City of Light - Paris Research Center - Summer B 2005 - Dr Robert A. Hatch

Digital Text of the PRC Orientation Guidelines - Tentative Draft:

University of Florida

Orientation Guide

Intensive Study Abroad—Summer Session (June - July 2006)

Bienvenue à Paris!

Welcome to Paris! Over the course of six weeks you will participate in intensive study abroad organized by the Paris Research Center.

Your stay will be activity packed, starting the first day with a boat tour of the Seine River, a concert at the world-renowned Saint Chapelle, and much more. Your professors will accompany you on guided tours of monuments, museums, and historical landmarks that are directly related to class interest and designed to enhance your courses. In addition to outings with your class, you will also participate in evening activities that have been chosen to deepen your cultural awareness and to intensify the study abroad experience.

All ground transportation will be provided for during your trip including transportation from Charles de Gaulle airport into Paris and metro and bus tickets, so be sure not to lose your tickets!

Please be sure to read the information in this Orientation Guide carefully and to bring it with you to Paris in your carry on luggage. This guide is packed with practical information and tips that will help you navigate the city and country that will be your home for six weeks. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email us at paris-research@clas.ufl.edu.

We are looking forward to greeting you soon in Paris!

The Season De l'Amour
New York Times, August 22, 2003
By MONIQUE TRUONG

In the summer of 1984, I fell in love. I was 16 years old, but the object of my affection was no boy, fickle, impermanent, undeserving of my sleepless nights. That July I broke my heart and gave both halves to the city of Paris. I wish I could claim that I was a precocious old soul who understood even then that a city was a worthy beau and not a mere substitute for one, but that would be stretching the truth. I was a teenage girl, a growing mass of longing, and Paris was accommodating. That city took my awkward limbs and gave them the feeling of being at ease.

I had traveled to Paris on my own. My parents, for reasons not shared with me, had sent me there to stay with my aunt. I'm not sure they actually consulted my mother's younger sister about their decision, because when I arrived at her tiny apartment on the outskirts of Paris I found my aunt busy with a baby, a teenage son, and a flesh-and-blood lover. I was in the way for any one of these reasons. It also became immediately apparent that no one in that household was going to have the time or the inclination to show me around the City of Lights. For a brief moment, I wanted to get back on the plane and return home to Houston, where I could spend my days waiting, like a vampire, until the sun went down and it finally became cool enough to go outside.

What would a 16-year-old who didn't know how to drive do on summer nights in the Bayou City? Wait for a friend who could drive to come by, and then there would be hours of aimless driving, too much drinking or other forms of mild substance abuse, culminating in spasms of angst about how Life was going on somewhere, just not here. All this flashed before me, a looped series of images from the previous summer. Reasons enough, I then realized, for my parents to want to send me away.

That first night in the cramped front room of my aunt's apartment, the radio was on with the volume turned down (the baby was probably sleeping), but I could still hear the crispness that French words retained even when coated in a ballad. As I sipped Orangina for the first time and ate slice after slice of saucisson, a flavor combination of over-sugared citrus and salty pork that tasted amazingly good to me then (but that I would not now recommend), I came to my senses. It could have been the fizzy soda, the earthiness of the cured meat, or the whispered-in-your-ear intimacy of a song played low on the radio, but I felt like I was finally "somewhere." I lost all desire to go back to Houston, to ride in circles around a city that had no real center.

The next morning I got instructions from my cousin on how to take the train into the Gare St.-Lazare and a quick tutorial about the Métro and its attendant vocabulary of "terminus," "correspondance" and "carnet." My French was better than average, considering my public school education with teachers whose accents smacked of Lubbock and not Lyon, but still I was scared of having to use it. The solution, I told myself, was not to get lost. Mobility and self-sufficiency were already emerging as the dual themes of the summer.

The moment I left the apartment complex I got lost. After I stepped off the commuter train at the Gare St.-Lazare, I was lost again while still inside the train station. Leaving the Cité Métro station, I lost my way once more trying to find the Cathedral of Notre-Dame. The Île de la Cité is a small island, dominated by the towers and spire of the cathedral. What can I say? I did not have and still do not possess anything close to a sense of direction. My first few hours alone in Paris were marked by spatial confusion, which worsened my already stammering body language. My French, thankfully, was far less shaky. I, of course, had to ask for directions from two or three people before finally arriving at where I wanted to be. Fear and hesitation quickly gave way, though, to the pure pleasure of hearing the French language coming from my own mouth. By the time I reached the portals of Notre-Dame, my definition of self-sufficiency had already started to change from language withheld to language exchanged.

I spent the rest of the day at the cathedral. The interior, even though swarming with people, was dark and cool and had the spicy scent of something that I wanted to eat or rub onto my skin. I sat in the pews and watched the sunlight coming in through the rose windows, the flags of the tour guides jutting up and down in the crowd, the faces carved in stone, and the postures of the devout kneeling around me. I remember eventually slipping my feet out of my sandals and letting them rest flat on the smooth stone floor.

After that my shoulders and arms did something that they had not done in years. The shoulders relaxed and the arms found the smooth glide of their sockets. Immigration from Vietnam to the United States and then puberty in the Lone Star State had taken away my body and replaced it with a fidgety, unrecognizable, all of a sudden alien one that was at odds with itself. I could claim that inside the cathedral I was practicing some quasi-exercise in meditation, but I didn't experience it as something so directed, so cerebral. I experienced those hours as a gradual easing into my own body, a feeling that for me at 16 was as rare as a summer breeze in Houston.

On my first full day in Paris I also climbed up the spiraling 387 steps of Notre-Dame's north tower and then the additional 125 steps to the top of the south tower. At that height, where the Seine was a snake and the bridges of Paris were its raised scales, I fell in love. I was gazing down at the Place du Parvis, which lay in front of the cathedral's main facade, and I saw a young man riding his bicycle round and round in a perfect wide figure eight. I now remember that spectacle, a bit pointless but elegant nonetheless in the way that he managed to avoid the tourists and in the way that they sidestepped him while still taking their snapshots, as a physical ode to summertime in Paris.

I can't exactly recall, though, why that moment had made such an impact on me then. Why did the sight of the bicyclist evoke in me a love for his city? As with all teenage love, it was probably something chemical. The late afternoon sunlight was angled just right. The bars of chocolate in my bag had softened and tasted like what they were, a mood-enhancing drug, after the dizzying climb. Or, maybe, Paris seen from such a height seemed knowable and promising, like a detailed map spread before a traveler. Even with no internal compass, I saw the city that day and saw in it a summer of possibilities.

Monique Truong is author of "Book of Salt," a novel.

Contact Information
U.S. On-Campus Mailing Address:

Paris Research Center
170 Dauer Hall
P.O. Box 117405
Gainesville, FL 32611-7405

Phone: (352) 392-2016 ext. 256 or 245; Fax: (352) 392-5679

Paris Mailing Address:

Paris Research Center
University of Florida c/o Reid Hall
4, rue de Chevreuse
75006 Paris, France

Phone: 001 33 (0)1 43 22 10 65; Fax: 001 33 (0)1 43 22 07 35

E-mail: paris-research@clas.ufl.edu

Website: www.clas.ufl.edu/PRC

**Important: Please use the mailing address for Reid Hall listed above for any letters and/or packages that you will receive while in Paris. All mail should be addressed to your name with University of Florida Paris Research Center written on the envelope.**

Emergency:

UF Office of International Studies (191) (352) 392-5323

MEDEX 24-hour Emergency Service (191) (410) 453-6330 (can call collect)

Reid Hall Reception Desk:
Open Monday-Saturday from 8AM-10:45PM, Sunday from 8AM-10:45PM
Phone: 001 33 (0)1 43 20 33 07

Dr. Zachmann-cell phone ( Florida): Phone numbers provided upon arrival in France
Phone: 001 33 (0)1 43 22 10 65; Fax: 001 33 (0)1 43 22 07 35
Dr. Zachmann-cell phone ( France): Phone numbers provided upon arrival in France
Phone: 001 33 (0)1 43 22 10 65; Fax: 001 33 (0)1 43 22 07 35
Rachel Gora-cell phone ( France): Phone numbers provided upon arrival in France
Phone: 001 33 (0)1 43 22 10 65; Fax: 001 33 (0)1 43 22 07 35

Organizational Staff & Faculty - 2006

Director, Paris Research Center : Dr. Gayle Zachmann
Program Coordinator : Dr. Robert A Hatch
*Phone number for on-site coordinator will be provided upon arrival in France
Coordinator of Logistics : Rachel Gora
Program assistant—UF campus : TBA
Graduate program assistant—UF campus : TBA
Graduate program assistants— Paris campus : TBA

Teaching Faculty - 2006:

Dr. Robert A. Hatch (Program Coordinator)— City of Light : Paris in the 17th Century
Dr. Scott Nygren—History as Landscape: Film in Paris
Dr. Richard Conley—French Politics & Society in the Fifth Republic
Dr. Melissa Hyde—Let Them Eat Cake?: Art in the Age of Marie-Antoinette
Audrey Stavrévitch—Intensive Intermediate French at the Paris Research Center
TBA—Beginning French at the Paris Research Center

INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES - 2006

City of Light : Paris in the 17th Century (HIS 4956, 3 Credits) Dr. Robert A. Hatch

During the Age of Louis XIV, Paris saw revolutionary changes in the way scholars and artists joined the public sphere. The jewel of European learning, Paris under the Sun King was noted for its High Culture, for its dramatic innovations in philosophy, science, and literature as well as for sweeping changes in the packaging of the arts and sciences for the wider reading public, this through the printing press, journals, theatre, and state-sponsored academies. Paris also opened avenues for less esoteric cultural expressions. Topics discussed in the course include the New Science, the Nation State, science fiction, astrology and witchcraft, and other curious cultural practices, including dueling and poisoning, as well as cat massacres and public executions. Taught as a readings seminar, this course is based on classic secondary studies (cultural, intellectual, political) and readily accessible primary texts (in electronic format).

French Politics and Society in the Fifth Republic ( CPO 3151, 3 credits) Dr. Richard Conley

The course will examine the main socio-political developments of the French Fifth Republic (1958-present), including the role of the state, constitutional arrangements, the semi-presidential system of government since 1962, national institutions (presidency, National Assembly and prime minister, Senate, Constitutional Council), elections, political parties, interest groups, foreign policy, and relations with the European Union. The major presidential figures in French politics—de Gaulle, Pompidou, Giscard d’Estaing, Mitterand, and Chirac—are examined in some detail. Students enrolled in the course will have the unique opportunity to visit national and local government offices, meet with government officials, and see government “in action.” Field trips and site visits will include: the Assemblé nationale (National Assembly), the Palais Bourbon (Senate) in the Luxembourg Gardens, the Château de Versailles and the Permanent Museum of Parliament, the Hôtel de Lassay (The Prime Minister’s office), the Palais Elysée (President’s palace), the Ministry of Justice and Court proceedings, the Constitutional Council, the Invalides Military & World War II Museum, la Conciergerie (Revolutionary period), the Paris Hôtel de Ville (town hall), and a day excursion to Normandy to visit the World War II battlefield at Omaha Beach (Villevier-sur-Mer) and the town of Bayeux (World War II museum, tapestry of William the Conqueror).

Let them eat cake?: Art in the Age of Marie-Antoinette (ARH 4930, 3 credits) Dr. Melissa Hyde

Marie-Antoinette was one of France's most famous, ill-fated and (during her lifetime, at least) most hated queens. This course will take "the wicked queen" as the focal point for the study of French culture and art during the decades leading up to the French Revolution, taking full advantage of the astonishing riches Paris has to offer in exploring aesthetic culture and gender politics during this period of dramatic social, political and cultural developments that culminated in the violent overthrow of the French monarchy and the establishment of France as a modern republic. This course will combine class lectures and discussion of readings in art history (painting, architecture, decorative arts, fashion and garden history), gender and cultural studies, with weekly excursions to museums and parks in Paris and its environs. Course visits will include: the Louvre, the Hôtel de Soubise, the Musée Carnavalet, the Musées Cognaq-Jay, Jacquemart-André, and Nissim da Caimondo. Other excursions will include: the Musée de Mode et Costume, Musée des arts décoratifs, the Conciergerie, Parc Monceau, and the chateau of Versailles. Major themes to be traced in the course include: the intersections between gender, class, politics and style, the problems of and for women in the public sphere-especially as these problems pertained to the fashionable and independently-minded queen, whom recent scholarship has described as the first "modern" princess. The rise of an imagery of domesticity and its relationship to reformist Enlightenment thought and political ideologies will be examined, along with how representations (for good and ill) of Marie-Antoinette and of women more generally, were shaped by these forces. The course will also explore the emergence of art criticism, the development of the notion of an art for the public, the ways in which the structures and doctrines of official art institutions shaped artistic practice, both inside and outside the Academy.

History as Landscape: Film in Paris ( ENG 4135, 4 credits) Dr. Scott Nygren

This course introduces the history of French film in the cultural context of Paris. The class will continually alternate between screening films shot or set in Paris, and visiting the locations and contexts that the films bring to life. Films will be drawn from all eras and include some of France’s most famous directors, from Lumiere, Kirsanov, Claire, Carné and Cocteau, to Truffaut, Resnais, Godard, Kurys, Breillat and Kassovitz. Students will visit the streets of Montmartre where Amélie was set and the Champs Elysées for Godard’s Breathless, to consider how Paris has been continually reinvented through film. We will visit the site of the first cinema exhibition by the Lumière brothers on the Boulevard des Capucines, and the Eiffel Tower for Claire’s Paris Qui Dort. We will watch films at the Cinémathéque Française and other Parisian theaters, visit museum exhibitions in relation to cinema, observe current television production, and meet with an experimental filmmaker. In addition to an exam on narrative theory and film analysis, students will maintain a hybrid journal that combines analysis, personal experience, photographs and collected documentation, with reading and film viewings.

FRENCH STUDIES

Paris: L'écriture de la ville (FRE 3930, 3 credits) Dr. Rori Bloom

While studying Paris as a workplace for writers from the Encyclopedists to the Surrealists, our analyses will recognize the role of the city as a structuring principle in modern French literature. In works from the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries, we will analyze representations of the city as marketplace, as spectacle, as classroom, as battleground, as the site of triumph and failure, of glorious dreams and grinding realities. From the heights of the artist's garret to the depths of the criminal underworld, we will explore Paris as many-layered and multiple and see the city not just as the story's setting but as its hero. With visits to places as different as Voltaire's favorite café and Proust's private apartment, this course will provide an in-depth, on-site opportunity to discover the literary culture of Paris . By experiencing the spaces where writers worked and by exploring the sites they recreated in their writing, we will see the city through the eyes of famous French authors. Finally, students will conduct hands-on research for a final project which will examine the relationship between a chosen literary text and the cityscapes that inspired it. (Course taught in French)

Intensive Intermediate French at the Paris Research Center (FRE 2274, 6 credits) Audrey Stavrévitch

Intensive French is a student-centered communicative language class that integrates the experience, observations and impressions of students living with French host families in Paris . Emphasis is placed on the development of language proficiency and cultural awareness. The student will work on all language skills in the classroom and is asked to take her/his learning outside the traditional learning environment. Since it is an intensive six-week class, the lessons, lectures, films, plays, fieldtrips, and interaction with instructor(s) and students will be carried out in French. A journal in French is required. (Course taught in French).

Beginning French II at the PRC (FRE 1116, 3 Credits ) TBA

This course, which constitutes the basic sequence in French for the development of skill in the language, is a student-centered, communicative language class that integrates the experience and impressions of students living in Paris . Emphasis is placed on the development of language proficiency and cultural awareness. The student will work on all language skills and is asked to take his or her learning outside the traditional learning environment. Class includes many outside activities. Combines FRE 1130, FRE 1131.

Useful Information

Your finances:

Dollar/Euro exchange rate: $1 = approximately 0.77 Euros (as of 3/25/2005)

ATM’s are widely available in Paris and usually offer the most advantageous exchange rates. Please remember to follow ATM safety guidelines as you would in America!

Be sure to notify your bank and/or credit card company that you will be leaving the country. Often, in order to safeguard against theft, if you do not notify them they will freeze your account if they are not aware that you will be traveling.

Credit cards are widely accepted in Paris, however, most stores require a minimum purchase amount (from 5-20 Euros) to use a credit card.

If you bring traveler’s checks, cash them at the Banque de France since they do not charge a commission.

Phone:

Pay phones in France are not coin operated; you must buy a phone card to use them. Phone cards for telephone booths (cabines téléphoniques) are available in most tabacs , as are pre paid phone cards with more competitive rates for calling America.

Do not use telephone booths at night! Most cafés will allow you to pay to use their phone; this is a much safer option.

When calling within France you must dial the first zero (0) of the phone number.

Calling France from America: dial 011 33 (country code) and then you drop the first zero of the telephone number

Calling America from France: dial 001 + area code + phone number

English speaking operators: AT&T 0800 99 00 11; MCI 0-800-99-0019; Sprint 0800-99-0087; International Operator 00.33.11

FYI: phone calls are more expensive in France than in America. Local calls are not free and calls to cell phones are very expensive (more than three times the cost of calling America!)

Cell phones are available for rent once you arrive in Paris. Alternatively, you can choose to purchase a cell phone. You can usually find a cell phone for about 50 Euros. This information will be available at orientation.

While calling a cell phone in France is pricey, all calls that you receive on your cell phone are free!

The Metric System

Units of capacity :
1 liter = 1.7 pints = 0.88 quarts 10 liters = 2.64 US gallons
1 pint = 0.56 liter 1 quart = 1.136 liter = 2 pints
1 US gallon = 3.73 liters

Units of weight:
1 gram = 0.035 ounces 1 kilogram = 2.20 pounds
1 ounce = 28.35 grams 1 pound = 0.45 kilograms

Units of distance: 1 mile = 1.6 kilometers; 1 meter = approx 3.3 feet

Transportation within Paris
Le Métro:

The city of Paris is very proud of their efficient subway system, known as le métro. It runs from approximately 6:00 AM to 12:30 AM every day, which varies from stop to stop.

Be sure to keep your ticket on you when you enter the metro, bus, or RER. You can be stopped by a controleur any time. If you cannot produce your ticket you will be fined on the spot.

Metro tickets cost 1.40 Euros. A carnet of 10 tickets costs 10.50 Euros. The prices for carte orange, which grant unlimited metro use for the time period purchased, are 14.90 Euros (weekly, 2 zones) and 48.50 (monthly, 2 zones).

Maps of the metro, bus, and RER are provided in your orientation packet and are available in all attended metro stations.

You must post an identity photo in your carte orange and inscribe the carte orange number on your ticket; if not, you risk being fined.

Hebdomadaire (weekly) carte orange runs from Monday morning to Sunday night. Mensuel (monthly) carte orange is for an entire month (ex. January 1-31).

The bus is a great way to see Paris and to orient yourself to your surroundings. Bus maps are available at attended metro stops and one is provided in your orientation packet.

Taxi phone numbers
Taxis Bleus: 0 891 70 10 10
Alpha Taxi: 01 45 85 85 85
FYI: when you call a taxi in France you are charged for the amount of time it takes for the taxi to reach you, usually this is about five Euros but can be more.

You can also find taxis at taxi stands (clearly marked “TAXI”), which are usually at intersections of busy streets.

RER:

The RER is the commuter train that runs to the suburbs of Paris. There are five different RER lines.

Within zones 1 & 2 the RER is the same price as a metro ticket. Prices vary to destinations outside of these zones. You can buy RER tickets at any attended metro stop. Be sure to hold onto your ticket, because you cannot exit the RER station without it.

Costs of one-way tickets on the RER for selected destinations:

Charles de Gaulle airport: 7,75 Euros
Versailles: 2,50

Transportation to/from Charles de Gaulle International Airport (Roissy):
Once you arrive at Charles de Gaulle Airport and collect your baggage you will have to go to the RER station located in the airport. You will take a free bus (“navette”) from your terminal to the Roissy train station. At the train station you will take the RER B into Paris. Be sure to study your map of the metro to see where you will need to change to the subway system.
You may also choose to take the Roissybus (8.20 Euros). This bus departs every 15-20 mins for Paris from different spots around the airport. It will drop you off in Paris on rue Scribe near the metro Opéra (line 7). The trip takes 45 minutes to one hour.

Map of the Metro

Map of Paris Buses

Excursions

Versailles
Wanting to escape the busy life in Paris , and to keep the nobility under his control, Louis XIV built this chateau in which he set up home and installed the government. Louis Le Vaux was commissioned to renovate and extend an old hunting lodge, Le Notre created the gardens from swamp land, and Mansart masterminded the hydraulic display of the fountains.

Beginning in 1664, the construction of the château lasted virtually until Louis XlV's death in 1715. The Palace of Versailles was never meant to be a home; kings were not homely people. Second only to God, and the head of an immensely powerful state, Louis XIV was an institution rather than a private individual. His instability, comings and goings, were minutely regulated and rigidly encased in ceremony, attendance at which was an honor much sought after by courtiers. Versailles was the headquarters of every arm of the state.

After the death of Louis XlV, the château was abandoned until Louis XV moved in in 1722. It remained the residence of the royal family until the Revolution of 1789 when the furniture was sold and the pictures dispatched to the Louvre. Thereafter it fell into ruin and was nearly demolished by Louis-Philippe. In 1871, during the Paris Commune, Versailles became the seat of the nationalist government, and the French parliament continued to meet in Louis XV's opera building until 1879. Complete restoration of the Chateau and gardens only began after World War I.

Giverny
Giverny rises to fame in 1883 when the painter Claude Monet discovered the village while looking out of a train window. Monet was enthusiastic about the spot. He found a large house to rent, "the Press House". Within the year he had moved in with Alice Hoschedé, his lady friend, his two sons and her six children, and he would stay in the village until his death. In 1890 he became the owner of the house and gardens and transformed them completely. In front of the house lies the Clos normand, full of flowers, (100, 000 plants replaced each year and 100, 000 perennials). On the other side of the road he had the water lily pond dug and actually diverted a branch of the Epte River to supply it with water!

From 1887 onwards a colony of foreign painters, mainly Americans settled in Giverny. But this seems to have been by chance and the charm of the place rather than the presence of Monet (which they did not know of). The painters Sargent, Metcalf, Ritter, Taylor, Wendel, Robinson, Bruce and Breck came first. For thirty years about a hundred artists stayed one after the other in Giverny, although they did not have much contact with Monet who considered their presence a nuisance. However their art would be deeply influenced by impressionist techniques.

Monet’s house and gardens have been preserved and are now open to the public. Tourists can now visit the water lily pond and flowering bridges that inspired Monet’s works. Be sure to visit the Musée d’Orsay where many of Monet’s paintings are on display before you go to Giverny in order to get the most out of the experience.

Mont St. Michel
A Benedictine Abbey, in the Diocese of Avranches, Normandy, France, it is unquestionably the finest example both of French medieval architecture and of a fortified abbey. The buildings of the monastery are piled round a conical mass of rock which rises abruptly out of the waters of the Atlantic to the height of 300 feet, on the summit of which stands the great church.

The monastery was founded about the year 708 by St. Aubert, Bishop of Avranches, and according to the legend, by direct command of the Archangel Michael himself, who appeared to the bishop in a dream on three separate occasions. About 966, Richard the Fearless, third Duke of Normandy, finding the community in a relaxed condition, installed Benedictines from Monte Cassino at Mont-St-Michel. A few years later, in 1017, Abbot Hildebert II began the colossal scheme of buildings all round the rock which should form a huge platform level with the summit, on which the abbey church might stand. In spite of the enormous difficulties involved in the design, difficulties increased by fire and the collapse of portions of the edifice, the great scheme persevered during five centuries and was crowned by the completion of the flamboyant choir in 1520.

Seen from land in the morning mist, the abbey is an ethereal sight, a seeming mirage, but one that does not disappear as you approach. Before a bridge was built linking the abbey to the mainland, the faithful who made the pilgrimage to this site on the coast of Normandy had to brave the dangerous, swift moving currents that quickly turned the idyllic flat beach into quicksand. Thankfully, today’s visitors do not have to take the same chances, but they can still watch the breathtaking arrival of high tide from the safety of the monument.

Loire Valley
The Loire Valley is known as the Garden of France and the Cradle of the French Language. It is also noteworthy for the quality of its architectural heritage, in its historic towns such as Amboise , Blois , Chinon, Orléans, Saumur, and Tours, but in particular for its world-famous castles, such as the Châteaux Amboise, Chambord and Chenonceau.

The landscape of the Loire Valley , and more particularly its many cultural monuments, illustrate to an exceptional degree the ideals of the Renaissance and the Age of the Enlightenment on western European thought and design. The Loire Valley is an outstanding cultural landscape of great beauty, containing historic towns and villages, great architectural monuments, its many chateaux, and fine wines.

TRAIN TRAVEL IN AND OUTSIDE OF FRANCE

SNCF: The national train system in France.

Where to purchase tickets:
You can buy train tickets online at www.sncf.fr (if you click on the British flag icon in the top left hand corner of the screen you can navigate the site in English). You can also buy train tickets in person at any gare (train station); most often there is a guichet at the ticket counter for English-speaking travelers.

If you plan on traveling often, or traveling before or after the program, it might be worthwhile to purchase a “carte 12-25 ans.” This discount pass is for those between 12 and 25 years of age. It costs 48.00 Euros and entitles you to travel at rates discounted up to 50%. You can purchase this card online at www.sncf.fr or at any train station.

Be sure to validate (composter) your ticket at the machines on the train platform. If you do not validate your ticket, you run the risk of being fined. For the same reason, keep your ticket with you the entire length of the journey. Contrôleurs will check all passengers’ tickets.

Be sure you keep your tickets, passport, luggage, and valuables with you at all times.

If you change your reservation, you may have to pay a small surcharge.

Be sure to arrive early for your train. If you miss the train, you will not be reimbursed.

Students who plan to travel after the program should be sure that their families in the US know where they are at all times. If possible, please provide coordinators with an itinerary of your travels. If you plan to travel, you may wish to mail some of your belongings home ahead of you. Make a copy of this orientation guide for your family so they know how to contact you and the Paris Research Center.

If you think you will be traveling around Europe before and after the program, it might be worthwhile to purchase a Eurorail pass. Be sure to purchase the Eurorail pass before leaving for France as it is more expensive here.

Paris par arrondissement

The arrondissements (or neighborhoods) of Paris start in the middle of the town and spiral around like the shell of a snail. The Seine River divides Paris into two parts—rive gauche located on the southern side of the Seine and rive droite located to the north.

Summary of the arrondissements in Paris:

1ère

This is the geographical center of Paris and a haven for tourists. The Louvre, Les Halles and the Palais Royal are all here.

2ème

A primarily business district. The Paris Stock Market (the Bourse) and the Bibliothèque Nationale are here.

3ème

Along with the 4ème arrondissement, this neighborhood makes up the Marais, one of the oldest neighborhoods in Paris . Many 17th century mansions that once housed the noblest families in Paris are still to be seen in this quiet neighborhood.

4ème

The center of the Marais, this is a lively neighborhood with a strong alternative lifestyle scene as well as lots of trendy bars, shops, and restaurants. The rue des Rosiers is a centerpiece of Jewish lifestyle in Paris and the Ile St. Louis and the Ile de la Cité are the oldest parts of Paris .

5ème

The fabled Latin Quarter . This neighborhood takes its name from the Sorbonne, where Latin was the common tongue for all students during the Middle Ages. The neighborhood has the feel of a small village and students mix freely with professionals in its winding streets. The rue Mouffetard is a primary artery where shops, international restaurants and student bars and cafés are found.

6ème

St. Germain. Once the hangout for bohemians and intellectuals, this neighborhood has undergone gentrification and is now newly chic. Upscale boutiques, art galleries, and restaurants can be found throughout this district.

7ème

The Eiffel Tower , the Musée d'Orsay and lots of international residents can be found in this very wealthy neighborhood.

8ème

This upscale neighborhood is in fact quite diverse. The area around Champs Elysées, has lots of shopping and lots of tourists, while in the area to the East, between the Champs Elysée and Place de la Madeleine you will find a mixture of 19th century buildings intermingled with businesses.

9ème

A diverse residential area popular among an artistic crowd. The Paris Opera is located here. Farther North is Pigalle, the fading Red Light district as well as the famous Moulin Rouge.

10ème

The two great train stations in Paris are here, the Gare de l'Est and the Gare du Nord. This multi-cultural neighborhood also contains a bohemian element.

11ème

Place de la Bastille and the New Opera are found here. This is a primarily residential district.

12ème

Residential neighborhood bordered on the east by the Bois de Vincennes.

13ème

Residential neighborhood, as well as Paris ' Chinatown .

14ème

Montparnasse and the Cité Universitaire are found in this residential district traditionally known for its lively cafés and restaurants around the Blvd. Montparnasse.

15ème

This large primarily residential neighborhood ranges from very upscale in the area bordering the 7th arrondissement and the Seine , to relatively safe and affordable in the more outlying areas.

16ème

Bois de Boulogne , Trocadero. Although it is not as exclusive as the 7th arrondissement, the 16th is widely regarded as the neighborhood for the wealthy.

17ème

This diverse district really contains more than one neighborhood, with the portion, in the west, near the Arc de Triomphe and Parc Monceau, being very upscale.

18ème

Montmartre . This artsy residential neighborhood has a small village feel and lots of tourists.

19ème

The Parc des Buttes Chaumont. A residential neighborhood with many ethnic restaurants and shops.

20ème

Belleville and the Père-Lachaise cemetery. An outlying residential area that is becoming yuppified.

What to pack—suggestions

THIS packet of information

Passport/Visa

International Student ID card

French/English dictionary

Converter/Adaptor if you are bringing a hairdryer, electric razor, etc.

Prescription medications and documentation for the prescription (even for birth control pills)

Shampoo, toothpaste, shaving cream

Feminine products (they are very expensive and of different quality in France)

Soap & plastic soap dish

Deodorant (bring enough for the summer)

Contact lens supplies

Mosquito repellent

Sunscreen

Sewing kit

Travel alarm clock/batteries

Umbrella

Textbooks (if applicable)

Extra film (it is much more expensive to buy here)

Comfortable shoes, you will be walking a lot

At least one warm jacket/sweater

Pocket calculator/currency converter

Change purse

A voltage adaptor and a plug converter if you are bringing in US electric appliances. The voltage in France is twice as high as in the US.

A good guide book of Paris (the Let’s Go series is excellent)

Copies of passport & visa (leave copies with your family in the US as well)

Ziplock bags for dirty laundry, cosmetics, or anything that might leak

Plenty of socks and underwear

Calling card

Nail clippers

Bathing suit (cap?)

Swim/shower shoes (there is no sand in Nice, only rocks)

One big towel

Journal

Traveler’s Checks (write down check numbers in case you lose your checks)

Items that are expensive in France
Cigarettes (5.10 Euros/pack)
Toiletries and make-up

Whatnot to pack
Too many clothes!
Anything valuable or of sentimental value
Clothes that need dry cleaning—it is very expensive in France
Clothes that need ironing

What to carry on the plane
Small bottle of water (the plane air is very dry!)
Lotion
Earplugs
Cosmetics/Hairbrush
Prescription medications
Nausea tablets
Books/Magazines to read
Chewing gum (not all airports sell gum)
Change of clothes (in case there is a problem with your luggage)

Avoid overpacking! It is not pleasant to attempt to maneuver through the metro turnstiles and stairs (there are NO elevators in the metro and very few escalators) with a suitcase that weighs over forty pounds! (As I know from my own experience…)

If you really must overpack and have too many bags to navigate the metro system with, a cab ride into Paris from Charles De Gaulle airport costs approximately 40-60 Euros.

Safety Guidelines

Always let someone know where you are

Report any incidents to the Director of the program and/or the police immediately.

Practice being aware of your surroundings. Pay attention to the behavior of people around you. Follow your intuition, and trust your feelings about a situation. If you feel uncomfortable in a situation, act on your feelings.

Use your common sense and do not put your security in danger. Do not put yourself in adverse situations or go into dark, isolated, or unfamiliar places.

You are not targets as Americans per se. However, those who walk alone at night are potential targets. NEVER WALK ALONE AT NIGHT. ALWAYS GO OUT IN A GROUP.

DO NOT use a telephone booth at night.

Do not walk alone late at night. Do not go out alone at night. Avoid putting yourself in dangerous situations. If at any time you feel you are in danger, go to a crowded place immediately and REPORT the incident. Remember, there is safety in numbers.

Be mindful of your tone of voice. Americans often speak more loudly than their French counterparts. This could identify you as a target for pickpockets, etc.

Be very watchful for pickpockets in the metro, in tourist areas, and in general. Keep your bags closed and DO NOT keep your wallet in your back pocket.

Avoid wearing clothing that would identify you as American (ex. American flag emblems, etc.).

Avoid wearing expensive/flashy accessories that would identify you as a target for theft.

Do not be overly friendly with people you do not know.

Do not divulge information about yourself or your place of residence to people unfamiliar to you.

Women should be aware that they may attract more attention in France than they are used to in the United States. It is best to avoid clothing such as tank tops and short skirts which may attract unwanted attention. Do not venture out on your own at night. Also, be aware that American friendliness is often misinterpreted as romantic interest.

If you feel that you have been harassed by anyone, tell the program Director, a professor, or someone in authority immediately.

Never leave your personal items unattended.

If you go out never leave your drink unattended, even for a moment. Do not accept drinks from anyone other than a bartender or server.

Do not carry your passport or all your cash with you. Always have at least two photocopies of your passport in your luggage case and with your family in the US in case you lose your passport. ALWAYS GO OUT WITH ID.

Attend parties with a group of friends. AVOID any late night parties.

Before embarking on a great adventure, make sure ahead of time that you have a way to get home. Check to make sure you can take a bus or a metro, and make sure you know where the nearest cabstand is.

Be particularly careful of ATM’s. Avoid them in the evenings.

NEVER hitchhike. Do not accept rides from anyone unless you know that person very well.

You are a representative of the University of Florida, and all rules and regulations of the university apply while you are abroad.

Be safe at all times.

Have fun!

In Case of Emergency:

**Always contact your program coordinator, Dr. Robert A. Hatch, or the Paris Research Center Director, Dr. Gayle Zachmann, in case of emergency**

The American Embassy in Paris:
2 avenue Gabriel
75008 Paris, France
Switchboard: (33) 1 43 12 22 22
Fax: (33) 1 42 66 97 83
Website: http://www.amb-usa.fr/

The American Consulate:
2, rue Saint-Florentin
75382 Paris Cedex 08
Switchboard: (33) 1 43 12 22 22
Fax: (33) 1 42 66 97 83

Métro: Concorde; Hours: 9:00 AM – 12:30 PM; 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Note: the cost for a replacement passport is $ 85.00

*Be sure to bring at least two copies of your passport with you and to leave a copy of your passport with your emergency contact.

Dept. of State travel page: travel.state.gov
For security updates: www.amb-usa.fr/embassy.htm
For travel warnings: http://travel.state.gov/travel_warnings.html

Emergency telephone numbers in France:
Information: 12
24-hour ambulance: 15
Police: 17
Fire: 18
SOS Medecins (24 hour house calls): 01 47 07 77 77
Pharmacy 24/7: 01 45 62 02 41

American Hospital in Paris:
63, boulevard Victor Hugo
92202 Neuilly

Tel: 01 46 41 25 25
Fax: 01 46 24 49 38

Useful Information for Travel in France

Greetings:

Shaking hands is considered polite.

It is normal for friends to kiss on both cheeks. (In some regions it is normal to be kissed on the cheek three or four times.)

Always use the polite form “vous” when addressing new acquaintances, unless they address you informally as “tu” first.

Titles (“Monsieur,” “Madame,” “Mademoiselle”) are important. Include them when addressing new acquaintances and particularly when shopping.

Students residing in host families should address the family members in the polite “vous” form, unless they give their ok to use the informal

Visiting:

When visiting, try to arrive on time. It is considered a polite gesture to bring candy, flowers (except red roses or chrysanthemums used in cemeteries), or wine.

Please note that Americans should not give wine unless certain of its quality.

Flowers should be purchased in odd numbers.

Always compliment your host on the house and particularly on the meal.

Thank profusely.

Do not enter the private sector of the house without permission.

Ask if you may use the facilities and NEVER feel free to open a French family’s refrigerator.

Students residing in host families should be sure to follow the guidelines for visiting. Some families are more relaxed than others but to avoid taking liberties and offending your host, be sure to follow the above guidelines.

Table etiquette:

Hands must be kept on the table at all times.

Bread usually rests on the table, not on the plate.

Your knife and fork should be placed parallel to each other across your plate as a sign for the waiter to take it.

At a restaurant, once you have made your choice, close the menu. Most French waiters will not approach the table if your menu is still open since they believe you are still making your selection.

Tipping in restaurants and cafés:

Dr. Z’s rule of thumb: Even if the tip is included in the price of the meal, tip will if you plan to return to a restaurant. For coffee alone, leave an additional 50 cents (up to a Euro if you have spent a long time at the café). For dinner, leave an additional 2 Euros.

Helpful Information

Please contact your family immediately upon arrival in France!

France is very student-friendly. Students are offered discounts on things ranging from train tickets to haircuts to museum entrances. Be sure to look out for or ask about a tarif étudiant.

We are all hoping for beautiful weather, but be sure to pack an umbrella. The climate in Paris is similar to that of London, so an umbrella is indispensable.

Speaking of weather, the average high in Paris the month of June is 70 degrees F and the average low is 54 degrees F. Pack accordingly!

During your free time you might like to take advantage of the numerous cultural activities offered in Paris. You can buy the periodical Officiel des Spectacles at any newsstand for 35 cents or Pariscope (40 cents) which details all theater, dance, expositions, films, etc. in Paris for the week.

You will need an adapter for appliances (hair dryers, etc.), and you may need a converter for those that do not come with 120/220 volt switches. (Converters can be purchased at Home Depot or luggage stores for about $25). BE SURE to switch the voltage of appliances such as hair dryers before you plug them in otherwise the voltage will fry them!

There are many great places to go out in Paris. Be sure to bring a good guidebook to read reviews and find your favorite Paris nightspot.

A manger…

We all know that Paris is well-known for art, beautiful boulevards, and trend-setting fashion, but one of the joys of Paris for me—hands-down—is the food. I thought that I might share with you some of my favorite places to eat or just have a coffee and list the incontournables—food that you must try while you are in Paris.

Begin your morning with a pastry (…how often are you in Paris anyway?). Try croissants, pain au chocolat, brioche, chausson aux pommes…

Grecs (aka kebobs): these sandwiches resemble gyros and are surprisingly good.

Falafel: stars like Lenny Kravitz frequent this restaurant in the historic Marais district. L’As du Falafel, 34 rue des Rosiers (Métro: St. Paul)

Crêpes: bien sur! Try a crepe with nutella and banana or have a savory ham and cheese crepe for lunch.

Paradis Thai: this Thai restaurant is beautiful, the food delicious and moderately priced. The entry is graced by a glassed-in fish pond, the floor sparkles with fiber optic lights, and the walls are padded with bamboo. One of my favorites. 132, rue de Tolbiac; 13ème (Metro: Tolbiac)

Café crème: go to one of the famous cafés that Hemingway used to frequent on the corner of Montparnasse and Raspail, a two-minute walk from Reid Hall, and enjoy a delicious café au ait with your fellow students while people-watching.

A selection of my tried and true favorite cafés:

Malongo—They serve delicious gourmet coffee drinks, a bit like Starbucks, but not take out. 50, rue St. André des Arts; 6ème in the Quartier Latin (Metro: St. Michel)

Le Select—This café serves one of the best café crème I have ever had. 99 blvd du Montparnasse; 6ème (Metro: Vavin)

Café Vavin—In the words of Let’s Go Paris “the elusive creature: a café with personality, location, and delicious food.” I have to agree. 18 rue Vavin; 6ème blvd du Montparnasse (Metro: Vavin)

Pause café—A large, open café with large terrace that serves dinner at night. Incidentally, this café was the location for the film Chacun cherche son chat. 41, rue de Charonne ; 12 ème (Metro: Ledru-Rollin)

Le lady’s 138—This café has an urban bohemian feel and is filled with lots of comfy armchairs. A great place to chat with friends. 138, rue Faubourg St. Antoine; 12ème (Metro: Ledru-Rollin)

Petits Restos bon marché (Inexpensive restaurants)

Aigre Doux 59 rue des Gravilliers, 75003 - Métro: Arts et Métiers - Tel: 01 42 71 44 54; Monday-Friday: 12h-15h/19h-23h; Saturday 18h-24h - Middle Eastern cuisine—5-6 Euros lunch; 11-12 Euros dinner

Frais et Nature - 3 rue Brantôme, 75003 - Métro: Rambuteau - Tel: 01 42 72 59 59; Open daily 10h-22h - Menu à 6 Euros; plats à 3-5 Euros

La Restauration Viennoise - 8, rue de l’Ecole de Médecine, 75005 - Métro: Odéon - Tel: 01 43 26 60 48 - Monday-Friday: 9h-19h -- Pâtisserie viennoise -- Salades à 6-7 Euros; plats à 9-10 Euros; pâtisseries à 5-6 Euros

Aux Berrichons -- 8, rue de la grange aux belles, 75010 -- Metro: Jacques-Bonsergent -- Tel: 01 42 00 18 25 -- Monday-Friday 12h-15h/19h-02h - Family style food—plat du jour 5 Euros; Menu à 6/7 Euros

Cat Bastille - 29 rue du Faubourg St. Antoine, 75011 -- Metro: Bastille -- Tel: 01 53 17 13 50 ; Monday-Friday 12h-14h -- Entrées à 2-3 Euros; Plat du jour 5 Euros

Le Couvent -- 69 rue Broca, 75013 -- Metro: Gobelins -- Tel: 01 43 31 28 28 -- Monday-Friday 8h-02h—They often host expos and concerts as well. -- Menu à 10 Euros, plat du jour à 6 Euros

Au petit creux du faubourg -- 66 rue du Faubourg Monmartre, 75009 -- Metro: Notre Dame de Lorette/Cadet -- Tel: 01 48 78 20 57 -- Only open for lunch -- Formule 8 Euros; Menu 11 Euros

Orestias -- 4 rue Grégroire de Tours, 75006 -- Metro: Odeon -- Tel: 01 43 54 62 01 -- Open for lunch and dinner until 23h30 -- Menu à 6,50 Euros & 7,60 Euros -- Greek food

L’Assignat -- 7 rue Quénégaud, 75006 -- Metro: Odéon -- Tel: 01 43 54 87 68 -- Hours: 12h-15h/bar de 7h30-21h -- Menu 10.60 Euros; plats 6-7 Euros

Karine -- 16 rue Charlemagne, 75004 -- Metro: St. Paul-Le Marais -- Tel: 01 42 72 14 16 -- Open until 22h -- Plat du jour 8 Euros/ formule (entrée, plat, dessert à 11 Euros)

Hôtel du Mont Blanc -- 17, rue Debelleyme, 75003 -- Metro: Filles du Calvaire -- Tel: 01 42 72 23 68 -- Open for lunch; open for apéro until 21h -- Plats à 8 Euros -- Desserts et entrées à 2 Euros

Les Dénicheurs -- 4, rue Tiquetonne, 75002 -- Metro: Etienne Marcel -- Tel: 01 42 21 31 01 -- De 12h-15h/ 19h30-00h00 -- Plat à 6 Euros -- Formules à 8,50 et à 10-11 Euros

Foyer Concorde -- 263 bis, rue St. Honoré, 75001 -- (Entrée place Maurice Barrès) -- Metro: Concorde/Tuileries --- Tel: 01 42 60 43 33 -- A French-Polish association, 1.5 Euro one time annual fee to eat there. -- Located in an 18th century crypt ! -- Polish cuisine -- Closed Mondays; 12h-15h; 19h-22h -- Menu de 9 à 15 Euros

Au Petit Bar -- 7 rue de Mont Thabor, 75001 -- Metro: Tuleries -- Tel: 01 42 60 62 09 -- Lunch and dinner 20h30 -- Plats à 8 Euros ; Salade à 3 Euros

Le Dépôt des Photographes -- 44, rue Joseph de Maistre, 75018 -- Metro: Abesses -- Tel: 01 46 27 24 24 -- Open for lunch 10h30-01h00 -- Plats du four de 6-9 Euros -- Salades à 7-8 Euros -- Open from Tuesday to Saturday—hosts expositions and evening concerts

Markets - Another wonderful place for food finds are the many markets you will find in the morning throughout Paris. The vendors offer the freshest fruits and vegetables around, a range of delicious cheeses, home-made products like jam and honey, and much more. It is well worth spending one of your mornings exploring one of these markets and then returning to enjoy the (edible) fruits of your labors!

Marché d’Aligre: Located at the Place d’Aligre (Metro: Ledru-Rollin) in the 12ème arrondissement near the Bastille. This is a rather cosmopolitan market and one of the cheapest in town. (Closed Monday)

Marché Monge: Located at Place Monge (Metro: Place Monge); open Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday 8:00-12:30

Marché rue Montorgueil: located on the rue Montorgueil (Metro: Etienne-Marcel). This market has been existence since the 13th century and is well known as a center of gastronomy.

These are just a few of the markets; feel free to explore any others that come across your path. Be adventurous, try new things, but whatever you do—don’t eat at McDonalds!

Bon appetit!

This WebVersion of the Guidelines by RA Hatch - August 2006