Paris Part 2

So what is it like exactly to live in Paris? Well, after a week living in a Parisien apartment, using the metro, and dealing with tourists, I have a bit of an idea of what it is like. Living in Paris is like being a tiny bee in a huge, ornate bee hive. There is no such thing as a single-floor building here. Everything is at least 3 stories high in order to be smart about space and cram as many people on one square acre as possible. The appartments can be minute, just big enough, or huge if you're filthy stinking rich. Rarely are there townhouses that have remained towhouses, and the people lucky enough to own a Parisien townhouse are either incredibly rich or its been in the family for generations. A French apartment building works like this: the first floor is either the landlord's abode or a restaurant/store. In fact, I know a girl who lives above two porn shops. In the apartment you have to be smart and conserve as much space as possible. In the apartment where I was staying I noticd many ingenuis ways of storing things. The kitchen was about the size of a larger closet. The kitche also doubles as a dining room, and the dining room stools are stackable and go under the table when no one is eating. For hanging up coats, there is a collapsable/movable armoire. The walls are covered with various shelves and storage units, and the couch in the living room can double as a bed if there are too many guests over at once. Because you also have to keep in mind that you have nieghbors above, below, and right next to you, its important to walk with a lightness in your legs and scold your children quietly. You can have pianos, but you have to play them quietly and not at odd hours of the night if the feeling strikes you so.

The roads of Paris vary. There are grand boulevards with 8 lanes or normal streets with 2, but the majority of the roads of Paris are small lanes where two cars can barely squeeze by eachother. Its things like these that remind that this city has been around for hundreds of years. Originally there were little horse-and-buggys driving through these streets, not Citroens and Volkswagons. This is why scooters are so popular here. When I say scooters, I dont mean the rusting razor scooter in the garage, I mean a bright yellow vintage Vespa that can reach up to 40 miles per hour. There are thousands of these scooters in Paris alone, and thousands more in the rest of France. Scooters in France come in all shapes and sizes, mondern, old, beat-up, brand new, futurustic. I was awed by the selection.

The rumors are true about Parisien food. It truly is the best. The cafes/pastry shops/ bakeries here, though often over-priced and over-hyped (can anyone say La Durée?), they are of the highest quality. I wish I could bring back the pastries of Paris for everyone in America so they can know that the pre-packaged Little Debbie cakes that they are fond of PALE in comparison to the Parisien equivalent.

Speaking if La Durée, I should probably explain exactly what it is and share a little story. La Durée is probably the most well known pastry shop in France. It has been stationed on the Champs Elysées since some random year like 1878 and has gained notoriety for its delicious macarons and flamboyant pastries. I went there to see what it was all about... After waiting 30 minutes in a line I finally got to look at the line-up of treats. At first I was impressed by the number of macaron flavors and the creative designs of the pastries, but then I was doubled-over with the prices. One macaron was almost 2 euros. Macarons are tiny puffy almond cookies with various fillings, something worth half a euro at the most. The cheapest pastry was the equivalent of 7 dollars. The rose-petal flavored cream puff pastry covered in thick cream and filled with homemade red fruit preserves was pretty delicious though, and almost worth 7 bucks.