Maps Promiscuously Read

Another good day in the classroom today. Yesterday's Bibliothèque Nationale visit dovetailed nicely with today's discussion of Milton's Areopagitica. Of course, no one on a Study Abroad trip can reasonably "praise a fugitive and cloistered virtue" so Milton was a pretty easy sell to this crowd. Afternoon class wrapped up our regular class days with a discussion of an article about the version of France that appears in French cinema. Most students know more about movies than I do, so I'm always happy to learn from them. We came up with some interesting questions about uses of language in movie titles. Why is The Hangover retitled in France as Very Bad Trip? Why was the Edith Piaf biopic La Môme changed to La Vie En Rose for English-speaking audiences? Inquiring minds want to know!

When classes got out, I felt a little tired and out of sorts for some reason, so I went to a café to regroup and decide what to do for the afternoon. The past two days I've been working in my room in the afternoons so today I decided to go out. It was a little late to hit a museum so I thought I'd make my way to Galeries Lafayette on Boulevard Hausmann. GL is one of the "grands magasins" that the area is known for--in fact it is probably the best-known and certainly the most posh of the lot. I got there slowly; had a little trouble remembering the exact location and I only had my small Métro map so I had to triangulate a bit. But I was not in a hurry and it was a good geography exercise. I did find that I need to get a Métro map with streets on it. Just as Tour Guide Josh predicted, you start out with the plain Métro map from RATP and pretty soon you graduate to Paris Avec Rues. Dr. Winchester thinks I should buy a Plan de Paris book--it's like a London A to Z (or a Mapsco for you Dallas types). Not sure I would get the most out of it since I still mostly use the Métro.

So at length I arrived at Galeries Lafayette and had my breath taken away at least 3 times. First, it is full of high-end designer brands. Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Cartier, Prada, Gucci, and many more. Those really premium names each have their own separate niche within the store and they can control how many people they let into their niche at a time. There were lines outside Chanel and Longchamp but barely anyone at YSL or Dior. I did not go to visit any of them--what if I found the perfect handbag or sweater but it turned out to be €6000? Second surprise, it is full of people. Of course it is a tourist attraction and les soldes are still going on, so what did I expect? I did not expect visitors with their suitcases as if just coming from or going to the airport. Third, it is a beautiful space. 6 floors whose elaborate, gilded balconies overlook the ground floor, with an incredible stained-glass cupola overhead. Very "light and bright and sparkling" as Jane Austen said. I did not buy anything although I did check out a perfume display (Acqua di Parma) and had a nice chat en français with the saleswoman about the different fragrances (Parisian Accomplishment). This is a good way to practice your French--perfume talk is heavy on adjectives. Luckily for my wallet the scent I liked best on the sample card dried down on my skin to smell exactly like Dial deodorant soap. 

Near the end of my visit I was looking around for a snack bar or similar and followed the signs all the way up to the top level. The signs said "8th floor" but it is actually an open, Astroturfed roof deck with seating areas and a mind-boggling view of the city. That alone made the whole trip worthwhile and makes me want to go back. The only thing you can't see is Sacre-Coeur de Montmartre and if my mental navigation is right (HAhahahaha) the view of it is blocked by the store itself.

It was close to dinner time when I got ready to leave, so I wanted to take a more direct route back. From the roof deck I spotted an RER station, made my way down to it, and got back to "my" side of town in good time. Tomorrow I'm taking my afternoon class on a walking tour of Montmartre from the Michelin Green Guide. I had better rest up--Montmartre is steep!

Another Parisian Accomplishment: found myself speaking French on my cell phone while standing on a train platform this morning. You know, like you do.