.
So, I tried to do a Paris-sum-up entry once before. I even employed nonlinear storytelling to make it happen in real-time, if you’ll recall. Well, even if you don’t, that is what happened.
So, if I’ve already had my semester and I’ve already tried to have an entry of closure, how am I supposed to feel about being back in this city for a few more days? Let’s be precise: a few days without any of my VWPP pals (or Kirill or Kaysey or any of my other Paris friends)? How am I supposed to feel about living in a series of hostels instead of with my host family, and without anything more to do than handle some paperwork, pick up a suitcase, and make it to a train station on the morning of (171)? How am I supposed to feel about being alone with the city?
Like a ghost, I would say.
I had all these moments this week where I felt weird being in Paris and I said to myself that I was going to make notes of them here. But the facts are, one, I don’t remember them well enough to phrase them well and enrich this entry. Two, they don’t really add up to anything. Sitting on the train to Antibes, here’s what sticks out in my memory:
--On (169), which is 24 June, Going up to the roof of the shopping mall at Montparnasse — the one where everybody but me bought phones at the beginning of the semester — and watching a beautiful sunset sky before going to see the new movie by the guy who directed The Triplets of Belleville.
--Sitting in the Luxembourg Gardens and watching the tennis players one last time while eating a quiche and Montblanc from Bread & Roses.
--Walking around one day this week trying to answer the question Aaron put to me six weeks prior: my top five best and worst experiences in Paris. I came up with four good ones and two bad ones. And, by the way, after this semester, I now cannot think about top-fives without also thinking of High Fidelity by Nick Hornby.
--Feeling so glum about leaving Paris on the last night that I walked from Ile-St-Louis (where you’ll find Berthillon) almost all the way to Paris VII before realizing that, even if it’s one of the few places I knew really well in Paris, I didn’t really want to spend any part of my last evening there. I was perhaps three blocks away when I turned around and got on the metro to Rue Mouffetard.
--Singing on the quai along the Seine with Lucien, Max, Nathaniel, and the others back in April.
--The snow on the ground the first time I walked into my host family’s house, compared to the bright, perfumed white flowers lining the front gate as I left with the suitcase they'd been holding.
--The biggest and possibly most beautiful full moon I’ve ever seen as I walked back to my hostel on the last night.
--The night Liz’s sister came to visit and we (she, Liz, me, and Kirill) went out on the town.
--Walking home from the metro in maybe March and hearing someone use the past tense of a reflexive verb exactly the way I’d been taught and thinking, “Thank goodness—it’s true what they’ve taught me! These fifteen years have not been in vain!”
...
I think at some point everybody just decided they love Paris and started passing that down. That’s the only explanation I can possibly give, because it’s a place that people love, but they can’t come up with any good reasons why. An email I got from a dear former teacher wished me the best, expressing “Ahh… Paris.” In later May, when I was still in Paris, I’d ask my VWPP pals what they missed about it. The answer I usually got was “everything.”
I can't think of many specific things to love about Paris. I found plenty of specific things not to love; it’s kind of dirty, expensive, French isn’t nearly the most useful language I could have learned, the buildings are nice but don’t catch twilight like Florence or Rome, and the food is great but leaves me hungry 90 minutes later.
And yet…
And yet, here I am writing a conclusion that is dancing its way around (and perhaps with) that very sentiment. And you know something? This conclusion is no Donald O’Connor.
So, here goes:
I love this city and I’m going to miss it. Everything about it. Even if I don’t have the damnedest clue why.
Showing posts with label Paris. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Paris. Show all posts
06 July 2010
(167): Patchwork
.
I'm catching up, I am...! Here are the day's pictures.
(167) is Tuesday, 22 June 2010.
There's one thing that really bothers me, and to explain it, I'd like you to look at this piece of my map of Europe. This is the map I used to plan out this entire month-long loop. It's not too detailed (which might explain why I've visited capital cities almost exclusively), but it serves to illustrate the following point:
You see how it's basically a straight shot from Prague to Luxembourg and then from Luxembourg to Paris? Seems like a downright elegant itinerary, right? Well, not if you're taking trains through Germany. They run a great system - very efficient, friendly, and generally effective - but they just send you all over the place. When I have to change modes of transportation (usually trains) a lot, I usually refer to the entire trip as "patchwork." Anyway, here was my actual itinerary:
So, in 24 hours, I would cover (however briefly) Prague, Offenburg (the 'A'), Strasbourg, Luxembourg, and Paris. And you've heard that...
...Oh. Oh, have you not heard? It was my understanding that everyone had heard.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
A-WELL-A EVERYBODY'S HEARD ABOUT THE BURG
B-B-B-BURG, BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, BURG,
THE BURG IS THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, BURG,
WELL THE BURG IS THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, BURG,
WELL THE BURG IS THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, BURG,
WELL THE BURG IS THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A DON'T YOU KNOW ABOUT THE BURG?
WELL, EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT THE BURG IS THE WORD!
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A EVERYBODY'S HEARD ABOUT THE BURG
BURG, BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A DON'T YOU KNOW ABOUT THE BURG?
WELL, EVERYBODY'S TALKING ABOUT THE BURG!
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG...
OFFENBURG!
...
I actually spent less than 10 minutes in Offenburg. The real highlight of the day was actually Luxembourg. Bit of background: my dad went there on a short business trip when I was about 10 and he came back and told me how it was tiny, but it was the richest country in the world and that you could go to the north tip and stand in Germany, Luxembourg, and France all at once. It captured my imagination, so I wrote a report on it in sixth grade and have sort of always wanted to visit there.
Today was my day.
I spent much of it wandering around the (very nice) shops in Luxembourg City - the capital - which is basically a smaller, cuter, brighter version of Paris. The only big difference is the grassy valley (not really a river) running through in the middle. It reminds me of Rock Creek Park going under the bridges of DC. I found a GREAT panoramic view and a bench in the cool shade not long before my train to Paris. Simply idyllic: one of my favorite spots on Earth.
There’s not a tremendous amount to see in Luxembourg, so I was right to only plan a few hours there. But I am very glad that I went.
I finally made it back to Paris, where it took me bloody forever to find my hostel. I was staying in the Montmartre area, which was a total flip-around for the Rive-Gauche guy I've become. By the way, I don't know if I ever explained this, but you hear these terms about Paris a lot and they don't really make intuitive sense. Rive Gauche is the lower bank of Paris (where I've chronicled the vast majority of my time there) and Rive Droite is the upper half, where I was staying now.
I hit it off with the receptionist, who liked my French and told me where to find a laundromat. On my first time there, I have to say I kinda’ liked the experience. I don’t like how impersonal those places are, this one was bright and clean and I like the idea of going and sitting and having time built into your schedule to read. Nowadays it’s The Clocks, an Agatha Christie mystery (not a Coldplay song). The book employs multiple perspectives, and nonlinear storytelling and all that rather appeals to me, as I'm sure you've heard me say.
Oh, wait... you haven't heard?
"Brian, don't!"
A-WELL-A EVERYBODY'S HEARD ABOUT THE BURG
BURG, BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A DON'T YOU KNOW ABOUT THE BURG?
WELL, EVERYBODY'S TALKING ABOUT THE BURG!
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG...
LUXEMBOURG!
BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB... [RETCHING NOISES]... AAAH!
PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-
PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-OOMA-MOW-MOW
PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW
PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW, PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW
PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW, PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW
OOMA-MOW-MOW, PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW
PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW, PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW
PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW, PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW
OOM-OOM-OOM-OOM-OOMA-MOW-MOW
PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW, PAPA-OOM-OOM-OOM
OOM-OOMA-MOW-MOW, PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW
OOMA-MOW-MOW, PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW
PAPA-A-MOW-MOW, PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW
PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW, OOMA-MOW-MOW
PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW, OOMA-MOW-MOW
PAPA-OOM-OOM-OOM-OOM-OOMA-MOW-MOW
OOM-OOM-OOM-OOM-OOMA-MOW-MOW
OOMA-MOW-MOW, PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW
PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW, OOMA-MOW-MOW
WELL DON'T YOU KNOW ABOUT THE BURG?
WELL, EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT THE BURG IS THE WORD!
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW, PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW...
I'm catching up, I am...! Here are the day's pictures.
(167) is Tuesday, 22 June 2010.
There's one thing that really bothers me, and to explain it, I'd like you to look at this piece of my map of Europe. This is the map I used to plan out this entire month-long loop. It's not too detailed (which might explain why I've visited capital cities almost exclusively), but it serves to illustrate the following point:
You see how it's basically a straight shot from Prague to Luxembourg and then from Luxembourg to Paris? Seems like a downright elegant itinerary, right? Well, not if you're taking trains through Germany. They run a great system - very efficient, friendly, and generally effective - but they just send you all over the place. When I have to change modes of transportation (usually trains) a lot, I usually refer to the entire trip as "patchwork." Anyway, here was my actual itinerary:
So, in 24 hours, I would cover (however briefly) Prague, Offenburg (the 'A'), Strasbourg, Luxembourg, and Paris. And you've heard that...
...Oh. Oh, have you not heard? It was my understanding that everyone had heard.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
A-WELL-A EVERYBODY'S HEARD ABOUT THE BURG
B-B-B-BURG, BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, BURG,
THE BURG IS THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, BURG,
WELL THE BURG IS THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, BURG,
WELL THE BURG IS THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, BURG,
WELL THE BURG IS THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A DON'T YOU KNOW ABOUT THE BURG?
WELL, EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT THE BURG IS THE WORD!
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A EVERYBODY'S HEARD ABOUT THE BURG
BURG, BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A DON'T YOU KNOW ABOUT THE BURG?
WELL, EVERYBODY'S TALKING ABOUT THE BURG!
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG...
OFFENBURG!
...
I actually spent less than 10 minutes in Offenburg. The real highlight of the day was actually Luxembourg. Bit of background: my dad went there on a short business trip when I was about 10 and he came back and told me how it was tiny, but it was the richest country in the world and that you could go to the north tip and stand in Germany, Luxembourg, and France all at once. It captured my imagination, so I wrote a report on it in sixth grade and have sort of always wanted to visit there.
Today was my day.
I spent much of it wandering around the (very nice) shops in Luxembourg City - the capital - which is basically a smaller, cuter, brighter version of Paris. The only big difference is the grassy valley (not really a river) running through in the middle. It reminds me of Rock Creek Park going under the bridges of DC. I found a GREAT panoramic view and a bench in the cool shade not long before my train to Paris. Simply idyllic: one of my favorite spots on Earth.
There’s not a tremendous amount to see in Luxembourg, so I was right to only plan a few hours there. But I am very glad that I went.
I finally made it back to Paris, where it took me bloody forever to find my hostel. I was staying in the Montmartre area, which was a total flip-around for the Rive-Gauche guy I've become. By the way, I don't know if I ever explained this, but you hear these terms about Paris a lot and they don't really make intuitive sense. Rive Gauche is the lower bank of Paris (where I've chronicled the vast majority of my time there) and Rive Droite is the upper half, where I was staying now.
I hit it off with the receptionist, who liked my French and told me where to find a laundromat. On my first time there, I have to say I kinda’ liked the experience. I don’t like how impersonal those places are, this one was bright and clean and I like the idea of going and sitting and having time built into your schedule to read. Nowadays it’s The Clocks, an Agatha Christie mystery (not a Coldplay song). The book employs multiple perspectives, and nonlinear storytelling and all that rather appeals to me, as I'm sure you've heard me say.
Oh, wait... you haven't heard?
"Brian, don't!"
A-WELL-A EVERYBODY'S HEARD ABOUT THE BURG
BURG, BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A DON'T YOU KNOW ABOUT THE BURG?
WELL, EVERYBODY'S TALKING ABOUT THE BURG!
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG...
LUXEMBOURG!
BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB... [RETCHING NOISES]... AAAH!
PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-
PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-OOMA-MOW-MOW
PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW
PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW, PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW
PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW, PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW
OOMA-MOW-MOW, PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW
PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW, PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW
PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW, PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW
OOM-OOM-OOM-OOM-OOMA-MOW-MOW
PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW, PAPA-OOM-OOM-OOM
OOM-OOMA-MOW-MOW, PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW
OOMA-MOW-MOW, PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW
PAPA-A-MOW-MOW, PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW
PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW, OOMA-MOW-MOW
PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW, OOMA-MOW-MOW
PAPA-OOM-OOM-OOM-OOM-OOMA-MOW-MOW
OOM-OOM-OOM-OOM-OOMA-MOW-MOW
OOMA-MOW-MOW, PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW
PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW, OOMA-MOW-MOW
WELL DON'T YOU KNOW ABOUT THE BURG?
WELL, EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT THE BURG IS THE WORD!
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW, PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW...
19 June 2010
(117-127): Christmas in Kentucky
I think it would be fun to write a TV show-- I don't know what it would be about-- but the episode titles would have NOTHING to do with the content of the episode.
(117-127) are 3-13 May 2010.
So, before the focus of the entry, I have an issue to address, which is the difficulty I've had with uploading photos. I finally seem to be circumventing it, however.
HERE ARE THE PHOTOS FROM FLORENCE, ROME, ATHENS, AND SANTORINI.
I think I’m also going to do one comprehensive entry near the end where I give you the full directory.
Anyway, today’s goal is the record short entry: ten days in four bullet points. And three of them are about movies.
1.) I finished my Hitchcock paper. It came out pretty well: talking about how Hitchcock uses color to highlight objects important to the plot, but more importantly, to represents the personal aspects of each movie. A few examples… in Rear Window, everything outside James Stewart’s window is slightly brighter, showing how they interest him more than his drab apartment (including Grace Kelly, who is dressed in plain but bright blue jeans and a coral button-down shirt in the final shot). In Torn Curtain (underrated movie, by the way), there are small details of blue to indicate when Paul Newman and wife Julie Andrews are safe from the Germans and details of red to indicate when they’re not. Also, when Hitchcock remade The Man Who Knew Too Much in color (only story for which he did this), the remake focused on the family’s stress after their child is kidnapped, as opposed to the father’s apparent primary motive of stopping the bad guys in the original. It goes on and on… for 13 pages… in French…
2.) I turned it in and saw Kick-Ass* to celebrate.
3.) I saw Iron Man 2 a full day before it came out in the U.S. Awesome.
4.) I spent some quality time with my VWPP pals before most of us parted ways, including a second (lovely) dinner at Le Bistrot de Chez Henri (recommended in the entry titled “Days on the 10”) on Rue Princesse.
---------------------------
Footnotes don’t count toward the line limit because of a rule I just made up.
* I don’t care if it was a graphic novel first; I’m pretty damn sure this movie came about because somebody got ahold of—not one—but two of my screenplay ideas, breeded them together, and let their kid play a few too many violent video games. I liked the movie—it was smart, funny, and stylish and while the violence was gratuitous, I understood why it had to be there. But go ahead: see it, and then ask me about Superhero Guy and Black Blade.
(117-127) are 3-13 May 2010.
So, before the focus of the entry, I have an issue to address, which is the difficulty I've had with uploading photos. I finally seem to be circumventing it, however.
HERE ARE THE PHOTOS FROM FLORENCE, ROME, ATHENS, AND SANTORINI.
I think I’m also going to do one comprehensive entry near the end where I give you the full directory.
Anyway, today’s goal is the record short entry: ten days in four bullet points. And three of them are about movies.
1.) I finished my Hitchcock paper. It came out pretty well: talking about how Hitchcock uses color to highlight objects important to the plot, but more importantly, to represents the personal aspects of each movie. A few examples… in Rear Window, everything outside James Stewart’s window is slightly brighter, showing how they interest him more than his drab apartment (including Grace Kelly, who is dressed in plain but bright blue jeans and a coral button-down shirt in the final shot). In Torn Curtain (underrated movie, by the way), there are small details of blue to indicate when Paul Newman and wife Julie Andrews are safe from the Germans and details of red to indicate when they’re not. Also, when Hitchcock remade The Man Who Knew Too Much in color (only story for which he did this), the remake focused on the family’s stress after their child is kidnapped, as opposed to the father’s apparent primary motive of stopping the bad guys in the original. It goes on and on… for 13 pages… in French…
2.) I turned it in and saw Kick-Ass* to celebrate.
3.) I saw Iron Man 2 a full day before it came out in the U.S. Awesome.
4.) I spent some quality time with my VWPP pals before most of us parted ways, including a second (lovely) dinner at Le Bistrot de Chez Henri (recommended in the entry titled “Days on the 10”) on Rue Princesse.
---------------------------
Footnotes don’t count toward the line limit because of a rule I just made up.
* I don’t care if it was a graphic novel first; I’m pretty damn sure this movie came about because somebody got ahold of—not one—but two of my screenplay ideas, breeded them together, and let their kid play a few too many violent video games. I liked the movie—it was smart, funny, and stylish and while the violence was gratuitous, I understood why it had to be there. But go ahead: see it, and then ask me about Superhero Guy and Black Blade.
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