Tuesday, January 27, 2009

January 18th, 2009 - Paris, France



















The Louvre was fantastic, I am extremely inspired right now... All I
want to do is paint! Last night was a blast as well... Jackie and I
were so tired from trekking all over the city that our late afternoon
nap turned into a full blown sleep. When I woke around 10pm, Jackie
couldn't open her eyes to get dinner- so I decided to get lost in
Paris... (which I have been trying to do since we got here!) I ended
up at a creperie, meeting all sorts of people. An Algerian man
studying translation was working as a barista at the creperie; we
began talking about many interesting things. We discussed Israel,
which by the way, people do not generally like at the moment. He
guessed that I was from California because I spoke slow and attempted
to speak French. We discussed linguistics for some time before the
night rush came through the Creperie. As more and more people started
showing up, I began to talk to people in the little French I have
learned thus far... I met a reggae musician that taught me some French
slang, and gave me advice on how to meet French women. The
advice worked, because I ended up at a bar with a 33 year old French
woman who spoke almost no English... (I think she was trying to seduce
me!) I didn't succumb to her smelly armpits. We drank a few glasses of
wine and talked about graphic design... She turned out to be a
creative director for Hermes handbags. Jackie is now trying to get me
to call her for a discount on a bag. While at the bar, I met a
Parisian Communist that thought I was interesting and wanted to pick
my brain. French people do not speak English well, and Justin does
not speak French well either, so the brain picking probably made me
sound mentally ill. Today, we are visiting Pere La Chaise, the famous
cemetery where Jim Morrison, Eugene Delacroix (finally saw his work at
the louvre...), Visconti, Suerat, George Mieles, Max Ernst, Stephane
Grappelli, Oscar Wilde and Gertrude Stein are all buried. The list
goes on, but I will spare you... I hope I can conjure up some more
inspiration there because I am already so excited to work... It is
raining today, which is ok for most activities in Paris, but another
thing we are attempting today is a Giant flea market that all the
Parisians love, called Le Saint Ouen. I hope the rain doesn't ruin it.
Later, I plan on eating a macaroon at Les Champs Elysee, "The most
beautiful avenue in the world". We leave for Barcelona early in the
morning, so before we head back to the Penthouse Suite, we will run
around outside The Louvre after sundown, which we have heard is one of
the most amazing things ever. I think the most amazing thing ever is
the Croque Monsieur Vegiterienne I ate in a little cafe in the gallery
district here... A piece of real toast with goat cheese and cucumber
slices - smeared with french mustard. Lets see if the macaroon can
hold its own...


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