Traveling the World, Camera in Hand

The Apartment on Boulevard Montmarte

2011-05-27T14:05:00.047+02:00

Ok Folks. Brace yourself for a load of photos. I probably went a little bit overboard, but my guess is you're all very interested in what the apartment looks like. It is on the top floor (8 floors up) and the only apartment there. It's in the shape of an "L" and the front door is at the bottom right side of the "L" where your pen would end. I will do my best in explaining if there needs any explanation. Enjoy!

Here's the itty bitty elevator that only goes to floor 7 and skips floor 6 because of how the stairs wind their way around the elevator. If the weight limit is too much, you can either wait or haul yourself up/down for a ridiculous leg work out considering the ceiling is 16 feet tall!
Elevator to the left, our stairs to the right! I love that they're kinda worn and rickety. They are stable, no worries!!
There is one of two of apartment doors on floor 7. It's such a tight squeeze but has such a wonderful view of the inner courtyard!
Here's at the top landing looking down the stairs and into the apartment. We are having problems with the lighting in the inner hallway, so I couldn't light it better!
The blasted doorknob finally fell off. Brandon's task this weekend is to put it back on. It's a really cool big chunky knob that fits in the middle of the heavy door!
Here's the view in the back corner of the landing looking down the stairs. There's a lovely skylight shining down which helps in the daytime! A tiny light button is just outside the front door. What's really nice is the light is on a timer so if we come home late at night we can turn the light on when we enter the apartment building before we get into the teeny elevator and it will stay on until we get up to our apartment and turn off itself. Smart.
The landing from the doorway. I really want to put a big ol' ficus tree there. It does get enough light during the day so I am sure I wouldn't kill it. Only problem is, we don't know how long we'll be here! Oh well.
Here's the first view you get into our apartment! It's a super long and narrow hallway with a door that leads into a small bedroom, which we're using as storage. There were very beautiful sconces but the electricals kept going so the electrician had to take them down...leave it to the French to not return to finish it in a timely manner.
The door isn't curved. It's the lens because it's such a tight space and you can see all the bolts! I'm super safe!
I don't dare show you how messy the storage room is, but you can see a snippet of it. I don't know why anyone would make it a bedroom because a twin bed would JUST fit with nothing much else. Because there is a slanted wall on the opposite side of the door, it makes the room even tinier! BUT there are two windows in there so there's loads of light...and the fuse box. Classy.
Our hallway with one of two lovely skylights. The radiator is really nice in cold weather to come straight in and pass...it heats the hallway nicely.
We're now halfway through the bottom ledge of the "L" in a room we don't quite know what to do with.... If we stay longer, we might make it an art gallery of sorts with a chaise longue and table for reading or just contemplating the meaning of life. Who knows.
Now you can see the slanted wall. This wall also has two windows which keeps it nice and bright during the daytime.
I'm now standing at the 90 degree angle of the "L" looking toward where the long part starts. To the left of the three clocks, is where the WC, bathroom and first bedroom is.
I'm still in the same spot, I just turned around to look at the bottom part of the "L".
The past two photos, I was squatting just left of the red curtains underneath the slanted "middle" wall in between the two rooms - I'm standing right next to the three clocks.

Ok, a little jump here. I uploaded them in the wrong order but I had to go backwards and it was getting confusing! Here's one of the bedrooms. If you think of an "L", it's the outer side of the long part on the "L" and if you leave the room, the next room to the right will be the bathroom and straight ahead is the WC. To the left will be the living room, and where the clocks are.
Here's the bathroom. It's really nice, with two sinks, the narrowest bathtub I've ever seen (but it's really nice and cozy) and a rain shower head.
That black shelving unit won't be there much longer, if I can help it. I put it up because I didn't have anywhere to put the "bathroom" items. It covers the water heater and cleaning supplies.
The most fabulously gaudy hot pink WC I have ever been in. It's fantastic! When Brandon found the place, he talked to the owner and she asked if we wanted to keep it as is, we both said yes!
Back to the clocks. The doorway to the left is the WC, the one to the right is the bathroom. The doorway you can't see is immediately opposite the WC and is one of the bedrooms.

I'm standing at the red curtains looking the length of the "L" toward the kitchen. The bathrooms and both bedrooms are on the other side of the wall where the entertainment system is.
The kitchen is behind me and that doorway you see is to the other bedroom. As you can see, the slanted wall makes decorating somewhat tricky, but the width of the space is enough to where it still is quite enormous. VERY unusual for a Paris apartment.
I'm standing by the sofa looking toward the fabulously red lacquered IKEA kitchen!
Aah, the kitchen. It's a tad on the teeny side but it really works nicely in it's layout. Immediately under the window, the middle handle is where the washing machine is stashed. It's probably 1/4 the size of American washers...and there's no dryer. It's line drying all the way! I've become very creative in hanging stuff up!
There's a microwave above the oven and then the stovetop is actually an induction range where only a certain type of pot/pan can be used to connect with it. What's fabulous about it is a pot of cold spaghetti water will boil in about a minute. I kid not.
There's the itty bitty refrigerator! No stockpiling food here! It's daily (or every couple days) market ventures!
Here's the other bedroom, through that door closest to the kitchen. The doorway is immediately to the right.
Voila. There's the apartment! I hope you enjoyed the tour!

Paris, two years later...

2011-05-26T13:19:00.032+02:00

Hello again!

It's been two years since I've posted but I am back now to share with you what is happening in my life and a lot has changed. Here's a quick run-down!

*I applied to and got in to Webster University's photography program.

*I moved to St Louis, MO to start the end phase of getting my degree.

*Brandon moved to a new agency, also in Paris, and moved into a new apartment which will be our first home.

*Brandon proposed to me on a beach in Malibu the day before Thanksgiving 2010. I said "YES!" (of course!)

*I finished my toughest yet but most rewarding semester and met some amazing friends along the way.

*I got an internship at Ogilvy & Mather advertising agency in Paris, France for the summer as an assistant art buyer, which is why I am here today!

Here are some photos! Enjoy the views from the apartment windows! I'll post photos of the apartment shortly!

This is the view from the kitchen window... in a little while, you'll get to see the most impressive kitchen window sight to me. Sacre Coeur. The kitchen and living room windows overlook the courtyard in our building.

Here's a wide-shot of the other side of the apartment overlooks Boulevard Montmarte. We are on the top floor, 9 floors up. It's a little tough to get the street level in the shot because the windows in our apartment are at a 45 degree angle. Soon, I will take photos of the exterior of our building from the street level and show you.

Here's a view (the Eiffel Tower is the tiny thing to the left, shooting up near where the horizon meets the street...) from the two bedrooms and bathroom. I included the roof so you can get an idea of where the apartment actually is.

There's a closer view of the Eiffel Tower...

Here's the view of Sacre Coeur from the kitchen window. I will most likely show you more views of this, depending on my favorite thing as a photographer: LIGHT!

A TINY view of Sacre Coeur...

More views from the street side windows...I love how the light completely changes the same rooftop views, depending on the weather or the time of day.

The blue and white topped building in the background is the Centre Pompidou, the modern art museum in Paris. It can be seen from the street side of the apartment.

There's the Eiffel Tower....

This is about 10 pm at night, when the sun ends up going down...I love it!

In honor of my dear friend, Gavin Downhams

2009-08-31T12:34:00.022+02:00

Life is pretty ironic, really. Yesterday, Brandon and I went with two of his co-workers to see the Beaches of Normandy. Yesterday was also the day my dear friend from Johannesburg, South Africa was found dead.

It was, on many levels, a very bittersweet day. I went to see the beautiful land and sea in Normandy. Gavin loved the land and sea where he lived and he was at most peace when he was in the heart of nature reserves, watching wild animals in their natural environment. I went to see the beaches where thousands of men died so that we may be free. Gavin had a way about him that fought for the underdog. He was South African-born of English-born parents, but was in the process of learning different African languages, having gotten pretty good at Zulu. He wanted to unite the white and black races in his country and what better way than to learn their tongue. Little did I know that when I walked through the Normandy American Cemetery, my friend was already dead. I looked over the crosses and there was the hushing sound of the ocean. He recently went on holiday with his mother to Cape Town to see the ocean because he loved it's sound. My friend meant the world to me. And remembering the day I payed tribute to the soldiers that died on those beaches will always be a layered bittersweet memory.

Gavin, my dear, sweet China (good friend), I will always love you! And I look forward to the day we can both dance on golden streets...until then, warm the dance floor for me! Your China.

This is Omaha Beach. Unfortunately, we didn't plan accordingly and didn't hit the right spot where all the leftovers from the D-Day were. It was the most quiet and serene beach though. And absolutely stunning.

Brandon and Liz

On the other side of this cliff is Utah Beach. We didn't have time to go see it.

I was low to the ground and the lens was very zoomed out. They were far away, but not as far away as this seems.

The sand was really beautiful here. I don't remember being on a beach where it rippled like this. It felt really good to walk on it barefoot...I like to call it Nature's Foot Massage.

Same cliff photo as above, but this was closer to the water and beyond the seaweed and shells. The sand was so smooth!

Liz and Brandon

Mr. Creative Director himself took this shot of me.

Liz

Another from Brandon

Phillipo

This is still Omaha Beach and it keeps going for a long while. We packed up and drove down the coast toward the Gold Beach (where the British landed) to find some of the leftover German turrets, which unfortunately we again never found.

This was the fields right by the Visitor Center at the American Cemetery.

Reflections of Liz and Phillipo off the glass of the Visitor Center.

It really wasn't that difficult to obey.

Overlooking Omaha Beach from the American Cemetery.

Brandon took this one.

The memorial for the men that gave their lives on D-Day.

There were 10 grave plots with a total dimension of 172.5 acres, 9,387 headstones, 9,238 are Latin Crosses, 149 are Stars of David, there are 1,557 missing in action, a total of men (and women, though few) recognized here : 10,944. There are also 3 medal of honor recipients, and 41 sets of brothers.

Inside the Visitor Center was a very nicely created museum with stories of people, films, artifacts of rations, gear, toys found in the wreckage etc.

At the end of the tour was a very touching enclosed box with this inside. There was a skylight directly above.

From the car window, on the way through other villages toward Arromanches.

We found Arromanches, and it was very touristy with bright flags, tons of people, knickknacks galore. There was a D-Day museum, though we didn't go in, it was most likely more British based than American.

There were these sort of "monumental" flowers left everywhere. This one was tied to the sign post.

There was an entirely different atmosphere at this beach. Very lively, cheerful as though they were rejoicing that though many died, those men paved the way for them to enjoy life as French on French soil. Liz and I laughed at this scene here...and thought of a possible history lesson for these kids, being on a boat and all.

There were so many of these huge leftovers from D-Day. And the people just played around them as though they weren't there, or as a reminder that they had someone fight for them so that they CAN play and frolic in the water.

We went to find a place to sit and eat lunch.

This is where we lunched. On the rocks at the base of this cliff.

Our view from our lunch-spot.

The leftovers.

I do think I've seen this spot before in film. I can't at all place where I saw it, but it had to do with the War and with the English (I believe) having a day of "rest"...I hope that film comes back to me, I would really like to remember it!

I have never seen purple/pink seaweed before. It was all over the beaches. And mussel shells. Also something you don't see on the shores of Lake Superior!

I don't know if you will be able to see it, but along the horizon in this photo is a series of black "slashes". These are more of the same "leftovers" and they literally littered the whole coastline and ocean by this particular beach. Absolutely fascinating. And, there were jet-skis zipping in and around them like they were the very famous and mysterious Indonesian islands.

Tons of sea shells and mussels

More of the town as we're walking back to the car.

Arching to see...

2009-08-24T17:08:00.007+02:00

This tunnel goes below the roundabout...toward the Arch.

One of many plaques on the ground paying tribute to some of the many groups that sacrificed their lives during the wars...

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier...

A worker decided to take a dance-break! He was fun to watch! Learned he is a professional dancer, having danced in big shows and in music videos!

These are where the lights are to light up the Arch at night.

A night on the Seine...

2009-08-19T15:35:00.016+02:00

Last week was a rough week. Brandon and Adam had to go to Hamburg, Germany for work for 6 days. They took their computers, which kept me from "the world", so it was my intention to go every day out wandering and exploring Paris. My back decided to start acting up on Monday (the day after they left), and didn't stop hurting until Saturday morning (which ironically was the day Brandon and Adam were set to return), which scared me a lot. I was essentially alone. I HAD to rely solely on Christ to get me through. Last week was a trusting week, rough though it was. On Monday, after I got up and ready, God continually whispered in my ear to just walk and enjoy Paris. I was set to meet a friend from the UK who was in town for her holiday, and I ended up missing her by 30 minutes because of how slow I was going with my back pain. I was discouraged, waited but decided to not let my day go to waste, so I did what God whispered to me. Tuesday through Friday were just the same with the pain. My days were long and exhausting. Tuesday morning, I really struggled. God whispered to me to turn on my worship songs on my ipod and get out and walk. Walk, walk, walk. I did that, and knew I was emotionally thin and the first song that played was "Voice of Truth" by Casting Crowns.

Oh what I would do to have
The kind of faith it takes to climb out of this boat I'm in
Onto the crashing waves

To step out of my comfort zone
To the realm of the unknown where Jesus is
And He's holding out his hand

But the waves are calling out my name and they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me
Time and time again. 'Boy, you'll never win!'
"You'll never win"

But the voice of truth tells me a different story
And the voice of truth says "Do not be afraid!"
And the voice of truth says "This is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

Oh what I would do to have
The kind of strength it takes to stand before a giant
With just a Sling and a stone
Surrounded by the sound of a thousand warriors
Shaking in their armor
Wishing they'd have had the strength to stand

But the giant's calling out my name and he laughs at me
Reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed
The giant keeps on telling me
Time and time again "boy, you'll never win!
"You'll never win"

But the stone was just the right size
To put the giant on the ground
And the waves they don't seem so high
From on top of them looking down
I will soar with the wings of eagles
When I stop and listen to the sound of Jesus
Singing over me

I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

As I walked, trusting in God to be my All, especially during this week, my back loosened up. It was still a long and rough week since every day I woke with back pain and was still alone. But alone was good because it wasn't truly alone. I had a wonderful time with God as we both walked the streets of Paris, seeing it's beauty. Friday night, I decided to go out at 8.30 pm, instead of my usual 10 am. I wanted to see Paris, The City of Lights. The photos below are just a few (though they seem a lot) of the photos I took that night. It was so beautiful and I was emotional because I was not with Brandon seeing such beauty and it was so very romantic, but I spent it with God and that too is very beautiful! God wooed me this week and I'm a happy girl! Pain free too! Thank you Jesus!

There are a handful of bridges crossing the Seine, crossing onto the two different islands. I weaved my way, back and forth across about 4 or 5 bridges, then walked to the Notre Dame to

see it lit up. I know there are a lot of photos, but the colors were soooo spectacular and it was as though I needed to try and capture the atmosphere...I hope they don't bore you!

That is the Notre Dame lit up. That's the target I'm aiming for!

Just a side note, whenever you're in Paris at night, DO NOT lean on any of the bridge railings. I have NEVER seen so many spiders in one place at one time. And they aren't they tiny whitish ones either. They're big and black. Possibly quarter to a silver dollar in size. Totally gave me the hee-bee-gee-bees. Ask Abby what happens when one gets those. Eww.

Care for a day on the beach? Paris style?

This is a posh dinner boat. As it slowly went underneath the bridge, I looked through the plexi-glass (who'da thought plexi-glass would be associated with posh) and saw really fancy dinners happening. Awww. *Sniff sniff*

Gosh, just look at that view!!! Stunning!

That building is Hotel de Ville, not a hotel at all. It's the City Hall and there was a huge concert being played right in front... Not sure who played, but it sounded great!

Gosh, still so beautiful!

By this point, it was close to 10 pm and still, tons of people out enjoying street performers, the music, the water, and the views!

Here's Hotel de Ville.

This is one of the old flower stalls in a huge area on the main island that has been selling flowers for hundreds of years.

Miss Dame.

Still now, takes my breath away!

I was amazed at how many people were still lingering at 10pm-ish at night, so I just stood still, put my camera taut at my waist and snapped. I love these pics because it shows the busyness of the plaza and the stillness at once.

At the far end of the plaza.

I was trying to get the full feel of the area and how large it is with these two photos.

As I was walking back, I took closer up photos of the gargoyles and details of the parts of the Notre Dame that most people don't photograph.

A side door.

This is the point of the second, smaller island, where people will sit and just chill, watching boats pass on the far side.

The Notre Dame is seen in between the two buildings in the front.

Hotel de Ville.

Some local, enjoying the fresh air, the views, the music and the people walking by. His view is literally, looking over the street and then the Seine. Lucky!

Things seen through the camera...

2009-08-19T12:21:00.007+02:00

Some things that I captured with my camera last week. Not much to say other than they're rather random. I hope you enjoy!

Some art near the Montmarte steps on the side of an apartment building.

These are the famous Montmarte steps, made famous by Brassai. There are loads of them!

She's so sassy...AND she has gold and silver sneakers on! Rock on, Grannie!

One of the many highly detailed lamp bases in Paris.

A bike with one training wheel.

Not many of the original Metro covers still exist. I found one not far from the apartment.

Up and down the Seine (street level, not down by the river) are these green box-like things that open up and are to sell posters, books, art, magnets...and so on. Some art is really old and rather smelly, some are your manufactured posters that can be sold a dime a dozen (though they mark 'em up)! It's fun!

There are some restaurants, I've found, that will display freshly prepared, yet to be cooked, foods as one would find on a menu, in their shop window. That big slap of kebab is 13 Euros.

A Greek joint in France. Cool. Opa! Oui?

Tourist filled streets.

My personal favorite photo thus far. This is at a crepe stand....one can have a multitude of yumminess folded in a freshly made crepe, not just banana and/or Nutella. My preference is just Nutella. Yummmmmmmy!

Jardin du Luxembourg...the largest public park in Paris.

2009-08-18T16:38:00.007+02:00

THE best ice cream is melon. Mmmm, DEEE-lich!

This building is the Luxembourg Palace and where the French Senate is held (I think).

There is the Orangerie on premise of the Jardins and inside was an art exhibit...of a stain glass maker! He used cement though to hold these pieces together...Oh, and they were mostly huge and thick! Really cool!

Lookee who I found?!

A game popular around the world and in France...Boules. It's just like Bocce ball in Italy.

Bee hives...

These were strange, but I guess done for a purpose! Paper bags were tied around budding apples and pears in this orchard...when they got large enough, they would break through.

There are just over one hundred statues, fountains and monuments in the Jardin.

And lots and lots of space to rest on the grass in between the shelter of trees...

All parks here have dirt like this where people walk. There are no paved pathways. Makes shoes very dirty!

The Pantheon...Paris style

2009-08-18T14:30:00.012+02:00

King Louis XV vowed in 1744 that if he recovered from an illness he would replace the ruined church of Sainte-Geneviève with an edifice worthy of the patron saint of Paris. The Marquis of Marigny was entrusted with the work. He had sponsored the architect Soufflot, whom he chose for the construction of the new Église Sainte-Geneviève (today the "Panthéon"), a major work in the neoclassical style. The overall design was that of a Greek cross with massive portico of Corinthian columns. Its ambitious lines called for a vast building 110 meters long by 84 meters wide, and 83 meters high. No less vast was its crypt.

The foundations were laid in 1758, but due to financial difficulties, it was only completed after Soufflot's death, by his pupil Jean-Baptiste Rondelet, in 1789. As it was completed at the start of the French Revolution, the new Revolutionary government ordered it to be changed from a church to a mausoleum for the interment of great Frenchmen, with a pediment of The Fatherland crowning the heroic and civic virtues by Jean Guillaume Moitte.

From 1906 to 1922 this was the site of the famous sculpture The Thinker.

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In 1851, physicist Léon Foucault demonstrated the rotation of the Earth by his experiment conducted in the Panthéon, by constructing a 67 meter Foucault pendulum beneath the central dome.

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(All information was copied from Wikipedia.com under Pantheon (Paris))

Frolicking in the Land of Happy!

2009-08-17T16:18:00.014+02:00

Disneyland. I got super excited when I learned that Fiona wanted to all go to Disneyland for her 31st birthday. The last time I was at Disneyland was when I was 21 and it was the original location, in southern California. We all had sooo much fun! It was really weird 'cause it literally FELT like California...until the sounds of French blared over amusement ride intercoms. The one weird thing was I hardly saw any characters and I saw NO Princesses and Princes. I only saw Pooh, Goofy, the Friar, the hat of Robin Hood, Mickey from ears up, Tigger, Peter Pan and and Wendy...though they both were dancing on a High School Musical float. Shocking. And what annoyed me was High School Musical over-powered Disneyland and abused it 'til it whimpered. (Can you tell I'm not a fan of High School Musical? Don't email me to try and convince me otherwise.) The last time I was at a Disneyland, I saw a ton of Princesses I never knew existed, Xena Warrior Princess, Hercules, Charlie Chaplin and Marilyn Monroe among other fabulous characters. That was one thing that I found rather disappointing. But having Brandon and Adam and Fiona messing around and goofing off and riding fun rides made it all worth it. I hope the photos make you smile at the silliness!

It's as though I stepped off the train and ended up in southern California!

Let the frolicking begin!

Brandon sees fun and is ready to go...

This was funny. It says "Main Street USA" but it's in Paris.

Mom, this one's for you...

The boys wanted to take all of them, from all over the "land" and see if they can float away with sheer happiness and glee.

I was shocked to realize HOW similar it was! *Sigh* just like home!

They stopped frolicking to take a photo.

So did we....but we were mid frolic.

Waiting happily for a ride...

I got super excited to see "The Minneapolis" in Paris. Brandon just shook his head and laughed.

Waiting in another line...might as well take a photo!

TOYS!

Fiona's birthday treat was Disneyland. Her birthday is the same as Abby's. Abby, I celebrated you here too, at the "happiest place on earth".

Boys will always be boys...in a toystore...at Disneyland.

They went on like for 5 minutes and had Fiona and me laughing really hard!

I turned my head to find Brandon flirting with a Princess.

She's such a flirt, swishing her skirt and all...sheesh.

Ok, the Mom was just outside this picture where the baby is facing. I've never seen such an adorable and fat little Scandinavian baby so mad...I mean, doesn't she know she's at the "happiest place on earth"!? C'mon, lil' tyke, be happy!

More line waiting.

The boys found pirate hats and the Creatives get silly.

Totally had us laughing...

I think by this point, even parents were laughing at them!

...whew...

Still amazes me how it does look like so. cal.

Wheeee!

LOVE the square trees!

Someone forgot to tell these two men where they were. Lets all say it together..."THE HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH"!

Someone needs to sort Minnie out.

He found some happiness squared.

Fiona loves the cartoon "Stitch" and we finally found Stitch ears for her. Adam took her Pooh ears. Here is their shadow. Then Adam found Tigger ears.

She really wanted to pose like this. She had some pushy kids try and get in her shot...

This was the cutest "Minnie" ever.

Fiona's fancy dinner dress. Check out the ears. On all seriousness, the dinner I had was literally THE best meal I have ever had. Ever. And, it was at Disneyland. I know!

We didn't have many people throughout the day to fight, so when we left dinner and turned down Main Street, we were all taken aback by all the people. They were waiting for the parade.

Nothing says happy like a dancing hippo.

Though this says laughter...

Brandon and Adam saw this King Louie monkey and said he looked like me...He came home with me after such a fabulous compliment, he just wouldn't leave me alone. Never compliment a monkey. You won't be able to get rid of 'em.

Les Invalides: a place for invalides. How nice.

2009-08-05T15:58:00.011+02:00

Louis XIV initiated a project in 1670 as a home and hospital for the old and soldiers who aren't doing well. It was eventually became the final resting place of Napoleon and now, it is the burial site of his family, many military soldiers who served under him and other French military heros. There is also a few military museums inside as well with many displays of ornate canons in different sizes and styles.

Yes, it's absolutely enormous.

The grounds around it are very lovely and well manicured.

Need any gold? These doors are huge too.

Nice inner courtyard, BEFORE the actual inner courtyard. AKA pre-inner courtyard.

View from the real inner courtyard. Of course, I go straight for the architecture!

As I wander around the covered walkway on the ground floor, there are different rooms that branch off...most are now museums or office rooms.

And here's a chapel.

And the organ, which was playing when I walked in!

Here's the front and it's behind glass...tough to see clearly, but it's a huge "something or other"!

Back outside in the covered walkway. Can you tell I love repetition?

Here are some of the beautifully crafted handles on the canons.

My guess is, these are "handles" to direct where the canon is supposed to go before it goes off. Technical description, I know. I'm so smart.

Here's a MONGO canon. I liked the weathering on the underbelly. Kinda zebra-like.

Off upstairs!

There were a few statues on the corner, and this one seemed to tell a cool story. I don't think he's getting shot, though. My take is it is a victory stance.

All over this place, there showed signs of weathering and aging. This half wall has somewhat fallen apart, though not structural!

What a view! It IS just as huge as it appears!

I love the shadows these windows created!

Haha!

One thing I noticed was in the middle of each "wall", were a form of a clock. This one is the modern clock, the others were more of sun dials in different ways depending on how the wall faced the sun. Pretty smart!

This statue is behind/below the pillars/clock.

Museum-like displays of military funeral carts. Morbid, kinda. I just think it's very interesting to see what it used to be like in the 1700s!

The "back"...or "front" door. I don't know for sure, but, my guess is gold-leaf = front door, carved wood = back door.

I think this is the back side of this place. Can't be certain since it's still so ornate. Ah well.

The view from the street facing the possible "back" door!

Grand Palais and Petit Palais - I see the "Grand", don't see the "Petit". Must be a French thing.

2009-08-05T14:45:00.010+02:00

On my long walk that I took yesterday (worked out to be 12,700 meters, or just shy of 8 miles), I experienced a lot of visually stunning pieces of French history. Not sure what all this history actually is, seeing as though I don't remember much of my European History classes in High School, but I can imagine grand things happening, especially since everything IS so grand!

These photos are of the "markers" at the start of the Alexandre III bridge crossing the Seine.

Hope this photo isn't too rude. After I posted it, I thought it could offend someone. I saw it as a beautiful piece of artwork on some of the lamps across this bridge.

These two figures are side by side on the outside of this bridge, looking over the boats that pass underneath.

This lion statue is at the top of the stairs that go down to the quays, where people can pick up a boat ride.

Immediately on the other side of the lion statue is this small park.

This is one of the entrances to the Grand Palais.

Some of the beautiful artwork on the exterior of the Grand Palais.

Statues outside the main entrance to the Grand Palais.

So, the last time I was here, I didn't see this. It took my breath away, seeing these brightly colored panels on the inside of this beautifully ornate hand carved building.

There were scaffolding up on the outside, and from the glass barrier here, I'm guessing there is work being done in renovating the interior. An artist was commissioned to do this panel that blocked off the entire interior of the Grand Palais.

A couple of places, the color was peeled off in a triangle, to follow form, so people could peer in and see the grandeur.

The doors, looking at the Petit Palais, though you cannot see it now.

The Petit Palais. Nothing so petite, I think.

What kinda made me laugh is there is no visible ramp going into the Palais for someone who might be IN a wheel chair that would use this space on the street in front. Hmm.

I was wanting to go inside, but had no cash on me for a ticket. Will definitely do that, though!

As you can probably tell, the French love their sculptures.

More of the Petit Palais.

This photo is a little over exposed, but I really wanted to see the sculpture reflection of the Grand Palais in the window...

Images of an old war.

2009-08-05T13:56:00.004+02:00

On the opposite end of the Parc du Champ de Mars is a building called Ecole Militaire. As I looked at it, I noticed old bullet holes scattered all over the exterior. Not sure when these happened, but I'm guessing it could be multiple revolutions and wars. It's pretty cool to think that here are the images of wars from the past, something that isn't always evident in American architecture!

Not sure if you can see very well, but the dots all over this exterior are bullet "wounds".

When I glanced inside this hole, I noticed a point, where I'm guessing is where the actual bullet ended up landing. Shame it didn't show better!

At first, I didn't think twice about this window. Then I realized it was a big slab of wood with the frame and pane built on to appear as a blacked out window. There are also bullet holes scattered around the frame.

Can never resist photographing pillars and detailed and ornate rooftops! I just find them so incredibly beautiful! These are all hand carved! *sigh*

Tour de Eiffel...

2009-08-05T12:52:00.006+02:00

I know I've posted photos on the Eiffel Tower before. But, every time I see it, it still blows my mind...AND since the apartment is within a short walking distance from it, it's very easy to get to and just soak in!

The photos start at the Palais de Chaillot, right before the Trocodero and then Eiffel. If I guessed right, the Eiffel Tower is about 1300 meters from Palais de Chaillot, or just shy of a mile away, and the walk is very packed with tourists. More so now than when I was here in February.

This is the view as I come around the corner of the one side of the Palais de Chaillot. So stunning, and still so massive!!

This is the "plaza" in between the two sides of the Palais de Chaillot. People sit on these sides and read, eat, take a break, watch the throngs of people that visit.

These are one side of the massive steps that head down toward the Trocodero. I hope this photo shows how massive they are. There is an equal sized one behind me going perpendicular to these steps which lead to that "plaza", and the same on the opposite side.

These people, the French Africans, are ruthless in selling tourist knickknacks. He ran into my shot, shaking his ring of Eiffel Tower key chains and asking if I wanted to buy. From the time I hit the "plaza", I'd already been "asked" no less than 6 times. As I walked past the Eiffel, I had been asked another 7 times. They are so fast and group up and it gets rather intimidating at times. When cops show, they bolt. Interesting.

There are great big statues scattered through the Trocodero. They're absolutely impressive!

The fountains at the Trocodero...it really felt great to get a spray from them on such a hot and sunny day!

At the end of the Trocodero is this pool and these matching statues, one on either side. If you can see in the far corner, there's a carousal. I've shot that and posted it before.

When I finally got across the Seine and to the park where the Eiffel Tower is, I was shocked how insanely packed it was. All I saw were lines. You can get tickets at the 4 corners of the base and there were ONLY people. Can you see why I haven't yet gone up?

From underneath the Eiffel Tower.

Such a beautiful piece of art!

This park, behind the Eiffel Tower, is called Parc du Champ de Mars and the paths are dirt. Which I'm guessing is the same(ish) since the 1700s or earlier, which is pretty cool! Though, I did see a woman in heels struggling on the rockiness of it...I don't think she was a true Parisian. These trees line the paths and are so interesting to look at! They've been trimmed and pruned possibly as long as the park has been there!

A couple of Parisians.

At the end of the Parc, there is some sort of artistic monument, which, if you walk right down from it, lines perfectly up with the Eiffel Tower.

The words on this glass and on the pillars are in many foreign languages, I couldn't find any that I could understand, unfortunately, to tell you what they say! There were some protesters or something bringing light to the (bad) world of nuclear domination...I think. I only picked out a couple words to be honest!!!

Palais de Tokyo...the museum of great early 20th century art!

2009-08-03T18:04:00.009+02:00

I love art. And, as I've studied it over the years, I've seen myself drawn to the Impressionist era and the art that stemmed from the Impressionists pushing art as they did. It's always blown me away thinking that Monet, Manet, Picasso, Matisse, Delauney, Dufy and Modigliani (the list goes on) all knew each other and respected each other and lived in the same area of Paris and traveled around France to seek new scenes to paint, only to defy what was going on in the world of art during that time. They weren't satisfied with art as it was. They were driven to explore and see what is new and CREATE what is new! These artists were revolutionary in what the did on canvas! The art that we get today must all credits the work of these artists who risked being rejected by all society then and who were uncertain what great impact their art will have on the rest of mankind a eighty, ninety years later.

When I walked into this museum, not really knowing what they have, I was so pleasantly surprised to find a lot of wonderful artists of this era! Here are some of my favs!

By Braque

By Delaunay

By Derain

By Dufy

By Dufy (And might I add, jaw-droppingly amazing!)

Some of the details of the larger shots...

By Leroy

By Leroy (Incredibly textured paintings!!! This little room had 11 of them!)

By Lhote

By Matisse

By Spoerri (TOTALLY crazy pop-out art!)

By Picasso

By Picasso (both the sculpture and painting)

And finally, my favorite artist of this era...

By Modigliani

Parisian Flea Market

2009-08-03T12:43:00.011+02:00

Whenever I thought of going to Paris, I generally came to the dreamy thoughts of Parisian Flea Markets where one can find beautiful antiques, chandeliers, art, fashion jewelry and knickknacks. I had to see at least one Paris Flea Market while here.... I found one and well, I got beautiful antiques, chandeliers, art, fashion jewelry and knickknacks. Though it was pretty much similar to other foreign flea markets I've been to, it did have a certain French flair that is unmistakeable. Here are some photos from that Saturday morning, I hope it gives you a good idea of what it was like!

I was truly in heaven here, as I saw old brooch after old beautiful brooch! When I make it big and fabulous in this world, I'll return and buy up all the beautiful brooches at the Parisian flea market! I'm dead set!

Here's some beautiful vintage clothes from the early 1900s! I REALLY liked the white outfit! Seemed quite Parisian. Though I doubt my left thigh wouldn't even fit in the waistband of the skirt. Shame.

This old display box was more packed than I had ever seen a display box before. It also had faux grass on the bottom. Classy.

This old suitcase, filled with glasses, had a tiny mirror at the top for people to look into to see themselves with the glasses.

This is a lamp shade! It was so pretty! Most likely handmade!

More early 1900s art!! No Monet though!

Some BEAUTIFUL delicate hats at this stall and some handmade floral arrangements.

Buttons. Lotsa buttons.

These photos just don't do it justice.

Pieces like these were all over! I had just gone to a museum of modern art and saw some paintings by a man named Buffet and was quite impressed by his early 1900s work. As I was looking at the art at this flea market, I stumbled upon a charcoal sketch...by Buffet! I would have definitely gotten it had I had 60 Euros on me! What a treat THAT would have been!

I was taken aback when I saw one of the greatest photographers of the 20th century's original prints just sitting on a table. His stuff is so beautiful!

I know you want a big bronze monkey.

I find it rather humorous that this lady is sitting in a van just like the monkey.

It amazes me that one can really find some beautiful things at a dirty street flea market...

At home, I have tried to find old frames for my work and have hardly had any success. There were more frames here than I had ever seen in my months and months of antique frame searching!

Oh the knickknacks. Tough to get in the middle though to find that perfect knickknack you never knew you needed!

A book anyone?

This display really makes you wanna find a magazine, doesn't it?

Unfortunately, none of the masses of hats actually fit my enormous head. So sad.

I've seen hands like these in shop front display windows. Kinda cool. Though that is a lonely looking doll.

Dead critter, anyone?

These things that look like bracelets are actually different amounts of money. The lighter they are, the smaller the denomination. The big ones are VERY heavy!

Some African masks.

There were so many beautiful African sculptures on the bridge part of the flea market.

This is what the street on the other side of the bridge that ran parallel to the main flea market. It's the "garage sale" of Parisian flea markets. Essentially, whatever trinkets very poor people can find and sell, they come here and make their own flea market.

This particular "stall" was selling only these shoes and a single pair of boots behind it. I heard a woman ask in English how much for the boots, the man said 20 Euro, then quickly 10 Euro and when she didn't reply, quickly said 1 Euro. She walked away from the boots, unfortunately.

This was the only thing the person was selling. It sat lonely by the tree.

Picture doesn't give it justice!

2009-08-03T12:38:00.002+02:00

As promised, here's a photo of the roast chicken with it's juices in a bag! It is SO delicious!

A few things noticed in Paris..

2009-07-23T17:31:00.003+02:00

In the few months that I've been here in Paris, I've noticed many interesting things that might or might not give light to life as a Parisian or French person.

*They love dogs. Big dogs, little dogs, does not matter. They are all over the place, outside of shops, inside shops, in cafe's, outside cafe's. And they leave their "relievings" everywhere. That apparently also does not matter.

*There are only foreign nannies. Very odd. And I mean REALLY foreign. African women and Asian (mostly are what I see) women nanny here for French and Parisian children. Apparently it's a job looked down upon as not very important (or not important enough for it to be acceptable for a fellow French woman).

*Everyone stops for coffee, wine, sparkling water. There are cafe's next to cafe's.

*Butchers are remarkable people. A good butcher is kinda hard to find, but when you find one, keep them until you die.

*The middle aged French women tend to love their sun. They are VERY dark. And I mean orange, dark. It's not really pretty. They also seem to like plastic surgery (they don't really look all that natural, something is just "off").

*Parisian men (young to mid-aged in particular) seem to care about fashion and their appearance more than some women of the same age group.

*There are two sort of women. Those who will strut their stuff and hide the pain while wearing THE most amazing high heels ('cause Paris is one of the shoe capitals of the world!) and those who opt for more sensible flat ballet flats (which still are very sweet and fashionable, just pain-free).

*Parisian old ladies always look nice and very well put together. No matter what. Whether it's well coiffed hair, stockings and dress shoes or very nice (read expensive) jewelry.

*There are LOADS (technical term mind you) of Embassies. 171 (if I counted correctly) and it's weird 'cause it seems as though they are literally everywhere. I never really noticed them when I lived in London, but here, well, there are about 5 on my street a few blocks away. Everywhere I turn, there is an Embassy.

*Even in the heat, they'll wear sweaters and long sleeves. I don't get it. I want to curl up and die it's so hot, and they walk around in sweaters. What?

*Parisians smoke as much as they love fashion. Odd, but somewhat very French. Though, they don't smoke inside anymore.

*They love art and are proud of the history of art based in Paris. I counted 75 museums, ranging from dolls to post offices (huh?), to the police and crime fighting (haha), to archeological digs. There are museums on the French Revolution and WWII, Arab art, money and minting, medieval and Second Empire, fashion and textiles, magic, rare documents, history of freemasons, wax museum, history of making fragrances, history of Marie Currie, hunting wildlife, tunnels and buried bones (weird and somewhat creepy!), history of the city of Paris, history of hospitals in Paris, architecture and urban planning museum, French military history, French architecture and monuments, history of the 1930s....just to name a few! There are also whole museums dedicated to various important Paris artists.

*The Parisians are fantastic at pastry chef-ing. The pastries are OUT OF THIS WORLD. You have not had a croissant until you've had one made in Paris (or France). Ooh. La. La. AND, I have NEVER EVER tasted anything as good as a Parisian macaroon. And when I say never, I mean never. They blow my mind, they are so delicious!!! If I wanted to keep my figure some-what non-potato-shaped, I would eat them day and night. Mom, I'm bringing some home for you to taste! They'll blow your mind too!

*There are "Little China" parts in Paris too. There's also a street where LITERALLY 90% of the shops are owned by Asians and are only handbags. The other 10% are restaurants. NO kidding!

Paris is quite an amazing city. I don't know anywhere (well, nowhere I've been) where a fruit & veg market owner, the owner of the mom & pop shop (who also have fruit & veg) outside the apartment and the owner of the mom & pop shop across the street (who also have fruit & veg) all will chat and socialize outside on the streets. It's a pretty cool place.

Hey, I'm a little French and will still celebrate! Bring on the fireworks!

2009-07-19T19:26:00.014+02:00

Fireworks start at 10.45pm. We leave at about 10pm to walk about 8 min toward the Eiffel Tower.... This first photograph is at the start of a big roundabout. We decide to stop not far past here about 2/3 down the street, thinking we can see more of the fireworks above the tree line than if we decided to go to the much bigger roundabout at the next block, plus, there will be many many more people to fight me for space! I love fireworks, and there are a lot of firework photos. So, I encourage those who do not like fireworks to be patient and still look at them, maybe at a faster pace than those who love fireworks! It really was a wonderful experience that I won't forget any time soon!

Sparklies off...and waiting!

Sparklies on! And still waiting!

They've a great view!

They're still coming!!!

Lights on! And still waiting!

Gosh, it's just so incredibly beautiful!!! And the fireworks haven't even started!!!

Yay! They've started!

Sparklies AND fireworks!

They get better and prettier!!!

These are like sparklers sticking out of the Eiffel Tower!

SOOO pretty! At some points, there were so many fireworks, you couldn't even see the outline of the Eiffel Tower!

And we're done....

But it's still very pretty!

The walk home! I kinda feel like what a bull might feel like going down the streets of Barcelona, on the way to the bull-ring!!

Pre-Bastille Day night out with friends...

2009-07-19T17:22:00.014+02:00

I missed the 4th of July celebrations and fireworks. BUT, I got to celebrate twice for France's Bastille Day. Started out meeting up with a couple American friends at an English pub for some Fish 'n Chips. Quite French, right? We ended with 5 Americans, me included, a French woman, a Mexican and an Aussie. Vive la France indeed!

It was so very tasty, though, there was A LOT of food!

Brandon and Tom (from Detroit) in the background.

Brandon and um, Adam. He's always pulling faces!

This is Ned (from San Francisco), Tom (from Detroit) and Brandon with our table piled with huge plates and condiments.

We moved from the English pub to visit an Italian friend of Tom's who works at some hotel around the corner. We got star treatment. Penthouse balcony turned bar/restaurant. It was so beautiful up there! THE best macaroons I have EVER had...

Adam and Fiona (a lovely Parisian), who finally showed up!

Adam loves to antagonize Fiona. She fights back. Hehe.

Check out THIS view!!! WOW! So stunning!

Here's the center of the block where this hotel, and others, are from the view of the penthouse balcony! Just think, when you get apartment buildings, THIS is what it also looks like and there are people LIVING there...these are everywhere! Every block is like this!!! Granted, they are HUGE blocks (probably the size of 2 normal American city blocks) and they're not on grid form.

This sky look is so common in Paris...then it will change to sunny in an instant!

Chatting away about nothing in particular!

Liz the Mexican and Emma the Aussie joined our celebrations for a quick "Yay France!"

Apparently, sunglasses at night are a necessary Paris fashion statement.

Time to go...

Busy Champs-Elysee at midnight! The crowds were unbelievable and shops still open!

Aah, Arch. I love you.

Here are photos of the lovely underground Metro. A lot of times, the platform isn't just down the stairs once you get through the ticket gate. Here are some photos of the long journey (took us about 10 minutes) to get to the platform, then wait (about 3 minutes) and then the journey two stops (if there aren't any delays, 8-10 minutes) then the relatively long walk from the last Metro stop down about 5 Paris blocks home (about 10 min). Or we could have just walked 20-30 minutes from the Arch de Triumph. But it was late at night and we were tired!

We had already gone down two sets of stairs by now...and we're about to go up some more stairs.

This man saw me taking photos and stopped to pose...he then hugged me. He was very smelly.

Fiona got a hug AND a head-pat!

Down a hallway on the way to more stairs.

Down yet more stairs....

...and more stairs.

We're so happy to be at our stop Adam does a dance!

Here's the corner where we start our walk home...

There are loads of bikes here...

I found this apartment building very interesting so late at night. It had a very quiet feel about it. It's not where our apartment is though. We still walk about 3 more blocks.

On the way to the market...a few things caught my eye.

2009-07-19T16:36:00.004+02:00

Here are two motorcycles that are locked together through the tree-guard. A very common sight indeed...

Every street here have cars parked on both sides, literally bumper to bumper, and there's only JUST enough space for one car to drive down it, soooo, when a delivery truck needs to deliver groceries to a shop, it means ALL cars must stop and wait, or take alternative routes. The 7 cars that were behind that van in the upper-left-hand corner didn't take that alternative route!

This is most likely a true Parisian walking to the market. Her hair is PERFECTLY coiffed.

Here is a butcher that also sells THE most amazing rotisserie chickens I have ever (and I mean EVER) tasted (and smelled)! The man with the apron is tending to the maybe 25 chickens that are on the 5 spits in the wall (where all the saw dust on the ground is). The bottom of the wall-spit is a vat where the chicken grease drips to and he'll baste them occasionally. There is a tray at the bottom of the chickens and above the grease vat where they roast potatoes. Next to the wall-spit, there is a metal cart with lamps and he'll halve some of the chickens for those who only want a half of one. Now, this man, who tends to the spit, will take orders and write up a slip for the customer to go inside and pay, then providing the chickens are done, he'll put either a whole chicken or half a chicken into a paper bag, throw some of the gravy (from the grease drippings) into the bag with the chicken, and off the customer goes. I will get better photos, before I leave (and, have a few more roast chicken dinners)!

What was seen just walking down the street.

2009-07-11T12:42:00.006+02:00

The joys of Photoshop for a photographer!

2009-06-26T15:32:00.008+02:00

Ok. It's been far too long between blogs. I'm sorry. But, I've discovered a version of Photoshop that's rocking my world...Here are a few photos that I have doctored & edited from the last couple weeks. I spent a few afternoons at one of the 3 cemeteries here and also spent last Saturday at Versailles with Brandon, Liz (the Mexican from Las Vegas) and Liz's friend from Costa Rica.

Here's a few edited photos of Versailles (which is truly a stunning building!) All the gold (which I've toned down) is gold leaf. It's insane that it's literally all over in this palace.

The two photos above are of Marie-Antoinette's bedroom where there was a railing splitting the bed part of the room and the "viewing" part of the room. There were a few short padded benches (for kneeling, maybe?) and a sofa. This is where she gave birth, with an audience. Very odd.

This is the very very beautiful hall of mirrors. Windows to the courtyard on the left, mirrors on the right. I will post more later.

One of the many very beautifully painted ceilings...

The King's bed. Kinda foofy, I think. But hey, this was the era that liked foof.

A huge and very intense room, not exactly sure what it was for, but the ceiling was absolutely breathtaking. More photos will follow.

Again, not sure what this room was for, but there was green textured fabric on the walls, the curtains were the same material, or slightly different, there was faux marble on the woodwork, gold leaf and murals all over, with portraits of random people. Kinda intense.

Moi. Right after the Hall of Mirrors.

Brandon, right after the Hall of Mirrors, such a happy place apparently.

The following photos are of a cemetery called Passy, and is very close to the Eiffel Tower. Growing up, being used to "American" cemeteries where they're tucked neatly in the ground and a small(ish) headstone, it was really fascinating to wander through a cemetery like this. I began looking at the little things, where people would build shrines to be able to pray to a saint or Mary for their deceased loved one, but these shrines (or narrow buildings with an alter, kneeling chairs and a statue) have become forgotten, neglected and run down. Dead flowers in vases and dusty, dirty and broken crucifixes. Everyone seems to be eventually forgotten and life moves on. In a very weird way, it kinda feels like I've gotten closer to God by walking through this cemetery, seeing how people "do" death. There's just such sadness and though it's sad when someone whom we love dies, in and through Christ we live and there's joy in that: I have a hard time understanding that sadness. Here's some photos, not nearly as many as I have in my stash, and I might post more, but I hope you can kind of see where my mind was when I was photographing this unusual and oddly beautiful place.

It's official...

2009-06-16T19:36:00.049+02:00

...Notre Dame is my all time favorite church. I want to show you the Notre Dame that most people don't see, since most photos of the beautiful church are from straight on. I found this beautiful sketch from the typical way it is viewed. As I was "studying" Paris, I read up on this church. Here's some facts for you along with some photos. My hope for you is that you will really see the beauty in the ornate detailing of this stunning building. Just think: It was ALL done by hand! Here are some fun facts!

*The Notre Dame was started in 1163. It is fully completed in 1345.

* The Notre Dame is located on the Ile de la Cite, which is the earliest inhabited part of Paris and one of two natural islands in Paris on the River Seine. The island was settled c. 52 BC by the Romans, after the Celts. For many centuries, it was the royal, legal and religious center of Paris, with 14 parishes in the Middle Ages. It continues to be those three today.

* The spire (the tallest one in the photo above) is 295ft high and added by Viollet-le-Duc (French architect famous for his restoration of medieval buildings.) Next to the Apostles statues on the roof, is another statue of the Viollet-le-Duc admiring his work. He started work on the building in 1845 and took 25 years to complete, including building of the Spire.

*The front three sets of double doors are called portals. One is called the Portal of the Virgin, another is called the Portal of the Last Judgement and the third is called Portal of St. Anne. They are actually each differently shaped. Here's a photo I found online.

*Each elaborately carved portals show Biblical scenes which were painted in the middle ages and represent what they are named (Virgin, Last Judgement and St. Anne) Above the three doors is the Gallery of Kings of Judea and Israel.

*The Towers (to the far left of the photo, the South Tower shown here) are 226ft high and there are 387 steps up to the top. The South Tower houses the famous bell "Emmanuel", weighs over 28,000 pounds, the claper alone weighs over 1000 pounds. The bell is Notre dame's oldest which was recast in 1631.

*There are gargoyles all over the church. 5,000 to be exact. There are many reasons for them, some say it's to ward off evil spirits, others are used as spouts to get rain water away from the walls and foundations, being that there are many flying buttresses (will show you later what these are) there had to be many gargoyles.

*There are three huge rose windows which adorn the north, west and south sides of the church. Only the north window retains it's 13th century stained glass. It is of the Virgin Mary surrounded by figures from the Old Testament. The south window shows Christ surrounded by the Apostles.

(South window and detail, found online)

(North window with detail, found online)

*The Notre Dame holds France's largest pipe organ. Here's another photo I found online.

*The interior of the church is about 455 ft long, about 98 ft wide, and about 125 ft high in the center.

So, enjoy the rest of the various photos I took of the most magnificent church I have ever been to.

Scratch 'n sniff blog?

2009-06-12T22:08:00.008+02:00

I wish I had the ability to have smell-o-vision or scratch 'n sniff blog.

Last night, Brandon and I went to dinner with a friend who was stopping in Paris for a few hours (he's a pilot.) As we were walking to the hotel, I commented on how smelly Paris is. He agreed. Unfortunately, it's not usually the sweet smell of flowers in outside booths...

But more closely resembling an indescribably foul smell like this...

Smell-o-vision or scratch 'n sniff would have been quiet cruel.

(photos courtesy of google images)

All the world's a sign...

2009-06-11T14:31:00.015+02:00

One of the things that's enjoyable here are the different signs that I see because it reminds me I'm in a foreign country living with a people group who are really quite like me; who aren't supposed to park there, drive here, enter there, who may pick up a taxi here, find the right street and may access that here. There's also a frustrating bit because it reminds me constantly that I don't know French.... But, I still love seeing these signs because I'm experiencing a new culture and it's flat out more fun than frustrating, trying to figure out what these signs mean, and laughing at the silliness of some of the signs! It's kinda like the sign I found when living in London. It had a black silhouette of a dog with "stuff" behind it and "smelly smoke" wafting up from the dog "stuff". There was a big red X over the dog and it's "stuff". The sign said "Do not let your dog foul the grass." It's funny things like this that keep me looking at signs - to see if I can find a funnier one than the last, or a quirkier one, or a more confusing one for foreigners (since signs are supposed to be rather universal!) As modernity has crept in, it's enjoyable to see the old with the new right next to it. The older the building, the more interesting the new seems to be. Here are a few signs I've found thus far.

Skinny legs and teeny tummies...

2009-06-09T16:22:00.004+02:00

Ok, so, remember when I was accosted by the Italian artists? Here's the first "attack" result...What was funny, was I sat scrunched up on the steps before the huge Sacre-Coeur Cathedral, there was no belly peeking out! And if there was a belly peeking out, it certainly wasn't that teeny! Hehe...so is this what I'd look like if I had an eating disorder in Paris?

Truly interesting night...

2009-06-08T22:33:00.006+02:00

(Fiona at not the best angle, but she refuses to let me take a good photo of her!)

I spent my day with a lovely Parisian (which usually would be a contradiction, but she defies typical Parisian personalities) named Fiona. I forgot a couple rather necessary things at home that would complete a few outfits so she took me to H&M. We met at the Metro stop near the shop and she showed up with her sweet and bouncy Pomeranian pooch. We wandered through shops (dog-bag thrown over her shoulder with a highly mouthy pooch shoved inside) and had a great time. She is truly a sweet girl (she's the girlfriend of Adam, Brandon's business partner) and half way through our wandering, she asked if I wanted to go to dinner with her, her father and his girlfriend. Normally, I wouldn't only because the evening is a good time for Brandon and me to re-connect after a day apart, but tonight, they have a going away dinner party to go to for a colleague and so I stayed with Fiona and went with her to dinner. I met her father who teaches French to foreigners and is very silly, though his English is really not so good and his girlfriend who's Argentinean (I believe that is what Fiona said...) and who's English is much better.

We left the mouthy pooch at her dad's place and walked down the road to what he claims is the best Chinese food in all of Paris. That might be, but I didn't necessarily think it was all that great. Don't get me wrong, it was delicious, but it wasn't what I would normally would have gotten. Firstly, it was in French and Chinese so I had to have Fiona and Ms. Argentina translate with as many descriptive words as possible until I guessed. One dish though, I did not guess correctly until it was placed on our plate. It was the critter I loathe the most. It was fresh sock puppets from hell...aka eel. I opted to NOT try that because I do not think I could have stomached that, and thankfully they also ordered a beef dish. Although, I now wish I didn't ask what it was. I wish I were more like Abby who is in Bangkok eating whatever is put in front of her without asking what it is. It just looked wrong. Alas, I am not that brave. So, here I sat, the only American who speaks English and German and a smidgen of French and even more of a smidgen of Chinese in a Chinese restaurant with a Parisian girl my age who speaks fast and wonderfully accented English, her father who has an even more thick accent and speaks little English, and his girlfriend who's Argentinean and has a fabulous accent and speaks fluent French with British words thrown in her English as she made fun of her boyfriend as he tries to tell stories in Franglish (French-English)...all while the people behind us are talking in Chinese and French. It was weird. Very cultural, I guess.

Pretty much what the sock puppet from hell dish looked like, but with some shoots with it instead of alone. They also didn't have all this sauce covering it. It showed the meat and how it was bumpy and all ewww. Total bleh.

Being fooled by the sun...

2009-06-05T11:29:00.007+02:00

I commented to my mom the other day, that the reason I keep missing our targeted phone call/skype call time is because the sun is fooling me. Big time. We are set to talk at 9pm Paris time. But at 9pm Paris time, it looks more like 6pm Minnesota time (from what my eyes are used to! AND, we're just sitting down to eat by then! Aah, such is the life in Paris!)

Today, the sun rose at 5.49am and will set at 9.50pm. Now, I just looked up the sunrise and sunset times in Minneapolis for today, and the sunrise surprised me - at 5.28am. Sunset does not though. 8.56pm. An entire hour earlier than here! This is quite odd for me. I'm used to having the sun set no later than about 9pm! The latest the sun will set in Minneapolis is 9.04pm by the end of June, and the earliest the sun rises is 5.26am by the middle of June. And, for those real nerds out there who wish to be nerdy with me, the length of the longest day is 15h 37m 06s. Now, in Paris, the earliest the sun will ever rise is 5.47am by the middle of June and the latest 9.58pm by the end of June. (Alright, you fellow nerds...) the longest day here is a fabulous 16h 10m 52s.

It's so weird, I looked outside last night at about 11pm and it looked like it was still light out - the clouds were pink. It's very weird to have it still light out so late at night. I'm guessing it was the sun, but it could have been the Paris lights! There are a lot of them! Though, the night usually looks orange with all the Paris lights...so, I'm guessing this was the tail end of the sunset!

So before all the comments come about what a nerd I am, I know I am. Especially today. But YOU try and get used to the time via how light it is outside! You too will be fooled!

(And Mom, I'm definitely working on making our 9pm call on time this time!)

Doors...without Jim Morrison.

2009-06-04T11:43:00.032+02:00

Ok, if anyone who's really close to me and knows me, they'll know I love doors. It started a few years ago when I lived in London, I think. I guess, seeing all these old doors that were hand crafted and done so hundreds of years ago intrigues me. How some doors kept their old look while others became modern. How old doors stood strong (or weak) while modernity crept in and passes by. Who was the man that carved them? Who was the man that crafted the door knockers? Who commissioned the door? Who has walked through that door? Who sought refuge behind that door? I love doors. Their history keeps me captivated.... Here are some doors in Paris. I do hope you appreciate them, as I do!