Entertainment

I've blogged about favorite things #17 & 18 before, so just a brief mention here. I love the street musicians of Paris! This is Borsalino playing in the arcade around Place de Vosges in the Marais. They're a jazz group in the style of Django Reinhardt. I bought a CD to remember them by. On weekends you find musicians and performers all over central Paris performing for donations...a few coins, perhaps you'll buy a CD? I think I was most amazed to find performers in the halls of the Metro. Imagine 'rounding a corner deep underground as you rush to your Metro stop and coming upon a stringed octet playing classical music...awesome.

The churches of Paris offer a wealth of musical entertainment. Visit Notre Dame or St. Germain-des-Pres at Vespers and listen to the great pipe organs. Or arrive a bit early to hear the organists practicing. Sit down in the worship area, close your eyes. The crowds and tourist noise will melt away and the great organs will carry your thoughts heavenward! Churches are frequently the site of concerts as well. Your admission price supports not only the musicians, but also helps with the upkeep of these ancient buildings. And the music is sublime!

Street music and church music....#17 & 18 on my list of favorite things to do in Paris.

Old Versus New

We're back at cour Marly in the Louvre. What do you think of these 'people' who are intermingled with all the ancient sculptures? I have to admit that at first glance, I thought they were real... kind of like the street performers who stand perfectly still for hours for your entertainment. But no, this is an art installation. The figures look as if they are made of plaster of Paris, stark white, no faces to be seen. Each clock is set at exactly the same time. I'm sure this all means something, but I'm not sure what. And I'm sure you're wondering why any of this could be one of my favorite things about Paris? Here's the explanation....all over this city you see the old and ancient juxtaposed against the new, the modern, the avant garde. At the corner of Blvd. St. Michel and the Seine, there is a huge fountain of St. Michel slaying a dragon completed in 1860. In 1871 this corner was the center of the political uprising known as the Paris Commune. And today... across the street is a stainless steel figure in profile that spurts water. Another example of this tension of old/new is found in the infamous I.M.Pei pyramid that anchors the courtyard of the Louvre. Love it or hate it...you'll find a Parisian to support you. Nothing could be more modern than the Pompidou Center that snuggles up against the Eglise Saint-Merri, a 14th century church in the 4th arrondissement. And when you enter this ancient church, here is what you find in the nave! The vibrant and active life of this working parish is documented on the cubes resting on the traditional black and white tile floors and framed by 14th-century stonework. Ya gotta love it...and I do. To me, these splashes of the new against the old make Paris a living city and not just a stuck-in-the-past, stuffy museum city. It lives and breathes with the energies of the people who live, play, work and worship there. Rather than feeling like the old and new clash, Paris is able to make them feel like partners in time leading the city to even greater heights of joie de vivre and culture.

Sculpture

I was never a big fan of sculpture until I visited Paris for the first time. There's something about seeing it in person that makes it come alive. It's one of those art forms that you really must see in three dimensions, not on a flat page in a book. The Rodin Museum took my breath away. The Maillol was equally impressive. Everywhere you look in Paris you see sculpture...in parks, at street intersections, in churches. My very favorite place to enjoy sculpture, however, is in the Louvre. "The Winged Victory" is hands down my favorite, but she always gets all the attention. So I chose this handsome man from the cour Marly in the Louvre to feature in this blog entry. This covered courtyard is filled with spectacular pieces including the famous Horses of Marly. I love the tension in this piece. You can almost feel the power in this man's muscles as he strains to free himself from his bonds. On my last visit to the Louvre, there was a special exhibit of modern sculpture displayed with the ancient pieces in this space. I'll show you a picture of that in my next entry of more of my favorite things about Paris and Provence. This hunky guy represents # 15 on my favorite things list.

Powdered Vanilla

Powdered vanilla is # 13 on my list of favorite things about Paris and Provence. The little jar came from the Sunday market in Isle-su-l'Sorgue. I bought the tube of powdered vanilla at La Grande Epicerie in Le Bon Marche in Paris (which, by the way, is # 14 on my list!). I've never seen powdered vanilla here in the States; maybe I'm not looking in the right places? If you've seen it, let me know. Its fragrance is rich and the flavor is a little different than vanilla extract. Since I don't have a very educated palate, I don't have the right words to explain this difference, but it has a deeper, sweeter smell to me. I like to sprinkle a tiny bit in the warm milk that I froth for my morning coffee. I get just a hint of rich vanilla when I sip...yum!

What is La Grande Epicerie, you ask? Only the coolest grocery store I've ever seen! It is so worth a trip if you're visiting Paris even if you don't intend to buy groceries. Oh come on...buy a bottle of wine or a luscious chunk of chocolate! I've never seen anything like the cheese counter, the deli meat counter, the bread department. Word to the wise....don't forget to weigh your produce BEFORE you get to the check out person. That's the way you do it in France and the check out girl will not be happy if you don't comply!

Okay...I googled 'powdered vanilla' and you can buy it several places on line. That's not nearly as much fun as it is to pick it up while you wander the Sunday market in Isle or find it while you check out the well-dressed Parisians at La Grande Epicerie! I'll ration mine out until I can get back to France!

My Favorite Village

Back to Provence for more of my favorite things. I've already blogged at length about Goult, my favorite Provencal village. Each village is lovely in its own way; Goult speaks to my soul mainly because it's less touristy and more about real life in Provence, yet still retains all the charm of its more popular 'perched' neighbors. I also love the doors of Goult like this one. They are all beautiful and unique. Some have the year the doorway was built etched in the capstone; some are made of beautifully carved wood. This doorway is framed with gorgeous stonework. I've blogged about many of these doors in the past during Jientje's doors challenge, but this is one I didn't include. Here's another thing that fascinates about these old, beautiful doors...I just know they are the entryways into stories. Stories of old Provence, stories of lives lived inside. Stories of drama, intrigue, affairs, death, birth. I'm just itching to know those stories, aren't you? Writing about the doors and the secret stories they hide is one of my book ideas for that day when I am living a literary life in Provence. Would you buy a book about these stories?

Goult and doors....numbers #11 and # 12 on my list of favorites. If you like doors, check out these on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhh/sets/72157600156909115/

The Seine by Boat

Yes, it's touristy. Yes, it's corny and cliche. And yes, you must do this at least once in your lifetime. A boat ride on the Seine through Paris is my favorite thing # 10. If the weather is warm and clear, try a night time tour. Even in rainy, cool weather, you can do the tour and sit inside out of the elements. It's a great experience. I did my Seine boat trip on a lovely September evening combined with an Illumination Tour. We began at the Eiffel Tower, boarded the boat and after completing the river part of the evening, drove around the city in a van to view all the wonderful public and private buildings that are lit up at night. It was magical! I will definitely do it again. My photos of the Tower were even blurrier than this one a snagged from Google. I think you can tell, though, that the twinkling Tower is a spectacular sight.


Here are some places to visit on the Internet for more information:

Batobus...great pictures!
Bateaux Mouches
Bateaux Parisien...pictures & music to get you in the mood!
Vedettes Pont-Neuf
Paris Vision



Enjoy your cruise!

Transportation

I love all the ways you can travel around Paris!

Maybe it's because I grew up in the suburbs of southern California when 'the car' was everything and 'the freeway' was your only way to get from here to there, but I find alternate ways of transportation just fascinating. These two are # 8 and # 9 of my 25 favorites things about Paris and Provence. This is a photo I took of one of the old style Metro stations in Paris. The Metro is fabulous! Cheap and easy to use, it quickly whisks you all around the city. True, at peak travel times you are packed in like sardines, but if you plan your trips right, you can avoid that. I was a bit apprehensive the first few times I ventured underground on my own. Having a good sense of direction, I felt a little anxious not being able to orient myself to familiar landmarks. I quickly learned the system, though, and came to love it. So buy a carnet, study a good map of the system to familiarize yourself with how it works, and take the plunge. Metro travel is a joy.
Here is the very best way to travel outside Paris...the TGV. (tay-zha-vay--soft 'g' as in 'genre'). This picture from Google shows the bullet trains lined up ready to zip you around France at an astounding speed of 200mph! You have to make a reservation, and I recommend making a first class one; the extra money is well spent. The train is fast, comfortable, and quiet. Cell phones are prohibited except in specially designated places. First class seats are plush. The train stations are well-organized and easy to use, even for someone who doesn't speak French. Here's my question: why don't we have this kind of rapid transportation system in the United States??? Truly, I'd never drive or fly again.