Saturday, February 2, 2008

City of Light

Flâner à Paris

The mayor of Paris had bike stations installed all over Paris. At these stations, you can rent a bike and drop it off at any other station anywhere in Paris. I took one from in front of the apartment and rode down rue de la Convention, across the Pont Mirabeau (seen above...and you should all read Apollinaire's poem) to the 16th arrondissement.
As you can see, it was a gorgeous, crisp day today. In the 16th, I walked around looking for Hector Guimard architecture (art nouveau architect). The photos are in my photo album if you would like to see more than the one below. I walked all over the place and discovered new neighborhoods and lovely spots.
I got on the 72 bus which rides along the Seine and it was so beautiful today, with the clouds and blue skies. Pont des Arts was my exit and I walked onto the bridge and sat in the sun on a bench, admiring the beauty around me.

Friday, February 1, 2008

Obsession


Nutella is thy name!

I can't stop eating it. I crave it. Nutella is different here. The consistancy in the US is more like peanut butter and here it's runnier and tastes more nutty and chocolatey. Yum.
Rainy, dark, cold day today. Looking at this job search in a different way and am considering working in a tea shop. We shall see!


Thursday, January 31, 2008

Reflections


Paris has a way of stirring my inner thoughts like no other place on earth. While here, I reflect upon every major or minor decision I have made in my life, every action I have made, and every situation I have found myself in.

The thought will appear in my mind. I will acknowledge the memory, wonder where my actions came from, and reflect on the entire memory usually coming to some sort of conclusion about it. All this occurs in a moment.

Paris is a powerful city - both positively and negatively.

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

16th Arrondissement

Can you guess what this contraption is?
It's a machine used to make cognac. Beautiful and silly looking all at once!

Today I visited the Musee du Vin in the 16th arrondissement. But before going there, I ate lunch at Cafe Passy. This neighborhood of Paris is very chique and full of Haussmann buildings. The restaurant was full of nicely dressed people, young and old. The food was quite delicious, the ambiance warm, and the wait staff polite.

The Musee du Vin contains all sorts of objects that have to do with wine from forever ago. The museum winds through beautiful, old archways in a historic building. After your visit they offer you a glass of wine to discover something new. I drank a Gaillac from the Southwest of France, which I don't believe I had had before. I enjoyed it very much - earthy and dry.

I love the world of wine.

Monday, January 28, 2008

Couleurs

Tulips in front of the sunny view.
Sunset and view of Tour Montparnasse from Fontenay-sous-Bois, where my neice and her children live.