Thursday, October 19, 2006
Monday 9/10 Paree
Whoa! Can something be too beautiful, too European, too perfect, to be real?...
I am in sensory overload!...Stood under the Arc de Triomphe and looked down a long boulevarde away from the city, turned around 180 degrees and looked again and I was challenged to absorb the scene before me. At least 2km straight ahead on a gentle downward slope - so you could see the whole length, was a wide boulevarde lined with huge Plane trees, bounded by deep pedestrian roads - you couldn't call them footpaths - they are too wide, with traffic beatling up and down the centre, bright shops, thousands of people. What an atmosphere - le Champs Elysees. Now I also had to have the expected approach by gypsy beggers - but that makes the experience complete - and actually a little more real. For a few minutes I had trouble realising this was not a dream or a movie.
I spent the morning window shopping with the rich and shameless and many more of the real people like me pretending...The Cartier watch I picked was $24,000 Aussie dollars, and I didn't pick a pair of shoes or a dress in the windows under €500. Talk about champagne taste on a beer budget....But what fun!...I walked all the way to the Louvre, wandering on and off the Champs Elysees as I saw buildings or gardens of interest. Watched the people, and I've got to say Paris women are the most glamourous on the planet. I'm sure they dress much richer than they can afford - it's all show. But boy, they know how to do it.
Hindsite: Comment on French people
The French are generally very short. The younger ones (under 25yo) are taller, but it was very common to see men and women under 5' - I felt like a giant. They are generally not over weight - the women in Paris would average size 8, but out of Paris you are much more likely to see 30-40 yo size 12, and older women even size 16. But certainly no-one was obese. The men similar. Mostly they are all dark haired. In Paris blue eyes and in the south brown eyes. The men wear their hair short to very short; the women's hair is long and up - either smooth and chic, or thick and tassled - but still up in a thick knot. They let their hair down at night when they go out. If they had short hair it was generally very modern cuts and proper short.
Out of Paris the people dressed much more casually and conservatively. Much more like home. Paris was fashion overload. It reminded me of Singapore 20 years ago when you saw the young office workers in the city beautifully presented and then caught the bus through the suburbs where they lived and realised it was all 'face' and 'show' and 'pride'. Nothing wrong with this at all! It amazes me. They must spend huge amounts of time and their income on appearance. Which in Paris seems to be very important.
There are large communities in both Paris and the south of middle eastern heritage people. It was Ramadan while I was there and there were lots of evening parties and the sweet breads in the patisseries for these communities were amazing. Lots of honey and nuts in all sorts of presentations of pastries. Beautifully crafted. Food is an art form in France.
I'm not sure how much inter-marriage happens across the cultures but in both north and south the internet cafes were all run by the Morroccan & Algerian men - they were incredibly polite and helpful and more prepared to communicate with strangers.
The other thing I noticed was that all the service roles, which in Oz would be held by women, were done by men. Men were the waiters, barmen, shop keepers, checkout chics, in all the shops except perfume, clothes and womens apparel. They were the hairdressers (and the men go to hairdressers like women not barbers), they worked in hotels on reception, on the attraction entries, train ticket offices. You saw the odd woman bus driver, policeman, small shop owner (convenience outlet). And you saw women working in the food markets - but I think that is because it is their produce. They also worked in the patisseries more than men.
I think once women have children they stay home. And I didn't see any big families in my generation. The people I spoke to were from families of 6+ but they had on av3 kids themselves and the younger families I saw out had 1-3 max.
Back to the Louvre
As I said, sensory overload. Spent the afternoon in this amazing place. Thought I would need more but I think the concentration of vision exhausted me. I had a quick look at the famous bits and smiled at the Mona Lisa; but the crowds and noise in these areas was intimidating and not conducive to enjoying the art. So I ventured into the virtually unvisited areas and had a much better commune with art.
So much religious art. Because there collections held in Paris are so massive they have set up different musee for different periods. The Louvre concentrates on the older periods. Ancient through to about 1400. And of course much of the art was sponsored by the church back then. And the aristocracy were buying their way into heaven so their art was religious in theme also. I thoroughly enjoyed Napolean III apartments and some of the less 'catholic' of the religious art.
And...Botocelli and Rubens are my best friends. They paint people, women in particular, as real, warm, cuddly humans. They have tummies, and thighs and full upper arms. I hate to think what they would think if they saw the pencil thin models of today. And I've got to say there was a lot of porn painted back then. No-one ever had two breasts covered...All the children were naked too - boys and girls...
Fantastic day out. I think if I visited the Louvre again I would go early, leave for a siesta in the middle of the day and go back for a few more hours in the afternoon. Could even leave after visit 2 and return after dinner for the evening session. Pass-outs are valid the whole day.
Strategic decision last night not to get in the 1 hour queue to ascend the Eiffel Tower meant I went back this evening - when, being Monday, it was quieter - and found the BEST view of Paris. The Eiffel Tower at night must be THE most romantic place in Paris. Lit in gold and silver lights, it fills the sky and sets a tone and atmosphere that is quite unique. Then you go up the three levels and take fantastic pictures of the city lit below you. Spent a couple of hours up there - and Bugger, but Tom Hanks never arrived! Charlie, I thought of you up on the top hugging the centre wall and poor Paul trying to encourage you out through the crowds to the edge to propose. Very hard to keep that romantic thought with all the people around...but you do. I think Paris would have to be one of the most romantic places on earth - they do it extremely well. I think I've already said it somewhere - but I'm coming back to Paris with time, $$ and a wardrobe!
Whoa! Can something be too beautiful, too European, too perfect, to be real?...
I am in sensory overload!...Stood under the Arc de Triomphe and looked down a long boulevarde away from the city, turned around 180 degrees and looked again and I was challenged to absorb the scene before me. At least 2km straight ahead on a gentle downward slope - so you could see the whole length, was a wide boulevarde lined with huge Plane trees, bounded by deep pedestrian roads - you couldn't call them footpaths - they are too wide, with traffic beatling up and down the centre, bright shops, thousands of people. What an atmosphere - le Champs Elysees. Now I also had to have the expected approach by gypsy beggers - but that makes the experience complete - and actually a little more real. For a few minutes I had trouble realising this was not a dream or a movie.
I spent the morning window shopping with the rich and shameless and many more of the real people like me pretending...The Cartier watch I picked was $24,000 Aussie dollars, and I didn't pick a pair of shoes or a dress in the windows under €500. Talk about champagne taste on a beer budget....But what fun!...I walked all the way to the Louvre, wandering on and off the Champs Elysees as I saw buildings or gardens of interest. Watched the people, and I've got to say Paris women are the most glamourous on the planet. I'm sure they dress much richer than they can afford - it's all show. But boy, they know how to do it.
Hindsite: Comment on French people
The French are generally very short. The younger ones (under 25yo) are taller, but it was very common to see men and women under 5' - I felt like a giant. They are generally not over weight - the women in Paris would average size 8, but out of Paris you are much more likely to see 30-40 yo size 12, and older women even size 16. But certainly no-one was obese. The men similar. Mostly they are all dark haired. In Paris blue eyes and in the south brown eyes. The men wear their hair short to very short; the women's hair is long and up - either smooth and chic, or thick and tassled - but still up in a thick knot. They let their hair down at night when they go out. If they had short hair it was generally very modern cuts and proper short.
Out of Paris the people dressed much more casually and conservatively. Much more like home. Paris was fashion overload. It reminded me of Singapore 20 years ago when you saw the young office workers in the city beautifully presented and then caught the bus through the suburbs where they lived and realised it was all 'face' and 'show' and 'pride'. Nothing wrong with this at all! It amazes me. They must spend huge amounts of time and their income on appearance. Which in Paris seems to be very important.
There are large communities in both Paris and the south of middle eastern heritage people. It was Ramadan while I was there and there were lots of evening parties and the sweet breads in the patisseries for these communities were amazing. Lots of honey and nuts in all sorts of presentations of pastries. Beautifully crafted. Food is an art form in France.
I'm not sure how much inter-marriage happens across the cultures but in both north and south the internet cafes were all run by the Morroccan & Algerian men - they were incredibly polite and helpful and more prepared to communicate with strangers.
The other thing I noticed was that all the service roles, which in Oz would be held by women, were done by men. Men were the waiters, barmen, shop keepers, checkout chics, in all the shops except perfume, clothes and womens apparel. They were the hairdressers (and the men go to hairdressers like women not barbers), they worked in hotels on reception, on the attraction entries, train ticket offices. You saw the odd woman bus driver, policeman, small shop owner (convenience outlet). And you saw women working in the food markets - but I think that is because it is their produce. They also worked in the patisseries more than men.
I think once women have children they stay home. And I didn't see any big families in my generation. The people I spoke to were from families of 6+ but they had on av3 kids themselves and the younger families I saw out had 1-3 max.
Back to the Louvre
As I said, sensory overload. Spent the afternoon in this amazing place. Thought I would need more but I think the concentration of vision exhausted me. I had a quick look at the famous bits and smiled at the Mona Lisa; but the crowds and noise in these areas was intimidating and not conducive to enjoying the art. So I ventured into the virtually unvisited areas and had a much better commune with art.
So much religious art. Because there collections held in Paris are so massive they have set up different musee for different periods. The Louvre concentrates on the older periods. Ancient through to about 1400. And of course much of the art was sponsored by the church back then. And the aristocracy were buying their way into heaven so their art was religious in theme also. I thoroughly enjoyed Napolean III apartments and some of the less 'catholic' of the religious art.
And...Botocelli and Rubens are my best friends. They paint people, women in particular, as real, warm, cuddly humans. They have tummies, and thighs and full upper arms. I hate to think what they would think if they saw the pencil thin models of today. And I've got to say there was a lot of porn painted back then. No-one ever had two breasts covered...All the children were naked too - boys and girls...
Fantastic day out. I think if I visited the Louvre again I would go early, leave for a siesta in the middle of the day and go back for a few more hours in the afternoon. Could even leave after visit 2 and return after dinner for the evening session. Pass-outs are valid the whole day.
Strategic decision last night not to get in the 1 hour queue to ascend the Eiffel Tower meant I went back this evening - when, being Monday, it was quieter - and found the BEST view of Paris. The Eiffel Tower at night must be THE most romantic place in Paris. Lit in gold and silver lights, it fills the sky and sets a tone and atmosphere that is quite unique. Then you go up the three levels and take fantastic pictures of the city lit below you. Spent a couple of hours up there - and Bugger, but Tom Hanks never arrived! Charlie, I thought of you up on the top hugging the centre wall and poor Paul trying to encourage you out through the crowds to the edge to propose. Very hard to keep that romantic thought with all the people around...but you do. I think Paris would have to be one of the most romantic places on earth - they do it extremely well. I think I've already said it somewhere - but I'm coming back to Paris with time, $$ and a wardrobe!
# posted by The Essence of Good Taste @ 3:57 AM 
