Frommer’s has such a lovely description of where I live in Paris.
12th Arrondissement (Bois de Vincennes/Gare de Lyon) Very few out-of-towners came here until a French chef opened a restaurant called Au Trou Gascon. The 12th’s major attraction remains the Bois de Vincennes, sprawling on the eastern periphery of Paris. This park is a longtime favorite of French families who enjoy its zoos and museums, its royal châteaux and boating lakes, and its Parc Floral de Paris, a celebrated flower garden boasting springtime rhododendrons and autumn dahlias. Venture into the dreary Gare de Lyon for Le Train Bleu, 20 bd. Diderot (tel. 01-43-43-09-06), in the Gare de Lyon, 12e, a restaurant whose ceiling frescoes and Art Nouveau decor are national artistic treasures; the food is good, too. The 12th, once a depressing urban wasteland, has been singled out for budgetary resuscitation and is beginning to sport new housing, shops, gardens, and restaurants. Many will occupy the site of the former Reuilly rail tracks. Neighborhoods in Brief
Yesterday was the International Workers’ Day (May Day). We not only got that day off, but today as well. Don’t tell anyone, but I still logged in and worked on Yahoo stuff both days. Just don’t let Sarkozy know, I’d hate to have my visa pulled for not taking the required time off.
Today I used my extra time for shopping. I was hoping to buy an Aeron chair for work, as the provided chair is killing me. I could buy an Aeron off ebay in the US for about $600. It costs about $400 to ship it. But, could I get a similar price in france? $1,000 is roughly equal to about 650 euros right now. The same chair in a Paris store is selling for only 1,700 EUROS! Ouch!
Needless to say, I didn’t buy anything during my shopping expedition. I did look around. More importantly, I walked around, enjoyed the weather and got this great shot of Pont Neuf.
I took a cab to the train station this morning. i didn’t feel like messing with two metros and what not. the train trip was nice and empty, so I had a good seat. Does the story ever end at that?
Fighting for a seat on an empty train
There was this clueless woman on the train. Someone dared sit in her seat, so she stopped in the aisle for 5 minutes debating with her daughter if they should ask the person to move. Finally they got up the nerve. Keep in mind that 75% of the seats were empty. Finally, they got their fat asses into a seat and I decided to walk through the car and back out to the platform. I hate sitting in a seat while people squeeze by.
Finally, the train is ready to leave and I grabbed the premium spot with a table and electrical outlet! The seats on the train either point towards the rear or front. In the middle are the premium seats that face directly at each other. They have a little table in between.
It’s great when you have an empty train, but awkward when staring in someone’s face for two hours as they pick their nose and read gossip rags.
Well, the bitch actually decided she didn’t like her assigned seat and tried to sit in front of me. 80 empty seats and she wants to take away my leg room. 30 seconds later, I farted and she decided she didn’t want to sit there. “I want to face the front of the train,” she whined as she grabbed her daughter and left.
After that, the ride was smooth. The guy on the other side of the aisle curled into the fetal position and snored. I was able to write two blog posts, get my ass creamed by the computer in chess, and fumble through some hands of solitaire.
Frommer’s has such a lovely description of where I live in Paris.
