Paris-month two (11/06-11/30)

People ask us all the time, what do you guys do with all your free time in Paris. My answer, we don't have that much...it all gets eaten up by French bureaucracy. Truthfully, we spent the month of November getting settled in our teaching jobs, showing my parents around our new home, and, yes, dealing with a lot of red tape.

For photos, click here.

Paris, Kim's Mom & Dad visit

Kimberly

Just as soon as we arrived back from our Italian adventure, my parents came for their first visit. We were really excited to show them around our new neighborhood and take them to all our favorite places! We visited the Rodin and Orsay museums, spent an afternoon at Sacre Coeur in Montmartre, and watched the Eiffel Tower's sparkling performance at night from Trocadero square.

And one Wednesday, we even went to Disneyland Paris. Yes, I know, it seems silly to go to Disneyland over here, given that I grew up only an hour from the original. But, Daniel had never been...so this was an exciting day for him. (Really, he could have cared less...but I was excited to share the joy of Mickey and Minnie with him.) Actually, I thought it was really interesting to see what they changed for the French/European market. For example, they don't have the "Matterhorn" ride over here, Indiana Jones is a roller coaster, and Mr. Toad has a restaurant, not a ride.

The weirdest part? There were NO lines...I'm not kidding. I have NEVER seen anything like this at Disneyland. I have always had to wait for at least 45 minutes for a ride at Disneyland...and here we could just walk right onto almost all the rides Moreover, how they decided which rides to keep in English and which ones to have in French is beyond me. Given that a large majority of the park's visitors come from outside of France, I was surprised at the French language prevalence. But given that this is France, and the French are very very particular about the use of their language, I wasn't so surprised. I would love to have been a fly on the wall during the negotiations on this topic! All I know is that it was hard to fully enjoy Pirates of the Caribbean because I couldn't sing along...

On a completely opposite note, my parents took us to Taillevent, an exquisite three-Michelin-star restaurant in Paris, for a late birthday celebration, . For the price, it had better be amazing...but it was. All I have to say is "Foie Gras Creme Brulee"...I can't explain it, but it was incredible!

Teaching has been good, but very challenging. Some of my students are almost fluent in English, so I can have interesting discussions with them. These classes are great, and I feel like I am really helping them. But other classes are much harder...where most of the kids have such poor English that they don't understand anything that I say to them (except for the one smart kid who translates to the rest of them). And I've noticed something interesting...when the kids don't understand something, they just claim that they don't like it. I've been having them practice explaining images (cartoons, pictures, advertisements) because it's something they may have to do for their Baccalaureat Exam. I had several classes who all just didn't like this cartoon..then I showed it to a more advanced class, and they loved it. Hmmm....

And that leaves the last third of our time...spent dealing with French bureaucracy.

The following excerpt from "Paris to the Moon," a fabulous book by Adam Goepnick on his time living in the city, provides an interesting commentary on the French state of bureaucracy:

"Legend has it that among Frenchmen sex and food are supposed to take the place of sports, but in fact they don't. What the French do to bridge the uneasy competitive silences that seem to be the price of a Y chromosome is talk about government and particularly about the incompetence of government ministers; which minster has outdone the other in self-important pomposity is viewed as a competitive event....If talking about bureaucracy takes the place of talking about sports, getting involved with the bureaucracy takes the place of exercise. Every French man and woman is engaged in a constant entanglement with one ministry or another, and I have come to realize that these entanglements are what take the place of going to a gym where people actually work out. Three of four days a week you are given something to do that is time-consuming, takes you out of yourself, is mildly painful, forces you into close proximity with strangers, and ends, usually, with a surprising rush of exhiliration: "Hey, I did it!" Every French ministry is, like a Nautilus machine, thoughtfully designed to provide maximum possible resistance to your efforts, only to give way just at the moment of total mental failure. Parisians emerge from the government buildings on the Ile de la Cité feeling just the way New Yorkers do after a good workout: aching and exhausted, but on top of the world."

Mr. Goepnick is in no way exaggerating...yes, it really is that awful...it's that awful that you believe someone must have specifically designed the system to be this inefficient as some stupid solution to increase employment. (Really, I think so!)

And, as newly arrived foreigners here, we have lots of hoops to jump through. The problem is that they aren't so clear on where they are or how to jump through them. So, inevitably, you show up for your "rendez-vous" (appointment) with all the papers they tell you to bring, and they ask you for some other form, paper, or card that you likely have never heard of, obviously don't have with you, and likely have no idea how to procure. They make medical appointments for you to be screened by their doctors (keep in mind that we had to pass a medical exam when we applied for the program), but they don't notify you when the appointment is. When you call to try to find out, they tell you to "patienter" (which means wait...or be patient). So, you wait, and wait. A month later, you call back to inquire and they are upset with you that you missed your medical rendez-vous two weeks ago...the one that no one ever informed you of. No, not exaggerating a bit...

And then there is the added pleasure of being a recently married woman in France who has kept her maiden name. Apparently this concept is completely foreign to anyone working in French bureaucracy or banking. I don't actually plan to keep my maiden name permanently. I just was not able to change it before we left the States. So I have nothing against people calling me Kimberly Gehant or Madame Gehant. I do, however, have a problem with my bank account being in the name of Kimberly Gehant...because my passport, work-visa, and employment contract are all under the name of Kimberly Haimsohn. It took four visits to the bank, and the eventual changeover of our account manager, for them to change my name on the account. And that was only after I explained that the Academie of Versailles refused to pay Kimberly Gehant for Kimberly Haimsohn's work...so they had to change my name on the account. The really odd thing on this topic is that France is quite progressive in domestic matters like these, offering lots of domestic partnership benefits to couples (both hetero- and homo-sexual). So the banks and government offices are clearly set up to process a couple with two different last names...but apparently once you are married, you have to change your name.

All that aside, we are still loving living in France. Every time we take Zookie for a walk and pass Notre Dame or Pont Neuf or the Luxembourg Gardens, I have to pinch myself and say, "Yes, it really is true! I live in Paris!"

More restaurant recommendations:

Taillevent
http://www.taillevent.com/
15 rue Lamennais - 75008 Paris - 01 44 95 15 01
(For a three-star-Michelin dining experience, come here! Everything you would expect of such a meal. Perfectly polished service, exquisite cuisine, and an astronomical bill. Come for lunch if you can...same food, half the price.)

Le Reminet
http://www.lereminet.com/
3 rue des Grands-Degrés - 75005 Paris - 01 44 07 04 24
(A lovely little bistro just opposite Notre Dame, where Dan and I celebrated our six-month anniversary. The food was the best we have had in any Paris bistro. Just amazing! And the service was so warm and kind. They even brought out a little cake for us with a candle to celebrate our special day.)

Le Timbre
3 rue Ste-Beuve - 75006 Paris - 01 45 49 10 40
(One of the teachers at my school recommended this place, and it was spot-on! The chef is actually British, but seems to know quite well how to cook French cuisine. Slightly more upscale than Bistro basics, but still focused on simple dishes well prepared with fresh ingredients)

Civita (11/5)

During the 14 hour drive back to France, we made a quick pit-stop at this ultimate Italian hilltown, Civita di Bagnoregio.

For photos, click here.

Civita

Kimberly

Civita is terminally ill. Only fourteen residents, mostly in their 80s, remain in the town, which is connected to the world by a long pedestrian bridge. It was originally connected to nearby Bagnoregio, but the saddle eroded away over the years. After the bridge was bombed during WWII, it was replaced in 1965 by the moden footbridge that remains today.

The whole town reeks of history. The entryway arch is over 2,500 years old, and is actually from the main Etruscan road that led to the Tiber valley and Rome. In one of the towns little restaurant/cafes we found an olive press that has been used for 1,500 years. And little caves were cut into the rock below Civita for ancient wine cellars.

Cute, quaint, and quick. A perfect stop if you are making a drive north of Rome.

Rome (11/2-4)

Ahh...Rome! Such an amazing contrast of ancient and modern, religious and secular, traditional and contemporary...This was Daniel's first trip to Rome, so we had to hit all the major highlights. It was my fourth, so I had to go back to old favorites.

For photos, click here.

Rome

Kimberly

The first thing that struck me about Rome was how crowded it was for November. It seems that Italy, and especially Rome, has become incredibly popular with the tourists. The day that we went to the Vatican, we had to wait almost two hours in line to enter the museum...and this was after joining up with a tour group to cut half-way in the line!

But it is popular for a reason. There is simply so much to see! During our time here, we visited the ancient sights of the Pantheon, Colosseum, Forum, and Palatine Hill. We spent an entire day exploring the Vatican: it's museum, Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Cathedral and square. And we visited all the Baroque highlights too: The Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona, and Piazza Barberini.

Rome is full of tourist highlights, so rather than go into detail about the well-known monuments and museums we visited, I want to focus on one little-known museum, my favorite museum in the whole world, the Borghese Gallery. Located in the Borghese Gardens, this museum is actually the Cardinal's mansion which has been painstakingly restored and filled with his most prized art works. The museum has gone to great lengths to ensure an ideal viewing experience. First, you must make reservations in advance....several days, if not weeks, in advance. (You can make them online here.) They strictly limit the number of visitors during each two hour window, so book ahead. Second, they have organized each room of the museum around one important piece of art. So, rather than walking into a room and being overwhelmed with all the different pieces, here, you are guided through in a more harmonious experience. The Baroque sculpture is just amazing, including Bernini's Daphne and Apollo (my favorite piece of art, click here for a photo). And the paintings are world-class, featuring masters such as Caravaggio, Raphael, Titian, and Rubens.

And my other favorite thing to do in Rome is eat. My favorite restaurant in the whole world is here, just off the Piazza Barberini. It is not well known by tourists, but always packed with locals from all different parts of society. And the food is stellar, especially their famous beef canneloni. If you are going to Rome, please try it and tell me how your meal was.
Tullio
Via s. Nicola da Tolentino, 26
Tel: 39/06 474 55 60
Closed on Sunday

Umbria (11/1)

On our way to Rome, we decided to detour through Umbria, visiting St. Francis' Assisi and spending the night in romantic Spoleto.

Kimberly

For photos, click here.

Umbria

Neither of us had ever been to Umbria, and after having spent over a week in Tuscany, we were eager to see how the neighboring region compared to the famous hilltowns to the East. Perhaps it was the weather, but we didn't fall in love with Umbria. (The temperature dropped about 15 degrees on November 1st, and it rained...whereas before it had been absolutely beautiful, perfect weather.) To be fair, we visited only two towns over one day, but still, we aren't sold on Umbria.

Assisi was rather interesting, not just for the famous basilica, but also because it is so well preserved. Walking from the east to the west, you somewhat trace the history of the city. From the remains of the Roman arena, now well absorbed into the medieval architecture that followed--to the Temple of Minerva that was later converted into a church in the ninth century--to the courtyards, archways, and balconies of the 13th & 14th centuries, Assisi has quite a lot of charm.

And then there is the Basilica of St. Francis. St. Francis is the influential man who decided to live his life as Jesus did, giving all his possessions to the poor and spreading a message of tolerance and peace. He is the founder of the Order of Friars Minor, more commonly known as the Franciscans, and the patron saint of animals.

The Basilica, where he is buried, is frescoed from top to bottom by leading artists of the time, including Cimabue and Giotto. What is especially important about this art is its realism, revolutionary in its day. In the 1300s, it was radical to show real people in nature in realistic three dimensional situations. Giotto's painting of the crucifixion is likely the first one since antiquity where people are expressing emotion. Unfortunately, a large part of the upper basilica was badly damaged during a 5.5-magnitude earthquake in 1997. Some of Giotto's frescoes were shattered into over 300,000 fragments that had to be meticulously picked up and pieced back together. Somehow, they did it, and only a few patches remain unrestored.

We decided to spend the night in Spoleto because we had heard it was the "most romantic city" in Italy. It wasn't. Parts of it were nice enough, but others felt quite run down. Perhaps if you visited during the annual festival, then it might have more character. The highlight of our stay was our beautiful hotel room with an amazing view of the illuminated Ponte delle Torri, a 13th century aqueduct. Getting to the Hotel Gattapone was another situation altogether though...it took us three drives around the one way streets of the city before we found the correct route there. (Google driving directions apparently thinks you can drive on the Ponte delle Torri...) Once we did find out way, navigating the tiny and perilously steep streets was terrifying! When we arrived at the hotel and saw our room, it was completely worth it though.

Tuscan Hilltowns (10/29-31)

Under the Tuscan Sun...we spent only four days exploring the hilltowns of Tuscany, but we are ready to come back and rent a villa soon! Anyone want to join us, let us know!

For photos, click here.

Tuscany

Kimberly

After spending three days running around Florence, we were ready for some relaxing time in Tuscany. We decided to drive through the Chianti region on our way south from Florence. We did not stop at any wineries, as we knew that we would be going to Montalcino later on, but admired the picturesque views along the way. We did stop at Castello di Brullio, an old castle and vineyard, but just for a quick visit (and not a tasting, as it was unfortunately a Sunday).

Rather than stay in a hotel or B&B, we opted for an Agriturismo--a concept widely spread throughout Italy. The concept was created in the 1980s as a way for small farmers to survive in a modern economy. By renting rooms to travelers, the farmers could remain on their land and continue to produce food. In order to call yourself an Agriturismo, a certain percentage of your income must still come from food produced on the land...which means staying at a place like this is guaranteed to be a highly authentic experience. We stayed at the very charming Agriturismo San Giorgio. It was only a fifteen minute drive from Siena, and we could see the towers of the Campo from the farm. We had a very large 1 bedroom apartment with our own patio and even a loft. Every morning, for breakfast, we were given an assortment of jams and jellies that were made from fruit on the property. And there were large lawns and a playground for Zookie to play on. (Check out our photos to see Zookie on the swings, slide, and teeter-totter...) It was a wonderful experience, and we are completely sold on the concept.

With Agriturismo San Giorgio as our homebase, we explored one or two of the nearby hilltowns each day. On our first day, we went to Volterra, a relatively undiscovered hilltown just east of Siena. We loved this town! More than 2000 years ago, it was a very important Etruscan city--and remarkably, one of the gates to the town remains from that time. (Even more impressive is that the Nazis had planned to blow it up during WWII, but the town residents wanted to badly to preserve their Etruscan historical landmark, that they tore up the street and blocked their own entryway to the city and convinced the Nazis general that there was no need to destroy it!)

As with many of the other Tuscan hilltowns, the eventual decline of the city is what has kept it so well preserved in its historical state. The alleyways are narrow, streets cobblestoned, and residents quiet and calm. Today the town is known for its quality artisan crafts, especially alabaster, historical charm, and truffle festivals. We were lucky to arrive at the beginning of the fall truffle season, and thus for the "Volterra Gusta" white truffle festival. This kicked off our Italian grocery shopping spree...for the next ten days, we bought 5 bottles of olive oil, 6 bottles of wine, 1 of balsamic vinegar, 12 packages of pasta, 16 jars of various sauces, and several other artisinal grocery items...

FYI, we had two great wining and dining experiences in Volterra. We had lunch at Ristorante Il Sacco Fiorentino (Piazza XX Settembre 18, tel 0588-88537), which included a special pasta with a white truffle sauce...just divine! And we tasted a few regional wines at La Vena di Vino (Via Don Minzoni 30, tel 0588-81491), including a Super-Tuscan--the latest phenomenon in the world of wine.

That night we visited the nearby hilltown of San Gimignano, famous for its medieval skyscrapers. Today only 14 of the original 60 medieval towers remain. In the 13th century, rich families built these towers as a refuge for when the town was attached and sacked by rival city-states. Even after the town walls were built, the towers continued to rise: feuding noble families would battle things out from the protection of their respective family towers. (Think Montegue and Capulet from Romeo and Juliet.)

It was nice to visit San Gimignano at night in late October, because we understand it gets quite touristy during the day--especially during high season. There was also something quite striking about viewing the towers illuminated against the night sky. Visiting at night also gave us the opportunity to enjoy a fabulous Tuscan dinner at Ristorante Bel Soggiorno (Via San Giovanni 91, tel 0577-940375). The menu featured primarily game, and this meal was a highlight of our entire trip.

On our second day in Tuscany, we drove around the Crete Senese region, appreciating the unique landscape. In the spring, the fields are painted in yellow and green with fava beans an broom, with red poppies on the fringes. In the autumn, it was almost a lunar lanscape of clay, with olive groves and stone farmhouses, punctuated by perfect lines and curves of trees.

That afternoon, we visited the largest town in the region, Siena. Once Florence's archrival, today Siena is best known as the host for the annual Palio horserace, which turns its city-square (Il Campo) into a race course for the 17 neighborhoods of Siena to compete for the glory of the prize. However, there is much else to see in this jewel of the region. Most importantly, there is the Duomo, Siena's 13th century Gothic cathedral. The interior is a "Renaissance riot of striped columns, intricate marble inlays, Michaelangelo statues, and Bernini sculptures." And if that is not enough, the vividly colored and intricately detailed Piccolomini library features 15th century frescoes chronicalling the adventures of Siena's philanderer-turned-pope Aeneas Piccolomini (Pope Pius II).

And Sienna turned out to be a good place for shopping too! In addition to the necessary olive oil and pasta, I managed to purchase not one, but two pairs of fabulous Italian leather boots! Such a deal!

On our last day in the region, we ventured south to the town of Montalcino, famous for its wine Brunello di Montalcino. In this hilltown, we explored quaint alleyways and Tuscan views. We also visited the Fortezza, where we indulged in some wine tasting and climbed to the top of the towers--all of us, including Zookie!! (Tower climbing, not wine tasting.)

9 kilometers south of Montalcino, we found the Abbey of Sant'Antimo, one of the most beautiful Romanesque churches in Italy. Legend has it that Emperor Charlemagne founded the Abbey after his soldiers were miraculously cured from the plague in a nearby field. We came not only to see the architecture, but more to hear the beautiful Gregorian chanting by the monks that still live and practice here. For a video of the chanting, click here.

Later that afternoon, we made our final Tuscan hilltown visit to Pienza--the home of Aeneas Piccolomini, later Pope Pius II. Yes, this is the person whose life was chronicled in the cathedral in Siena. And he made quite an impression on the town when he decided to completely remodel the city center in the Renaissance fashion in the 1500s. What was extra fun about our time in Pienza was that it was on Halloween, a recently adopted holiday by the Italians. As darkness began to fall, kids appears in the streets, popping from cheese shop to artisinal store trick-or-treating...it was fabulous!

Our time in Tuscany was simply all too brief. We would love to go back and spend a week relaxing at an Agritursmo, taking cooking classes and horseback riding around the picturesque hills. And there is always more exquisite Tuscan food and wine...