Day Five in Paris and so much to do, tell and share...
First off, some bulleted musings:
Paris at night is fantastic. I know, I know, an obvious statement but when you can't sleep, I can't think of pretty (or safer) city to wander around in late at night. I'm lucky enough to be staying the Sixth Arrondissement which means I'm footsteps from the Pont Neuf, the Louvre, the Town Hall and so many other things. But in general, wow.
Cafes at the Louvre. In addition to being the most amazing museum, ever, the Louvre is also home to several fantastic cafes. A personal favorite, Cafe Marly, is great. Snobby, quintessentially French, and I have seen Andre Leon Tally there, once or twice. But I now have a new favorite: the cafe Saut du Loup at the Les Arts Décoratifs (rue de Rivoli, Paris). Inside, but most especially outside, in a hidden edge of the Tuileries, this cafe has a view to die for, service that while spotty is lovely, and an awesome café crème. Oh, and did I mention the free Wi-Fi? What better place to check email or blog than a cafe with a distant but crisp view of the Eiffel Tower and, mostly, French patrons.
The pharmacie de garde (or late night pharmacy). I landed in Paris with a wicked cold. Combined with jet lag brought about by my inability to sleep on the plane (and a mild hangover from the going away party the night before), I was flat on my back for the first 48 hours. But one visit to the pharmacie de garde, a look down my throat, a medicine I can neither pronounce or spell and I'm much, much better. Up and about for the first solid day of my trip, I am ready to tackle all.
Contemporary art is just as perplexing as it is in the States. I went to the final day of the FIAC. Three locations, including some rather random statues in the the Jardin des Tuileries, and it was all just bad. Now maybe someone might disagree but I come from a family of artists (both blood relatives and friends) and there was nothing there that would have captured their imagination. In fact, I think we all would have had a good laugh at the number of people that paid 28 Euros each to see blobs of wood, a chart of how many times 'summer' appears in Beach Boy songs (written with dry erase markets on slick sheets of wipe-a-way paper) and several artworks featuring the KKK. Thankfully it is over but, Mon Dieu!
Other random musings:
Read Netherlands and Juliet, Naked. I'm burning through my reading list (there isn't much else to do when you don't have a job but read) and I loved both Netherlands and Juliet, Naked. Maybe it was an insight into the male psyche (both), the love of music (in Juliet) or the passion for cricket (Netherlands) that I have never understood until now, but both are awesome. Highly recommend.
Everything is cooler in France. The grocery stores stock shelves of foie gras and cases of nice cheese. It's like being in a gigantic Dean & Deluca but better (and for the prices of a Giant).
My body is craving caffeine like never before. Maybe it is my mild addiction to cafe cremes or just the sheer prevalence of cafes, but I can almost feel it calling to me.
Paris, is just lovely. This may seem like an odd observation but this is my second time in this city when I've been single and getting over a significant relationship. Oh, how can you go to Paris, to mend a broken heart, some ask. It's easy, I am here to tell you. Subtract all the beautiful couples, the massive amounts of kissing in public, and you're left with one of the most amazing cities in the world. Birthplace of surrealism, home of literary giants, inventor of cooking, cradle of fashion, etc. I could go on and on. What more could a girl want or need? Okay, maybe some new shoes from Colette?
Next up: exhibits featuring Toulouse Lautrec and Madeline Vionnet, cooking class at Promenades Gourmandes, a talk at the American Library featuring David Lebovitz, and so much more.
