Museums Galore!

I'm going to make this quick b/c I have to get to bed soon if I have any hope of getting up early enough to catch my train to London in the morning...The past few days were full of museums including the Musee d'Art et d'Histoire de Judaisme (Jewish Art and History Museum, which did not allow photos), the Musee Carnavalet (two mansions filled with an entire history of France through art and objects), National Museum of Modern Art at the Centre Pompidou.

The Musee du Judaisme was so incredibly peaceful compared to the bustling streets of Paris. It's a short walk from the apartment and there's a stone filled courtyard off the rue du Temple that leads into the museum. Like I said, no pics inside but I got a few of the courtyard. Inside had a rather complete history of the Jews in France (it seemed like a vicious cycle of constantly being kicked out and then "requested" to return). But, it did reveal how diverse the culture is here and sprinkled throughout the museum were little vignettes of Jews living here today, which was an interesting contrast to the medieval and revolutionary relics that were on display. I enjoyed the visit very much and was glad I stopped in.

The Musee Carnavalet wasn't on my list of sites to see until later but when I got to the musee de Picasso I discovered it was recently closed for a three year renovation. So, on to the Carnavalet, where they had a beautifully lush and manicured garden as well as dozens and dozens of rooms filled with art and furnishings that date back to pre-revolution eras. I was really impressed by the detail of the preservation, the goldleaf on the walls was still intact and the stained designs in the wood floors were still sparkling. The house itself was immaculate and easy to get lost in.

And on to the Pompidou: not known for particularly "pretty" art but important works nonetheless. Though I disagree with the previous sentence there were alot of arguable pretty pieces by Matisse and Picasso as well as Chagall on display. The structure of the Pompidou is interesting b/c the arichtect designed it so that the front of the building was actually the escalators, elevators, and stairs that led throughout the museum, so when you look at it it looks like a maze of pipes on the outside. (Super Mario Bros. anyone?) The main floor of the museum focused on an exhibit on Feminist Art, which by its virtue focused on women's struggle in the art world. It was definitely eye-opening if not a bit raw and maybe even a little obscene for most Western sensibilities. It certainly made you think and I spent a great deal of time going through the exhibit, making me grateful for my Gender Studies concentration in college. I discovered a French sculptor I really liked named Henri Gaudier-Brezska. He actually died at the age of 23 fighting in WWI, but he had some really interesting stuff, again no photos allowed. I think I'll actually go back to this again since it's so close to the apartment. Anyway, here are soe photos, enjoy cuz I'm off to sleep!

Rainy Paris

So this morning it rained, putting a damper on some of my plans, which incidentally were mixed up anyway since the Musee d'Orsay is closed on Mondays. Anyway, this afternoon it lightened up and I made my way to Ile de Cite and the Seine before heading to Notre Dame Cathedral. There were plenty of people waiting in line to climb the 402 steps, but it was well worth it to get some shots of the gargoyles. I also went inside the cathedral while they were holding vespers where I lit a candle and said a little prayer. The rose windows were not as brilliantly illuminated as I had hoped since it had become overcast again, but they were lovely nonetheless. As I was sitting in the the courtyard of the church I met a Frenchman who is an English teacher named Acene. We had a chat about languages over a cup of coffee and we also discussed the delicacies of French versus American courtesies. As we parted ways he gave me his info in hopes I would make plans to meet up, perhaps-though Luke thinks I shouldn't... and maybe he's right. But, I will call to thank him for some good advice and conversation.

Tomorrow calls for sunnier skies so perhaps I'll get some shots of the arc d'triumph and the Eiffel Tower. until then, enjoy some pics from Notre Dame!

Paris: More Than Just Coffee and Wine

So I realized after my post yesterday that all of the photos I posted were of beverages. I promise I'm not getting overly caffeinated or crunked while I'm here. Just to prove it, I'll load some other pictures that I took today at the Louvre. I was surprised how easily I made it to two out of three of their prized pieces: the Winged Victory and the Venus de Milo, alas I needed some direction to the great room where the Mona Lisa is held. I picked up an audio guide for a mere 5Euros and was treated to some in depth info on the three pieces previously mentioned and some info on pieces I came across that I simply found interesting. I'm starting to get the hang of the streets here and was able to find my way back to the apartment without a map! (that's huge for me, considering every street is named Rue Something and hardly any of them run in a straight line).

There was one letdown at the Louvre: the interior exit leads to a small wing of a shopping mall! Imagine my surprise to exit the Louvre and the ground floor gift shop to see a Sephora and Espirit! While some see convenience I was more than mildly disturbed at the intrusion of modern commercialism mixed in with my art. But I quickly got over it when I spotted a "pay as you go" restroom. You pay one Euro to use the facilities and they sell things like fancy water bottles and printed toilet paper. (The hot pink rolls with the poodles printed on them immediately caught my eye!) Unfortuately, I just realized I took every picture with my "good" camera and I forgot the USB cable back home. C'est la vie! I'll be sure to take some more iphone pics tomorrow so you can see what I see.

Tomorrow will be packed with stops at the Ile de Cite and St Louis, Notre Dame and the Musee D'Orsay. Until then, bon nuit!

Paris Day 2

So this morning started with a cafe au lait and omlette mixte at Au Pere Tranquille, which was chosen for convenience sake. I thought the food was quite good (it's pretty hard to screw up eggs, no?) Then I was off to the open air markets of Montroguile just a few minutes form the apartment in Marais. I wandered through several public gardens before stopping in a chocolateier for a little nibble. I proceeded to wander the streets whipping out my camera to shoot some cool buildings and the some really interesting doors.
The doors in Paris look like entrances into timewarps: they're aged and unique and yet they all have digicodes (security intercoms) situated right next to them. The door to the apartment I'm staying in is layered with blue paint, the current color being aquamarine with a precariously centered gold knob.
I spent the rest of the afternoon getting lost enough to whip out my iphone for directions back the apartment but not before another cafe at Art et Metiers. I finally made it back around 5:30 with salad fixings, pasta and chicken for dinner, une petit baguette, fromage and a pain du chocolate for dessert. I have some wine left over from yesterday that I bought at the local Supermarche while picking up some toiletries. So it's a homemade dinner for tonight and later on I'm headed to a place just up the street that the previous tenant recommended called Lizard Lounge.

I've never

I've never been very good at keeping up with things like this. "This" being any form of technology-based pseudo social interaction. For all I know people could care less how often I update my tweets or change my facebook profile or even make a post. But I'll assume someone cares, even if it's just for the sake of posterity, I'll try to keep up.

So since I'm giving this a go why not an explanation:
We'll start with the basics: for those of you who know me my name is constantly being misspelled, hence the blog title. That should clear up any future misspellings...or not. I'm writing this blog in an attempt to do two things:

1. Keep in touch with folks at home while I'm in Paris
2. Keep a record of my visit

That's not to say I won't use it past my stay but I'll be happy if I manage to do just those two things. So without further ado: Paris.