Monday, December 15, 2008

Paris, Take Two

Ok. Here I am in the world's most popular tourist destination.
I still love it.
Just as much as I did my first visit back in Nov of 2002.
There is a confidence to this city; it knows it's the shit. I'm ok with that. I agree. This city is dope, but really expensive!

Luckily, though, I am fortunate enough to be staying with an old college friend of mine, Jen, who has a lovely little one bedroom in the east of Paris. It brings me back to my college days when you fall asleep talking with your roommate, and tip-toe around in the morning if you are the first one up. I kinda like it!



I spend my days here in Paris in much the same way. I wake up early--at my standard 7:00 wake-up time--and watch old episodes of Sex and the City on Jen's laptop. (Such indulgences are much appreciated after 4 months on the road). When Jen is up and at 'em we usually share a light French breakfast of toast or coffee cake and hot chocolate.

After a slow morning, I leave the house with all the layers I have: a warm hat, a thick scarf, two polar fleece jackets, fingerless gloves, mittens, and often leggings under my jeans. Armed with my Paris map (now well tattered) in my pocket, I set off in the general direction of something I wish to see. The first day it was Notre Dame, the second day Sacre Coeur and the third day it was the Eiffel Tower.

I walk (just fast enough to stay warm), all the while observing the activity around me... the shops, the people, the signs, the streets... my own little anthropological journey. I really like Paris, and so far I have nothing but good experiences with the French. Who are the people that say the French are rude? I would like to hear it directly from them. Even with my 5 words in French, I manage ok, and have encountered little anti-US sentiment. Amazingly I am even starting to be able to understand very basic French, probably due to its similarities to Spanish and English.

Oh, so back to my average daily schedule. So I walk around, enjoying the visual feast of buildings, people, etc, for several hours until I find something that interests me. When something catches my eye I circle it until I find the spot that most appeals to me. I look for the perfect place with interesting angles, nice lines and good colors, and I settle in to draw.

To set up my little work station, first I need to sit on my notebook, because at this time of year the concrete is verrrrry cold. I perch cross legged with an extra scarf draped over my legs for warmth. I pull out my sketchbook and my bag of pens, then I take the mitten from my right had and add it to my left, so now my right hand just has one fingerless glove, but my left has a fingerless glove and two mittens. Taking out my pencils and eraser, I get down to business, framing my latest drawing.

In this way I pass about 3 hours or so (more when it is warmer). The past few days have been really cold and rainy, so I haven't been out there. Too bad, but I am happy with what I've got; three new additions to my sketchbook; days 1, 2 and 3. The only interruptions to my work are the occasional stretch breaks to get the blood flowing again if I get too cold.

When I finish, I pack up all of my goodies and start the long walk home. By now it is usually getting dark, so I get to enjoy the Christmas lights all the way home. Dinner has varied every night, sometimes Jen and I make omelettes and salad at home, once I got yummy Chinese take out, once we went out for fondue... there is no pattern there. But rest assured that meals always include fresh, flaky french bread and cheese. Yum.

Evenings, like dinner, have varied. At times including a movie on the laptop, an evening out, making Christmas decorations or just sitting and talking. Either way, I like it. France suits me, except for the whole not-speaking-French thing, but I can learn. To my surprise I think the French lifestyle suits me better than Spain. I think I can atually pinpoint some reasons why.

  • The French like fresh bread and cheese... good cheese. That's reason enough, but there is more....
  • The schedule isn't wonky here, in fact dinner is eaten at the respectable hour of 7 or 8
  • Smoking is banned in all public buildings. Yay!
  • Ham is only the sidenote to a meal and not the central component of everything.
  • While good fashion is appreciated here, women aren't "done up" all the time with the same intensity as Spanish women. There's less pressure to be a Barbizon.
  • Chocolate and pastry making are common arts, I mean... hello? Perfect for me!
  • Eating is considered somewhat of a hobby here; meals extend for hours as the meal leads to cheeses, which then of course has to end in dessert. Fabulous. If I lived here I would gain a million pounds.





No comments: