Adieu Paris!

Practical Advice: Phones

• You can buy cell phones in one of the numerous phone stores in Paris. There is one rue Vavin close to our office. There are 3 companies in France that provide subscriptions: SFR, Bouygues and Orange. You need to buy a phone, and a chip (une puce). Then you need to buy a card, the price of which varies with the company or the validity. BE SURE to buy the appropriate recharge card for your cell phone. When in doubt, look at the screen of your phone: the name of your cell company should appear when the phone is not in use. Tip: the larger the recharge, the more money you will save in the long run. For example, with Orange a 100 Euro phone card gives you 50 Euros talk time free.
• When calling within France 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 00 19 ; Sprint 0800 99 00 87
• FYI: phone calls are more expensive in France than in America. Local calls are not free and calls ton cell phones are very expensive (more than three times the cost of calling America!) While calling a cell phone is pricey in France, all calls that you receive on your cell phone are free!
• Pay phones in France are not coin operated; you must buy a phone card to use them. Phone cards (une carte téléphonique) for telephone booths (une cabine téléphonique) 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.

Practical Advice: Your Finances

• ATM’s (un distributeur) 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!
• 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 your traveler’s checks, cash them at the Banque de France since they do not charge a commission.
• Bank of America customers can use their B of A debit card at BNP Paribas (a French bank) ATM’s without being charged a fee! If you are not a B of A customer, check with your bank to see if they have a similar agreement with a French bank.
• 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.

Urban Graveyard

This past weekend, students discovered the city’s vast network of catacombs, containing the bones of an estimated six million former residents. The fascinating, if eerie visit was hosted by a group of students from the Sorbonne, with whom Hollins Abroad-Paris has developed a privileged relationship. The group, Parismus, organizes a variety of events each semester , including visits to museums and walks in Paris neighborhoods, welcome parties and club nights, picnics and the occasional dinner in one of the city’s student-friendly restaurants. Our students are always welcome at these events, which provide a great opportunity to make new friends and practice speaking French in a very laid-back atmosphere. Check Parismus out here.

Catacombs: http://www.catacombes-de-paris.fr/english.htm

A visit to Gerard Mulot

Each semester, Hollins Abroad-Paris students have the unique opportunity to participate in a series on French culinary arts, which includes wine and cheese tastings and cooking lessons. This year our “Taste of France” atelier just got a little bit sweeter, thanks to a visit to the kitchen of celebrated French pâtissier Gérard Mulot. Students received a private tour of Mulot’s boutique where they experienced first-hand the creation of delectable chocolate bonbons and macarons. Each step of the process was accompanied by a sample or two of Mulot’s mouth-watering creations and everyone received a parting gift of goodies at the end of the visit.Watch the video here.

Journal de bord: La Saint-Valentin par José Romero

Taste of France: A visit to Gerard Mulot

Meet our resident blogger

Each semester a Hollins student is chosen to write about her experience in Paris. This year our resident blogger (or blogeuse), Hnin, is an International Relations and French major, who not only spent the fall term in Paris, but also participated in the J-term semester in Tours. You can read about her experience here:

Hnin’s Blog

Eating on a budget: Resto U

Let’s face it, Paris is not the cheapest place for a meal. A sit-down lunch at a restaurant near Reid Hall can easily go for more than 12€ and, though there are an abundance of boulangeries around offering lunch deals for 5€, you can only eat so many sandwiches in a week before you too begin feel like an overstuffed baguette. Alors, quoi faire?

C’est simple! Go to the Resto U (restaurant universitaire).  With more than 14 restaurants and 20 cafeterias located throughout Paris, the restaurant universitaire are the cheapest and healthiest options for a meal on a student budget. For the somme modique* of 2,85€ (that’s right under 3€!) you get a meal consisting of an entrée (salad, soup), a plat (protein and vegetables, pasta or pizza), and a dessert (fruit, various pastries).  During the winter months, these hot meals are a wonderful treat and you can eat it sur place at one the restaurant’s communal dining tables, or you can get it à emporter (to go).

The largest Resto U is located five minutes from Reid Hall and offers a plethora of choices: traditional French cuisine, a hamburger bar, pizza and pasta station and vegetarian meals. This particular restaurant is also open in the evening, on weekends and during school vacations.

Communal dining, by the way, is a great way to make new French friends. Who knows who you may meet over a plate of haricots verts?

Restaurant Universitaire Bullier, 39 avenue Georges Bernanos, RER B Port Royal

*somme modique = modest price, shoestring price

Paris from the Seine

After a long and exciting week spent discovering the various arrondissements of Paris, the Spring 2009 crew took a much needed and relaxing cruise down the Seine. Admittedly, the weather could have been better. But a little rain only adds to the romance of the group’s adopted city.

Where to go in Paris: A Fall 2008 Student’s Perspective

Fall 2008 student Claire Nicolas provided us with the following list of the “best of” Paris. Here are her hangouts of predilection:

Best restaurants

Le Petit Beaujolais – for the BEST traditional French food.

Kong – 1, rue de Pont Neuf; m° Pont Neuf…Sex and the City was filmed there!

Bollywood Lounge – 57, rue Galande; m°Cluny-La Sorbonne

Best music venues

(mostly experimental music places)

La Maroquinerie - 23, rue Boyer; m°Menilmontant

Glaz’art – 7/15 av de la Villette; m° Porte de la Villette

Les Instants Chavirés – 2, rue Emile Zola, Montreuil; m° Robespierre

Best shopping areas

Châtelet and Passy. The most interesting places are in Montmartre, St. Michel and Saint-Germain.

Best place to spend a Sunday

any flea market

Bastille

museums!

Places to go on a budget

Museums

Parks

just walking around

What will you miss most about Paris?

The music scene! My Parisian friends. The FOOD! The fact that I can see and discover something new daily.

Advice for future students?

It all depends on personal interests. I looked up things that interested me and where to find them, like: surrealist art, occult stores, experimental music venues, taxidermy shops, etc. I came prepared with ideas and met great people (Parisians) through our shared interests.