And I'm back.....

This was my outfit for the past 3 days of incredibly good times. I think I might start wearing a Drindl more often - they're incredibly adorable and comfortable too!

After 4 days in Prague, 1 in Czesky Krumlov, and 3 in Oktoberfest my body is beat. Mainly from Oktoberfest, so I'll start there.

Oktoberfest (or Wiesn to the Germans) is truly an incredible event that only the Germans could pull off. First of all, when you walk up it looks like a huge state fair, which was surprising to me in how familiar it seemed. There are rides, booths with games, stalls of food etc. The difference lies in the fact that there are 14 huge 'tents' (more like small stadiums) FILLED with people eating and drinking. OH and by the way they're all in drindls (above) or leiderhosen. When you walk into the tent the roar of the crowd is truly awesome and you could go deaf by the loudness of the singing. The germans love to sing (who am I kidding, I do too) and there are about 5 different 'toasting' songs, songs with dances, songs with hand gestures, etc etc. Needless to say my voice hates me right now (and the liver, but that's a given).

I had many a conversation about how there is no way an event of that scale, centered mainly around drinking massive quantities of beers, could exist year over year anywhere else. The Germans are incredibly law abiding and efficient people, which is why the event continues. I'm pretty sure if something like this were to exist in the US, half the people would be fighting in the street, passing out in a gutter, or driving home drunkenly-- ending with people sueing the organizers and it would never happen again. I'm sure all of that happens to some extent at Oktoberfest, but you just felt like no one wanted to ruin the fun by doing something really stupid.

Anywho, I highly recommend it for a weekend. 3 days was almost too much (ALMOST!). And definitely don't forget your Drindl.

Playing European

Andrew has arrived and we are off to Prague and Oktoberfest!!

Will check in on the way, but if not au revoir for now!

Mon Appartement

Oui, allo! We have an apartment. It's in the 11th, a very 'vibrant' part of the city that's young and up-and-coming. Basically, the Brooklyn of Paris :-) So many cute restaurants, bars, and things to do! And like our guidebook says "REAL French people live there!" As opposed to those just playing Parisian.

I'd just like to show you the reason why we chose it. Please take a look at the beauty kitchen.

Many a great meal will be made in that baby (not by me!). Things Parisians Tolerate: TERRIBLE KITCHENS. I swear to you, I've never seen so many bad kitchens in my life. Other weird things we saw on our hunt -- two showers in a bathroom. WHY? A shower in a closet...HUH? A toilet room...not so weird, but makes you think. Spearmint walls...when was that ever a good idea? We are not in Florida. Basically, as per everywhere, there are some crappy apartments in Paris. But luckily, we found a gem :-)

Since I'm boring today....

Please take a look of this hilarious video of a 'racist' rental car. LOL

Racist Rental Car

So Tired.

Apartment hunting in any city is exhausting, but apartment hunting in Paris takes the cake. I AM SO TIRED (and currently homeless). Hopefully that will change by tomorrow night. Stay tuned!

A Michelin Star Meal...

I know what your thinking...WOW Danone must be paying you well if you've already had a Michelin star meal in Paris! Sadly, not exactly. In fact, far from it -- it was a frozen meal (No judging me blogosphere....I'm living alone, have no friends and I hate cleaning dishes). But it's not just any frozen meal....It was a frozen meal by the most decorated chef in the world Joel Robuchon.

My awesome dinner last night.

Fleury Michon (the pre-eminent frozen meal producer in France) had the extraordinary vision to partner with one of France's most famous chefs. Having admired Joel's culinary empire for many years (and having the fortune of going to L'atelier in New York) I had to try it. It was just too funny and too French.

The result? It's actually really good. It even comes in a real ceramic pot and tastes nothing like Frozen food. This one I feature here is a sort of French sheperd's pie, but made with duck (obviously). It was spiced perfectly and I'm a sucker for mashed potatoes so I enjoyed it a lot. All told, it was about 1 euro more than the reguar frozen meals and I think it was a euro well spent (if only for the blog post). Well done Joel! Do you mind seeding this idea with Thomas Keller?

A room with a view...

A lot of apartments in Paris have 'courtyard' views, which they say is attractive because they are quieter, but secretly I think its because Parisans like to spy on their neighbors (this has not been corroborated, although I find it fun to look in other people's apartments). In my temporary apartment, I wake up to a vew like this...Not too shabby!

I'm currently in the 9th, a quiet neighborhood (or 'calm' as the parisans say) north of the 2nd Opera arrondissement in which I work. There's not a whole lot going on, but it's convenient, safe and a 10 minute walk to work, which is why it's at the top of my list of neighborhoods to live permanently. Others in the running are the 10th, the 3rd, and potentially the 11th/20th.

I have looked at the map of Paris neighborhoods about a bajillion times, but for some reason I am still having a hard time visuallizing the neighborhoods when someone tells me where they live. That being said, I do find it easy to find my way around as there are very few tall buildings. Because of that, I can usually find some structure that peaks out above the others to orient myself -- the Eiffel tower, Montmartre, or a tall building and figure out where I am. Tips from the top!

Paris Vs New York

One of my favorite blogs is ParisVsNYC, as described on the site it's a "friendly visual match of two cities told by a lover of wandering through New York." The visual matchups are not only visually appealing, but darn clever as well.

I don't pretend to be remotely as clever and I am surely not as artistic, however, I did have a Paris vs. New York observation the other day while wandering around Paris. I present for your amusement the movie poster for the newest Justin Timerlake and Mila Kunis ensemble film "Friends with benefits," otherwise known en francais as SexeEntreAmis...or Sex Between Friends. Apparently, the French are not ones for euphemism. (as a side note, I may be showing my ignorance here but I always thought it was euphenism. WHOOPS, sorry dad)

Also, as Elena pointed out, please notice the hand gesture in the Paris poster. SUBTLE France, SUBTLE.

Things Parisians LIke: Drinking as Teenagers along the Seine

I had the perfect Paris day on Saturday with my friend Laurence, who was visiting from London. It was in the 70s (25 Celsius for my international friends), sunny, and without humidity. We started with a walk up to the Sacre Coeur and wandered our way to the left bank and beyond. My feet were fed up with me by the end of the day, but my Parisian excitement overcame the pain.

After dinner that consisted of 'happy juice' (aka rose wine) and a charcuterie mixed platter, we decided to enjoy the perfect weather and take a stroll along the seine (how romantique of us and very "Midnight in Paris"). We were instantly excited as we saw there was a crowd along the river and it looked like some sort of party! For the New Yorkers out there, I was thinking it would be like the boat basin where 20 somethings come to buy a beer and look at the view. However, this turned out to be a make shift teenage soirree, complete with a DJ and bongo drums.

My friends in March drinking along the Seine...not nearly as cool as the Parisian teens. Do note the Evian bottle filled with red wine.

Both Lau and I instantly regretted how uncool we were for A. not being a teenager and B. (more importantly) not carrying a bottle of wine with us at all times just in case we have the urge to drink along the Seine. Is carrying wine in your purse being an alcoholic? Potentially, but we decided it was just playing Parisian :-)

Things Parisians Like: Part Deux

Bonjour from grey Paris! Tomorrow is supposed to be beautiful, but in the meantime I've been experiencing the 'Winter Haze' the past 3 days. Grey and looks like it's going to rain, but weirdly doesn't. At least it's been fairly warm.

Anywho, one observation I've noticed over the past week is another thing Parisians like: The Fiat 500. We all know europeans are into their small cars, but this car is ALL over. And I can see why, it's a beauty. But even better than that, I saw it in HOT PINK yesterday. I almost wanted to go up to the lady at the stoplight and hug her....such an adorable car. Luckily I restrained myself, as I'm pretty sure that's a thing Parisians don't like -- crazy americans trying to hug them.

Take a look:

Doesn't it just make you want to go out and buy one? (If I wasn't totally against cars, I would.) I'd feel like a Barbie doll in it... I've never wanted to feel like a barbie doll, but for this car I would happily. I've been trying to get my mom to buy a 500 instead of a mini for her next purchase. Perhaps the pink will tip her over the edge (HI MOM!)...Totally a car that's appropriate for Nashville, TN, right?

It's official! www.playingparisian.com!

Somehow without the support of my super tech-y, geeky and handsome boyfriend, I figured out to A) buy a domain and B) link it to blogger! Well done me (and google!). GoDaddy.com's super bowl ads finally got me. It only took four years and Danica Patrick.

You can still go to lindsaycollins.blogspot.com if you want to, but it will re-direct. Internets, this is you patting me on the back :-)

Relish & Quaff in Paris!

My dear friend and fellow foodie Andrea has a great restaurant blog Relish & Quaff and she has invited me to blog my restaurant experiences in Paris (she's currently based in Toronto, but will be moving to Paris soon!). Check out my post on my restaurant excursion to Le Taxi Jaune in the Marais last night here.

Things Parisians Like: Part Un

This section is not to be confused with Stuff Parisans Like or the book my parents bought me upon departure but rather, little "Lindsay Observations" about living in Paris. I am going to consult the list to make sure I do not replicate in the future. But I already have two (two!) and it's been a week.

Et voila, On Y Vas...

1. CAMPING. I know, can you believe it? I couldn't. I had my co-worker pinky swear it that she wasn't pulling my my leg. I had no idea the parisians were so into nature, outdoors, sleeping on the ground, etc. C'est Bizarre, n'est-ce pas? I asked my designer-clad colleague what she did over the weekend and she said "camping".

I gave her a funny look, and she, being Italian and not from Paris, said "I KNOW. I never thought I would either, but give it 2 years, the Parisians will convince you." Say what? Camping? Like in a tent? "Yes, in a tent. However, it was on the grounds of a large Chateau. I still slept on the ground, so I'm counting it."  Perhaps I could be convinced to camp outside a chateau...hmmm

Anywho, I was still skeptical walking the streets and admiring all the parisian women with their designer purses etc, UNTIL I went to a Camping Store called Decathlon yesterday to look for an air mattress (for my apt, not nature).  This.Store.Was.HUGE! I mean, biggest camping store I"ve ever seen (like Sports Authority huge). Meanwhile, the French apparently LOVE food, but their grocery stores are tiny. So imagine my surprise when I go to a camping store and IT"S AN ENTIRE BLOCK. So they must really love camping, I say. And the place was packed. Tents, sleeping bags, air mattresses, grills, back packs, etc FLYING OFF THE SHELF. I'm still in shock, if you can't tell. I basically had to fight over the last double air mattress (you're welcome elena!).

Who knew that was a thing parisian's liked?

I saw this on a car yesterday and thought it was absolutely hilarious and totally appropriate.

update: realized I didn't translate. It means I heart nothing, I'm parisian. lols

Parisians, They're not like US! Part 1

And thus begins a new section, alluding to one of my favorite tabloid columns "Celebrities, they're just like us!"....Although, just the opposite, pointing out things in my daily life which I wouldn't see if I were in the US.

It started this morning on my walk to work. Beautiful day, business people and families all around. I noticed a cute little boy (maybe 4 years old), in those absolutely adorable french uniforms holding hands with his mother (maybe 40?) who was wearing...LEATHER HOT PANTS. And they actually looked good and normal on her. It's Monday morning at 9 am. Wowsa. And she was just strolling along as if this was everyday attire. Way to rock it French lady, more power to you.

Work Update

9:05...Arrive, and no one from my team is here
9:15...Caroline (not on my team, but knows me) feels bad for me and asks me for coffee
9:45....Arrive back from coffee break, team is here.
10-12:45...training
12:45 - 1:45....LUNCH (I actually took a lunch break, this may be a first)
1;45-2:00...Coffee break

Why on earth one needs a coffee break after a 1 hour lunch, I have no idea. But I am not complaining :-) Just a little shaky from all the caffeine.

First Day of School Outfit

So this was my outfit on my first day....I thought it was a fairly hilarious shot, as it was taken with my iPhone which is apparently incredibly difficult to get a full body shot by yourself. I was actually taking the pic to see what I looked like as there is no length-wise mirror in my apt. And this is how well that worked :-) As a sidenote, I feel bad for kids these days who only take pics with their iphones...how are they going to get awesome shots like this one on the bottom of me and Natalie. The 'hold the phone with one hand and take a pic shot' was a classic when I was in high school (errr that pic was definitely taken 3 years ago) and I feel sad that it's basically impossible with the iphone.

As you can see, I went with the black shirt to 'fit in'. Although, I'm clearly kidding myself....There are a few things non parisian about this outfit: No scarf, No Layers, Wet Hair. Unfortunately, I forgot that my commute isn't an hour and a half and is only a lovely 9 minutes and thus did not time my shower correctly. C'est la vie!

Also, as an update on my french I went to a cafe this morning and ordered a croissant and a coffee en francais. I even said I was going to stay and eat, vs take away. BABY Steps!!!

NY Hearts Me

This is what I call the I Heart NY T-Shirt for Narcissists...The feeling is mutual NYC! It's also the awesome going away present Miss Martini (yes that is her real last name) gave me. I also wore it on the plane ride over here (hence why it looks wrinkly) as an ode to my former city


Plane ride went well....After a disastrous experience trying to change my flight with BA, I got an upgrade to Economy +. I was skeptical at first (it's not first class, it's not business, it's still economy, but it's plus?!?!), but lordy, that chair was comfy. I sat down and immediately fell asleep even before take off. I didn't even wake up for food, which is very unlike me (I am my mother's daughter...we both LOVE airplane food). I had a 4 hour lay over in London for a 40 minute flight to Paris (errrr that didn't make sense and one of the reasons I was fighting with BA). When I arrived, it was sunny, no lines in customs (they didn't ask me a single question...you know I"m coming her to work, right?), no problems with bags, no taxi line, et voila! I am now playing Parisian.

So I'm off to a good start! I was supposed to be flying out of New York to begin my jaunt in Paris at approximately 5 pm today, but because of "hurricane" Irene I'm postponed until Tuesday.

C'est La vie! New York gets me for another 2 days.

Things left on my list to do before departure: US Open, Shake Shack (again), Tour of the UN, shopping. Et Voila!

The Sistine Chapel in ALL it's glory.

This blows my mind.


Kids are so lucky these days. We actually had to go wait in the stupid line at the vatican to see the Sistine Chapel, but who needs to go there for reals when you can just click here? ha