2. Had my first nutella crepe. Mmmmmm and only 3 euros - a cheap sweet treat.
3. First ride on the metro. Easy peasy - what was I afraid of? Relief for tired legs.
4. Happened across some buskers in Place Georges Pompidou. Two beautiful guys with an even more beautiful marionette of an elderly man. The figure was made of wood and painted white, it stood about a metre tall. One performer played the guitar accompanying the other, who told a silent story with the marionette. The story seemed to be about a musician who could no longer perform but then goes on to play with joy in the afterlife. The figure had huge, expressive eyes with eyelids that opened and shut. It was totally absorbing and I had tears in my eyes when they finished.
5. The plumbers replaced the hot water "balloon" in the apartment and I now have hot water again! I have attached a photo of the stairs to the apartment just so you can appreciate how tradesman must feel working in 16th century buildings! Still, they were laughing all the time - j'adore le Francais.
3 comments:
Dear Sal,
Glad you didn't drop your digital camera over the stairwell, but that bannister looks really nice to slide down on! I wish you could draw, you've taken some great photographs that need to be translated into paintings and lino-cuts. I hope you're writing in the journal, and attempting the occasional sketch.
love Fi
Hi Sally-Anne-Beauvoir
Jean-Pierre? cravat? art magazine? philosopher? cafe? Now Sally, call me sceptical but are you sure he wasn't a plant put there by the Paris Tourism Authority to ensure overseas visitors come away with an authentic 'French Experience'?
If you had waited long enough I reckon he would have checked his watch, realised his shift was over, taken off his hat and put on a cap with Rugby World Cup on it picked up the sports pages and yelled out to the waiter in a strong Australian accent " Hey Garcon,this coffee cup isn't gonna fill it's self" before leaving for his room in a backpackers.
Then again maybe in an existential sense it doesn't matter- Jean-Pierre or Jean-Paul Satre or Davo from Frankston - in a meaningless universe make of it what you will and who cares anyway when you can buy traditional French Nutella crepes!
I too looked at the curly, twurly banister and want to see a series of pictures taken as you slide from the top floor to the basement.
As you point out workmen would have been very grumpy lugging themselves up and down everyday - an up-to-this-point overlooked causal factor to the French Revolution?? Or maybe the citizens back then were just cross because no-one had invented Nutella crepes yet?
As to your buskers. Can I just remind you that at Clifton Hill we have that guy with the dog and a string missing from his guitar who belts out Meatloaf songs - he is amazing when he does both voices in that 'stop right there before you go any further' song. See, you travel half-way around the world to be reminded about the treasures at your own doorstep. I believe I am rambling and you have a coffee waiting on a table somewhere so I best go before I get too jealous.
Looking forward to the next instalment.
Love Paul (no Jean)
Nutella crepes - aah brings back memories.
Off to London tomorrow - if you feel like popping over drop me a line, we could arrange to meet up somewhere. Mind you it sounds like you have more than enough to do exploring gay Paris. Have you been to Moulin Rouge yet? Well worth a trip, but book it before you go you can buy tickets at the door which probably work out cheaper than through an agent. The costumes and the dancers are as old and worn as me - but smacks of memories of Les Girls in St Kilda but with a french accent!
Also the area where MR is is very St Kilderish, that guy from the Doors is buried out that way too.
Be good (ish) and can't wait for the next installment. Love Kim
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