Seven years ago today I took a photo of a lighthouse. I honestly don’t remember much of this day…
Five years ago today, we had drinks with Taras at Harry’s. I miss Harry’s, their dirty martinis and Taras.
… years ago today
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Tag Archives: france
Traveling to Paris
If you are traveling to Paris I have some tips for you.
- Don’t come to Paris in August;
- Always try to speak a little french;
- Don’t crowd the ticket entrances to the metro;
- Macarons are overrated;
- Remember that you are in a real city.
It’s hot, crowded and everything is closed. There aren’t many Parisians either.
Even if it’s just a “Bonjour” and a smile. Ask if the person speaks English – “Parlez-vous l’anglais?”. A smile will take you far. Don’t assume the people you interact with speak English. They have a national language and it is french. Even if they speak English don’t insult them by assuming they have to speak English. They don’t. It’s France.
Hanging around talking or saying goodbye while other people want to get in the station is annoying. That’s why the locals look at you funny.
Yes, they are pretty. But it’s just almond, sugar and egg whites with nice colors. For crying out loud, stop talking about it.
It might be the trip of your life but it’s not a theme park laid out for your amusement. It has real people with jobs, commutes and they like to walk fast. They endure 45 million tourists annually. Enjoy your stay but understand why you are not special.
Liberté, égalité, fraternité (Liberty, equality, fraternity)
But not if you are a married woman that chose not to adopt your husband’s name. Today, once again, I was told that this is unacceptable. I had some problems in the UK but in France is a whole new can of worms.
Here in Paris we don’t have a door number in the apartment. Instead everyone has a mailbox with their family name downstairs, in the hallway of the building. I came home to find two old ladies changing the name tags on the mailbox like we requested about four months ago (the french take their time…).
My husband’s name was already on the mailbox and I asked about mine. She told me, angrily, that if I didn’t have his name I should have the letters addressed to me say “To the house of Mr. Menezes”.
I can’t even begin to explain to you how much this hurts and affronts me. Right now I just feel defeated.
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Liberdade, igualdade, fraternidade
Mas não se fores uma mulher casada e tiveres escolhido não tomar o nome do teu marido. Hoje, mais uma vez, foi-me dito que isso é inaceitável. Tive alguns problemas no UK relativos a este assunto mas nada que se compare com o que se passa em França.
O nosso apartamento não tem um número da porta. Em vez disso todos os inquilinos têm, no hall de entrada, uma caixa de correio com o seu nome de famÃlia. Hoje cheguei a casa e encontrei duas senhoras de idade a mudarem as placas dos nomes de várias pessoas. Pedimos esta mudança há quatro meses (os franceses gostam de tomar o seu tempo…).
Vi logo que já tinham mudado a da nossa caixa de correio para o nome do meu marido e por isso perguntei quando iam por o meu nome, como é natural, porque vivo aqui. A senhora diz-me, zangada, que como não tenho o mesmo nome de famÃlia devo fazer com que as cartas endereçadas a mim digam “Para a casa do Sr. Menezes”.
Não consigo exprimir o quanto isto me ofende e magoa. Neste momento sinto-me destroçada.
Paris at last!
My street. A minha rua.
For those of you that don’t know yet, we moved to Paris last week.
The move was stressful, as all moves are, but we all survived.
The cats are adjusting to the smaller house but all is going well. They are sleeping right now… That is not a surprise!
We are very excited to be here. It’s a wonderful city full of things to see and to do. The food is amazing and Parisians are much more friendly than I experienced.
Let the good adventures begin!
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Para os que ainda não sabem, mudámos para Paris a semana passada. A mudança foi cheia de stresses, como todas as mudanças mas sobrevivemos todos.
Os gatos estão a adaptar-se bem à casa nova, que é bem mais pequena. Neste momento estão a dormir, o que não é uma surpresa!
Estámos muito contentes por cá estar. A cidade é maravilhosa, cheia de coisas para fazer e ver. A comida é fenomenal e os Parisienses são muito mais simpáticos do que eu me lembrava.
Que comecem as boas aventuras!
18/365
Moving is not very glamorous. Mudar de casa não é muito glamoroso.
We moved all in a little car. The cats occupied a lot of space in the back seat but we still managed to pack most of my clothes and shoes. I realized that I have too many stuff.
Next time we move I’ll use Voovit, for sure.
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A mudança foi toda feita no nosso pequeno carrinho. Os gatos ocupam muiio espaço nos bancos de trás mas conseguimos que coubesse a maioria da minha roupa e sapatos. Cheguei à conclusão que tenho coisas a mais.
Para a próxima é provável que usemos o Voovit.