Advertisement
Published: October 6th 2006
PHOTOS AND FRENCH VERSION TO FOLLOW SOON / DES PHOTOS ET VERSION FRANCAIS A SUIVRE BIENTOT...
As everyone knows from my first post about Paris, I adore Paris. I spent a wonderful 5 days in Paris, again with my great friend Lily, who has a gorgeous apartment which she's decorated impeccably, and who is a fantastic cook, and a supremely interesting, intelligent and fun person. I walked an awful lot, which is my absolute favourite thing to do in Paris (with drinking a glass of wine on a sunny terrace coming a close second), through the sex districts of the 9th arrondissement (I'm always working), around the Louvre, along the Seine. My awesome friend Vanessa, from Melbourne, happened to be in Paris at the same time, so we spent a day together, walking and walking (from the 9th, down to the Louvre, across to Notre Dame, down to the Jardin de Luxembourg, up to the Tour Eiffel and then to the nearest metro station), and also wandering through the Louvre. We saw the Mona Lisa bien sur (her eyes really do follow you); Saint Venus de Milo (I took photos of the tourists taking photos); Napoleon's apartments (opulent; huge chandeliers); the Islam art collection (some beautiful Persian carpets, but also some strange ones with pictures of predatory animals devouring prey; beautiful ornate objets d'art; interesting Indian art); and statues, lots and lots of statues, great great statues. It's amazing to see a really strong sense of movement conveyed in a static object, or beautiful anatomy from such heavy material. Of course, the building of the Louvre itself is breath-taking... imagine living there! Imagine sweeping imperiously through all those corridors, imagine walking through all those rooms and it beings yours... Imagine cleaning it!!
Parisians are really friendly too (Vanessa agrees). I don't know where they get such a bad reputation from. They're the best! You walk into a shop and they sing out hello to you, and smile when they serve you, and sing out "Au revoir! Bonne journee!" ("Good bye! Have a good day!") when you leave. Paris is one big smiley love-in. I love love love it. However, I'm not so sure anymore if I want to live there. The employment market is incredibly difficult for people my age, housing costs are OUT OF THIS WORLD, and the French have a certain attitude towards male-female relations which drives me bonkers... Everyone is available, or they're at least available for a flirt, to see if they're available for something more... I don't know. When I was walking around on my own, I was mostly left alone, it was only when I was with my friend who is as beautiful as Paris that I noticed comments by men... and so many! "Oooh, YOU, where are you going?" "Come to my restaurant. Oh you've already eaten? Yes, beauty -is- nourishing," plus one waiter who followed us for about 200 metres complimenting my friend on her sense of style... When I'm old and rich and clearly unavailable for this kind of 'sport', then maybe I'll live in Paris. Though... it is the most beautiful city in the world... it's very tempting. Plus, then I get to live in the same city as Lily and only two hours from my Londondian, Belgian and (quasi-)Lyonnais friends and family...
Advertisement
Tot: 0.068s; Tpl: 0.008s; cc: 13; qc: 48; dbt: 0.03s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
naomi
non-member comment
In which sense were you working in the sex district of Paris?