Daunou Opera Paris

... that interesting because it was too clear. And I was really tired from all my walking around and museum-going. So I went back to the train station to pick up my bags, and then I headed for the hostel. It was a really weird feeling leaving the train station and knowing it was the last time I’d be inside one.

When I got to the hostel I was so wiped out that I didn’t have the energy to work on blogs. So I just read for a while before going to bed.

Au Revoir!

... the name and nicknamed it The Winged Victory of Some Other Race) and then, the Mona Lisa. It was very crowded with hoards of people. The thing nowadays seems for tourists to not take a picture of something and then be done with it. They have to take a picture of themselves with the thing, so it becomes, "This is me by the Venus de Milo" and “This is me in front of the Winged Victory.” It makes it hard to get a clean shot. I really don’t want ...

... vast waves of love towards the world, and foremost - towards Nina, which was there for me when I needed help, who listened to me when I cried my past sorrows amidst the darkest nights.   Who is still here by my side despite the good, despite the bad. Yes, I am lucky. I also feel so grateful towards Michel, Nina's father. A great, generous man - who inspires me by the way he is. It is he who pays for us our little piece of heaven in the middle ...

... around the booth seemed to be for plays, or at best musicals. Since I don't speak French outside of "Bonjour! S'il vous plait! Merci! Au Revoir!", I was shooting for an opera or ballet, choir or orchestra -- something that doesn't so much require words. So we decided to bail on that for the time being. Musee d'Orsay is for the middle-range of art periods. I didn't know this, but the big Paris art museums are organized by time. The Louvre ...

... on my front and holding the zippers shut! And then we got to Sacre Coeur and it was beautiful. I definitely much prefer it to Notre Dame. It is simpler but I think that is exactly why I like it. I find Notre Dame too gaudy, too big. Also the Sacre Coeur asks that you be silent and there is space to pray. There is in Notre Dame too, but it's not the focal point like at Sacre Coeur. I feel like it is more of a 'real church' still. Anyway, it was lovely. And then I went ...

... Brazilian, German, or Spanish; one is from Turkey, two are from China, and one is from Australia. This brings me to yet another realization I had when reading "Almost French," which is that it's kind of hard to break into the inner circle of "really" French people. Not that I've tried, but obviously my situation does not lend itself to my meeting French people. People in a French class obviously aren't French, and the girls who live on ...

... France's version of Independence Day: Bastille Day. We stopped for a moment, consulted the map in our Rick Steve's Paris book and then starting walking towards Rue Castex. Our destination was the Hotel Castex, a 3 star lodging that I was expecting to be a little bit better than the Royal Phare on the other side of town. We were not to be disappointed. With a grand lobby full of Spanish tile and ornate furniture, the Hotel is ...

I loved Paris. Four days is not enough to spend there...you need months...a year! Think of all the good things to say and insert here, cause thats what I have to say about Paris. I really didn't do much touristy stuff, reason being is that in Italy I met these people who live in Paris and we met up when I arrived there. So i hung out with people in their crew the whole time...it was like I was at home hanging out with friends, we met up for drinks, walked in Parks talking ...

... and those people say they are of Dutch descent - but none speaks a word of Dutch. Now: Arras is deep in France territory and there is another sovereign kingdom, the one of the Belgians (who do not have a Belgian language, true?) between The Netherlands and France. My point is: this was actually the border line (once upon a time) between the Dutch and the French. This ...

... stove and have a cooked dinner. Lord Of The Rings started earning it's keep, as it was used as a base for the stove to prevent a forest fire. Due to the amount of bugs around we tried to sleep with our sleeping bags tied up tight, covering our faces, but it was too hot - I woke up a few hours later sprawled across the forest floor and itching like hell. On balance though, it was a good night's sleep, and who else could say there first night's accommodation in Paris ...