Week Traveling--Part 2: Paris

The statue straight ahead in the background is the center of Bastille, the section of Paris we stayed at.

I walked along the river during this beautiful gloomy day.

So we hopped on a flight, everything went much smoother this time, and headed to Paris...aka my home. I had a completely different experience that the one time I've been before which was 4 years ago in the summer with my dad: It was cold and gloomy, I was with students my age or independent, and looked at art museums. None-the-less it was spectacular. When we first arrived, my friend and I were so hungry we immediately went to search for dinner even though it was 6, and even though it was pouring rain. We finally settled on this "Cafe Divan", and could not have had a more French cuisine experience. You see, the French people are beautiful and slim, even though they eat delicious and amazing fattening foods, because they spend hours enjoying their meals with multiple courses of coffee and deserts, wines, etc. Though we did not follow that mainly because we're broke and starving, it was wonderful to watch the locals around us being their Parisienne selves. I ate this delicious plate of sliced ham with linguine in a white cream cheese sauce!

A typical high view of Paris, that's Sacre Coeur at the top--didn't make it this time there but love it

The next day was incredibly busy. First we went to an exhibition on cannibalism. Twas fascinating! All the art was some exploration, depiction, illustration, or historical reference to this strange and unique topic. Then we had a break before we met up at the infamous Pompidou museum. During my break I went to the flea market that was happening down the street from our hotel. The entire street lined with amazing food and cheap objects anything from clothes, to makeup, to kitchen utensils, to souvenirs. I bought an awesome silk top for 2 euro. 

Outside view of the Pompidou...yes, you ride that tunnel escalator thing lol

I went back to the hotel to drop my stuff up after grabbing lunch, and accidentally fell asleep. Woke up with the cleaning lady inside my room, awkward, and realized I had a half hour to get dressed and somehow make it to the Pompidou by 4 otherwise I wouldn't be able to get in as we all have to go in as a group of students for pricing. I didn't have time to walk so I ran to a metro, and of course the cost was 1,70 where I had 1,50. Not to mention my smallest bill was a 50 and the change machine only took up to 20's....as desperate as it is I started asking people if they had any change or a euro or anything. But then I had to rethink: Ok, Parisienne people aren't polite to begin with (which they have good reason to since Paris is the NUMBER 1 travel destination, so it would be like living in constant annoying tourism all the time), and I'm running out of time. So I used the credit card, got charged extra for using it, ran to the train, rode, ran off the train...and made it to my group as they were going in-few!

Kandinsky "Transverse Line" 1923

The Pompidou was interesting, not my favorite because we were only able to visit 2 floors, and the pieces were very contemporary. We were also tired and just not really into. It was quite marvelous to see some Kandinsky's in person though. You probably recognize this piece above, and now you know the artist!

The street performing magician after I came out of the Pompidou, yes I was eating Gelato

I didn't stay too long in the Pompidou, and yet couldn't find any of my friends. So I decided to have my own adventure. I didn't want to go visit the usual tourist spots since I had already seen most and I was trying to save money. Plus, this entire trip/experience has shown me that I understand the culture of an area best when I can feel it through an exploration of wandering and being amongst the people instead of running from statue to statue taking pictures. I came out of the Pompidou to this massive square. I watched this street performer magician who was quite entertaining even though I had no idea what he was saying, and I grabbed a gelato from a nearby shop--pistachio, nutella, and coconut. 

Notre Dame in the background. French people were laughing because I took this myself...fail

So after my gelato I looked at the map and figure if I start walking and turn right I will eventually run into the Seine and will follow that back to the hotel, thinking a nice hour long walk home through Paris. So I start walking, I cross the street, I turn around, cross, cross, and eventually go right. 45 minutes later I'm in the ghetto-ass part of Paris with everyone staring at me like, "white girl why you here". Looked at the map and realized I walked in the completely opposite direction. At that point I didn't feel like backtracking so I hopped on a metro and decided to come out right where I thought was going to be Notre Dame but I couldn't see it. I asked this couple with my map where it was, but turns out they had a map too and were looking for it...whoops. 5 minutes later I was nudged by the same couple who gave me their map and said "here good luck" while they took off speaking whatever it was they were. They were kind but I still don't understand why they thought having 2 maps would help me...hmmmm

Anyway, I found Notre Dame, and it was quite incredible to stand in front of it in the same exact spot I had stood 4 years ago. 

It was the perfect time to watch the sun go down, as the sky turned this beautiful array of pinks, oranges, and purples. I took a sidewalk path off the main road down to the Seine and awkwardly sat on the only open bench next to this couple making out on another bench. I watched dusk fall upon Paris, the lights, come on reflecting in the water, the boats going by, and realized why they call it the "City of Love"...because even though I was alone (except for the make-out couple), it was still the most romantic setting I have felt in a long time. I followed the river all the way to my hotel. But on the way I had to go to the bathroom. I don't know if these are a Europe thing, or even just a Paris thing but in the middle of the sidewalk on this busy street there's this huge cylinder enclosing. It's a public one stall restroom. I pushed this button and the door hummed open at the steady pace of 1 inch a minute. It was dark and sketch walking by myself already, and then I had to wait another 2 minutes for the cylinder sliding door to automatically close after I got in so I just stood there and dared anyone to even attempt peeing with me. It was actually more hilarious than scary sounding as it is. Very awkward experience but the idea makes sense that they have these. Eventually I was back at the hotel just in time to catch some friends going out to dinner.

A big group of us ate at a lovely thai restaurant that was fairly cheap--thank god, because everywhere and everything in Paris was so expensive that I'm glad we weren't there for longer than we were. Once again the waiter was pretty snotty, which I sorta explained before but then I just remembered. If you don't already know the tips are included in price, it is actually insulting to leave a tip because they think of it as pity. Part of it makes sense that at least they always get a fair amount (because I have experience little to no tips in ridiculous situations), but at the same time, then they don't have to try to be personable, which they are not in the least. After the meal we took a couple metros over to Champs-Elysees, the most famous long, big street in Paris with the Arch de Triumph at the end. One of our girls studied abroad in Paris last semester and knew this cool champagne bar that had ladies nights on Thursdays. So I drank free champagne at this chic bar near the Arch de Triumph while dancing to 90's american music--ya everyone kept telling me that Europe is so ahead in music...but I've only heard weird 90's American music, fail. Apparently there was a free dubsteb concert nearby so a couple of us left to head there. We never did end up finding it but met some nice Italian guys on the street, butchered a French convo with them for about a half hour, drank some vodka, and then we split a taxi (metros close at 12) and headed back to the hotel...my friends I mean, not me and the Italians...no no.

I'm looking pretty special, but it's a nice group shot...minus my tennishoes

Our last day, yes we were only there for really 2 days, we went to the Louvre. They say if you were to spend 30 seconds at each work of art, it would take you 9 months to leave--NOT including what's in storage. Knowing this, and having been there before I headed straight for the painting I had to look at for an assignment: pick an artist whose work you can see at one of the museums, study  their technique, and create a piece imitating their style, composition, everything. I chose Boucher, a classic rococo style artist who painted Marie Antoinette and such. Rococo is a late Baroque period that encompassed victorian elegance and embellishments to the max (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rococo), I love paintings from this time. 

Boucher's "Rinaldo and Armida"

This painting is about 4 ft. x 5 ft. in oil and depicts a moment from Tasso's "Gerusalemme liberata" poem about the crusades. The goddess Armida is instructed by her father to seduce men out of the Crusades to stop the fighting. She takes Rinaldo to her fantastical land and ends up falling for him as well. His friends eventually come and save him from the hypnotism, pissing her off...but it's a wonderful composition of 8 figures with angels and statues complete with magnificent random architecture. After studying all this and more about the painting, I was excited to see it in person. I had to through about 30 rooms, ask the security guard, and double check the map before accidentally almost walking by it. Unfortunately it was high on the wall so I couldn't get close, but it was amazing to be in it's presence. It was even more amazing that this French school group came and randomly talked about it. They all sat around me sketching it and discussing it (breaking the ice cold silence), so I just began to nod my head like I was French as well and totally knew what they were talking about. So with my studying of this piece, and seeing it in person, my assignment now is to complete an oil painting using Boucher's technique, the same size (ya an f'n 4 x 5 foot painting) of 8 figures in a similar composition....joy. I'm actually really excited about it despite the amount of work it will be. 

Michelangelo's "Dying Slave" on left, and "Victory" on the right

After I saw my painting and lounged through other rooms adoring classical paintings that were 40 x 80 ft, I decided to go see some of the infamous works even though I had already seen them before. I'm glad I did, because once again it was cool to stand in the same spot that I did 4 years ago and that my mom had stood about 30 years ago as well as seeing the same piece of art with completely new perceptions from my evolvement over the last 4 years. I saw "Venus de Milo", "Winged Victory of Samothrace", etc. It was especially amazing to see Michelangelo's "Dying Slave" because I studied his work, and this piece, in an art history class last year. I think when I came to the Louvre in high school I walked right by it, so it's funny that such prior knowledge places depth to such art--I wish I had background on every piece I saw because it makes the experience that much more incredible. 

I wasn't going to visit the "Mona Lisa" because I've seen it, but I'm glad I did because I can now express to the world the real experience through my own personal photos. Why is the Mona Lisa famous? Because it might be a self-portrait of Leo Da Vinci...because it's proportionally correct...because it's compositionally pleasing...but nowadays it's just famous for being famous. I don't get why it's so famous: it's kinda boring, and she/he/it does't even have eyebrows....whatever I still understand it's something that people have to see. But look at my first picture on the left, FYI: this is what it's like to really see the Mona Lisa. You fight through a crowd to stand 16 feet away from a wall of glass. Then 4 feet behind the glass itself is the painting that's barely 24 inches high. Oh and the entire experience is equipped with security guards on both sides. I waited 15 minutes to finally get to the front so I could be square-on, and zoom in with my camera to get the pic on the right. I'm not trying to ruin anyone's dreams, and I'm sorry if I've offended those who adore this painting, but I think people don't realize that it's not as grand to see as all the hype it has. 

Another random pic form hotel in Madrid...ya lol

The last night in Paris I was excited to go out, but I got food poisoning from sushi I ate at lunch. But okay, the whole area was lined with sushi restaurants before, it wasn't sketch, and I've eaten tons before...so it was just bad luck. I puked every 10 minutes for 5 hours and barely slept. Then the next morning we took hours of trains and buses home. I pretty much felt like someone had cut me open, tied my intestines in knots, sewed me back up, then beaten me with baseball bats. So when I started not feeling that well saturday night, it didn't phase me. But Sunday it got worse, and Monday I finally went to the doctor. Right after food poisoning, I got "la grippe" = French for "the flu". So that's why I haven't written this week. I missed school for a day, been on meds, sleeping, and recovering. Finally today I feel almost back to normal, minus the snot that constantly protrudes. Regardless of the last part of getting sick, it was a fantastic week traveling to Madrid and Paris looking at a wonderful variety of infamous museums and art as well as experiencing the culture in an independent way I've never tried before. 

Charlemagne and Louis XV's crowns...no big deal

And I finally accomplished my goal: usually when I say Bonjour the person always asks where I'm from no matter how well I try with my accent or to blend in...apparently my body projects a neon sign that says America. But no, in Paris several French people approached me asking for directions, or assumed I was French...gold star for me!

Duck in the fountain at the Louvre who sat and talked to me.