i wish i could have taken photos of every single rad and interesting person i saw in paris, but i didn’t want to be that creepy girl that took photos of strangers all day long. my paris memories are already starting to fade, this saddens me.
see the rest of the paris photos at my flickr
we’re not done with paris… yet. i still have many photos to get through, so in the meantime i thought i’d show you the apartment we stayed in. it’s on the left bank right behind notre dame, and filled with so much awesome art and weird little artefacts that my eyeballs almost fell out.
besides being basically my favourite places to hang out in general, art museums are prime spots for interesting people watching. in the musée d’orsay i lurked in the same room as courbet’s origin of the world for about 5 minutes, and enjoyed witnessing a variety of reactions … naturally the piece generates a lot of interest and giggles - mostly from men. in the l’orangerie i sat and watched these two women who gazed at monet’s water lilies for ages. when i squinted my eyes they started blending in with the blue water.
in the louvre i stood and watched as people went crazy around the mona lisa. this was my third visit, and it’s always the same story: jostling to take a photos & jamming at eachother’s elbows so they can stand as close to her as possible. the guards in the room are almost permanently rolling their eyes at the tourists who all flash away with their little digital cameras, even though there are several signs that say no flash… all the while lisa is just chilling with that disarming smile on her face, and the eyes that watch you no matter where you are standing in the room.
actually, all the paintings seem to be watching you… all the time.
so i retreated to the calm of the decorative arts museum – still my favourite of them all. it is currently hosting an animals & toys exhibit (excellent!) and they were busy setting up for the mobi-boom exhibit in the nave opening on 23 september, which will showcase furniture design from 1945 to 1975 – seriously bummed i’m missing that.
all photos by me, more of paris at my flickr
the best place to have a picnic, doze off in a garden chair, people watch, go for a stroll, take your dog for le poop (pick it up please), read a book, spend your lunch break etc etc ETCETERA! a garden in paris is everyone’s best friend.
les puces de saint-ouen is an area of paris made up of several flea markets that is simply huge. i only explored the vernaisson (antiques / bric-a-brac) section – and even that took a good few hours.
this shop in the middle of the market is called tombées du camion. they sell beads and all sorts of other interesting bits and pieces… the raddest & most creative displays i’ve seen in a while.
all photos by me, more at my flickr
i had been to père lachaise cemetery once before on a previous trip to paris, but had literally run in and out in a frenzy of sightseeing just to look at jim morrison’s grave (one of those shameless things you just have to do, like visiting the eiffel tower.) this time round i had plenty of time to walk all through the huge grounds. i honestly think it is one of the most beautiful places in paris – mostly because of the tree lined avenues and the feeling of escaping the city as soon as you’re within its walls.
all photos by me, more at my flickr.
you might get sick of my paris bla bla bla paris posts in the following days (i apologise in advance, just let me get it out of my system). i still have to sort through my photos, so in the meantime i thought i’d share excerpts from one of the magazines that air france gives out free of charge to their passengers at the airports and in their planes. not anything like south african airways’ little sawubona mag, mind you…
air france’s madame magazine (which caters towards ladies and fashion minded folks) features ads from louis vuitton, chloé, miu miu fendi etc etc etc and editorial content that’s something like a mix between elle, marie claire and some cool decor mag. that is to say, it’s actually interesting to look at. seriously, this is a free airline magazine.
i’ll be gone for ten days, so it’s going to be a bit quiet around here. regular posting to resume soon.
photos by me
things that made me smile this week…
peggy in the latest mad men episode – “you look swellegant!”
classic jane birkin:
this what i wore drawing:
this:
& the thought of going here soon…
do yourself a favour and view this large
