Yes, that music is quite called for.
I woke up at the crack of dawn to go to the BnF Francois Mitterand when they opened at 9 AM to try to get a seat. The system online said there weren´t any left to reserve, but I thought I´d give it a try. Seriously, the place is like Fort Knox. You enter down a long ramp from the gargantuan (and gorgeous) plaza. You have to go through a metal detector. After that, you have to transfer your things to a clear plastic briefcase and check everything else. Scan your card and enter the escalator room. Go down escalators and scan again. Here I inquired at the desk if there were any places available, and BEHOLD there were! So I scan one more time and get to enter the main corridor of the reading rooms. It´s basically one absolutely gigantic, multi-tiered rectangle connecting all four of the ¨open book¨ buildings of the BnF underground. Seriously, the place is amazing: technologically equip, quiet, new, organized, and automated. (Granted everything had a learning curve for me today) You request all the materials you need online and they are brought out for you. You can track their status online like a UPS package. Today, I was going through 10 rolls (the daily limit) of microfilm of old newspapers to gauge the public response to the Maison Cubiste that I´m studying. Another big learning curve for getting a copy card and working with the attendant to print off pages (since one cannot do it oneself). Any HOLY COW are the copies expensive. You have the choice between A4 (close to letter size) and A3 (close to 11x17 but wider). 35 euro cents for the former, and 45 for the latter (if my memory serves me right...plus or minus a few cents). RIDICULOUS. Also ridiculous, the change machine wasn´t working and there was no way I was putting 10 euros on my copy card, never to be seen again. Had to ask random people for change. Lovely.
I managed to figure out the process for recording a temporary exit so I could go get lunch. I only have 3 days on my card and I have to make them count! Good food. This area of Paris is distinctly modern (but not La Défense) so there were a decent amount of food choices.
I decided to head out at 5 PM having reached my reserve limit and my mental limit. Burning out, much?
Alas, after being in France for two weeks, the time has finally come to do laundry. Found a laundromat close-ish to the apartment. There was one closer but I, like the utterly cheap person I am, went bargain hunting. That said, I shall try to NEVER complain about how much NU charges for washing machines again. Try this: 3,50 euros for a small super-economical-i-dont-fill-with-water washing machine. And for drying: 50 euro cents for every 7 minutes. So I consolidated and managed to do the whole shabang for 5,50 euros. Joy.
And later at the apartment I discovered that many of the journals I wanted to look at tomorrow at the BnF are available as PDFs on their website! Totally didn´t realize/overlooked/didn´t have an account yet to access that. That said, I should really be able to finish it all tomorrow. Yay!
Also, Centre Pompidou tomorrow...wish me luck...
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