Paris is one of my favorite cities in the world, and probably my favorite in Europe. There are so many things to do, and usually some of the best ones are just stumbled upon. That's one of the things I love about traveling!
Case in point: Here I stumbled upon a book fair where a tons of old books were being sold in an open market.
I just had to take this shot. For some reason, practically every breakfast cereal is loaded with chocolate. Even the "Fitness" cereal! Haha!
I browsed through a very cool flea market, and loved these old accordion-style cameras.
I love how people just pull up their cars, open the back, and sell their wares. Usually a lot of old, authentic jewelery and knick-knacks.
Lots of cool stuff here. I love these two guys on the right having a deep conversation about who knows what.
I had lunch in this charming outdoor cafe. I have to say, however, the menu isn't always the best in cafes in France.
Case in point: it's basically just bread and cheese in France. Good bread and cheese, but those two ingredients are pretty much the staple of any Parisian cuisine. This is a standard lunch pictured right here. This particular plate had a little ham in it. Score!
I also visited the National Museum of Modern Art in central Paris. Like a lot of modern art, it's very avant-garde (a French term itself). For example, here's a big rope in a circle attached to a tripod of sorts. Ok.
I stand between broken glass and leaves!
This one I loved. Two rooms lined with sound-dampening rolls of felt. Once inside the room, you experience a sense of warmth and ambivalent sense of isolation..or insulation. It's just really, really quiet. Because felt absorbs sound, the presence of a silent grand piano in the center of the room makes the quiet even more visceral. On the piano, you can barely make out a blackboard and a thermometer.
Lots of museums in Paris. I've already been to the Louvre, but it's worth a visit just to the outside, to soak up the atmosphere.
Paris, like many European cities, has many narrow, twisting streets. And good luck trying to figure out where you are, because if you're lucky enough to see a street sign (which is not a street sign at all, but rather a plaque on the side of a building), the street will probably change names in a few blocks anyway. Best to just wander around. Hope you don't have to be anywhere important!
One of the nights I was in Paris was the Euro Cup final between Spain and Italy. We gathered in a large park across from the Eiffel Tower to watch the game on a large outdoor screen. That screen on the left is actually very big...just shows you how far away we are. There were thousands of people! We actually didn't even get into the park itself, it was full when we arrived. So we're outside trying to peer through the trees. Pretty great view, huh?
This just shows you how crowded it was. All these people that are higher than the other have one foot on each railing of an iron railing alongside these shrubs. They balanced up there for two hours!
So happy to be hanging around the Eiffel Tower. It's really a great atmosphere around there.
Here's some different shots of the Eiffel Tower close up.
Here is one of many cafes in Paris, this one by the Eiffel Tower. They're lucky to have gotten the "Eiffel" name.
This is Luxembourg Garden. It's kind of like Paris' Central Park. Lots of chairs to sit on, gardens to walk by, fountains, gazebos for live choral music, and people sitting around reading and relaxing. That building in the background is also their Senate building.
Lots of people were fascinated by this toy boat that was floating around a big fountain. Check out the detail!
Luxembourg Garden - a great place to read in the shade.
Versailles
Visiting the Palace of Versailles is a great little day trip outside Paris. This chateau is immense and gaudy, but breathtaking. Here I am about to walk through the gates...into a two-hour line to get in. Yikes.
Wall to wall decadence in the palace.
Kids tour. Check out the tapestry! That kid in the red shirt is thinking "I just want to touch it." Go for it dude!
The palace regularly has modern art installations throughout the corridors. This particular one in the Hall of Mirrors, is called "Marilyn", by artist Joana Vasconcelos. It's an enormous pair of high heel shoes made entirely out of stainless steel pots and pans. The use of these domestic staples in contruction of these oversized symbols of female sexuality are meant to convey the dual complexity of the woman herself.
Some commentaries about the art:
The stainless steel - as resistant as the suits of armor and sheilds depicted in the paintings of warriors that surround it - combines its sparkle with that of the mirrors decorating the arcade, provoking a disconcerting display of reflections that multiply to infinity.
When first seen from the far end of the hall, the art piece reminds visitors of the immense successes won by the absent female figure, as glorious as the victories won by Louis XIV celebrated in the paintings that hang on the wall.
Here's some other art in these great halls. Some of these you just stare at and say "Wow".
This one is fascinating...from a distance, it's this giant, slowly turning sculpture hanging above your head...
But when you look at it up close, it's made of black plastic forks, knives, and spoons! It's all part of the artists' medium of using everyday objects to create high art.
The garden of Versailles is really the highlight of the visit. It huge. I mean, really, really huge. There's gentle classical music playing from hidden speakers in the bushes, so as you stroll along the paths, you feel really classy.
I loved the struggle taking place in the statue, frozen in time, as the ominous clouds loomed above.
One can work up quite an appetite while walking around looking at high art. And France is definitely the place to get fresh pastries and desserts.
How about a fresh chocolate macaroon? So good!
I was very happy to visit Versailles, as you can see.
Stay tuned for my soon-to-be-released classical music/pan flute album, "Live at Versailles". Here's the album cover. :)
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