I miss you, CVS

With the exception of the over-priced department store monopoly of El Corte Inglés, there is no such thing as one-stop-shopping in Madrid. Here is a sample list of items that are all typically sold in my local CVS in the states, with the current, Madrid purchasing location in parentheses:

Pain Reliever/cough syrup/cold medicine (Farmacia)

Vitamins (Herbolaria)

Stockings/tights/pantyhose/knee-highs (special socks/stockings store or Chino)

Shampoo/conditioner/shower gel (supermarket)

Perfume (perfumaria)

Cosmetics (perfumaria)

Soda/bottled water/snacks (Chino or Alimentacion/Frutos Secos store)

Pet food (if I had a pet here, at a veterinarian or tienda de mascotas)

Sewing kit (Chino)

Headphones (I don't know where I would buy these, actually)

Laundry detergent/bags/starch, etc. (supermarket or a Chino)

Hair Dryer/Flat Iron/Curling Iron (Electronics Superstore in malls on the outskirts of the city)

Mints/Gum/Candy (Chino/Alimentacion/Frutos Secos store)

Thoughtful additions by D. Cliffe:

Newspapers (libreria/newsstand)

Stationery and envelopes (papeleria)

Here's a definition key for some of the stores on the list:

Chino -- Decidedly not a politically correct term, but is used all the time by Spaniards and non-Spaniards alike to describe these inexpensive dollar stores all over the city. They are usually run by Asian people, thus the name. You can get virtually ANYTHING you want in a Chino, though some are better than others, and it can be extremely difficult to find anything in these stores because they are packed floor-to-ceiling with various wares and each one is different than the next. There is zero predictablity about what you may find in a Chino, but they are so cheap it's worth taking a look.

Alimentacion/Frutos Secos store -- Similar to a small, independent convenience store in the states. They sell soda and snacks mainly, and perhaps some basic house staple items.

Farmacia - Pharmacy

Herbolaria - Vitamin and health food store

Perfumaria - place to buy perfume and, perhaps, cosmetics

Tienda de mascotas - pet store

As with many stores in Madrid, some of these various tiendas close in the middle of the day when you need them most, with the exception, perhaps for the Alimentacion/Frutos Secos stores. The subject of hours at these stores, and those of the school where I work come to think of it, is a completely different topic that warrants it's own posting.

I Love Paris in the...

I had the good fortune to have a long weekend and travel to Paris to visit a friend studying abroad for the semester at the city university. A quick shout out to Megan: You're a great guide...Thanks for showing me around and being my translator! I'll return the favor any time!

Truly, Paris is a gorgeous city -- even the apartment buildings are works of art! Though it was raining virtually all weekend, I still managed to see a lot of new and different things.

Time is a-ticking, so here is a tour of my recent trip to Paris:

View from the Georges Pompidou Centre. It was so cloudy that the Eiffel Tower (center stage in the picture) was obscured by clouds. I would have a hard time choosing between this modern art museum and the Reina Sofia Museum here in Madrid, but I digress...

Title: Sister, 2005 - Artist: Subodh Gupta

One of my favorites from the Pompidou: it was a large table with a movie projected onto it of an Indian food market. Under the table were stacks and stacks of metal plates, bowls and cups. A statement about world hunger? about Indian society? I don't know, but I liked it!

And above, was another favorite: Jean-Michel Basquiat's Slave Auction (1982).

View from Place de la Concorde with an unobscured Eiffel Tower in the background. From here, we strolled up the Champs Elysee to the Arc du Triomphe, but not before we stopped for refreshments at the world-famous tea house, Ladurée.

I felt so refined eating my mango macaroon and Marie Antoinette tea, which is a "Délicieux thés noirs de Chine mêlés d’huiles essentielles au subtil arôme d’agrumes et de fleurs de rose et de jasmin, parsemés de morceaux de fruits séchés et agrémentés de miel"

Also known as:

"Delicious China teas mixed with essential oils of subtle citrus fruit, rose and jasmine flowers flavour, scattered with small pieces of dried fruits and honey".

Intrigued by talk of a nightclub underneath one of the major bridges on the Pont Alexandre III, we ended up at the techno/house music club, Showcase, much later that night. You could look outside the windows of the club onto the River Seine. One techno band, one DJ and one glass of absinthe later, we left. But what a location...and, WOW, do Europeans love techno!

The next day, I went to on a good, old-fashioned trip to ponder my mortality at the Catacombs of Paris, a former quarry site, WW II French resistance hiding place, and current resting place for hundreds of years worth of Parisian bones.

(Picture taken on my last trip in July, 2006)

Then, for the "pièce de résistance" we took a trip over to the Marais, the Jewish quarter of Paris, to one of my favorite places in all the world (so far ;-): L'As du Falafel for, what else, a falafel special sandwich. See that guy in the middle of the photo? He's the one who takes your order and money and gives you a ticket at which you will stare at the whole time in the impossibly long line, wishing for it to magically turn into the falafel sandwich that awaits you: a fresh, thick, soft pita stuffed to the gills with crisp, hot falafel balls, cabbage salad, cucumber, fried eggplant, hummus and hot sauce. Only when you get to the official order window is there relief from your longing. Instead, you are momentarily entranced by the expert staff staff furiously whipping together your sandwich. Ahhh...it is so worth the wait! And 5-Euros is a small price to pay.

My last stop of the trip before heading to the airport was to visit the cathedral Saint Chappelle. It was closed on my last trip, so I made it a point to visit this time. A happy coincidence is that it is right around the corner from the cathedral Notre Dame de Paris, so it is a eye-popping two-fer if you are in the area.

Saint Chappelle was once part of a large royal palace of Louis IX, but is now one of the only buildings left of the original palace. I learned about it way back when in an art history class and it has been on my must-see list ever since. It is said that there is more stained glass than than stone in this small, intense bite of High-Gothic architectural candy.

Here are some odds and ends from the trip:

Not-so-subtle street renaming in the 14th...

and, there were tons of posters for this movie, which I don't remember being released in The States. Movies with stars like Leonardo Di Caprio and Russel Crowe are usually a big deal. Vertict: it must have REALLY sucked. I'm starting to see the ads in Madrid, too. The title in English seems to be something like State Secrets or State Lies. Has anyone seen this cinematic jewel? Didn't think so.