Something to Remember...

especially in Paris and the suburbs, LOOK both ways before crossing the street.

Even if the car is 500m away, keep making sure that it isn't going to speed up, and even if the little green man says you can cross the street.

Because, I witnessed a girl try to cross the street without looking both ways and almost get hit by the bus I was on. And let me tell you, bus drivers drive crazy, not to mention all of the other drivers as well.

So if you end up to be road kill, don't say that know one warned you, lol!

Once Again...

La Préfecture!
It may seem like we go to the préfecture at least once a month, which in a way is true. And every time we go they try to pull a "sorry you forgot something" or "no we cannot help you".

This time, we were missing a paper from the electric company. Appartently the paper stating the payments we make each month with another confirming we pay, does not really "confirm" that we live at our apartment. Or as the consultant claimed "anybody can create an internet page and print it out making it look real". Does she really think all foreigners trying to get legal papers in this country are crooks??

So Y and I called the company and we were told to wait 2-3 days for a mailed copy, problem was, we needed it by the 9 or 10th of June! We ran all over town until we found an address for an office which really doesn't help regular people, more for the professionals and we pleaded with the receptionist to help us. She ended up getting us the copy of the paper and even printed it in color so that the Prefecture would believe it to be an original.

We returned to the Prefecture the next day, and the consultant was shocked that we were able to find the paper. Now Y just has to wait 2-3 months for a positive or negative response. While, I am still awaiting my answer for my authorization to work and open my music agency, updates should be coming soon.

If you need help with a situation about papers and visas for France, please do not hesitate to contact me, as the official Prefecture websites do not offer "real information".

Fête de la Musique

Don't forget about it!

La Fête de La Musique has existed since 1982 in France and this year celebrates the 30th edition. This year's theme is geared toward the French countries that are found outside of France : La Reunion, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Polynesia. Music includes : traditional, classique, and current.

Such activities in Paris include :

• Orchestre de Paris @ 22H by the pyramid at the Louvre
• 36 Hours for All @ Saint Eustache
• Fiesta Latina 5é arrondissement
• Jam Sessions
• Gospel
• basically any kind of music you can think of, in any form

Did I mention that it is free and the metro stays open all night?!?

So, go out and enjoy yourself and for me too, I'm still in Turkey.

Park

We have been very lucky with Aulnay Sous Bois since we moved there in November.

We have a 10-minute walk or 2-minute bus ride to the train station and mall/Carrefour, a 5-minute walk to the Chinese grocery store and boulangerie and a 5-minute walk to a huge park.

When I say huge, it is really huge! It goes from Aulnay Sous Bois all the way to Charles De Gaulle Airport.

this is just 1/4 of the parc!

even contemporary art in the park!

the lake!

And it's a great place to go for a picnic. You can check out the park when you are the train going or coming from the airport CDG, look left and right at the Villepinte stop. Or make a quick stop as you are passing through, fresh air never killed anyone!

Sunrise / Sunset

How many of you just broke out in to song, "Sunrise, Sunset" from Fiddler on the Roof?

Here are a few shots of sunrise and sunset in Paris/Aulnay Sous Bois.
Enjoy!

Medieval Concert and Museum

While Heidi Pintner Alvarez was here for the flute festival, we decided to check out the Museum because there was a medieval flute and harp concert, which turned out to be the most worthwhile experience ever!

Me in front of the flyer for the concert

Pierre Hamon and all of his flutes

The concert was performed by the medieval duo, Alla Francesca, Pierre Hamon on flutes and Brigette Lesne, harp and chant. Check out the video below for a sample of their music.




Their playing recalls the music of the time period heard in Dukes and kings courts.

Here is another video of just Pierre playing a double flute

Musée de Moyen Age

For those of you who have dreamed to come to Paris and capture her soul or for those of you who live in Paris and want to experience her history, check out the Musée de Moyen Age, located just a few steps away from busy Saint Michel.

Many of the most famous tapestries can be found in the museum such as the "Woman and the Unicorn", or as I call it the "Mona Lisa of Tapestries".

Students get in for free, the concerts cost only 4 euros and other people are 6 euros for museum entry and 6 euros for the concerts. Free first Sunday of the Month for all.

Turkish Vacation

Dear Adventurers,
Thank you for your interest in my blog, more posts are on their way as I will be going to Elazig, Turkey from 10-24 June to meet my in-laws. But I will also be going to learn about the culture, how to cook amazing turkish dinners, tourist sites and meet musicians. I am hoping to buy a Turkish flute, similar to a recorder as well!

For those of you who are new or would like to re-read the story, check out this  page and that page


Here is some information about Elazig, "Elazig is the most orderly city of the Eastern Anatolian region, due to its being recently founded with the name of Mamurat-ül Aziz in the 19th century by sultan Abdülaziz to settle some over-population from Harput town. It is situated on a plain near a mountain on 1,020 meters above the sea level and is surrounded by vineyards and gardens. The city today is also a trading center for crops and livestock. It's population is approximately 270.000 today. Keban Dam on the Euphrates (Firat) river and their artificial lakes contribute to the growth and general appearance of this rapidly developing city. Keban lake is the biggest artificial lake of Turkey.

The attraction of Elazig is the Byzantine Fortress of the ancient city Harput, which is made with milk (more on this later). There are also several mosques of the Seljuk period. Lake Hazar, 25 kilometers south of Elazig, is a fine tranquil site, while Buzluk Cave, 12 kilometers northeast, is an interesting cave, which remains cool in the summers and warm in the winters despite the harsh climate of the city."


I will post thoughts and photos after I get back.

Thanks, Merci,

 

Dijon 2

Other sites to see in Dijon include :

Eglise Notre Dame

Always take advantage of an open door, you never know what you might find.

A street that has been painted numerous times

I don't remember all of the names of the buildings, because I just kind of walked around and didn't pay attention to where I was going but if you want the real names, check out this site.

And don't forget to try the mustard with fries, on steak or on salad, because it won't be like Grey Poupon.

Dijon 1

A few weeks ago, I went to Dijon, France to meet an American musical duo, Asteria, who sing medieval and renaissance music that one heard in castles of the 15th century.  

Sidenote : For those of you who don't know I am in the process of opening a music management agency in France, just waiting on my legal authorization before opening for business. 

Dijon is a very pretty and easy to navigate city. Before going, I decided not to open a tourist book or look information online because I was going to let my guides (Eric and Sylvia) lead me to all the right places.

I met Eric first at the train station and we walked in the direction of their apartment, discussing my motivations and their motivations. We passed the market and I noted that the prices seemed way more expensive than Paris, ( especially the fish, the price was tripled). Salmon, please 30 euros a kilo! Upon arriving at their homestay, I met Sylvia, a former Christine from Phantom of the Opera!

We chatted business which included a live concert, check out their website for audio samples, I highly recommend it



After lunch, they showed me around the city, noting places they would like to perform at as well as the highlights, we went to the Musée Magnin, who was exhibiting dresses worn in theater and opera productions

Like this one, worn by a woman playing a man

Check out the next post about other sites to see in Dijon.

Project Update

Last week was my final project for my Masters, the flute festival for those of you who didn't know. It wasn't much of the festival I wanted to do, because of some last minute situations, but the turn-out was great as was the flutist, Heidi Pintner Alvarez.

For those of you who don't know her personally, she is the Professor of Flute at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, KY, USA, home of the Corvette.

Here is a recap for those who missed out the concerts:
27 may : Concert Baroque at the Saint Rita Church located in the 15th arrondissement, a small  church with very interesting decorations and Saint Rita in real human form in a display case in the back of the church. The acoustics were great and the Bach and Telemann sonatas sounded amazing.  Even though, there was a small crowd of 20 people, the music allowed everyone to share an intimate moment together whether it was a recollection of the melodies or a lesson on baroque style.

28 May : Contemporary Flute Concert at 38 Riv located in the 4th arrondissement. A small concert hall located in a cave or basement of a building, a nice quiet and warm environment. The only negative comment both the flutist and I had was they decided to clean right before the concert and the smell of the cleaning supplies and the cave didn't mix well. There was a little larger crowd than the previous night, mostly friends and family of mine. This concert included a premiere of Michael Kallstrom's "The Falling Cinders of Time, Michael is the Professor of Composition at WKU, as well.

Hope you can join us for our next festival edition, details coming soon!