Brian K. Bailey

A Week in London

Recently, I spent a week in London, traveling by train under the English Channel. Lucking out, the weather in London was warm and sunny except for one day of rain. I had a great time exploring the city, going to museums, walking along the Thames, eating great food. It was nice to get away from Paris for a week to another great capital city in Europe.

Taking the train from Paris to London: While there are multiple ways of traveling to and from London, I took the train. Eurostar (https://www.eurostar.com) runs non-stop between Paris’ Gare du Nord and London’s Saint Pancras stations. It travels under the English Chanel and follows a lovely trail through the French and English countrysides. Customs and border control take place before you board the trains, so once you disembark in London (or Paris) you can just leave the station right away.

Getting Around London, the Oyster Card: I used public transportation in and around London. Mostly using the Underground, I was able to use an Oyster card (https://oyster.tfl.gov.uk/) to quickly get in and out of the stations. I topped up my Oyster card a few times since the Underground charges different rates for how far I went for any given train trip. Travelers are required to badge in and out for every trip while using the London Underground. For the buses, travelers are only required to badge in upon boarding the bus.

Harry Potter World: I cannot visit London without also going to Harry Potter World (https://www.wbstudiotour.co.uk). I love the display of sets, costumes, props, and stories of how the movies were made. Each time I go, they have changed around the displays putting new ones in each time. My favorite is to drink butterbeer at the cafe next to the Knightbus. Butterbeer is basically a sweet cream soda for those that haven’t had the pleasure yet.

Leicester Square: One of the popular spots in London is Leicester Square (https://www.leicestersquare.london/), pronounced “Lice-ter”). Surrounding the park at Leicester Square stand (or sits) a number of statues of famous story or movie characters.

Victoria Embankment Gardens: Along the Thames are some beautiful gardens. There’s a wonderful fish-and-chips place there, too, along with an historical structure from when the embankment was further inland from where it is now. The weather was so beautiful that day that I spent about 3 hours walking along the Thames.

Out and About London: London is filled with sights, museums, and restaurants throughout the city. I spent a few days just walking around the city to explore its many delights.

View of the London Eye from across the Thames river

Brighton: Having a free evening, I took the train to the English coast and visited the town of Brighton. Being close to London, the seaside town is featured in number of British stories. It has a large pier and is quite a large town these days. I took a few hours to enjoy the sea air and walk around.

The trip to London was a lot fun with revisiting old haunts and exploring new places. By train, London is only about two-and-a-half hours away. It was a nice get away. Even if you visit me in Paris or London, we can get away to the other city in little time. Many other towns in Europe are only a short airplane or train ride away.

Until we meet in Paris (or London, or Munich, or Barcelona)…

Mid-Spring in Paris (and Tea-Time, too)

It’s now the end of March in Paris, France. The flowers have been blooming for a number of weeks, while the leaves on the trees have just started to fill-in. There are still a number of trees that are bare and will take the rest of the spring before everything is green. The birds are singing, the kids are playing on the grass, the lovers are making out on blankets in the parks (so French!).

I am still excited to be living in Paris. Spring in Paris brings me a feeling of new life and joy. I continue to have to pinch myself that I am actually living in Paris. This past week, the sun has been shining and the temperatures have been in the mid to upper 60s Fahrenheit. The entire Spring won’t be this beautiful, but we’ll take it when it happens.

As the Spring has progressed here in Paris, I have been taking photos to capture the progression throughout multiple blog posts. I hope that you enjoy these snippets of springtime in Paris.

Post-COVID at Disneyland Paris: Now that France has lifted just about all of the COVID restrictions, life in the city and at Disneyland is beginning to return to normal. Here’s a picture of the line at Phantom Manor. Up until recently, there were plastic barriers between the lines to reduce the spread of COVID while in line. Now the plastic barriers are gone. I did not realize how claustrophobic the lines felt with tall plastic barriers everywhere. The lines now feel much more open. It’s wonderful to see everybody’s faces again. It’s been a long time since people out in public were as sociable as before COVID.

Post-COVID lines at Disneyland Paris – No COVID Barriers anymore or masks. So much more space and friendly faces.

Tea in Paris: One of the joys in Paris is to go to a Tea Salon. My favorite is Mariage Frères (http://www.mariagefreres.com/). They serve hundred of teas with cakes, sandwiches, and just about anything else that goes well with tea. Below is an empty tea pot, tea cup, and plate. This is always the case when I go there. The tea is lovely and the desserts are delicious. When in Paris, I highly recommend taking tea one afternoon (or two or three) at Mariage Frères.

Afternoon Tea at Mariage Frères Tea Salon

As spring continues to unfold in Paris, I will be posting additional stories and albums to help you enjoy the season. I hope to see you in Paris soon to take some tea or spend an evening at a cafe.

Until we meet in Paris…

Louis Vuitton Foundation and American Groceries in Paris

This past week, I had the opportunity to visit two very cool places: a beautiful museum and a place to buy American groceries.

Louis Vuitton Foundation: The museum was the Louis Vuitton Foundation (https://www.fondationlouisvuitton.fr/). It is a gorgeous building of sweeping wings in all directions up and out. The building is quite massive with the galleries inside of all different shapes and sizes. Through 3 April 2022, the Foundation is hosting a collection of French and Russian painting and sculptures originally owned by the brothers Mikhaïl and Ivan Morozov called, The Morozov Collection. Icons of Modern Art (https://www.fondationlouisvuitton.fr/en/events/icones-de-lart-moderne-la-collection-morozov). The collection includes impressionists, post-impressionists, cubists, and a number of other painters from the late 1800s and early 1900s. Many of the galleries are in rooms as big as some cathedrals I’ve visited. The building exterior is well worth a trip even if you don’t go inside. But the collection was breathtaking in its variety and quantity. The exhibition is open until 11pm on Fridays and on 8pm on other days of the week for an entrance fee of only 14 euros. Well worth the visit!

In Good We Trust American Grocery Store: Near Forum Les Halles, there is a small boutique that sells American groceries. They specialize on items that are hard to find in the usual grocery stores in Paris. I was able to find orange-vanilla Coke, pop tarts, grape jelly, and honey mustard that I particularly like. Their shelves are lined with American sweets, snacks, alcohol, and a lot of baking ingredients. I am so happy I found this place. For when I need some of those specific snacks, I now know where to go.

NOLA French Connection Band: While walking to a store, I came across a live band outdoor called the NOLA French Connection (https://www.facebook.com/nolafrenchconnection). The band was playing up a storm on the sidewalk to a lively crowd of on-lookers. The band was fun and upbeat with a New Orleans brass feel to them. Check ’em out. The joys of coming upon new and exciting experiences unexpectedly.

Another week of excitement and new experiences here in Paris. They never seem to end.

Until we meet in Paris…

Having my US Degrees Recognized in France

The French are all about degrees, certifications, and experience. Much like the US, the resume is crucial to giving a perspective employer confidence that you will be successful in a job. Being in the European Union (EU), there is a specific process to having your degrees recognized by the EU so that they have the same weight here. I don’t necessarily need my degrees to be a swing dance instructor in Paris. However, when I do branch out into other exploits here, having my degrees recognized by the French government will be critical.

The group that recognizes foreign diplomas is the ENIC-NARIC (European Network of National Information Centres – National Academic Recognition Information Centres). While managed by each member country of the EU, the EU maintains the standards each country follows in recognizing foreign degrees. The recognition process (https://www.france-education-international.fr/hub/reconnaissance-de-diplomes) is in two stages: filing the request (20€) and the examination of the file (50€). In the first stage, they check to see if the diploma recognition would even be possible. In the second stage, they process the recognition and send the Attestation de Comparabilité which shows how the diploma is recognized in the EU (shown below).

I submitted my three diplomas (a Bachelor’s Degree and two Masters) for recognition on January 20, 2022 and received my Attestations on March 2, 2022. It took about six weeks which is about what I was told to expect. Now that my diplomas are recognized, when I do want to look for a job, my resume will have reputable degrees.

The process for each diploma was fairly straightforward except for the somewhat complicated process of sending multiple emails for each diploma. In hindsight, I should have processed one diploma at a time so that I didn’t get confused. Each diploma request is given a different case number, so that’s how I kept them straight.

Now that my degrees are recognized by France and the EU, that’s another major integration step complete living in Paris. It is getting closer to the time when I request a VISA renewal (starts in May 2022). Every step I take to integrate into French culture gives evidence that I am serious about living in France long-term. The more evidence of my integration, the more likely my visa will be renewed.

Until we meet in Paris…

Yves Saint Laurent at Musée D’Orsay

My niece, Alyssa, visited me in Paris this past week. We had a wonderful week exploring the city including Musée Louvre, Musée D’Orsay, Champs-Elysées, Notre Dame, and Disneyland Paris. Musée D’Orsay (https://www.musee-orsay.fr) contains a large collection of Impressionist painters and sculptures that both Alyssa and I enjoy. In addition, there was an exhibit of Yves Saint Laurent (YSL) clothes and sketches.

YSL was a prolific clothes designer throughout the 20th century with a large influence on international fashion (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yves_Saint_Laurent_(designer)). At the Musée D’Orsay, they displayed a number of his formal dresses and suits in front of the famous clock.

In addition to evening dresses and attire, Musée D’Orsay exhibited a number of YSL sketches. He was a prolific sketcher and often used these sketches as his primary design tool. YSL heaving influenced the fashion world with his unique interpretation of the female form and the clothes that would accentuate her femininity in new ways.

There is so much to explore throughout the city whether in established museums or in less known corners. Paris continues to present new sights and sounds all along the way.

Until we meet in Paris…

Early Spring in Paris

I love Paris in the spring time…
“I Love Paris” by Cole Porter

I explore the “City of Light” traveling well-worn paths along the Seine river to the Hôtel de Ville. I do not expect anything out of the ordinary today which, while not necessary a mistake, certainly came close to my missing a wonderful little touch of early Spring. Next to the Hôtel de Ville is a gate I don’t remember seeing before. And lo and behold, the gate is open, welcoming me into its secrets. With mild trepidation I transverse the gate into the wonders beyond…

Late February in Paris is actually more like early Spring. It’s now usually in the 50s Fahrenheit for the highs. Lows are only in the 40s now. This weekend I spent some time walking Paris to explore the early flowers blooming. It sprinkles a little most days with overcast skies. But, I’m still in Paris!

I visited two places to explore the early flora: Jardin des Combattants-de-la-Nueve and Musée Rodin. Jardin des Combattants-de-la-Nueve is located adjacent to the Hôtel de Ville in central Paris (https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jardin_des_Combattants-de-la-Nueve). The garden is filled with trees and flowering plants. There are cages for rabbits and chickens for during the warmer months. The garden is tucked away behind a gate that wasn’t obvious to me. That is the thing with Paris. You need to turn left instead of right; maybe go straight instead of turn; and almost always if you see an open gate, go through it. That was the case with this garden. I have passed the Hotel de Ville many times and had not seen the garden. But an open gate beckoned and as Robert Frost said, “that made all the difference.” In this garden I found many early spring flowers. The pictures below do not do them justice but give you a glimpse into the beautiful colors of yellow, cream, blue, red, and purple.

Jardin des Combattants-de-la-Nueve and the Hôtel de Ville

The “Bailey’s” were in Paris: One of the statues on the walls of the Hôtel de Ville of Paris is of Monsieur Jean Sylvain Bailly (1726-1793: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Sylvain_Bailly). He was French astronomer, mathematician, and political leader of the early part of the French Revolution. He served as the mayor of Paris from 1789 to 1791, but ended his time on earth by being guillotined during the Reign of Terror. Even though we may not be related by blood, I still enjoy seeing my family’s name in and around Paris, even with the French spelling.

Statue of Jean Sylvain Bailly at the Hôtel de Ville

Musée Rodin: I often visit Musée Rodin about once or twice a month (https://musee-rodin.fr). The “Thinker” sculpture is located there. I adore the vast gardens that surround the manor house. At this location, the early spring flowers were blooming as well.

I look forward to exploring Paris as the seasons change to see the differences in flora types and colors throughout Spring, Summer, and Fall. Paris is constantly changing in my eyes as the sights, sounds, and colors morph over time.

Until we meet in Paris…

"I Love Paris" by Cole Porter

Every time I look down on this timeless town,
Whether blue or gray be her skies,
Whether loud be her cheers,
Or whether soft be her tears,
More and more do I realize that...

I love Paris in the spring time,
I love Paris in the fall,
I love Paris in the winter when it drizzles,
I love Paris in the summer when it sizzles,

I love Paris every moment
Every moment of the year
I love Paris, why oh why do I love Paris
Because my love is near.

Visit to the Cemetery, Père Lachaise, and I’m now Teaching with SwingCotton.com

There is a hauntingly beautiful cemetery in Paris called Père Lachaise (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C3%A8re_Lachaise_Cemetery), (https://pere-lachaise.com). It covers about 110 acres and is the largest cemetery in Paris. Père Lachaise is located in the 20th arrondissement in the northeast of Paris. Even though it’s quite large, the cemetery is surrounded by city apartment buildings. Walking through the cemetery is quite surreal. I find it quite calm even though filled with graves, sepulchers, and mausoleums. Many of the rich and famous are buried here. At the entrance there is a sign with a list of famous names and where they’re buried in the cemetery.

One of my favorite French singers, Édith Piaf, is interned there (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Édith_Piaf). She was a famous French singer from the mid-1900s who sang many recognized songs like La Vie en Rose and La Mer.

Édith Piaf singing La Vie en Rose (Life Through Rose-Colored Glasses)

Throughout the cemetery the variety of grave sites are astounding. They range from the simple and understated to huge mausoleums. Napoleon founded Père Lachaise to be open to all Parisians regardless of ethnicity, social stratus, or religion. Since the cemetery is so large, there are many hills throughout with a lot of hiking to get around. It has a park-like feel with large trees and benches lining most of the paths. I highly recommend a visit.

After spending a beautiful afternoon in the cemetery, I jaunted over to Café Merlin for dinner, 151 Rue de la Roquette, 75011 Paris, France. I ate their Merlin pizza (a white cheese pizza) and enjoyed their sugar crepes for dessert. They café menu has many dishes named after characters from Camelot. It’s quite fun and tasty. Overall, a fine afternoon of sun and mild temperatures (low-50s °F).

This weekend I also started teaching with Swing Cotton (http://swingcotton.com). I recommend you check out their website for classes in Paris with me as one of the instructors! I’m teaching introductory swing dance classes where you need no experience in dancing to get started.

My life in Paris continues to be filled with adventure and new experiences. Continue to follow me for more exciting episodes.

Until we dance in Paris…

Medical and Dental Adventures in Paris

One of the most important services to set-up in a new place is medical and dental. My experience with medical and dental in Paris, France, has been fairly straightforward. Most of the medical system is part of the socialized medicine they have here in France. They are very proud of it and call it the best medical system in the world. My experience so far is that it is certainly acceptable and generally available. Since it’s socialized medicine, the out-of-pocket expenses, even for foreigners like me, are not that bad. So far, my out-of-pocket expenses range from 20 € to 100 € ($25 to $115) per visit including specialists. Since I used military medicine in the US, the out-of-pocket expenses here are quite similar for me. When I start paying social security taxes here in France and receive my medical card (the Carte Vitale), my out-of-pocket expenses supposedly go down even further.

My first experience was within a few weeks of arriving in Paris. My eye doctors in the US referred me to an eye specialist here in Paris. The doctor here is a colleague of my doctors in the US and even worked in Bethesda, Maryland, for many years in the past. They were very nice and thankfully spoke English which made the visit go very well. The eye specialist was good enough to refer me to an internal medicine doctor in the same hospital and even set-up the appointment for me.

Doctolib is the centralized appoint system for all things medical and dental in France

The most amazing aspect of French medicine is the central reservation system for almost every type of medical or dental service called Doctolib (https://www.doctolib.fr). It’s a great website and phone app where you can set-up and change medical and dental appointments as well as keep your medical documents to send for each perspective appointment. I find it easy to use and a rather fascinating app. The app seems to have any type of medical or dental practice I can think of. Often appointments are not available for a number of weeks, but it’s very convenient.

So far, I have visited an eye specialist, an internal medical doctor, a general practitioner, and a dentist. Interestingly, many of the words for medical conditions and medicine are very similar between English and French which has helped a lot with figuring out how to communicate. In Doctolib, you can select which languages you want and the app will filter to those practitioners. There are many who speak English in Paris, so I have had little trouble communicating.

The practitioners I have met so far have been friendly and helpful. It has a very similar feel to the military medical system in the US, so it seems familiar to me. I especially like the Doctolib app to organize appointments and medical documents.

Also, the doctors here are not stingy with prescriptions. They converted all my US prescriptions to the European equivalents and gave me new prescriptions for everything. Most medicines are the same as in America or something close for the same medical effect. Since I am not in the French medical system, yet, I have to pay a little more for prescriptions, but only about 15 to 20 euros ($20 to $25) per prescription. These prices apparently will go down as well once I’m registered in the medical system.

Given my experiences, I am looking forward to participating in the French medical system. It looks like it will meet my needs with reasonable out-of-pocket expenses for my budget. This is certainly an attractive aspect of the French society.

Until we meet at the doctor’s office in Paris…

Coming to you from a proper internet connection

The thing about quotes on the internet is you cannot confirm their validity.
Abraham Lincoln

Here’s the story of how I solved an elusive dilemma in Paris – apartment internet service. My apartment is already wired for fiber optic internet service. Easy enough. Then it should have been straightforward to order internet service. In Paris, there are a number of internet service providers, Orange, Free, and Bouygues, to name a few. Since there is a lot of competition, the various companies are almost always running some form of discount or promotion for a year of internet service. The rates go back up after 12 months, but it is customary to switch to a new service provider every 12 months to keep the lower prices. Internet service in Paris is very similar to other countries in which you can select the download speed, whether to include cable channels, and other accessories like a TV.

Like what I was told to do, I chose one of the service providers and scheduled them to install the internet. My first attempt was in November 2021 right after moving into my apartment. The technician arrived and verified that the fiber optic line was indeed active. I connected all the boxes per the instructions. Alas, there was no internet. After a month of multiple technician house calls and calls into the company, there was still no internet connection.

Thankfully, my downstairs neighbor had an unsecured WiFi service, so I was able to connect to the internet using a secure virtual private network (NordVPN, https://nordvpn.com). However, the speed was slow and the WiFi only was accessible in half my living room and the kitchen. The rest of the apartment had no WiFi service.

During this month, I did keep contacting the company including asking my friends to speak in French to try to understand why my internet was not working. After a month, the company acknowledged that the prior tenant still had an active contract for internet service with another company. My company was waiting unsuccessfully for the prior service provider to relinquish the line so that my internet could be set-up.

Needless to say, I decided to cancel the service and return the internet boxes. The company was clear and quick to explain how to do this. I had to send a registered letter via La Poste, and ship the boxes back to the company. The company provided the letter and the shipping label. My costs to cancel the service were the registered letter cost (about 7 euros) and the cancellation cost (about 40 euros). I decided not to challenge the cancellation cost since I’ve only heard stories of how nigh impossible it was to be reimbursed for the cancellation cost.

After another month of using the slower speed unsecured WiFi, I decided to try again with another company. I went with Bouygues (https://www.bouyguestelecom.fr/) who also provides my cellular phone service. I have been very happy with Bouygues cellphone service since it’s inexpensive (about 9 euros a month) and works well all over the city. Bouygues had a special promotion, and I scheduled for this morning to install the internet. The boxes came about a week or so ago. The technician arrived in his time slot, hooked up the internet in about 30 minutes, and verified everything was working before he left. My guess is he had to switch my line over to Bouygue’s line into the building.

So, now I have secure, fast internet service throughout my apartment. Download speeds are around 70 Mbps which is plenty fast for what I do (video streaming). I no longer have to use the workarounds from the past two months. I still use NordVPN to give my computer and cellphone an extra layer of protection from prying eyes.

I hope you learn from my experience so that you won’t repeat the mistakes I made including how to ask the right questions to make sure your service company will be successful or not. I am very happy now without all the workarounds. I now have my computer on a computer desk (rather than on the coffee table in the living room) and WiFi throughout my apartment. This was another exercise in patience, endurance, and bringing in my French friends to chug through the French service bureaucracy.

Until we meet in Paris…

Mickey and Friends at Disneyland Paris

I only hope that we don’t lose sight of one thing – that it was all started by a mouse.
Walt Disney

I bought an annual pass for Disneyland Paris being the major Disney fanatic that I am (https://www.disneylandparis.com/en-us/annual-passes). When I lived in Los Angeles, I visited Disneyland in Anaheim twice a month. Continuing the tradition here in Paris, this past weekend I spent a half-day at Disneyland Paris. Usually, I ride Ratatouille, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Phantom Manor (their version of the Haunted Mansion).

This weekend, I had the pleasure of spotting a few of the Disney characters. Even though I may be an adult, seeing Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Winnie the Poo, and their friends always brings a smile to my face. You may not be able to tell from the photos below, but I have a big smile in every one!

I love just to walk throughout the park, hearing the songs and seeing the sights. In fact, when I was about to retire from the military back in 2014, I applied to work at Walt Disney Engineering. While I unfortunately did not get hired, I did get a nice shirt from the employee store that I still occasionally wear while swing dancing.

Having the Magic Plus annual pass, I am able to visit Disneyland 350 days of the year. They allow me to reserve up to three days in the future. I often schedule my visits with reservations at one of the restaurants. I have eaten at the Silver Spur Steakhouse, Restaurant Agrabah Café, and Captain Jack’s – Restaurant des Pirates. All of which I highly recommend. At the Silver Spur, it’s like eating at a Western Saloon and restaurant with traditional American West food. At Agrabah Café, there is a buffet filled with Mediterranean and Arabian delights. At Captain Jacks, they feature Caribbean islands fare with tropical drinks. In addition, Captain Jacks tables are in view of the beginning of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride where you can watch the boats slowly pass by.

In addition to my usual “haunts” (pun intended), this time I rode on the Molly Brown, the big riverboat. What an exciting time traveling along the big river seeing the Thunder Mountain Railroad, geysers, and more to the sounds and music of the wild west.

I always have so much fun out there. Since I live in the 8th arrondissement, the “A” train takes me from the Charles De Gaulle-Etoile station to the Disneyland station in about an hour. So convenient!

Whenever you are visiting me, you, too, can accompany me to Disneyland for only 45 euros a person for both parks. What a deal! I’ll show you around my stomping grounds at the parks.

Returning at the end of the month, I get to eat at the Bistrot Chez Rémy which is based on the movie, Ratatouille. I’m so excited! Being about to go to a Disneyland is one of the many reasons I love Paris.

Until we meet in Paris…