Le Pliage

This is the most popular bag in Paris right now, it's by Longchamp and it's called Le Pliage (which means folding in French). I see at least 3 people with this bag everyday and it comes in a variety of colours, shapes and sizes. I don't really see the huge appeal in having the same bag as a million other people... but I guess it is pretty practical and not overly expensive (the price ranges from 44-78 USD according to the website).

Washing the Sidewalks

In Paris, the sidewalk or troittor is cleaned on a regular basis with water. The city workers use high pressure hoses to spray debris off the sidewalk, and people often hose down the area in front of their stores and apartments as well. This makes for some awkward manoeuvring while walking in Paris because I often find myself jumping over puddles or taking odd routes to avoid being sprayed by with water. I'm not sure if this is common practice in Europe, or more of a Parisien thing... I haven't seen it done that often in Canada. I wonder if it is an effective process? Maybe it's not even a cleaning process and is done for some other reason that I don't know of....

From Tokyo to Paris...

UNIQLO is opening in Paris! UNIQLO is a Japanese clothing store that has a lot of basics and is pretty reasonably priced, I've bought some things from the store in Tokyo before. The Metro station Opera has been covered in ads for the store since I've been here, so I am excited to go check it out. Anyways, this is just an addition to the large Japanese presence I've noticed in Paris. It seems that the Japanese love Paris, and the Parisiens seem to have an appreciation for Japan too... or at least are trying to cater to the many Japanese tourists. There are "Japanese" restaurants on almost every street (though I've been told most are owned by Chinese or Korean people). Paris even has a street with mostly Japanese stores and restaurants on it as well as a large Japanese bookstore. I'm sure that there are many other Japanese things in Paris that I have yet to come across. I know that in Tokyo their are tons of French-inspired patisseries, boulangeries and cafes. All of the high-end French designers have huge stores in Ginza as well. I suppose that the relationship between Tokyo and Paris makes sense when you consider how trendy both cities are, it's almost as if they are trying to keep up with one another.

Parisiens and their cats...

I mentioned before that I saw a cat eating tuna on top of a gravestone... and recently I saw an even stranger thing. I went to a bar on a boat on the canal near my apartment with some friends last week, it was a typical kind of neighbourhood bar with lots of French people who all seemed to know each other. So I was just sitting at a table with my friends, enjoying a beer when I turned around to see an old woman standing behind me talking to some people while petting her cat that she had tucked inside her coat, with its head peeking out just under her chin... very strange. It seems that French people are really attached to their cats and sometimes take their fondness to a whole new level!

Aux Champs Elysées

I have had this song stuck in my head ever since I've been in Paris! I'm not even sure if I've actually heard it here yet, they used to sing it a lot in bars in Quebec City last summer. I think it just pops into my head whenever I hear the name of the street, which happens often now that I'm actually in Paris.

French Music

So I haven't really had the chance yet to listen to much French radio or watch TV, but I was just looking at the MCM website (the French Music Channel) and the above video is currently #1 of "Le Top 50." If you want to see what else is on the list here is the website: http://www.mcm.net/programmes/top50/. It's about half French music, half English music. To be honest though, whenever I'm out in Paris at stores, bars, restaurants, etc. they usually only play English music. I think the most popular song right now, that I've heard blaring from cars and at school is "Sexy Bitch" by David Guetta and Akon... which is currently #4 and quite a contrast from the above song.

Paris at Night

The other night my roommate and I were lucky enough to get a tour around the city at night in our landlord's vintage car. It was a spontaneous outing and it was absolutely fantastic. If you ever get the chance to see Paris at night by car, don't hesitate! First of all it's nice to see the city from the passenger's seat of a car, it really is a different experience. I felt that my sense of orientation improved in just that one hour and I now have a better map of Paris in my head. Paris really is the city of lights and it comes alive at night. The lighting on the Eiffel Tower is really well done, and personally I like when it starts sparkling like a diamond, it's almost hypnotizing. Just driving along the Seine provides a breathtaking view as well. There are so many beautiful bridges and monuments that are illuminated at night. Don't get me wrong, Paris is nice in the day as well, but there is just something almost magical about the city at night.