Two days before Christmas (the eve of Christmas Eve lol) I was busy only because the French bureaucracy is ridiculous however I still managed to see some of Paris in between running around like a crazy person. So I have a metro card to use the metro aka subway and the buses around Paris and in the surrounding neighborhoods since I live outside the city center. Since I live in zone 4, as they call it, and I am a student, I get a reimbursement for about half of what I originally paid for when I bought the card. Well I sent in for the reimbursement online in the first week of November and they said I would get it in two to three weeks. In Paris time, two to three weeks is really a month so I figured I would get it in December. On December 20th I received an email saying that my check was returned by the post to their office in the town that I live in and they do not resend the check so I had to come and get it personally. In the email it said, if you are the card holder just bring your i.d. and you will get your check. So on the 23rd I went into their office with my passport and was going to ask for the check.
Ha … ha… ha… like it is ever that easy here in France.
I went into the office and I told the lady that my check was returned and that I was there to get it and I hand her my passport. She began to flip through my passport like it was a book and was like we need a copy of your passport. I was thinking thats odd cause no where on the email did it say that I needed a copy of the i.d. Of course she didn't say it nicely, she had this air about her like why are you here without your copy, you are stupid, why are you wasting my time, etc. So I was like okay I will go home and get a copy and go back and then I will get my check and all will be good.
Wrong!
I came home, got copies and went back, the whole trip took about an hour but it was early in the day so I was like its okay all is good. I went back into her office again and had my copies and even brought along the copy of my paperwork when I applied for the card. She looked up my number on her computer and then goes this isn't you. I was like what? She is like did you pay for your card or did someone else. At the time when I bought the card I didn't have a bank account and they only took checks or a direct deposit so Mrs Nguyen helped. I gave her the cash and she wrote the check. So in the system that the lady in the office looked up showed that it was Mrs Nguyen paid for the card. The lady then goes: I cannot give you the check, you have to have a copy of Mrs Nguyen's i.d. and a signed attestation by her saying that you can get the check for her. I was like well this was a waste of the day. By the time I was done going there in the first place, then going home and then going back, it was already almost 3pm and I was not going to go home and come back again for a third time in one day. I eventually got the card on the day after Christmas and talked to another lady who was much nicer than this one. But, and this is really great, when I got the check it said on the envelope that no one lived at the address the check was sent to. I was thinking when I read this that yes someone does live at this address, myself as well as the Nguyens and my roommate. The post office has a problem. My mom sent me a box with some Christmas presents in it on December 7th and I received it on December 28th. The post office 'lost' the box, really they were probably too lazy to actually send it to the right place so that I could get it in time. My mom said that the box was checked in on December 13th in France in a town that is only about an hour west from where I live. However they 'lost' it. Lazy post people.
Out of all of this I have learned two things:
1) Expect the unexpected when dealing with any French person who works in an office. Whether they are working in a bank or at the post office or at the metro card office or at the embassy office for a long stay visa, they will always tell you no before they tell you something you need to know and then tell you what you need to know the second time you see them.
2) Expect the nicest people when you are out on the town for the weekend. When those office workers are out on the town during the weekend or a holiday they can be the nicest people. I have gotten lost a number of times here in Paris and anyone I asked on the street for directions were very nice and super patient with my French.
In other words, I love the city but I do not like the way they run things here.
So after I was frustrated with how the city works I decided to lose myself in the splendor of the architecture and the culture of the city. I stumbled upon this Starbucks which is the same Starbucks Dad and I found when we were here in 2006 that we took a picture of for Mom!
I have this book where it takes you through the walks of some of the most famous people from France and I decided to take a walk in the steps of Coco Chanel and this was the route.
While walking, I found this restaurant (not something Chanel would've seen) but it was amusing to find.
This is the spot of the first shop that Coco Chanel started in 1910, at the time it was a hat shop.
This is the building she lived in.
and on the third floor (aka 4th floor in the states) is where her apartments were. There were about four windows with the shades pulled and according to my book they still keep her apartment exactly as she had it although it isn't open to the public so maybe those four windows that were closed off were her windows.
Then the book suggested coming down this road, which Chanel walked often. It is now a road with very high end stores on it.
Like Jimmy Choo. I love his shoes!!
Then I found this store which has a very large english section and some books I would love to buy! Like usual though I took pictures of the books so I can find them cheaper somewhere else. Along with all the pictures of the sights I will see, I will also return with enough pictures of books to make my own book and I will label it "Books I want to, but probably will not, read"
After her walk, I went on a the walk of Molière. I didn't do most of it because I have seen most of where he went to before in my travels but I still wandered around his path.
The first was the "Comédie Française." This was build by King Louis XIV in 1680 so Molière's group, Comédie Française, could perform their plays for the King.
A statue dedicated to him
After his walk, which didn't take long, I ended up in the largest shopping complex called Les Galaries Lafayette. It is like a Macy's and a Nordstrom and a Lord and Taylor all in one. It is HUGE! but this is the tree they had decorated for Christmas.
I found Alexander McQueen shoes!!
And of course what would a good shopping center be without the trusty McDonalds… The French may think that Americans eat at McDonalds all the time however they eat here just as much and even maybe more than we do.
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