Paris--Third Slice =)

An new View of an oldie


My third visit to Paris was all about seeing it in a different way. I feel I was very successful in meeting this goal!


Scouts on the move in the Metro! The kids were moving and so was I, so sorry for the blurry photos. I need to practice taking pictures of moving objects. These are ALMOST cool photos. I must be more intentional.






Photo Shoot--while cruising on the Seine (a first-time experience--finally) we passed this fashion shoot. Tres Paris, non? (I don't know how to do accents here.)


An American Pub/Restaurant--"I get my kicks on Route 66!"


NIGHTLIFE...Paris has it! I had never gotten a real feel for what people did in Paris after dark. Now I see that, not unlike London, there ARE happening places where people congregate for fun and frolicking. Very cool. Very energetic.

--Mouftard


--Bastille


And, because I am a Servas member, I had the chance to contact and meet some real French people!!! This is Katia and her friend, Joanne. The man is David; we went to grad school together in LA. He is living in Paris right now, but plans to move back to California really soon.


Deep in conversation


Gerard and his friend...

I want to call him Fabrice, but I don't think that was it. Anyway, they were nice French guys...Had to talk to them as I was practically sitting at their table to avoid cigarette smoke. Thanks for taking our picture.




I also finally made it INSIDE the Musee D'Orsay! It was a veeery quick visit, I assure you. Actually, this time I wouldn't have minded a little more time inside, but the museum was closing. We chose to come later rather than wait in long lines--and rain. When we finally got there, the workers took us from the end of the line and let us go in first--through a side entrance. Random...but these kinds of things tend to happen to me. Lucky sometimes, I guess.


Orsay Clock


VanGogh--I really dig his work. I can't explain why exactly, but I do. There's something about the sheer amount of paint on the canvas and how each brush stroke is visible in it. I can almost imagine him painting! I will see the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam when I go there, I am sure.








THIS is the puzzle under my bed in LA!!

And Monet...



Wouldn't mind seeing his digs in Giverny some day...





And THIS ("I just like my haystacks") was in the Thomas Crown Affair--one of my ABSOLUTE favorite movies!! Come to think of it, I think the first painting was in the movie too.


Paris Art


This was something unique. Belleville is an area where A LOT of artists live, and every year (I am told), they open the doors of their apartments/studios for the public. I picked the lucky weekend! So we got a map (anyone could) and roamed the area visiting the artists homes and looked at their work. It was very well organized. There was a place right out of the metro station to pick up a map. And in that place, there was a big book of photographic samples of the artwork, so we could mark on our maps the places we were actually interested in seeing--because of the style of art. It's a good thing because there were maybe 150 places--or more--SPREAD OUT, and it would have been a lot of walking for random viewing!

If I had any money (and a place to display art), I would have bought some things. I started imagining a new dream job...where someone who actually HAD a lot of money would let ME go buy art! That would be fun for a while--a good while. =) I was just as interested, if not more, in seeing the insides of the apartments and such. It is one thing I always wanted to do in Paris. I have always been very curious about what the apartments are like. The last time I was here, I wondered aloud to my friend, Nancy, what would happen if I just started ringing doorbells and asked to see apartments. I didn't try it, and THIS--open invitation--was way better!


I didn't actually take any pictures of the art I saw =(. I wasn't sure if it would be OK, and I didn't bother asking. I didn't want to appear as a horrible tourist (not here anyway=)).

Some of the artist actually provided food--and wine. Nice! In this particular place, there were several art studios combined in one warehouse type of area. Good food too.


Street art--I felt OK about photographing this. =) I wonder if any of the artists would have LIKED having pictures of their stuff on the internet. I probably missed the boat on that one.


Stairs--One artist displayed in her apartment on the 6th floor! No elevator, of course. There was a group of older people inside the building when I got there, and when they saw where the studio was, they opted out of seeing that artist. I did not.


Gritty--or "colorful" area here. All kinds of people, all kinds of smells!

I hear that artist have subsidized housing in Paris. Imagine! And also, I am sure you can imagine what the area is like too. Full of...all forms of inspiration.

Paris Sewers--You get what you pay for!


Victor Hugo's version



The price for the sewer tour was only 4 Euro. In a city where hot chocolate is 5 or 6 Euro, that should have told us something. Actually it did, but we went anyway. I don't really recommend it, unless you are REALLY interested in how sewers work, or when Paris drinking water stopped being taken from the Seine. It is dank and bare. Some parts have grated floors where a river of dirty water gushes. Creeped me out. And yes, there is a smell although, admittedly, it is NOT nearly as bad as it could be. There is a tour, but we chose not to take it (in French anyway). The saving grace is that it is small. It doesn't take very long to get through the whole place. Still, I was very happy to get out.

ROLAND GARROS--Now THIS was worth the price of admission!!!

Note:I actually paid nothing to go in, as we couldn't go very far... it's just a figure of speech, folks.

If you know me even a little bit, you know how I love tennis. Remember the visit to Wimbledon in October that caused me to miss my flight back to CZ??? Yeah. Here I was at another Grand Slam venue. Sweet! But because the tournament was less than two weeks away, I could not have an official tour. No matter. It was still pretty nice to walk around the less restricted parts to look and imagine. My friend, David, later fished out a picture he took of (guess who) Venus Williams playing there in a previous year. Cool. I have it beside my computer right now. =)




Courts covered in anticipation and preparation. Hmmm...

Like a kid in a candy store




Red Clay on my hand




When? Oh, when????? Well, I know when I will see Flushing Meadows, but what about Melbourne Park? And what about actually seeing some TENNIS in these places???? I'll put it on the list! Things to figure out when I come home...=)


OLD FAVORITES-but seen from a different angle, at least.

Notre Dame


Eiffel



This trip was just what I wanted it to be. I was very satisfied, overall.

KM