Spéos and the Opéra Bastille

Today I visited the other photo atelier, Spéos, and was disappointed to discover that they make all students start with a non-digital, black and white camera. And they have class on Friday. I'm thinking Vermès is looking better and better.

After an afternoon French class, our group got a private tour of the Opéra Bastille. I am still in shock of how utterly fantastic this tour was. When we arrived, we descended down 6 stories and arrived at the bottom of the theater's massive elevator which is in charge of bringing up and down any and all sets for upcoming shows. The first thing I saw when we walked through the doors was the set for La Bohème.

I don't know how to say how happy I was. I got to walk around on the set for La Bohème. Me. Pretty much a dream.

We saw many other fabulous things as well (the Opéra Bastille is HUGE!). They even make all their own props, costumes, sets, etc... right on site, so we got to see some of the crazy things in progress. I did not know that such amazing things could be done with styrophome.



When we finally stepped out into the seating area, I plopped myself down in a seat that I thought was assez bon only to hear a huge gasp come from the mouth of our adorable and hilarious guide. "Madame la Présidente!" he says as he reaches for my hand. Apparently I had chosen the seat in the Opéra where the President sits. My butt has touched the same seat cushon as President Sarkozy (I don't know if I should be proud, amused, or disgusted by this...).

Feeling pretty proud of myself for having such expensive taste, I went and bought myself some really dirt cheap fruit and veggies to add to my dinner for the night.

For dinner:
entrée: tomato with oil and vinegar
plat: spaghetti with bolognese sause
dessert: tiramisu gelatto (and 1 petit ecolier cookie)

Total Damages today:

kinder bar for petit déjeuner en route: ,80 EUR
Orangina: ,80 EUR
Petit Ecolier cookies: ,80 EUR
Apple: ,14 EUR
Tomato: ,17 EUR

Visit to Vermès!

Today after French class, I went to a photography atelier called Vermès with 3 other girls to meet Phillip Vermès himself and discuss studying photography at his studio. He checked out Jay's camera, gave me a thumbs up, and gave us our first "theme" to start thinking about: our neighborhoods. I already have so many good ideas of where to find things that would make good pictures in my neighborhood and I'm glad that this gives me a reason to explore a little bit more.

Vermès is also much closer to my place than Reid Hall (Vermès is right by Opéra Bastille while Reid hall is on blvd. du montparnasse), and since class is on Thursday mornings with flexible lab times (I get to choose whenever I want to go in), it may turn out to be the superior studio to Spéos, the other photo atelier that we're visiting tomorrow.

M. Vermès was an interesting character himself. He took pictures of all of our ears with his super-mega-awesome-high-powered digital camera and his clothing made him look like someone who just walked out of Venice beach. Come to think of it, the whole studio looks like it could comfortably fit on the boardwalk.

On my way home, I picked up some "groceries" (just some pasta sause with meat to add to my spaghetti, some tiramisu gelato for one of these nights, and a soft drink) and made myself a delicious meal. As I sat by the window, I finished my French homework for the evening and decided to walk down to Reid Hall to print it out.

The walk down St. Michel is amazing, and the detour I took through les jardins de luxembourg was incredible. What a place for a picnic! The place itself is gorgeous and the people watching can't be beat. They even have lounge-style chairs -- it's like they know I want to get comfortable. I've decided that I will come back down here with a baguette and fixings one of these days, maybe I can convice Sam and her French friends to go with me.

In the middle of my super leisurely dinner at the Resto U (pasta, steak, green beans, salad, bread, raspberry tart), a man who appeared to be in his late 30s came and sat across from me. I think he could tell I was American because I was reading some information in a guidebook when he sat down. He was really cordial and explained a lot of things about Paris that he thought were amusing. It wasn't until 1/2 way through the conversation that I realized he didn't have any fingers on his left hand. I was absolutely impressed that he was cutting his steak, eating his apple, and explaining things with his fingerless hand so naturally that I had not even noticed there was anything different about it. More shocking was that when went our separate ways, I had learned nothing about the man's life, what he does for a living, how he lost his fingers, or even his name, but I felt I still had had a great conversation. I think that's the amazing thing about parisians -- they don't talk about themselves that much but still manage to be interesting in a world that is built on "profile pages."

I walked home, enjoying the hot parisian air (I have no idea why it is still this hot here -- I can't even wear pants at noon without breaking a sweat) and found that I didn't even want to dip into that gelato yet. A walk home in Paris was enough of a dessert.

Total Damages:

Pain au chocolat for breakfast from the boulangerie by my school: 1 EUR
"groceries": 3,45 EUR
dinner at CROUS: 3,45 EUR

Monday Night Walk

I just got back from one of the most gorgeous nights in Paris yet! I walked down Rambuteau till it became another street and met up with Place des Voges. After strolling around the gardens and taking mental pictures of the great Brasseries in the area, I took a deep breath of the delicious smells and continued down to Opéra Bastille. The building is massive and made even more breathtaking by the beautiful canal right next to it.

I have to say that Canal St. Martin is probably the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in Paris at night. The end of it carries the metro 1 boarding zone and lights up the canal below. All alongside the canal are gorgeous boats docked next to beautiful gardens (Jardins de l'Arsenal). It looked like one of those places where people get married -- everything was lined with ivy, there were beautiful flowers everywhere, and the water was glistening.

From above the canal and gardens, one can hop across a open bridge and stand in the middle of a sparkling Paris. I couldn't help but think that I had stumbled across the perfect place to eat my GOUTU sandwich. I have to retract my previous statement of doubt about the sandwich -- it is a very good sandwich, and the perfect size for a light dinner. However, it is still probably not financially practical to make a regular habit of chowing down on these mini-wiches.

As I was enjoying my wonderful Parisian night, it started to spontaneously downpour. So I got my trusty umbrella out, treked over to the metro, and cruised the 2 minute ride home.

When Jay comes, I can't wait to take him to the Canal and have a proper picnic. :)