Souvenirs I

It's not the prettiest thing we brought back from France, nor is it one that we'll keep for all that long. But in terms of utility, it ranks up there with cocoa from La Bonbonnière and pullovers from Galeries Lafayette:

Yup, it's a poop bag. We only saw two poop bag dispensers in 9 months, and both were in rich suburbs of Paris. The bag above (and the other 10 that we took as "souvenirs") comes from Sceaux, where we visited the lovely park and said goodbye to Damien. It reads, "A small, daily gesture . . . a big gesture for the environment and for other people. Thank you."

The other bags we saw - but didn't take (stupid, stupid, stupid) - were in Versailles.

I want to criticize Paris for not offering poop-bag dispensers, but I know they don't have the spare cash that Versailles and Sceaux have. So here's a cost-effective idea: after having already coordinated bike-sharing, and now car-sharing, would it really be so difficult for the City of Paris to promote poop-bag sharing? People with extra, appropriately-sized plastic bags could bring them to drop-off points, where dog owners could pick them up, and use them to pick up after their dogs. Simple! Safe! Socialism! Petition your arrondissement council today!

Naming Man's Best Friend

Panda meets lots of dogs on a daily basis, which means that Maggie and I meet lots of dog owners. There's a routine that almost every encounter follows:

1. We are asked whether Panda is "une femelle" (a female). We assume we get asked this because many French dogs aren't fixed, so every dog-meets-dog moment could quickly turn into a catastrophe.
2. The other owner gushes over Panda's distinctiveness, grace, athleticism, and/or beauty. We murmur our appreciation, awkwardly.
3. We are asked how old she is.
4. We ask how old the other owner's dog is. Sometimes our conversation ends here and everyone moves on.
5. However: If their dog was already off-leash, they'll ask whether we might want to let Panda off-leash. If their dog wasn't off-leash, they often suggest we let both dogs off-leash. We let the dogs off-leash.
6. Panda runs really fast and the other owner comments, "Gee, she sure likes to run!" or "Wow, look at her go!" 
7. The other owner speculates about Panda's ancestry. Usually people guess lèvrier (greyhound) or chien de chasse (any hunting dog or hound). We respond that she's a mix of German Shorthaired Pointer (braque allemand) and something else, on sait pas (we don't know).
8. By this point, sometimes Panda has sprinted far away from us, leading the other owner's dog away too, and we both start calling our dogs back. Or, if the dogs are still close, we re-leash them, and go our separate ways.

The flexible part of this ritual involves asking what the dog's names are. Sometimes you find out a dog's name when the other owner screams it across open space, hoping his/her dog will come back. Other times you never find out at all, and because of this I've taken to asking. Partly because we're a little crazy, and partly inspired by the awesome list-making book (Listography) that Eden and JP brought us for Christmas, we've been keeping track of all the dog names we learn, and this is what we've got so far:

Clovis, Nehdi, Gigi, Chaplin, Lila, Vif, Sun (Sonne? Son?), Kapringa, Georges, Lotus, Vinyle, Cookie (pictured above, with the little girl), Voyou and Lou (pictured above, with Panda), Amandine, Duschka, Dolly, Hieroglyphe, Coca, Ehtu (sp.?), Jenny/Génie, Emma, Hermione, Jack (short for Jack Russel), Bristo, Eliose, Yuna (Iuna?), Charlie, Titi, Ulysse, Douglass (pronounced dew-glass), Balthus, Lasso (3-legged), Vanda, Chippy

Remember that you have to pronounce all of the seemingly English-language names with a French accent, which immediately makes them equal parts charming and nearly incomprehensible. It's all part of the fun of dog-ownership in Paris.

Grande Mosquée de Paris

We visited the Grande Mosquée de Paris last Saturday. Except we didn't actually visit the mosque; we instead enjoyed thé à la menthe in one of its peaceful courtyards with Louis' colleague Hannah (visiting her sister this week) and her sister, Becca (studying in Paris for the semester).

If you go to the Grande Mosquée for tea, you will enjoy a sweet, hot beverage that warms you in the winter and refreshes you in the summer. A nice gentleman will pass through the courtyard with a tray-full of glasses like those you see below. Wave the man over (it may take several tries - he may be busy shooing away the pigeons), ask for one glass (or two), and hand over two euros per glass. Pastries must be ordered indoors. 

In poor weather, you might want to head inside to the vrai salon de thé where you can enjoy even more vivid decor and a more bustling scene. 

Panda didn't join us on this expedition but we're always scoping out future dog-friendly outings. From what we can tell, you can bring your dog to the Grand Mosquée as long as you take your tea in the entrance courtyard. But they made it very clear: no Cocker Spaniels or terriers allowed inside. 

Not Panda

This dog is not Panda.



This dog was spotted outside the Musée Bourdelle. We visited this museum last weekend and plan to post about it soon! Stay tuned...

Mercredi Mashup

We take lots of photos. Beaucoup, as they say. At last count, our Flickr photostream contained over 6,000 items. Many of these photos appear on this blog. Some go the way of the dinosaur. Still others get set aside, hoping for recognition, holding their breath every time we browse for a blog-worthy photo. This post is dedicated to all the misfit photos out there . . . get ready for a whirlwind tour of photos that have nothing to do with one another, other than the fact that they are random, and we took them.

This Scooby Doo character and van was parked outside the Hôtel de Ville (City Hall). Many, many otherwise sane looking adults were waiting to have their picture taken with Scooby. I really don't get this. What's the attraction? Maybe it's a generational thing...

We had a coffee and used the toilet in this bar/restaurant with Katie and Darryl. A rugby game (England? Italy? who? what?) was playing on the telly. The Gaudì-inspired decor was super cool and super trashed. Too bad.

This dog was hanging out around the Jardin de Luxembourg. Thank goodness for that convenient opening.

Street art in Belleville. Awesome.

The latest performance art installation at the Louvre.

Maggie and Louis attempt to create art. Fail.

 

We saw this dog on the street, at night, and had to do a double-take. Doesn't he/she look just like Panda??

Le Bon Marché

Before Printemps, before Galeries Lafayette, before BHV and La Samaritaine, there was Le Bon Marché. The first modern department store, Le Bon Marché revolutionized shopping and middle-class life. Sales, special events, entertainment for children, fixed-price shopping, all were pioneered by Le Bon Marché's founder, Aristide Boucicaut, in the mid-19th century. And the place is still going strong, as classy as ever.

The building complex isn't as flashy as the flagships for Printemps or Galeries Lafayette, but it has its nice touches, especially inside. 

Yeah, they've got fish. But I don't think they're for sale. Anyway, our favorite part of the store is elsewhere - it's La Grande Épicerie, a humongous and remarkably aesthetically pleasing gourmet supermarket.

Any store that arranges dried fruit and nuts, egg cartons (notice how they're not refrigerated?), and jars of olives and spices so carefully is a store we like to shop at. Also, they have a really funny American aisle. Peanut butter, syrup, popcorn, pancake mix, M&Ms, Hershey's chocolate chips, OMG THEY HAVE FLUFF BRB

Fluff makes us miss Somerville. But we have plenty here to be excited about. Not least of which is the fact that Le Bon Marché, a fancy-pantsy luxury department store, welcomes dogs. 

Signage at the Louvre

If you happen to bring Fido to the Louvre, be sure to carry him when you ride the escalator.

But if you bring a small child, don't carry him and make him stand on one leg?

Signage

I've been trying to pay closer attention to signs, lately, especially signs about dogs. (And not just because I'm worried about getting in trouble.) It's interesting to compare how signs convey different messages.

This is supposed to mean that you can't take dogs inside the castles - but we walked Panda right up to Neuschwanstein, and she could go in the castle courtyard without any problems.

Along with soccer balls (or is that a billiards ball?), dogs are simply not allowed on the Stüttgart "Common" - but lounging people with stickers for heads are. Well, we showed them: Panda pooped on that Common.

My favorite: dogs are allowed, without leash, they just can't poop. Hey, unleashed dog over there! Stop that! This sign (seen in Munich) would be appropriate in Paris.

Dogs of Paris

Just because Panda gets most of our attention doesn't mean we can't notice other dogs. Here are two of our favorites so far:

This one is wearing what is basically a Parisian uniform: a black-and-white striped shirt (and no pants!).

This next dog is getting a work-out in the Canal d'Ourcq:

We will never let Panda be anything like these two dogs.

Bringing Your Dog to Paris

Some tips for people thinking about bringing an American dog to Paris:

1. Train your dog to run off-leash in open, un-fenced spaces. There are NO fenced dog parks in Paris. None. Nada. Rien. In other words, your dog should come when called. From what we can tell, Parisian dogs are trained this way from the very beginning, so unless you are bringing a puppy to Paris (who can learn from the locals?), you might want to invest in some off-leash training classes.

2. Train your dog to pee on hard surfaces. There are very, very few grassy spots for Spot to take care of business. Your life will be easier if your dog can pee on the nearest garbage can. I'm not exactly sure how one trains for this... we haven't yet been able to figure it out.

3. Train your dog to ignore pigeons. Pigeons are everywhere here. If your dog likes to stalk pigeons, it will be very difficult to walk down the sidewalk to the nearest non-grassy, non-dog park. Again, this is not something we've had success with.

4. Train your dog to wear a disguise. Well, not really. But if you want to take your dog anywhere that is not within walking distance (and you don't have a car), you will have to sneak him or her onto the Métro. Alas, Parisians seem to ignore this breach of the law much as they do subway panhandlers.

5. Train your dog to be ignored. That is, your dog may be super cute and win the hearts of all passersby back in the States, but this is Paris. Public displays of affection for someone else's dog just don't happen. Unless, of course, you encounter another dog owner. This may afford you a cordial Bonjour, or perhaps just a knowing smile.

When it comes down to it, we're happy that Panda accompanied us on this adventure (if a little stressed every time we let her off-leash and watch her sprint off into the distance). She has forced us outside every single day (and will continue to do so even through what we've been told will be a dreary winter) and sparked conversations with strangers we never would have had otherwise. However, there are aspects of having a dog in Paris that we did not ever consider - hopefully these tips will help others be more fully informed.

Dogs vs. Little Boys

I'm always saying how Panda is just like a little kid. Now I have (a) proof.

Fact: Dogs in Paris pee (and poop) everywhere. People have gotten better about picking up poop (or so we're told, since it's a little hard to tell), but we still see pee everywhere we walk.

Fact: Yesterday, after some sneaker-shopping at the Go Sport at République, Maggie and I were sitting on the curb while I put on my new generic sneakers. We heard a père (father) say to his fils (son), "Attends, je vais t'aider" (Wait, I'll help you). We turned our heads to the right and were treated to the sight of père helping fils eliminate into the gutter.

Therefore: dogs = little boys (if not all little kids).

* This image is a re-enactment and dramatization of the events that unfolded on Saturday, September 12th, 2009, with identities and likenesses disguised for the protection of those involved.

Dogs of Paris

A lot of people have expressed interest in the logistics of bringing Panda to Paris, and I, too, am interested in how that works. Maggie?

Seriously though, getting her there shouldn't be a big deal. No quarantine is required, and while most airlines have a rule about not flying dogs in checked baggage when the temperature is above 85, you can always pay a little more to fly the dog in cargo, which (I think?) is air-conditioned.

Once we get there, my impression is that Paris is an extremely dog-friendly city. We should be able to bring her into most stores, many restaurants, pretty much all cafes, you get the idea. And if Panda's Somerville popularity is any indication, she should be a great conversation starter with random people on the street. (I get stopped at least three times a day by people who want to know what breed she is, how old she is, whether their child can pet her . . . )

We're confident that we won't have any trouble getting her there. We're less confident (or maybe just more ignorant) about the logistics of dog-owning in Paris. Do they carry the brand of dog food she's used to? How much do kennels or dog-walkers cost? We already know we can't bring her on the metro or any other trains, which is a huge bummer. Will Panda's walky-dog attachment fit onto the Velib bikes?

Stay tuned to find out . . .