April 2013
2 posts
1 tag
I just deleted someone's Dropbox
On December 20, 2012, I received a slew of unexpected emails from Dropbox.
The first said “Welcome to Dropbox!” which was odd because I’ve been using Dropbox since 2010. The second said “You have added the app CloudOn to you Dropbox”, which was also odd because my boyfriend’s brother works for CloudOn and I couldn’t remember if I’ve installed it or...
2 tags
French phrases to know
Here are some common French phrases that you won’t learn from a class or the Rosetta Stone:
“ça marche” - “that works” “ouias” (pronounced like “way”) - “yeah”. If you respond “ouias” instead of “oui”, you might pass as a non-tourist for just a little bit. “bon journée/soirée” - “have a good day/night”. Say this when you’re leaving. “carafe d’eau” - “pitcher of tap water”. Use in restaurants to...
February 2013
3 posts
2 tags
Things I like and dislike about Paris
As an American living in Paris, there are definitely some noticeable differences in the way society behaves.
Things I like: 1. The food is pretty awesome. I like the cost of the food less, but the food is still good. 2. French food uses parts of meat that aren’t commonly found in the USA, like “head and tongue of veal” or any internal organs. 3. People are generally nice when...
5 tags
Touristing in Paris: Tour Eiffel
Living in Paris means I can jokingly sneer at the tourists, but in reality, I want to do the touristy things too. Here are some tips to make the Eiffel Tower experience more enjoyable :)
1. Buy your tickets online!! See that long line at the Eiffel Tower?? You don’t have to be a part of that!! Just buy your tickets online, go up to the uniformed guy standing at the VIP entrance, show them...
5 tags
Car rentals in Paris - Avis
The first car rental experience we had was horrific. You can read all about how terrible Europcar is here. Our second experience was with Avis, and it was smooth and easy.
My sister and her fiance visited us over Thanksgiving 2012, and they wanted to see more of France than just Paris. In particular, they are board game nerds and wanted to visit Le Havre, a port city that is featured in one of...
December 2012
4 posts
6 tags
Car rentals in Paris - Europcar
So far, we have had two car rental experiences in Paris that differed greatly! The first experience was extremely frustrating, and the second experience was easy and relaxing. This is the full account of our experience with Europcar. The second experience is here.
We wanted to explore some of the beautiful Loire Valley chateaux so we rented a car for the weekend. We booked a car through...
2 tags
Getting a carte de séjour - Adventures in France
Since we were going to stay in France for longer than the 90-day tourist allowance, we needed to get a residence permit or carte de séjour from a préfecture in France.
This process has always been described to us as long and frustrating and complicated. We had a totally different experience.
About two months after we settled in Paris, we planned a day off of work to deal with the carte de...
3 tags
Paris museums that open late
Whether you work during the weekdays or just want to make the most out of your Paris visit, here is a list of my recommended museums with quick info about days they are closed and days they are open late. I have listed these in rough order of my recommendation :)
Chateau de Versailles: closed Mondays
Musée National d’Art Moderne (at the Centre Pompidou): closed Tuesdays open until 10pm all...
3 tags
Language influencing/influenced by lifestyle
Eyal shared a revelation with me.
English: I am hungry.
French: J’ai faim.
English: I am full.
French: Je n’ai plus faim.
Taking this with the general attitude that the French have towards food, it seems that the language and lifestyle are in sync here. Americans don’t stop eating until they are full (or in Louis CK’s case, until they hate themselves :P), whereas...
November 2012
6 posts
3 tags
Getting birth control pills in France
I knew I was going to be in France for almost half a year, but my insurance in the USA wouldn’t cover my prescription for that long. I would have had to pay a couple hundred dollars to stock up for the whole trip!
Instead, I thought I’d test myself by getting my prescription while in France. There aren’t many (English) resources online about how it works, except for one blog post, so I am adding...
5 tags
Touristing in Paris: Tour Montparnasse
Tips on visiting the Montparnasse Tower:
1. The Montparnasse Tower is the tallest building within the city limits of Paris. However it’s not the tallest structure as the Eiffel tower is about 50% taller! So the view from the Eiffel tower may be higher, but the view from the Montparnasse will INCLUDE the Eiffel tower :P so that’s a bonus.
2. You can buy your tickets online, but unless the ticket...
5 tags
Touristing in Paris: Versailles
So I live in Paris right now and trying to see as much as possible. This means that I end up doing things that are, unfortunately, very touristy. Here are some tips to make the touristing experience less frustrating.
Tips for seeing Versailles:
1. Buy your ticket online!! You can get a “passport ticket” that gives you access to the main palace, the gardens, Le Grand Trianon, and Le Petit...
6 tags
Flying to/from Paris Beauvais and Warsaw Modlin
It’s so easy to jet around Europe these days with discount airlines. Eyal and I wanted to go to Warsaw for a weekend, so we booked a flight through Wizz Air from Paris Beauvais to Warsaw Modlin. What we failed to realize was how far these airports actually are from the main city. Actually no…we knew that. What we actually failed to realize was how much of a hassle it would be to get...
4 tags
Layover in Iceland? Make it a long one.
Eyal and I had a layover in Iceland on our way from Washington DC to Paris, and I thought it would be fun to ask for a long layover and explore Iceland for a few hours. This turned out to be an excellent idea!
If you have never been to Iceland before, you are definitely missing out on an incredible gem. Even the few hours we spent there convinced me that we absolutely need to return to fully...
4 tags
