuileries). I will definitely be going back (although next time, lacking an escort, I might need to trade in my skirt for a pair of unbecoming baggy pants)

On a different note, one sentence from my last post angered a friend, and so I feel an explanation is necessary. I did not mean to imply that Parisian women are ever, *gasp*, unfashionable - but rather that the current trend in Paris fashion is very much reminiscent of the 1980s. Loose, formless tops with batwing sleeves, often worn with long, bulky necklaces...close-fitting, tapered-leg pants, and long, messy hair to complete the look. I am suitably bitter about this trend because it is wholly unflattering to curvy-figured individuals like myself, and because my hair seems to grow out at a rate of one centimeter per month (if I'm lucky, it'll be shoulder-length by June). Not to let this sour my blogger impartiality. But in all fairness, I think that an American visiting Paris - seeing the flannel dresses with black leggings, Levis and leather jackets that are these days the rule in Paris street fashion- cannot help but be reminded of Molly Ringwald and The Breakfast Club. Maybe the French are onto something...but I, for one, miss fitted waists and set-in sleeves.

Le Crazy Horse

"Liberté! Fraternité! Sexualité!"
- Graffiti in Paris Métro, 1980s - as cited in The Columbia World of Quotations

Paris may be given too much credit for it's sex life. Living among the Parisians, I can tell you that the sexy/romantic stereotype is mostly just hype left-over from World War One and Two, when American soldiers liberating Paris were given an exuberant welcome by the local dames. In reality, most Parisian women are somewhat mousy-looking, and dress with a fashion sense that has not advanced much beyond the 1980s.

That said, France is a society which is far more comfortable with sex than, say, America. The Naughty Paris reputation is somewhat justified - and many things which would raise eyebrows in America (and in rural France) are almost boringly quotidian here in Paris.

Take, for example the cabarets. Paris has an astonishing variety of adult entertainment acts, ranging from classy to downright raunchy (and from dirt-cheap seedy to champagne plush). Since my arrival in August, I've been intrigued by giant posters on the metro advertising the Lido and the Moulin Rouge. "OSEZ LE LIDO!" they suggest, "100 euros = spectacle + 1/2 bouteille de champagne" Right. Not exactly in my budget, but I hadn't given up on the idea.

Truth is, I wasn't sure if I would enjoy the theater of a "tits and feathers" show. Exorbitant costumes, Japanese businessmen... and then I learned about Le Crazy Horse. "Undeniably the sexiest cabaret in Paris," writes Heather Stimmler-Hall in her Naughty Paris: A Lady's Guide to the Sexy City. She goes on to describe the "expertly choreographed" scenes as "mesmerizing and undeniably erotic". I met Heather at her book signing; she's sweet, shy, and very much a good girl. If she liked Le Crazy Horse, I was sure that I would too.

Which got me to the problem of price. Tickets for Le Crazy Horse start at 100 euros. Last month my parents visited Paris, and brought with them a miniature Lonely Planet Paris Encounter. Scanning through the guidebook for ideas, I chanced upon the following under the entry for Crazy Horse: "If you don't want a fancy dinner or champagne or both with premium seating, you can pay from 50 euro for a seat at the bar plus two drinks (35 euro plus one drink if you're under 26) without a reservation."

Le Crazy Horse for 35 euro! Could it be true? Finding no such mention on their website, I called ahead to check. And the answer was YES! Just show up 30 minutes ahead of time.

I went last night with Max, who's visiting me from Boston. Wow. Tits and colored lights. The music was good, the choreography excellent, the lighting magnificent, and the champagne tasty. All for 35 euro a piece. Quite possibly the best student discount in Paris.

POP QUIZ !

There are some great statues in Paris (and Europe in general) - many featuring charming "hints" as to the depicted figure's claim to fame. Try to guess on the basis of my clues the identity of these three, artistically-rendered intellectual giants:

This Italian physician and physicist from Bologna is here depicted in the midst of the experiment which made him famous - that's a dead frog lying on the tablet in front of him. Hint: it involves electricity, was an important step in the evolution of neuroscience, and the report of his investigation is said to have inspired Mary Shelley.

I love the snide expression on the face of this French Enlightenment figure's statue - it's a perfect tribute to his legendary sharp-tongue and even sharper pen. You may have encountered his caustic, ironic style in the widely-read satire Candide. (Come on, that should be a total give-away)

This seventeenth century French fabulist is known for reinterpreting Aesop's fables, often with a moralizing political subtext that hinted boldly at the greedy or manipulative character of certain well-known courtesans from the court of King Louis XIV. The crow and the fox depicted with his statue allude to one of his better-known fables.

ANSWERS:

Luigi Galvani (statue in Bologna, Italy), Voltaire (Paris, 6th arrondissement), Jean de la Fontaine (Paris, 16th arrondissement)

Les Soldes

First of all, welcome to those of you whose email I recently added to the blog's posting list! If you don't wish to receive updates, no problem - just let me know and I'll remove your address.

Alors, THE SALES!

They happen twice a year in Paris - once in January and then again in July. For about 5 weeks, all clothing stores offer last-year's stocks at reductions ranging from 20-70% below retail. This is the sort of Paris tradition that has it's own etiquette, strategy, and list of faux pas - I knew to do my research before venturing out onto the Grand Boulevards.

Apparently most Parisian women wait until the mid-period of les soldes to do their shopping - at this point there is a second, larger reduction in prices and some of the best bargains can be made while the selection of items is still good. Waiting until late January has it's drawbacks however... especially if one is a size 36/38 (as I, and the majority of Parisian women, happen to be). The secret in this case is to preshop - to check out the selection in your favorite stores the day before the sales - so that you know where to rush to at 8 a.m. the next morning in order to grab that one remaining coat in your size before someone else gets it.

Which brings us to why, last Wednesday at 7:50 AM, I could be found waiting outside the doors to the Galeries Lafayette in the predawn darkness and sub-freezing temperature. I snatched up my coveted 50%-off winter coat, and then browsed around the store for enough additional items to bring my purchases up to 175 euros. At this sum, non-European citizens can get reimbursed for the 12% value-added-tax which makes French clothes so pricey. Officially, this reimbursement is only valid for those leaving the country within 3 months, and so it's unclear whether or not I will actually get my 20 euros back.

The best part about the sales is that they make accessible stores which you think to be totally beyond your price range. Le Printemps and Le Bon Marché are at the upper-end of Paris department stores, and yet during the sales they have bins offering 2007 items for a trois fois rien (practically nothing) - e.g. a designer skirt in silk for 10 euros rather than 200. Such deals are reportedly even available at the maisons de couture of Givenchy, Vuitton, Chanal, Dior, Prada, Gucci... I took a stroll down the Avenue de Montaigne but couldn't get up the courage to enter inside any of these Paris fashion establishment. (Maybe later this month, after that second round of price reductions...)

Cleaning up from the Holidays, Paris-style

You may have read about the burning of 1147 cars that took place in the Paris suburbs this past New Years Eve. This figure is higher than last year (878 cars), and significantly higher than in previous years (between 2002 and 2006, the number of cars burned each holiday remained steady between 325 and 425 per year).

What is the explanation for this alarming phenomenon - Urban violence? A somewhat extreme means by which thieves can eliminate police evidence like fingerprints or DNA? Another, more nefarious cause of the fires has also been proposed: that of insurance fraud.

It is estimated that of the 1147 burnings that took place this holiday, between 20 and 30% were instigated by car owners hoping to recoup up to 4,000 euros of indemnity. Following a regulation made this past October, the French Government is required to provide such compensation to non-insured car owners with salaries under 2,000 euros who are victims of car burning. What with the financial crisis and all, this may have appeared to some as too good an opportunity to pass-up.

On a lighter note, Europe shows it's ecological-friendly superiority to the United States with a city-wide Christmas Tree Recycling Program. Throughout the month of January, the mayor of Paris is collecting trees from people's homes through drop-off sites located in 95 of the city's gardens and parks. Rather than burn your tree in the apartment complex incinerator, or abandon it on the sidewalk, contribute to the fertility of the Paris park system by donating your sapin to be turned into mulch! Last year, 15,000 trees were recycled through the program.

Les Incontournables de Paris

My Office of Tourism-issued-guidebook to Paris divides the city into "promenades" (walks) - geographically clustered groups of monuments and museums that a person could experience on a single day. Each promenade features a list of "incontournables"...literally meaning "unavoidables", but with a positive connotation: sights so integral to the idea of Paris that every visitor just has to see them. Most of us residents and long-term visitors steer clear of these places in order to avoid the tourists. Having my parents and brother visit Paris this Christmas, I took the opportunity to finally check-out many of these essentially Parisian sights.

Sainte-Chapelle:
Since eighth grade, I've been reading about the "magical" stained glass of this little church on the Ile de la Cité. Our rental apartment just happened to be located nearby, and on the way to the metro one rare sunny morning, we decided on a whim to check it out. Built in the 13th century and reconstructed after various wars, its architecture is interesting, but from the exterior not stunning.

And then you enter the building and climb a short spiral staircase to the upper chapel. Despite years of hype, I was still blown-away. Sunlight streaming through the southern windows illuminated huge panels of colorful glass; their scenes depict stories of the old testament, The Passion of Christ, and the Apocalypse.

These photos don't do it justice. If you find yourself in Paris on a sunny day (not always guaranteed)... do put aside a half-hour to go see Saint Chapelle.

Other incontournables from the week include Notre-Dame (I'm still going through my photos... I promise another post in the next few days), and the Musée Marmatton in the 16th arrondissement. The latter is known for it's remarkable collection of Monets. Mention to a Parisian that you like Impressionist paintings and they'll respond that "Ah, you must go to the Musée Marmatton..." (Not the Musée d'Orsay, not the Orangerie. This should give you some perspective on how special the Marmatton is). I managed to snap the following photo of Le Parlement, Reflets sur la Tamise before being chastised by a security guard. Another Paris establishment that's not to be missed.