Thursday, October 27, 2011

...to be continued!

I know I have been M.I.A. once again but there is good reason behind it!  The Pretty Bird has flown and landed in St. Michel for the week....there will be details and LOTS of photos to come, so stay tuned!
Here's a sneak peak:



Thursday, October 6, 2011

le maladie...

Well, nearly a month after I have arrived in Paris, I have finally contracted my 1st cold.
Oui, je suis malade! :(

I'm congested, coughing and to make matters worse, even the weather isn't on my side because it is pouring outside.  I was supposed to visit the second school I will be teaching at today, but I could barely make it to the boulangerie to buy a baguette, so I will be bed ridden today.

I have been chugging tea, orange juice and water all day because I refuse to take medication and prefer to handle this a more holistic and natural way.  I'm hoping that this will not ruin my weekend, but at this point its hard to say.  I've been avoiding communication because my French is already bad and the congestion is making it worse.  However, the plus side is that its much easier to sound out the French "nasal 'n' sound" when you're sick!



In other sad news, Steve Jobs lost his battle to cancer and passed away.  When I heard this news, I was deeply saddened by this because the optimist in me really hoped he would fully recover.  As I type this post on my Macbook Pro laptop, I can't help but be thankful for the innovations Steve Jobs has provided to a generation.  Within his wisdom he redefined how people used the computer, listened to music and communicated with others.  I hope now that he has been laid to rest, he can finally be at peace....he will surely be missed.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

La Nuit Blanche

I know its been awhile, isn't it amazing how easily one can fall of track?, but I really wanted to talk about the amazing night I had las night in Paris.

Yesterday was a 2 for one social deal for me because #1 it was the birthday of fellow blogger Shelley aka "A California Girl in Paris" (HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHELLEY!) and #2 it was Le Nuit Blanche.

My Saturday night started with a birthday picnic right in front of the Eiffel Tower on the Champs de Mars.    I never used to do to picnics before but ever since I have moved to Paris I can't get enough of them! I have been here officially 3 weeks (YAY me!) and I have already been to 3 picnics around the city.  It's just nice to be around fellow assistants, expats, students, Frenchies with some good cheese, wine, sauccisson and fruit.  The illumination of the Eiffel Tower was the perfect backlight to set the perfect mood.  The weather in France has been superb this week (high 70s) so I hope to have as many picnics as possible before the cold comes along.



The second reason why last night was amazing was because I got to participate in Nuit Blanche for the first time.  It's a bit difficult for me to properly explain Nuit Blanche because my French is not the best and I didn't want to spend 4 hours trying to read and comprehend the program.  In essence, Nuit Blanche is a celebration of culture and art in Paris.  This year they focused on areas north of the River Seine and fortunately for me, 2 of the main areas of the night were around metro Pigalle and Anvers, the 2 metro stations next to my apartment.  There were exhibits and displays all over the city and they were free and open to the public.  The event started at 7pm and went until 7am, and 2 of the main metro lines were open all night long.  
All in all the exhibits were not very impressive and I would see better things in a museum but I think the purpose of the night was to show of the best of Paris by night.  It was amazing, at 3 am, people were filling the streets drinking, laughing, fighting, kissing, pissing.  Out of the more than 50 exhibits, I saw only 4 but it was great to be apart of the Parisian nigh scene and see a bit of the art Paris has to offer.  The best exhibit of the night was an installation called "Purple Rain" displayed in L'Hôtel D'Albert in the 4th arrondissement.  The installation was created by Pierre Ardouvin and was inspired by the song "Purple Rain" by Prince.  As we entered the hotel, we we each given a purple plastic umbrella and upon entering the hotel's terrace rain started to pour under the illumination of purple light.  It was the coolest thing I've seen so far in Paris! My friends and I were trying to figure out how they were able to create rain in this completely open terrace but we could not find the source.  It was such a magical moment!  Here is a short video I recorded in my cell phone: