Joyeux Noel!

Dad arrived in Paris on the 23rd, and it was so wonderful to greet him in the airport. It hadn't really felt like Christmas before then - I really needed to see some family. He was jet lagged of course, but later on in the evening we went to the Louvre, which was splendidly quiet and pretty peaceful (I hate going to crowded museums). Then we went to a cute restaurant really close to our apartment. Dad got Beef Bourguinon and I got a little chicken on a bed of sauteed mushrooms. It was the best meal I've had since Italy.

On Christmas Eve day, we went out to buy groceries in the morning so I could make Ratatouille for dinner. This area of Paris was so unreal. There were hardly any cars around, but people just walking and sitting in cafes and shopping. Lots of galleries too - it was a lot like Soho or Greenwich Village. Then we went back to the apartment and I made ratatouille... I'm very new to cooking real food, so I'm glad my dad is OK with being a guinea pig. Then we went out again to try to find a little Christmas tree, but everything was very pricey, so we skipped it and decided to find a branch or something later.

We saw Platée by Rameau at the Paris Opera. Not only was the theatre absolutely beautiful, but the production was astounding. It was completely entertaining from start to finish. The scenery was very clever and a great modern interpretation. The costumes were fitting and had beautiful detail and significance. Of course the orchestra and the vocal work was beautiful, but the musicians and performers also had a light hearted, comical attitude that enhanced the beauty of the score and did not take away from it at all. Above all, the choreography by Laura Scozzi really stood out to me. It reminded me of the choreography I'd seen in the DVD of the Nederlands Dans Theatre. It had the strength and structure of classical ballet, but the freedom and personality of modern dance, mixed in with childlike/clown gesture and energy. Even though the production was in French, I understood every moment and couldn't help but laugh and leave with high spirits.

After wards we made a stroll through the rain back to the apartment stopping at Place Vendome and then snagged a couple branches from a bush near the Louvre to make our 'christmas tree', which we swiftly stuck in a empty wine bottle and decorated.

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Palais Garnier (where we saw Platee)

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Église de la Madeleine

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View from the steps of Église de la Madeleine looking out towards Place de la Concorde

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Inside the opera house

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Brilliant Chagall ceiling

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Padre

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Dance costumes in a shop nearby

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Place Vendome

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Napoleon Batman


On Christmas Day, we slept in a LOT. Then we ventured out to the Eiffel Tower. It was a bit of a walk, but the river side view was fantastic.

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For Mom - amazing dress!

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The Seine

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Sunset on the Louvre

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Palais-Bourbon, where the National Assembly assembles

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First up close view of the Eiffel Tower. Mind you, I had never seen it before, so be expecting a lot of pictures.

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French bird. This one was in a swamp surrounding a building (dad knows the architect), but we thought it was fake for a while.

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Reflection of dad and the tower in a puddle

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It gets sparkly on the hour!

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For Lyle

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Candy lady! (The Christmas market near the tower)

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Cheese and sausage man! (I'm writing a musical based on these two and their french Christmas booths)

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As a final cap to the evening, we took the metro up to Montmartre, which, thanks to a bunch of movies, I had been dying to see.

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Moulin Rouge!

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Basilica Sacre Coeur

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I forgot to mention - Dad had a nutella crepe for the first time here

We made our way back to the apartment and had a late dinner that dad made. Then it was cookies, Rudolph, and bed.

Paris Holds The Key to your Heart

On my last day in Prague, Ashlyn, Brianna, and Eren and I went to see "Threepenny Opera" at Narodni Divadlo (the National Theatre). It was a pretty good deal for only around $5 USD. It's my favorite musical so I really enjoyed it, but it was a bit confusing since it was in Czech. Still, they seemed to capture the essence of Brecht's message and used the space and props interestingly (at one point, Mack's gang came from beneath the floorboards and used power tools to rip out the wood). I'd really like to be in that show again or maybe direct it one day.

Afterward we got KFC for dinner... not sure why, but it felt right at the time. Then we got dessert at Cafe Louvre since I hadn't been there yet. Finally, we walked over the Charles Bridge. It was really pretty despite the fact it was under construction.

Here are some pics from my last day:

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Inside the National Theatre (spray painted on that drop is "Open Your Heart" in Czech as part of the set for Threepenny Opera)

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National Theatre from the outside

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Walking towards the Charles Bridge

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View from the bridge

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Last glimpse of the castle

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Ashlyn, Brianna, and Eren are over there

I have to thank the girls in Plavecka 12 for having me. If you guys ever read this, I love you and I miss staying with you in Prague!!


And now... I've successfully landed in Paris! (I'm kind of terrified of airports now)

This is how I feel right now:







Or something along those lines.

Lakshmi housed me for a night (thanks again girl!) and then yesterday I opened up the apartment. Makes it sound like we own it or something - my dad and I are renting it for Christmas (...but we should own it I think). Cute and tiny and right in the heart of Paris. Pretty much everything is within walking distance and about every 5 feet is a charming little restaurant, bakery, or shop. In other words, I'M IN LOVE!!

I'm saving all the touristy stuff to do with my dad, but for now I've been strolling around just trying to let it soak in that I'm in Paris! It's one of those places that I've always dreamed about and seen pictures of in my head. Albeit, most of those pictures were from movies... but did you ever think about how often the city itself is portrayed as a character? I was worried that it would be nothing like I imagined, but it is! And much more.

Like Prague, the architecture here is just beautiful. In this area at least, there are no sky scrapers and all you see are darling little windows and shops. And as for the people, so far everyone has been nice and mostly polite about my being American and only knowing a couple phrases in French ("je ne parle pas francais" = "I don't speak french"). Also, everyone seems to walk around here with a different attitude than I've seen before... It's like they all got dressed up just to walk. The way they cross streets with such confidence - but it's not like they're in a hurry like in New York. They're definitely going somewhere, but they're enjoying the walk as well.

Here are pictures from my walks so far:

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Chocolate trees

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On the gates of Jardin du Luxembourg were these photographs and captions about problems facing Vietnam right now. I thought it was interesting that people stopped at this fence to learn about another culture, while if these pictures weren't there, they'd be looking at a part of their own culture.

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One person stopping while another keeps walking

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I hate how damn cars and trucks get in the way

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Or how ridiculously bright fluorescent windows distract from another beautiful building

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Hunchback!

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He's up there

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Ok so I thought it was really neat that these two girls were drawing at this table, but when I went and asked them if I could take a candid picture, I realized I was being really creepy. Are you not supposed to ask? Haha which is more creepy - asking or not asking? Oh dear

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Me not asking...hah. Ordering yummy crepes!