Top reason to love France: vacation!

This week, for les vacances, I am travelling in Southern France with my family: sister! (Prinda), mom, dad, and 2 cousins (Nong and Ying).  Our itinerary includes the French Riviera (Nice, Monte Carlo/Monaco, Cannes, and a few other small towns), Provence (Aix-en-Provence, Nimes, Avignon), and Carcassonne.  It is quite refreshing to get away from the busy (and currently quite chilly) city of Paris into the sweet Southern France living.  However, I am about a week behind in posts, and I do not have pictures uploaded yet... soon to come!

However, last weekend, to get into the right mindset for this week's vacation, le french boyfriend and I took a mini-vacation to Chablis in the northern part of the Burgundy region of France.  

Grand Cru vineyards at Chablis

The wines here include Chablis, Petit Chablis, Chablis Premier Cru, and Chablis Grand Cru... which are, in fact, different classifications of Chablis.

Drinking Chablis and eating gougères

Chablis, the town, is quite small and quaint.  We decided to camp at the local site which is about a 5-minute walk from town center.  It contains spacious campsites surrounded by creeks and lined with flowers; by far the nicest campsite I've ever been.

That evening the town had a wine festival and night market.  Apparently, in Chablis, this means that the city gives you wine for free... as oppose to other festivals I have been to which is just means to get you to buy expensive food and drinks!  I guess that is the advantage of being a rich wine town.  They were pouring Chablis, and pairing it with their local pastry, gougères, a puff pastry with hints of cheese mixed into the dough.

Along with the festival was a small French band covering American rock music such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers (whom the French call "Les Red Hots").  All in all, a great night.

The next day, we wanted to rent bicycles and take a tour through the vineyards... but it rained.  I guess if you get lucky with a free festival one day, you are unlucky with weather the next day.

Instead, we went to a wine cave to taste wine and visited the nearby city of Tonnerre.  One of the biggest attractions to Tonnerre is La Fosse Dionne, a large bluish green water source, providing the town with water at a rate of 200 liters/sec.  The "fountain" is surrounded by an old, lightly-deteriorating covered colonnade, which is then surrounded by colorful townhouses above, which is then surrounded by tree-covered hills above that.  Just layers upon layers of beauty!  The water is quite clear and very deep with all sorts of plants growing in it.  It is apparently extremely dangerous to dive in, that after several deaths, is now illegal to do so.  It was so cool that I had to see it three times.

How do you avoid Parisians?

Come to Paris in August.

This month is when most French people take their "summer vacations," and the French really know how to vacation.  In fact, most employers require 3-4 weeks of vacation in the summer, with at least 2 of them being consecutive.  Right now, there are about 5 people left in my lab.  One of my advisors is on holidays for 5 weeks.  Even the paraplegic who begs for money near my lab, and who I have seen everyday since I have started working regardless of rain or snow or sun, has not been around since the 1st of August.

Why would you want to avoid Parisians in the first place?  Maybe to avoid Paris Syndrome, as described in this BBC article.

Quiet streets and quiet metros.  It is quite nice.  Although, there are still MANY people (and very long lines) in the touristy areas of Paris.

Paris Invaders!

Mario Invader on the way to Beaubourg

Walking around Paris, chances are you will stumble upon a mosaic tile in the form of first-generation video game characters on the side of buildings and bridges.  This is because there are 1000 of them around Paris.  These have been placed by the street artist, known as "Invader."  Although he has characters such as Mario (picture right) and Pacman, his specialty (and original works) are the aliens from the game Space Invaders, which is very apt for what he is doing.  Recently, he had an exhibit at La Générale to commemorate his 1000th "invader" placed in Paris.

The exhibition was very neat... it included a montage of all his works around Paris, a collection of his specially made shoes so that when he walks he leaves imprints of invaders, invader shaped waffles with powdered sugar, maps of the placement of his invaders, and his works on "rubiks cubism," where he arranges rubiks cubes together to form mosaic pictures of famous people, scenes, and rock album covers.

1000th Invaders in Paris exhibit at La Générale

A sampling of the mosaics placed around Paris

Rubiks Cubism

He has spread his invasion to other cities too.  His webpage has a list of some of them (I am not sure how up-to-date it is kept): http://www.space-invaders.com/sominv.html.  Marisa, Priya, and I found a few when we were in Rome, though Rome does not appear on this list.  But his exhibit featured a map of invaders he placed in Rome.

His wikipedia page says that his invaders are strategically placed around Montpellier in order to form a larger invader when outlined on a map.  Neato!

Marisa and Priya in front of our 2nd invader found in Rome, this one in Trastevere

An invader mocking us as we stand in the 2 hour line waiting to get inside the Vatican

Oh la vache!

French cows in Asserac.   You have to eat them before they eat you.

As it turns out, knowing the word "la vache," which literally means "the cow," is very useful in French slang.  For example, if you see something unexpected, but really awesome, you can say "oh la vache!"  to express amusement and astonishment.  Or, if something goes wrong, you can say "oh la vache!" but with a more somber or angry tone to express discontent or anger.  Similar to the expression "holy cow!"

The French, however, take their fascination of cows further.  Vache can also be used as a modifier, like in the phrase "C'est vachement bien!"  Adding an "-ment" to the end of a word in French is equivalent to adding an "-ly" to the end of a word in English.  So this sentence means "It is cowly good!" but translates to "It is VERY good."  Note, however, that "vachement" is only used amongst friends or other familiar people and should never be used in polite or formal conversations.

There are also a few sayings with vache.  For example, "il chant comme une vache espagnole," meaning "he sings like a spanish cow."  That is to say, he sings very poorly.  Or, if someone parked their car across three spots, one might say "se garer comme une vache," literally translating to "park [a car] like a cow."  You see, cows are both good and bad in France.  Also delicious.

Here is my favorite cow-related joke:
Knock knock!
Who's there?
Interrupting cow.
Interrupting c....
MOOOOOO!

Rome part II: Et tu, gatto?

Continuing from my previous post of my top 10 favorite sights in Rome, here are numbers 6 - 10.

1. Roman Forum/Palantine Hill and the Colosseum
2. The Vatican/St Peter’s Basilica/Sistine Chapel
3. Piazza Navona/St Agnes Church
4. Pantheon
5. Trevi Fountain
6. Baths of Pompey/Largo Argentina/Cat sanctuary
7. Trastevere 
8. Campo dei Fiori
9. Piazza della Repubblica
10. Jewish Quarter

6.  Theater of Pompey/Largo Argentina/Cat sanctuary

Re-enacting the death of Caesar at the exit to the Theater and Baths of Pompey in Largo Argentina

Stray cats roaming Rome's ruins at Largo Argentina

This area is right in the center of Rome, and easily overlooked.  In fact we walked by this area many times before realizing it is significant ruins as oppose to all the other nonsignificant ruins scattered about Rome.  It contains ruins of temples from as old as third century B.C. as well as ruins from Theater and Baths of Pompey, where Caesar was assassinated (et tu Bruté?)  Part of the area has also been turned into a cat sanctuary, and you can see many gattos napping on the ruins.  You aren't actually able to walk amongst the ruins, but it is a fun side stop if you are near the area.

7.  Trastevere

Ladies on the streets of Trastevere.

Trastevere is the charming and "local" district across the river from the main part of Rome (literally means "across the Tevere," the Italian word for Tiber).  In fact, the Romans we met live in this area.  You can find small cobblestone streets filled with Romans gossipping outside, laundry and/or Italian flags hanging out of the windows of apartments, and nuns eating ice cream.

Trastevere has a less "touristy" feel than the right side of the bank, but of course there are still crappy tourist restaurants around.  If you go away from the main square (Santa Maria), you can find really great trattorias.  Our waiter even gave us free drinks from his home town in southern Italy, although that might've been because we had charming a Roman girl with us.

8.  Campo dei Fiori

This piazza is worth a visit either in the afternoon where you can buy spices, flowers, vegetables, drinks, etc., or in the night time where it is full of tourists and locals (usually looking for tourists to hang out with).  It is quite lively at either time, but I would avoid eating in the restaurants here.  Prices are expensive and food is mediocre.  They wouldn't even give us tap water!

9.  Piazza della Repubblica

This piazza is in the far north-east area of Rome.  Unlike the other piazzas in Rome, this is a roundabout for cars.  In the center of the traffic circle is the Fontain of Naiads (water nymphs), designed by Rutelli in 1901 with nymphs on different animals to represent the different bodies of water -- horse for ocean, swan for lakes, monster for rivers, and dragon for underground water.  

On one side of the roundabout is the Basilica of St. Mary (Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri).  It looks like a dilapidated building from the outside, but the inside is well maintained, beautiful, and almost luxurious, common to the Italian renaissance style (definitely not what you expect from looking at the facade).  There is also a tribute to Galileo inside.

10.  Jewish Quarter

Just south of Campo dei Fiori is known as the Jewish Quarter.  The best part about this area is the food!  We stopped at Nonna Betta (Via del Portico d'Ottavia, 16), which was delicious, Kosher, and vegetarian friendly.  It was mentioned in a NYTimes article and by Anthony Bourdain for its artichokes (delicious!).

Since I am talking about food, I wanted to mention another restaurant in Rome that I enjoyed: Antica Birreria Peroni (Via S. Marcello 19).  It is a very fun atmosphere with many people eating and drinking together.  This is where Peroni was originally brewed by monks!  Their specialty is the Kilometer, a delicious grilled sausage served with veggie sides.  And they make a spectacle if you order it: everyone cheers for you!  So only get this if you like being embarrassed... or if you want to embarrass someone!

Rome part I: We don't mind standing here telling people your tour sucks

Before our trip, whenever I told a French person that I was going to Rome, their response was always along the lines of: "Roma! You will love it!  It is like Paris... lots to see.  But it's all old stuff unlike here where it is all new stuff."  (I had to remind them that my country was discovered a couple of centuries after the Louvre started construction.)  The other thing is, as prideful as the French are about their wine, cheese, coffee, and food, they are willing to admit that Italian wine, cheese, coffee, and food are just as good (and the really really humble French will even admit they are better).

Despite these high expectations of Rome, it still became one of my favorite cities.  I am not sure if it was because of the beautiful scenery, the delicious food, or just the sparkling conversations with my awesome travel mates.  There is so much to see and do, but I have truncated it down to my top ten favorite sights in Rome (and discuss the first 5 in this post):

1. Roman Forum/Palantine Hill and the Colosseum
2. The Vatican/St Peter’s Basilica/Sistine Chapel
3. Piazza Navona/St Agnes Church
4. Pantheon
5. Trevi Fountain
6. Baths of Pompey/Largo Argentina/Cat sanctuary
7. Trastevere 
8. Campo dei Fiori
9. Piazza della Repubblica
10. Jewish Quarter

1.  Roman Forum/Palantine Hill and the Colosseum (one ticket gives you access to all)

Marisa, Priya, and I overlooking the Roman Forum and Colosseum.

These usually top the lists of most people who visit Rome, and I have to admit, it is pretty great.  The Roman Forum used to be the center of Roman life: politics, markets, court proceedings, etc.  Now it's a collection of the ruins from these old buildings.  We went there in the evening: less crowded and less hot (double bonus!)  The only thing that would've made wandering around the ruins a better experience for us was if we had a tour guide.  The Forum is not very well labelled and contains very sparse information.  So we decided we would hire one for the Colosseum the next day...

As we were leaving the Forum, we heard a couple of people rave about their tour guide, David.  After talking to him, he told us to go in front of the Colosseum the next day and look for one of his "girls" (minions?): Tatya, Anka, Cristina, Dopey, or Doc.  When we arrived, there were HUNDREDS of people in front of the Colosseum trying to recruit people for their tour.  Unsuccessful at finding one in David's harem, we decided to take another tour (16€ since we already had a ticket).  Big mistake: the person lied to us about the size of the group, our tour guide would start speaking before the group caught up to her, and often times we couldn't even find her at all.  But it didn't matter because Marisa became a much better tour guide just by reading things posted on the wall.  Unlike the Forum, the Colosseum is very well labelled.  The rage of Priya (partially fueled by her Indian instincts to negotiate), brought us back to the tour "manager" to demand for our money back.  "We don't mind standing here telling people your tour sucks" asserted Priya's rage.  It totally worked: they refunded 60% of our cost.

I suppose the moral of the story is: don't trust last minute tour groups.  Also don't piss off little Indian girls.  Also, the Colosseum was still awesome despite bad tour guides, hordes of people, and not being as loud as an SEC football game.  Definitely worth the trip.

2.  The Vatican/St Peter’s Basilica/Sistine Chapel

Sistine Chapel in Vatican Museum

Inside St. Peter's Basilica

The Raphael Rooms and the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican Museum are definitely beautiful.  But is it worth the long wait in the hot sun for an hour (luckily we brought our sun umbrellas!)?  Maybe.  To avoid the lines, either take a tour (expensive and probably not worth it) or go later in the day.  By the time we left around 1pm, there was barely a line at all.

St. Peter's Basilica will not disappoint.  Very beautiful and extravagant... a lot of the work in the basilica was done by Bernini and Michelangelo.  See this church last or else all other Basilicas around Rome will seem so plain in comparison.  It also houses Michelangelo's statue Pieta.  No bare knees or bare shoulders allowed here!  But pictures of naked women are okay.

3.  Piazza Navona/St Agnes Church

Piazza Navona: Fontana del Moro (near), Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi
(far, with obelisk), and Sant'Agnese in Agone (building)

My absolute favorite thing to do in Rome was walking around until you found a nice piazza to rest your aching feet.  Piazza Navona was definitely my favorite... oval shaped and filled with 3 fountains and a couple of churches, including Sant'Agnese in Agone.  Legend has it that Agnes, a virgin, was to be publicly humiliated (for refusing to give up her faith or refusing to marry a man) by being placed naked in the square.  But through prayer, her hair grew long and her shame was covered.  The inside of the church is magnificent, but no pictures are allowed.

The fountain immediately in front of Sant'Agnese is the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (fountain of the four rivers), designed by Bernini to represent the Danube, the Nile, the Ganges, and the Plate.

4.  Pantheon

A sign of peace?

The Pantheon is interesting because it is the only Pagan temple still standing... mostly because it was converted to a church in the 600s.  Inside the church, the only source of light comes from a circular hole in the top of the dome.  The tombs of the 1st king of Italy, the 2nd king of Italy, and Raphael are housed here.  The inscription on Raphael's tomb translates to: "Here lies Raphael, by whom Nature feared to be outdone while he lived, and when he died, feared that she herself would die."

Priya and Rissy in front of the Pantheon

Light coming in from the Pantheon hole

5.  Trevi Fountain

This was especially nice for me because we were walking the windy roads of Italy, when all of a sudden, boom, here is the largest fountain in Rome in the middle of these cobblestoned alleys.  It is also relatively young (constructed in the 1700's).  It is quite a sight to behold!  But it is ALWAYS crowded.

For places parts 6 - 10, or a couple of places to eat in Rome, go to my next post.

4th of July Fact: French people hate root beer

Happy fourth of July!  Unfortunately (and unsurprisingly) there were no fireworks here in Paris to commemorate this occasion.  Not even a day off of work!  Which is surprising because the French usually like to find any excuse for days off of work.  So I only have time for a quick post.  

As a special treat for my lab, I brought the American drink of A&W Root Beer (courtesy of Priya, from her recent visit) for my colleagues to enjoy during our seminar.  In general, you can find most sodas here... Coke, Fanta, Dr. Pepper...  But no root beer!  Their reaction?  One person said he didn't mind the taste, but disliked the smell.  Many people thought it reminded them of the Chinese Tiger Balm.  And one person thought it was like "drinking grandma."  General consensus of never wanting to drink it again.  I guess there is something offensive about sassafras root... but to be fair, I am not sure there was any real sassafras root in this particular soda.  Mostly high fructose corn syrup, but I suppose that is what a representative American drink should contain.