| Paris - practical stuff |
[Jul. 10th, 2007|12:17 am] |
I thought I'd throw together a few points about Paris, practical stuff about actually living and working in the city for an extended period - this may be handy for anyone planning to come to Paris in the near future.
Apartment
Everyone says that finding an apartment in Paris is a nightmare. Because there is so much protection for tenants, agencies are loath to let anyone in without reams of paperwork showing job contracts, salaries, bank statements, previous landlord recommendations, etc. I managed to sidestep that by taking a one month contract and then meeting the landlord directly and making a good impression. Try www.seloger.com as a starting point. Average price in Paris at the moment is €25/sqm (max €30) so that works out to about €500 - €600 for 20sqm. 20sqm is tiny, but possible. I grew up in a house with a garden and I'm going crazy in 25sqm, your mileage may vary. Everyone in Paris lives in a matchbox except for the super-rich so be prepared for the squeeze. I suppose one could consider living outside Paris in one of the cheaper suburbs, but it's not all the much cheaper unless you don't mind living in squalor, and also you're missing out on a lot of fun in my opinion.
Work
I'm a programmer, my French isn't that great, and I managed to find a job in a couple of days without too much stress. The salary is not as good as what I was earning in Dublin, and there are a *lot* of deductions before tax, about 30% of the gross - this is health care, pension, retirement, unemployment, etc, all compulsory.
French Language
I have done all my courses at the Alliance Française. It is a bit pricey, but the instruction is exceptionally good, I feel that I progressed very quickly there. I also met some cool people in my class. The Mairie also offers some cheaper courses apparently, although not during the summer. I haven't tried it, but I'm told it's pretty good as well, and perhaps an effective alternative if the Alliance is too expensive.
Exercise
One of the most practical ways to get exercise is to go swimming. There are pools all over the place, just take a look at the Mairie web site for the addresses. They are not too expensive, around €2.40 for a single session, with the option to pay a membership which then allows unlimited free entry. The one I have been going to is always clean, not to many people - I go at lunch time.
There are a number of public gymnasiums, although these seem to be aimed at children and teenagers, not really adults - I may be wrong here. Of course there are some private gyms as well, but these are very expensive.
Parks
There are a couple of nice parks in Paris. Easily my favourite is the Butte Chaumant, in the 19th. Artificial hills, massive old trees, it feels quite natural. It's a good place to go jogging.
For sheer class, nothing beats the Jardin de Luxembourg, I love watching the boys playing with boats in the central pond, old men playing chess and others playing tennis in the courts. On a sunny winter day it's nice to soak up the rays, wrapped in a warm coat, relaxing in one of the many lazy chairs. The architecture of the chateau is nice too.
I'm not such a fan of the Tuileries, too artificial for my tastes.
Getting around
There are couple of different options. The Metro is pretty efficient, open until 1am every night (2am on Saturdays), with stops all over the city. Trains run every 2 minutes during peak hours, dropping down to every 7 minutes late at night. The map can be confusing, as there are 14 lines that wiggle all over the place. Try to avoid changing at Chatlet Les Halles, the station is a cavernous maze with some unsavory types hanging about; Saint-Lazare is also a perplexing labyrinth. The Metro is not the most pleasant way to travel however, it is often crowded, hot, dirty and noisy. The crowd is generally young to middle aged people, and everyone is in a hurry.
There is also an extensive bus network. The little map is very difficult to read, it helps if you ask for a (free) big map at the desk inside one of the Metro stations. The buses generally run until 8pm, although some run until midnight. Half the lines do not run on Sundays, and even those that do often only serve a portion of the route - Sunday is not a good day for the bus. They generally run every 10 to 15 minutes depending on the line and time of day - often there is a little electronic display showing the number of minutes until the next one, otherwise you will have to consult the (generally) accurate timetable. They stop very frequently, and can sometimes get stuck in traffic, so it's a much slower way to travel than the metro. You should really get on in the front and then move to the back, although I've had no problems jumping on at the back. If you have to buy a ticket make sure you brace yourself well as the bus driver will drive off while you are trying to fish around for change in your pocket. The crowd is generally older people or mom's with kids - it's a more practical way for them to travel as it does not require climbing up and down stairs.
In addition there is a night bus - the so called Noctilien. It is always very crowded, with a limited network and a reduced frequency, every 15 minutes I think. Prepared to be accosted by nasty drunk people. Probably not a good idea for single women. It's more comfortable to take a taxi, although this can be a battle as a lot of people are trying to do the same thing at 3am. Average rate for a taxi ride home is €10-€15.
Speaking of costs, the "Carte Orange" costs €53 for a month, any metro and bus inside Paris for a month. It's pretty good value I think.
It is possible to cycle in Paris as there is a reasonably extensive network of bicycle paths. The bicycle paths are not very well designed however, are not swept frequently enough, and sometimes end suddenly at large intersections leaving you to traverse at your own risk. Very few cyclists wear helmets, although I think it would be a good idea considering the scooters, buses, trucks and cars flying around. It is generally easy to find a place to lock a bicycle, either a special bike parking, or a piece of street furniture. It's probably a good idea to lock both front and back wheels and the frame to a fixed object, I have seen a lot of wheels and seats stolen off otherwise locked bicycles. The bicycle paths are not respected by the scooters and there seems to be no policing in this regard. I have seen police stop cyclists going through red lights, so be careful about that. I bought my bicycle for about €400 new, and I'm pretty happy with it. There is a new system of free bicycles being installed everywhere called "velib" which everyone is excited about; the tarif system looks pretty complicated, I think they got a guy from a mobile phone company to design it. Anyway I haven't tried it yet because it is not finished although it should be in the next month or two.
Probably the most efficient way to get around Paris is on a scooter, as they accelerate very quickly, can be parked anywhere (including the pavement) and surely are not that expensive to fuel. I say probably because I've never actually tried, but I know some people who own scooters and they say it is "top". It would probably be possible to buy a second hand one in good nick and sell it for the same sum at the end of the year. Personally I find them quite disagreeable - noisy, smoky, and a terror for pedestrians and cyclists alike, but they are very popular and maybe worth considering. I haven't tried driving either, but apparently it is not that fun; always stuck in traffic and never able to find a parking.
Let's not forget the RER & Transilien which serve the suburbs, and the fantastically fast (and fantastically expensive) TGV high speed trains which serve most other major destinations in France - departures every hour or so from the major train stations.
Administrative Stuff
I got my bank account with La Poste (the post office); they were the only people to help me. The other private banks wouldn't touch me with a pair of tongs. I could have walked in with a sack of gold and I still think they would have told me to piss off. Best of luck with that.
Apparently one does not have to pay tax for the first year in France, although this is not a credit, just a deferral. They have not heard of income tax in France, the only country in the first world who has not. So you have to open a savings account and put the money aside yourself. Good luck trying to find out the exact amount from the tax office, it is a very complicated mathematical system. They'll tell you when they want the money and you better just have it when they do. Mad, simply insane.
Doctor's visits cost about €20 and pharmaceuticals are not too expensive (avg €10 - €15). This is reclaimable if you are in the social security system, although I'm still waiting for my card after a couple of months, so good luck there as well. I've been lucky enough to not need to go to hospital, but apparently the hospital system is one of the best in the world.
Food
There are three ways to buy food in Paris, the supermarkets (Monoprix, Champion, Ed and others), the epicieries (dotted all over Paris, generally open late, prices inflated, quality highly variable) and the farmer's markets. I prefer the farmer's markets, but you have to be organised as they are only open at certain times on certain days (see the mairie website for details). Take a backpack and around €20-€30 for a few days' food. After a while it is possible to learn what is good value and what is not, but I know that I did get ripped off a lot at the beginning - c'est la vie. It is also possible to get to know the regular vendors and get some good quality produce. You need to know what you want to make in advance or be very creative as there are no ready meals in the market - just raw produce. It's probably not the best idea for a person living alone as you will spend more time cooking.
Going out
If you want to dance, don't go to bar. No one dances in bars. Parisians just sit around drinking wine, smoking cigarettes and waxing lyrically. If you want to dance you got to pay to get into a nightclub, average €20. I think nightclubs in Paris are shit. You might have a different experience, hell if you do let me know I'd be interested to know.
There are a couple of nice bars in Montmartre, such as Le Rendezvous des Amis (rue Gabrielle), and Le Zebre de Montmartre (rue des Abbesses) which I quite like - I go there to chill out with friends.
If you're looking for a bit of culture, there are a great variety of theatres, I've seen a couple of good shows. There are also two fantastic opera houses, and of course all the great treasure-trove museums such as the Louvre and the Musee d'Orsay. There are many art galleries around town, with a high concentration in Saint-Germain. And then of course there are cinemas all over the place presenting a delicate serving of French films and staple Hollywood stuff dubbed into French (occasionally in English, look for "VO" stands for Version Original").
As for eating out, I've only found a couple of good restaurants within my budget. To eat well in Paris is to be rich. But never forget that to starve to death is still an art form.
Staying in
I listen to the France Musique radio station. Classical, jazz, world music, good stuff. Never had a TV, so I can't comment on that. I rented a lot of films from the Cinebank, a kind of ATM where you stick you bank card in and choose a film using a touchscreen. Personally I prefer to browse inside a store, but I haven't found a good one nearby. There are many libraries around town when you can loan books, CDs and DVDs (details on the website of the Mairie).
Paris - mon amour, mon enfer. |
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