2 Days In Paris

To be honest, I've never really been attracted to Paris the way most people are. I mean, sure the boys there are cute and the style is impeccable, but the main reason I wanted to go to Paris was to go to the Musée d'Orsay. That's right, I flew a few thousand miles to go to an art museum (well I didn't really, but it sounds a lot more dramatic if I say it like that).

The Orsay Museum

For an impressionist art lover, Paris is like heaven. Aside from the Musée d'Orsay, I also went to the Orangerie and Rodin museums. Montmartre was an amazing neighbourhood to visit as it was the area that the Impressionists worked and lived. Unfortunately I never got a chance to visit the Marmottan Monet Museum or Monet's house and garden at Giverny, but well, I'll have plenty of time for that next year. 

Aside from my self-guided tour of Impressionist Paris, I spent most of my time feeling confused since I forgot all my middle school French, while looking enough like a local that I would get stopped at every interaction by people who needed directions.

While Paris is called the city of love, I really wanted to see the city solo. Aside from the fact that I doubt anyone would agree to come to Paris with me only to stand in front of a Monet painting for 5 hours, I actually really enjoyed reading up on Parisian history while making commentaries in my head in the style of Bill Bryson, as I wondered the same streets that Monet, Renoir, Degas, Manet, Cassatt and so many more have walked before me. 

Here's some things about Paris I found interesting:

• All the guys wear suits. Even if they're dressed casually, they still at least wear a blazer jacket (I love it).
• Everyone on the metro has a set of headphones on.
• There's also way too many "iPad" ads on the metro.
• Bums can be bilingual.
• Free wi-fi at McDonalds can be a total lifesaver.
• All hostels in Paris are overpriced and dirty.
• The French really are bad drivers. I feared for my life every time I crossed the street.
• It is possible to mime out the sentence "I would like to buy some pads because I just got my period" to the non-English speaking lady at the pharmacy (Although I totally think she did speak English and just wanted to be entertained by a non-French speaking tourist). 
• Everyone is skinny. As proved by this photo below:

French Lessons

After being in Paris for two days, here's the extent of the French I've used:

"Bonjour!"
"Merci" et "merci beaucoup"
"Je ne parle pas Francais"
"Je ne comprende pas"
"Parlez-vous Anglais?"
"Non?"
"Oui! Oui!"
"Shit...I mean, merde!" (I try to fit in)
"Haben Sie ein...oh wait, wrong language...."

As you can see, I should be fluent in French in no time.

Something interesting I find is that I've been getting a lot of French people coming up to me and asking for directions. While my reply is never very helpful (given in a mixture of English, French and German words, leaving them completely confused), I find it quite exciting to think that so many people have mistaken me to be a local. If you can't speak it, look the part i guess!

69 Fun Facts About France

69 facts is back! This time featuring the lovely country of France, because well, who can resist a country that creates superior wine, beautiful art and genetically blessed people? I think 69 facts is quite fitting. After all, who doesn't love the French? (when they are not driving, of course).

1. There is a Victor Hugo street in every town in France.
2. It's illegal to name a pig Napoleon in France.
3. Charles VIII had six toes on one foot and hid this fact by wearing and promoting square toe shoes.
4. The guillotine was the official method of execution during the French Revolution. It was invented by a surgeon named Dr. Guillotin.
5. France produces over 400 types of cheese!

Language:
6. French is the official language of many countries including: Switzerland, Canada, Ivory Coast, Luxembourg, Monaco, Congo and Niger.
7. The word "salut" means both "hello" and "goodbye"
8. French was the official language of England for over 300 years.
9. It's the mother tongue of 75 million people worldwide.
10. It's the second most commonly taught foreign language, after English.
11. It's the official language of the United Nations.
12. It's the only language (along with English) that's taught in every country in the world.
13. Crayola is a French word that means "oily chalk"
14. At the time of the French Revolution, 75% of French citizens didn't speak French as a mother tongue.
15. Non-French celebrities who speak French include: Jodie Foster, Johnny Depp, Diane Kruger, Elton John, Ewan Mcgregor, Halle Berry, Jackie O, Madonna, Mick Jagger, and John Travolta.
16. 34% of the French can speak English.
17. Between 6-11 million Americans speak French.

18. On the French radio between 8am to 8pm, music must be by French artists.
19. The heir to the French throne was called Le Dauphin, which also means "dolphin."
20. The French eat snails, frog's legs and horsemeat.
21. In 1386, a pig was hung in France for the murder of a child.

Love and Romance
22. The number of times the French kiss each other as a form of greeting varies depending on region. In Corsica, the number of kisses can be as many as 5! (If you have a hot first date, you now know where to go)
23. According to a 2003 survey, the French have the most sex in a year (unsurprisingly!)
24. It's illegal to kiss on railways in France (oops).
25. "French kiss" is a term by the English as a slur on the French culture which was thought to be overly concerned with sex.
26. In France, it's called a tongue kiss or soul kiss.
27. French men have the lowest level of obesity in the EU, and women are second after Denmark.
28. The French have one of the highest life expectancies in the EU (I think there's a strong correlation of this fact to #23)
29. First Lady Carla Bruni has been known to have a string of relationships with famous men including Eric Clapton, Mick Jagger and Donald Trump.