Goodbye Paris, Hello Unknown

Bonjour tout le monde,

Last night was my last in Paris for the time being. It has been a blast, but it's time to move on to Aix for the impending semester of a lifetime! Here's a brief recap of our last adventures:

This morning, Ashlynn and I descended the spiral staircase of Thibaut's apartment, luggage in tow, and saw Thibaut off to work. We exchanged bises and American hugs, and went our separate ways.

Next stop, a nearby café to kill time and to wait for Samy to arrive. I could really get used to this idea of leisurely munching, people watching and chatting over coffee!

Samy helped us navigate the métro to the train station before noon.  Swimming up-stream against throngs of Parisians and tourists; up, down, and around stairs; stop after stop, I suddenly felt the real-world implications of packing a rolling bag and a duffle. Do I need 6 pairs of shoes?

After finally arriving, and going to collect my tickets, I had my first Euro-crisis: I MISSED MY TRAIN! SOME-FREAKIN-HOW, I misread my TVG confirmation email and was several hours late. JUST HOW?! We literally sat for hours in the warm café to avoid being too early. I still can't believe it, but I had to buy a completely new ticket for €99. -On the plus side, I got to book the same trains as Ash and was able to get ahold of our program director with Samy's cell phone to let her know my status.-

Coffee was needed to calm my nerves. Upon sensing my distress, one of the workers/good samaritan who was servicing the vending machines opened one up and made me a latté from the inside! What a dumpling!

It is just what I needed to remember not to let a minor incident spoil what has been a fantastic adventure, in an overall fortunate and happy life. My glass is hall full - just look at that foam!

But, honestly, I am very fortunate. This entire week was made possible incredible by people like Samy who seek to share their positive lives. Reconnecting is Paris is definitely on the agenda for later in the semester!

Soon we were zooming across France, just hours from our knew homes. Aix-en-Provence, mystery, here I come!

Today's Way to Save Episode 3: Student Discounts + Free Entry Days

Salut tout le monde,

Today I want to share a quick 2-part tip that is pretty common knowledge, but still good to note if you will be doing any traveling to touristy regions: 

1. Students often receive discounted fares or free entry into attractions, monuments and museums with a student visa and/or student i.d. 
2. Plus, some note-worthy sites are free all the time, or have "free days' where admission is open to the public

In Paris, for example, the Louvre is free on all Sundays,

Climbing the Arc de Triomphe is always free to Student Visa holders and people under 18,

and the Paris Catacombs have a special €4 fare for students!

There are many, many other free and discounted sites in Paris listed on the Parisinfo site, but I especially enjoyed the above attractions. Later in the semester, I'll have to visit some of the others!

What are your favorite discount hangouts?

Pretty Little Details: Court Séjour à Paris

Salut Mes Amis,

Instead of reading a play-by-play, I hope you'll enjoy these 25 shots from the last few days. Feel free to live vicariously through them!

A very stylish polar bear

Balconies!

Cliché, je sais

Secret passage - Palais de Tokyo

Réflexion à Musée d'Orsay

Existentialiste Hotspot

My first baguette sandwich

Eiffel Tower at sunset as seen from the Arc de Triomphe

Trocadéro after rain

Vendeur des fleurs

Thinking of you, Matt!

Seagull cuddle spot!

Traffic, traffic

Pierre Hermé macarons grâce à Thibaut

Mûr de L'amour

Downhill slide - Monmartre

Street portrait

Talent worth more than a few centimes

Sacré Coeur

Carbs

Métro

Pont des Arts

Surprise éclairs - Thanks Thibaut!

Green, green, green

My last view of the Eiffel Tower

I hope you enjoyed seeing some of these photos. Let me know which is your favorite in the comments.

Thank for looking!

L'amour Pour Toujours: Pont des Arts

Salut à tous,

Today, I want to share something personal: I added a "cadenas de l'amour" to the Paris's Pont des Arts a.k.a. Pont des Amoureux for Matt and me.

The atmosphere of the the bridge, covered in the promises of couples from around the world, is indescribable. I would have LOVED to take more time to read some more of the other locks. Either way, commemorating my relationship with Matt in such a positive place was one of my very favorite parts of this trip. The only thing that could have made it better is if he had been there with me....

As far as placement, I chose to attach our cadenas to a "well-established", yet not overcrowded section of the bridge. If we ever make it back to Paris together, I know exactly where to find it: Nuzzled near a corner next to some rustier locks, and a 50th anniversary one. 

The best part of the ritual, if you want to call it that, is jetting the keys into the Seine river. A French couple helped explain to me the significance and permanence of it all. Not needing the keys anymore is a heart-swelling feeling! On a different note, I would really enjoy scuba diving down there to see how many far the keys wash down stream.

If you ever have the chance to visit Pont des Arts, enjoy the ambiance, think about the people that mean the most to you in life, and look out for my lock! 

Thanks for reading!

Today's Way to Save Episode 2: Couchsurfing!

Bonjour tout le monde,

To keep this savings series rolling, I'm here to share my thoughts on Couchsurfing: the budget-friendly way to experience a new city like a local.

If you haven't heard of CS, it's an online community where travelers can connect with local "hosts" in the places they are traveling, who are willing to let them stay in their home free of charge. From my experience, hosts seem to be generous, pay-it-backward-and-forward kind of folks who understand the modern-day value of hospitality. Meeting new people is always on their to-do list, and they enjoy sharing what their region has to offer with like-minded travelers.

Without couchsurfing, I could have never seen Paris in such vivid, personal detail upon first arriving in France, nor would I have felt so welcome in New Brunswick last summer. Here's what I mean:

During my 4-day stay in Paris with fellow CEAer Ash, 2 different hosts helped us out: Samy, and Thibaut. Samy met me at the airport, helped me with my luggage and the metro, showed us around the city while he was free, and helped us get to the train station on our way out of town.

Thibaut, our host of 4 nights gave up his bedroom for us, made us to-see lists and directions, cooked for us, surprised us with famous desserts, and showed us around Paris's most noteworthy areas. He even taught me how to do "light painting" with his fancy camera equipment.

As is the couchsurfing way, BOTH of these guys took time out of their busy schedules to help us however they could, without asking for anything in return. They made our entire trip come together better than I could have ever imagined.

In addition to saving on lodging, AND on dining by cooking at the apartment, I feel like I gained much more during my time with my hosts than I would have at a hotel or hostel: notably, an insider perspective of what to do (and what not to do) in Paris, the chance to interact one-on-one with locals and to practice un petit peu de français, and the chance to rest up at the apartment when we were burned out without feeling estranged from the host culture!

Most importantly, I made irreplaceable friends with genuinely open and happy-go-lucky people who will always be welcome at my place...

So, all of that said, give couchsurfing a try! For me, it has been an absolute pleasure. As always, travel smart, let someone know where you'll be, and use some common sense. 

Tell me what you think of couchsurfing in the comments!

Today's Way to Save Episode 1: Haggling

Bonjour bonjour mes amis,

Today is the start of a brand new series here on a Tightwad Abroad, called "Today's Way to Save", where I'll be chatting about the quick ways that I've been stretching my hard-earned savings here in France!

I feel like a good place to start is with haggling: the precarious art of negotiating a lower price with a merchant.

On Paris's Pont des Arts, or Lover's Bridge, famous for the thousands of locks fastened to the chain link, vendors of sorts pedal padlocks to lovers hoping to 'lock in' a long-lasting relationship. Like many a Francophile, I wanted to immortalize my love for Matthew with our own cadenas de l'amour. But, after accidentally dropping a coin through the slats of the bridge into the Seine, I was not about to shell out €5! Thus, I tried my hand at negotiating with a hawker. It went a little like this (in French):

Me: "Pardon me, sir, how much for this blue lock?"

Him: "€5. Best price."

Me: "Hmm, too bad. I only have a few coins left."

Him: "How much?"

Me: "€3. Yep, here's all that I have.

Him: "I won't make any money, but I want you to have a lock. €3"

Me: *mini happy dance* "Thank you, good night!"

And voilà, I won my little lock. 

Haggling can also be applied to unofficial souvenir sellers most anywhere in the city; especially the ones asking, "moins cher?", "for cheaper?". HOWEVER: make sure to ask a local or online if haggling is acceptable and culturally appropriate wherever you are before trying yourself. Furthermore, make sure to have exact change to avoid wrecking your charade, and don't be afraid to ask low and work your way up. That's how haggling works. 

Note: Haggling won't always go as planned, but it is always worth a try, if for nothing more than practicing the target language. I misread a price tag at the Cours Mirabeau Christmas Market and embarrassingly offered a vendor €3 for a €50 hat! To be clear, the "0" was covered, but still, one of us had a good laugh.

Most importantly, just because you can buy something at a "better" price, doesn't mean you need to buy it! The most fool-proof method of saving money is not to buy anything at all.

I hope you enjoyed this wee little tidbit; I know I enjoyed writing it! Have you ever haggled for anything? Tell me in the comments!

On Top Of The World: Arc de Triompe

Bonjour tout le monde,

Have you ever been taken aback by the sight of something beautiful? I feel like, here in Paris, between the Eiffel Tower and the city lights, I have been continually awestruck for the duration of my visit!

Most recently, I was astonished by my visit to the Arc de Triomphe with Ashlynn and Samy.

This 106-foot tall arch was erected in 1806 by Napoleon I to commemorate the soldiers who fought in the Napoleonic Wars. It took 30 years to complete its construction, and it is absolutely MASSIVE. The names of 500 soldiers are carved into the inside walls.

As it's free for students, we decided to take 284-step spiral staircase to the observation deck to soak in one of the best views in Paris.

I couldn't help but wonder just how many feet it has taken to polish these steps smooth...

The visual feast is inexpressible through words or tiny pictures. Traffic, monuments, lights, and clouds came together to take my breath away from 15.15 stories above the city.

Plus, as promised, the Eiffel Tower stood out marvelously from everything else.

If you ever have the chance, take the stairs to the Arc's observation deck, and try not to mind the wind!