Bouncing Across the Seine

How awesome does this look?? (Thanks to Anna for sending me the link.)

Okay, it's probably a bit dangerous and unrealistic...but I'd do it!

http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/30/view/24192/azc-bridge-in-paris.html

Markets

I went to three different markets last Friday! Sadly, I didn't have my camera with me, so I don’t have pictures, but they were all a lot of fun.  I went to class in the morning, and then I met Jackie to go to Le Marche des Enfants Rouges.  There was lots of fresh fruit, cheeses, meats, breads, etc. It was actually a little small though; perhaps I was spoiled by the market in Barcelona. I think there are other ones around Paris that are supposed to be better though.  We ended up getting Moroccan food from the market for lunch, and then we wandered around the Marais and went into lots of little shops.

Then another friend called and asked if I was free, so we went to the Fetes des Vendanges in Montmartre.  Montmartre is pretty hilly (and it’s way steeper and bigger than Beacon Hill), but the winding roads are so quaint that it’s really enjoyable to walk around. But also very touristy.  There are lots of artists painting in front of you and selling their works. Romain actually told me that some paintings are made in China and then the artists just sell them to tourists here. I guess that’s one way to make a profit, but it’s kind of depressing! I like the idea of supporting the artists…though I suppose they probably don’t want to paint Eiffel towers all day.

There were also a lot of tents where they were selling wine, beer and cheese, so we got a beer and sat on the steps in front of the Sacre Coeur. There was a pretty cool view of Paris, though it felt far away from everything.  I guess that’s because it sort of is far away. : )

Then we walked through the city and made our way to Parc des Buttes Chaumont, which is a gorgeous park.  It had a really nice pond with lots of fat ducks, waterfalls, a bridge leading to the top of a hill with an awesome view…probably the prettiest park in Paris!

Eventually, I went home and kicked off my shoes since I was quite tired after all that walking. But then my roommate Johan sent a text saying that we could go to the Marche de Pays de l’Aveyron if I wanted to. We had already talked about it earlier in the week, and I had said I wanted to go, so I felt like I should, especially since I didn't have anything else planned. So Sabine and I walked to the metro and met up with him, and it was another festival with lots of tents selling beer, wine, and traditional food on a closed-off street.  It was sprinkling on and off, which was quite annoying because there wasn't enough room under the tents, but it was still a fun setting. There was even a brass band playing traditional songs that lots of people were singing along to.

The party stopped at 10pm, but people were still finishing up their drinks. Eventually someone came through telling everyone “The police are coming. Stop acting drunk!” and I was pleased I understood the slang.

 One of Johan’s friends is from the Aveyron area (southern France, sort of close to Toulouse), so we ended up following him to the after-party with the band.  They brought out the pastis (a licorice drink from southern France) and played some more traditional songs that I didn't recognize at all. Some people were dancing, and it was just a very strange but funny atmosphere.

At one point, they played a Basque song called “Paquito Chocolatero,” which was a very catchy tune.  A bunch of people started moving their hands up and down from over their heads to horizontal to the ground like they were praising someone. Then people sat on the floor in a train, one behind the other, doing the same movement with their hands. Sabine grabbed my hand and said it’s a dance, let’s go, so we joined the train and did the same thing. I really thought it was a group dance like at weddings where you all grab each other’s shoulders and follow the first person around.  Anyway, it turned into crowd surfing. Yes, crowd surfing on the ground.  The person did the same sort of movement back at the train of people on the ground and then he dove onto the group, and we were supposed to support him and pass him down the line.  Every time the guy got to me (and Sabine, she’s so little), we couldn't support him and he pretty much crushed us and rolled off to the side.  I was practically crying from laughing so hard because this was ridiculous and totally unexpected. Even band members went while playing their instruments. And then the person at the front of the train would stand up and dive onto everyone and the remaining people would slide forward.  When I finally got to the front of the train, I just crawled away…My arms hurt all weekend. I guess somebody needs to do some more push-ups  And just be warned, if you see a strange dance like that, it’s probably best not to join in.   

It was similar to this, but we were moving our hands back and forth, not side to side. Only after I crawled away did I notice that there were only guys in the line on the ground.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GNe44UEH60


Sacre Coeur

Birds at the Parc! And a weird dangerous looking sculpture in the water...

View from the top of the parc. We walked all the way there from the Sacre Coeur in the background!

A very wobbly bridge...

One of the band members showing my roommate how to play the instrument

Elle s'appelle Ruby

I went to see a movie tonight! It was called Elle s'appelle Ruby (it's called Ruby Sparks in the U.S.).  I thought it was really cute and well-done. It's by the same directors as Little Miss Sunshine, and while I think that was more lighthearted (I still cry from laughing so hard when I see the dance scene), this was a quirky and funny movie. It was in English with French subtitles, though there were a couple scenes in French, so I really practiced my language skills. 

There are some interesting things about French movie theaters. First of all, no butter for the popcorn! That's the best part about movie popcorn - the fake butter. Luckily, the popcorn was salty enough to make up for it, but I was a little disappointed. They do have kettle corn as an option though...I have only seen salty popcorn as an option in the U.S.  Also, there are a lot more ads than there are previews before the movie starts. There were several car ads and soda ads...I definitely prefer previews. Then I know what movies I have to come back for! 

Speaking of advertisements, there's often a banner at the bottom of junk food ads (Domino's pizza, soda) that say you should eat 5 vegetables or fruits per day or you should be sure to get enough daily exercise.  Or the announcer says something about how you should avoid snacking throughout the day. We definitely don't have disclaimers like that on our TV or radio ads.  I guess it does make me think twice when I'm having my afternoon croissant. 

And speaking of food (I'm so good at transitions!), they have stores dedicated to frozen foods! I know we have some big frozen food sections in our grocery stores, but here they have a store called Picard which only sells frozen foods. There are quiches, vegetables, pizzas, meats, pastas, herbs...so many things! My roommate really likes their stuff, so I went the other day to check it out. I picked up some quiches and molten chocolate cakes. The cakes are so good. I ate two in 24 hours. (They are small individual servings.)  And it's so easy...you just put it in the oven. Then my kitchen smells like I cooked a meal! 

Versailles

Writing regularly is harder than I thought it would be.  But now I’ve posted some pictures from Versailles! It was pretty easy to get to – it’s on the RER C line, which is one of the commuter rails of Paris. The RER lines go further outside of the city and make fewer stops so you can get places quickly. 

I took a day trip to Versailles a few weeks ago, and it was a beautiful day, so I was able to walk around the gardens for a while and take a lot of pictures.  I also went inside the Château de Versailles, which was very ornate. There was so much gold! And a lot of history, though I didn’t really read much about it.  You can check out Wikipedia if you want to learn more.  : )

Also, Jon came to visit for a few days!  He’s been to Paris before, so there wasn’t a lot of pressure to see all the tourist sites. It was pretty relaxing – we just walked around a lot and went out to some nice meals.  I was trying to be adventurous and try new food, so I ordered a salmon appetizer, but it turned out it was raw salmon.  It was the first time that I’ve eaten raw fish!  I think the waiter was a little offended that we didn’t eat that much of it.  Luckily we had chicken and gnocchi for the main courses and ate a lot of that. It was really good! 

We went out on Saturday night to go to my friend Romain’s going away party and another friend’s housewarming party.  It was also Nuit Blanche, a night where lots of museums are open all night and there are a lot of art installations around the city.  It was a bit rainy, so it wasn’t ideal to wander around, but we did see one exhibit near Hotel de Ville.  It looked like a giant soap bubble sculpture…very modern?  There was also a vent outside where people (including me) were very amused by putting umbrellas upside down on the vent and watching them float up in the sky. They went really high! And people would cheer and everything. Our umbrella was broken, so when my friends tried it, it wasn’t very impressive.  Anyway, it kind of reminded me of getting a present as a kid and being more excited about the giant box it came in than the present.  There was lots of art around, but people liked watching floating umbrellas.  People were probably tipsy too, so I’m sure that contributed.

Hope you all had a good weekend!

Tourist!

There was an ugly grey swan. I felt badly for it.

There was a guard who would blow a whistle and yell if you stepped on the grass, so everyone was taking pictures from far away.

My zoom lens came in handy! Thanks family!

Stop action!

 Slow shutter speed! Look at me applying photography skills.

Water is pretty...

Tea party anyone?

Sweet doors.

There were art installations in the chateau...this was an interesting one.

I think I was taking a picture because I liked how the light looked on the statues (not just because there were naked babies).

High heels! I thought Nanu would appreciate this. 

My future dinner table.

Some friends with the strange soap bubble sculpture at Nuit Blanche.