A survival guide to life at Residence de lÕOrmaille Practical matters: Furnishings: They provide virtually everything you need, including an espresso pot, a Melitta filter holder, and a coffee bean grinder. Everybody is supposed to have essentially the same things, so if you find that somebody has something you donÕt, go ask the gardien or the cleaning women (les femmes de menage). They have a storage room in the basement of the studio building with lots of supplies. If you donÕt get satisfaction from them, ask Mme Rouault at IHES. The beds are really crummy. Try to get a bed board to place under the mattress. Laundry: This is a little tricky and takes getting used to. A French washing machine heats its own water and washes more slowly than an American one. A wash cycle lasts at least one hour and as long as two or three. On top of that, the machine holds very little. So you need to do laundry almost continuously. The most important thing to watch out for is the temperature setting. Remember that itÕs in Centigrade. In particular, you should ignore the suggested settings and wash colors at no higher than 40 degrees and whites at no higher than 60 degrees. At those settings, youÕll get the cleanest clothes and the whitest whites youÕve ever seen. If you wash colors at higher than 40 degrees, all the dyes will run. Never put anything white in a load containing any colors at all. Watch out for stray black socks hidden in the white laundry! Most French laundry detergents have a fairly strong perfume. If you prefer less odor, try "Le Chat". You will probably not have a dryer in the pavillon. There is a single industrial strength dryer in the basement of the studio building that is shared by everybody and even by some locals who have discovered it. This works very well, but is in constant use. The traditional means of drying is by hanging on either clotheslines in the backyard or on a rack that is provided. Hot water: The hot water heaters are very aggravating. There is no tank with stored hot water. It is heated on the spot. Unfortunately, the heater is somehow tied to the rate of water flow in such a way that itÕs impossible to getting anything other than scalding hot water or cold water. First, you can use one of the knobs on the heater to lower the overall temperature. Second, you can try running the hot water in the bidet while taking a shower; this might keep the heater on. Third, complain like hell to the staff at IHES. They did install a real water heater in at least one pavillon last year. Store hours: There is no consistent rule or pattern to when stores are open, so you need to keep track of each store that you use individually. The overall theme is that stores like to close on Sundays and Mondays. However, since bread is so important, local bakeries tend to coordinate their days of rest, ensuring that one local bakery is open every day. The more difficult aspect is keeping track of the opening hours during the day. Most stores close for some period of time in the early afternoon. Again, there is no consistent pattern, so you just have to keep track of each storeÕs idiosyncrasies. French bank account: I would recommend opening a bank account. This makes life very convenient, because you can deposit American checks directly into the account. Also, French personal checks can be used everywhere, including grocery stores and restaurants. ThatÕs because bouncing a check in France is a much more serious offense than in the U.S. For an additional fee of about $10/year, you can get a "Carte Bleue", which looks just like a Visa card, but is really a debit card. You can use it just like a credit card, but it draws the money directly from your bank account. It is also accepted in virtually every store and restaurant. Also, it can be used as an ATM card. If you use checks, make sure you get lessons on how to fill out a check properly. French bank and sales clerks can be very picky. In many stores, however, life is very easy. You simply tear out a blank check and hand it to the cashier. The cash register will fill out the check for you and all you have to do is sign the check. Just watch what the French do at ATAC. There is a BNP (Banque Nationale de Paris) branch in Bures. I would suggest avoiding it. It provides very bad service. A better choice would be the Credit Lyonnais in Orsay. Whenever we deposited an American check into our BNP account, it would take about a month to clear and they would charge ridiculous fees for the transaction, whereas when our friend deposited our check into his Credit Lyonnais account, it would clear in about a week or two and with a nominal fee. ATM machines: It is now easy to get French money directly out of your American bank account. Credit Mutuel installed an ATM in BuresÐsurÐYvette that is connected to the CIRRUS network and can handle American ATM cards. In Paris, there are Credit Mutuel ATM's near Gare Montparnasse and Gare du Nord. Most other French ATM's, like the BNP and Credit Lyonnais, can handle only 4Ðdigit PIN's. What you might want to do is, before you leave, you can ask your bank for a 4 digit PIN, if you don't already have one. RER and metro: NEVER MISS THE LAST TRAIN TO BURES-SUR-YVETTE. There are schedules posted in every station and itÕs good to buy the schedules (see below). When returning to Bures from Paris, be careful. The train line, RER ligne B, splits after the station Bourg-la-Reine. You have to look at the big signs above the platform to make sure that the train will stop at Bures. You just have to verify that the train is going to Saint-Remy-Les-Chevreuses and NOT Robinson. If you plan to go into Paris often, the most convenient but not necessarily the most economical is to buy a monthly ticket (Carte Orange). This allows you to use any RER train, subway, and bus in the Paris region. This, for example, includes trains to Versailles, the airports, etc. Buses in Paris can be very convenient. If on a given week you know you will got into Paris at least three times, itÕs worth buying a carte hebdomadaire, which is a ticket that allows you to make one round trip into Paris per day for six out of the next seven days. For travel inside Paris itself, always buy a carnet, which consists of 10 metro/bus tickets at about half the regular price. Always ÒpunchÓ your ticket at the train station in Bures. If you show an unpunched ticket to a ÒcontrollerÓ on the train, he may fine you. There is also a guide for train times that is sold in many of the tabacs in the RER stations. I know that the tabac outside Cite Universitare sells them. The tabac right outside the Luxembourg station also sells it. If not, check at tabacs inside the Chatelet-les-Halles station. It is called les Horaires de RER. This is really helpful to buy because you will be able to time your trips to Paris and not miss the last train back. If you miss the last train the only way back is a cab (very expensive and itÕs almost impossible to convince a cab driver to take you out so far) or a very, very, very long walk home. Public telephones: Almost all public telephones do not take coins and use a telephone card instead. You can buy these at any tabac. They come in different "sizes", including 40 francs and 100 francs. You should always have one on you. You never know when youÕll need it. Public restooms: Paris has lots of toilet kiosks that cost 2 francs to use. Even better is that you can walk into any cafe and use theirs. ItÕs usually in the sousÐsol (basement). Fast food places like MacDonaldÕs are also good places to try. Food: In general the quality of food in France is much better. Everything is usually much fresher than what you can get in the U.S. The vegetables and fruit are also much riper and donÕt last very long after you buy them. Beef is very lean and not very tender. We usually make stews and soups with beef. If you try roasts or steaks, buy expensive cuts and cook it very rare. The French usually eat beef, including hamburgers, almost raw. Chicken is very tasty in France; it has much more flavor than American poultry. But itÕs also much more expensive. Even the cheap chickens are good, but you should definitely try roasting a poulet fermier (free range chicken) and a pintade (IÕm not sure what it is, but itÕs like a grouse or something). The meat is a little tougher and gamier than in the U.S., but itÕs very good. It also makes very good soup. Both lamb and pork are very good as well. Rice in France is really crummy. The pasta is much better. Check out the frozen food section. They have interesting stuff. The cheapest prices for fresh meat and produce can be found in Chinatown, but itÕs a pain getting there by public transportation. The prices here are actually comparable to the U.S. If you want to check it out, here's how to get there: Take the RER to Cite Universitaire. Exit the station, cross the street, and take the PC bus to Porte d'Ivry. At Porte d'Ivry, get off the bus and walk up Avenue d'Ivry (north). In Chinatown there are three major supermarkets, and at least one is open every day. I like Paris Supermarket, but the other two, which are called Tang Freres, are also very popular. All three are on Avenue d'Ivry, close to each other. Just follow the crowds. Cheese: TryReblochon. Yogurt: Whether you like yogurt in the U.S. or not, you should definitely try the yogurt in Europe. Even plain, unsweetened yogurt is really tasty. Milk: Use demiÐecreme, the lait entier (whole milk) is pretty rich stuff. Like everything else, the fresh milk does not last as long as American milk. You can also buy UHT milk, which has been treated so that it does not have to be refrigerated until it is opened. ItÕs good to keep some around, in case you run out of the fresh milk and all the stores are closed. Wine: You shouldnÕt need to spend more than 20 francs to get a drinkable bottle of wine, and anything more than 40 francs should be very good. Good inexpensive bets are Beaujolais and Cote de Rhone wines. For a slightly better class of wine, try Gigondas (Cote de Rhone), which usually runs about 40 francs. A Santenay, which usually runs between 60 and 100 francs, is a good but reasonably priced Burgundy. Alsatian white wines are usually cheap and good. Other forms of alcohol: The most popular aperitif is kir, which consists of a little bit of cassis with white wine. Also good is Ricard, which is an anisette liqueur. Beer is not too expensive and good. Cheap food in Paris: For lunch the easiest thing to do is to buy sandwiches at bakeries, charcuteries, cafes, etc. For dinner we have three suggestions. One is couscous. You order the couscous with meat (merguez, a spicy lamb sausage; brochettes, lamb kebabs; poulet, chicken; mouton, sheep; mechoui, grilled lamb). It comes with chickpeas and a vegetable stew. One order of couscous, which costs between 40 and 70 francs can often feed two. ThereÕs a good one on the street where Mitterand lives. This is easy to find. Just walk east along the street that runs along the Left Bank of the Seine away from Boulevard Saint Michel (thereÕs an RER stop there). This is where the bookstore Shakespeare and Company is. At some point youÕll see a small road blocked off and at least two armed policemen standing guard. ThatÕs the street. If you walk past the guards and down the street, youÕll see a couscous restaurant on the left. The second one we learned from Dennis and Sabrina Sullivan. ItÕs a Vietnamese noodle soup called pho. It comes with various forms of beef and vegetables. On the side you get a dish full of fresh herbs, like basil and mint. You tear up the herbs and put them into the soup. ItÕs delicious and costs less than 40 francs. The best places to try this are in the Paris Chinatown in the 13th arrondisement. The last suggestion is crepes. There is a small street near Montparnasse that has plenty of crepes restaurants. TheyÕre cheap and very good. Good ice cream: ItÕs hard to find really good ice cream outside good restaurants who make their own. You can now buy Haagen-Dazs ice cream, but itÕll cost you. You should also definitely find the Berthillon ice cream store on Ile St. Louis; this is great ice cream. Peanut butter and maple syup: IÕve been told that peanut butter exists at Carrefour (see below), but if you need the stuff, you should bring one large plastic jar. Maple syrup is also hard to find. Shopping: ATAC: This is the largest grocery story nearby. It is reasonably well stocked with almost everything you might need. I would go there for most thing because itÕs cheaper there. To get there, you walk out the bottom entrance of LÕOrmaille (past the gardienÕs home), turn left and walk straight. Continue straight across the first intersection. The road becomes very narrow. At the next intersection, turn left and walk uphill. The road curves around. ATAC is at the next intersection. ATAC is open all day Tuesday thru Saturday, Sunday morning, and Monday afternoon. Along the ÒMain StreetÓ of Bures (outside the upper entrance of LÕOrmaille): Boulangerie (bakery): ItÕs next to post office. The bread is not very good. What we like best is le petit pain au levain. If you really want good bread, I would go to the bakery in Gif-sur-Yvette. Their breads are really great and their desserts out of this world. ItÕs about a 20 minute walk via the bassin (see below). What we did last year was to buy several baguettes from a good bakery (like the one in Gif) every two weeks and froze them. Doing this with good bread was preferable to buying the bread from the bakery in Bures. In Orsay there are three bakeries along the main shopping street. The one that is also a pastry and chocolate shop has very good bread. Epicerie (small grocery): It has all the essentials, except fresh meat (there is frozen meat). The owners are really nice. We can never remember the exact hours, but this store does close in the middle of the day. Charcuterie (prepared foods): next door to the small grocery store. Has great prepared stuff (i.e. hams, pates, salads, etc.) All the stuff is really great. The owners are also very nice. Boucherie (butcher): Across from the tabac. HeÕs a really surly guy, but his meats tend to be fresh. If you donÕt speak any French look up all the words you need to be able to order from him. Meat is a lot cheaper at ATAC and even cheaper at Carrefour. Tabac: It is the only place to buy newspapers. If you want to read the Herald Tribune, I would go their first thing in the morning, because they disappear quickly. IÕm pretty sure you can get same day delivery of the H. T. at LÕOrmaille. Post office: We came to the conclusion that only the surliest and slowest people work in the post office. It's easier just to give your mail to the secretaries at IHES. Pharmacy: The people who run this pharmacy are really nice and helpful. If you explain slowly in French or English, they will listen and try to give you what you need. You should bring some Tylenol, Triaminic and a thermometer with you. But a really good French cough medicine for both adults and children is called Rinutan. Open market: Bures-sur-YvetteÕs two market days are Wednesday and Saturday. In the summer to late fall they have all sorts of really fresh stuff. You should look around to see who has the best prices for the things you want to buy. There are two farmers who I always buy from. The second row up from the bottom of the market (close to the Yvette) there are three ladies who sell only fruits and vegetables. They have by far the freshest stuff. Sometimes they are a bit more expensive, but since their stuff is so much fresher it really worth it. And also, I really liked them. The next row up is another veg. stand. This is run by several youngish men and an older couple. They have the largest collection of veg and fruit. They are reasonably nice, but count your change. (I would always count my change anyway. Especially if you hand someone a 200F note. They often try to give you change for 100F.) There two cheese and milk vendors that I really like. One is located at the last stall at the bottom of the hill. He is a short man with very dark hair. He hasnÕt always been around the last summer we were there, but you might look for him. He is very, very nice. The other milk/cheese vendor is about the middle of the market. There are two pretty close to getter. The one IÕm talking about is the one across from the fish vendor. The fish vendor is somewhat surly until they get to know you. Their fish is always very, very fresh. YouÕll see many people waiting in their line. Carrefour also carries extremely fresh fish and at very low prices. Look for fresh tuna at Carrefour. ¥ This is really important. Look to see which way the line is moving. Sometime they start in the middle and go to towards the end. Other times they start at the end of the line and work towards the middle. People really get annoyed if you get in line from the wrong end. Gif-sur-Yvette also has a market two times a week (Thursday and Sunday). This is a much more stylish and larger market than BuresÕ. ItÕs a lot of fun to roam around. Gif also has the best bakery ever to be found. Their desserts are out of this world. Their breads are incredibly fresh and delicious. We would go there just to get bread. We found that if you buy several loaves,cut them up and put them in a plastic bag, freeze them, and then warm them up in the oven, they were almost as good as the fresh bread. Orsay also has a market (Tuesday and Friday). This is a rather large market where they sell not only food stuff, but also clothes and baskets and other things. I donÕt know this market as well, but you can buy some Asian ingredients there.Also, the bakery in Orsay is really good. There are two, the one with lots of desserts is the better one. There is also a stationary store across from the bakery that carries the Herald Tribune. So between the three towns, there is a market every day except Monday. Carrefour (in Les Ulis): The largest supermarket you will ever see. Everything there is much cheaper than anywhere else. And itÕs all incredibly high quality in comparison to American supermarkets. An incredible selection of fresh produce, meat, fish at the lowest prices outside of the Paris Chinatown. But, itÕs almost impossible to go there without a car, especially since itÕs hard to emerge without a huge load of groceries. There are always people in LÕOrmaille who will have a car. Try to go with them because it is worth it. ItÕs really a hypermarket, so thereÕs a lot more than food. You can buy virtually anything you need there, including electronics, hardware, stationary, clothing, toys etc. And like the food, the quality is pretty good and the prices relatively low. If youÕre feeling ambitious, it is possible to walk there through IHES grounds. ItÕs about a half hour to 45 minute walk uphill. ItÕs also possible to walk all the way there from IHES without having to cross a street. Ask around lÕOrmaille for directions. Toy Store (Gif): There is a really nice toy store in Gif. It is a bit pricey (everything is about 2x more expensive in France than in the US) For toys, I would go to Carrefour. They have a large selection and is much cheaper. Movie Theater: Gif often will play movies in VO (not dubbed) They have a schedule printed up for each month. There is also a good VO theater in Orsay. It is a bit hidden, so I would ask someone whoÕs been living in LÕOrmaille. Most of the theaters in Paris near the 14th, 15th, 1st, and 5th arrondisements show VO films. You should buy a guide called Pariscope or the other one which I canÕt remember. The more expensive guide is better (3F as oppose to 2F). It has the hours for everything in Paris. (Park hours, show times for theater, movies, museums etc) French School: The one in Bures is OK. It only meets twice a week. I think itÕs almost impossible to learn French this way. The school I went to is a really nice one. Not too expensive and the teachers are really, really nice. They are located in the FIAP building. IÕll try and get you that info to you before you leave. Day care: There is an halte-garderie, a babysitting center run by professional child carers. ItÕs located on the road leading up to the train station. The woman who runs the program is a real tight ass, but the child care workers seem nice. The center is government subsidized, so it is very inexpensive. There is also a day care/nursery school on the Orsay campus. Ask Pierre Pansu about this. Toy library: Housed in the cultural center in Bures there is a place that lends out toys. It works like a library, but you leave a deposit that you get back when you return the toy either at the end of the year or before. They are incredibably well stocked and you can rent all year around. Parks in Paris: The best park for kids is in the Jardin de Luxembourg. There is a childrenÕs playground that you pay to get in, but itÕs worth it. It is past the central water fountain, near the tennis courts. Another nice park is Parc Montsouris, located near the Cite Universitaire station and the SullivansÕ apartment. For a weekend outing, we recommend Bois de Vincennes. ItÕs a trek, but also very worthwhile. Le bassin: This is one of a series of large shallow basins in the valley that catches excessive rainfall. It lies between Bures and Gif. Around it is a dirt path that is good for either walks or running. The path also provides a convenient way of walking to Gif. To get there, just walk out the bottom entrance of lÕOrmaille (as for ATAC), turn left and walk straight as long as you can. You will walk across two intersections. After that the small road will end on the bassin. If you walk along the right side of the bassin, the path continues straight beyond the bassin and into the center of Gif. If youÕre in Gif, look for a salon de the (tea salon) in a square in front of a church. ItÕs a very pleasant place to have lunch or dessert. The abandoned railroad tunnel and bombed railroad bridge: This is not recommended for little children. This is a really neat little hike. Ask around IHES for directions. ItÕs close to the institute itself. Good English language bookstores in Paris: Abbey Bookstore: this is on a tiny little street whose name contains "Parchemine" and which is near Boulevard Saint Michel. I think I first heard about this place at Shakespeare's, so maybe you can ask them. Attica Bookstore: either on Saint Germain or Rue des Ecoles or somewhere around there. I think it's near the College de France. It has an English children's bookstore somewhere nearby. Offilib: good math book store. It's near the Luxembourg station. Ask around IHES. Lunch at IHES: Lunch at IHES is the single most important scientific activity thereÑ especially when Sullivan is around, so mathematicians should try to eat there regularly. Non-mathematicians, including spouses and children, are definitely not welcome. The only time IÕve ever seen a non-mathematician eat there was when Deligne brought his family. Just buy Òhalf-mealÓ tickets. Each meal consists of an entree (appetizer), a plat principal (entree), salad or cheese, dessert, and coffee. There are carafes of wine and water at the table. Half a meal normally means half or two-thirds of each course and is plenty of food. If you avoid both the full meals and the wine, you have a chance of not falling asleep in the afternoon. The secretaries at IHES: They are in general extremely competent and helpful. They can help you with travel arrangements to conferences and with shipping things back home.