Started out the day in the Metro station per usual. Thought I’d add a picture here for those who have never had the pleasure of riding a Paris metro. They all look the same in some respects – white tiles, long tunnels and various types of trains. But in fact some of these metro stations are quite spectacular in and of themselves. For example, Cité station (the only one on the Île de la Cité) has pretty globe lighting along the track itself, reminiscent of old fashioned street lights in Paris. Concorde station on line 12 has a letter of the alphabet in each of the white tiles on the wall, making it look like a giant word-search puzzle – together all of these tiles are the words to the French Constitution. Pont Neuf station has large replica French coins on the walls representative of the Museum of Money nearby, and the Arts & Metiers station resembles the inside of a submarine (complete with portholes). The Arts & Metiers museum near-by houses many items of historic scientific significance, and it's reported that the artist who redesigned the station had Jules Verne on his mind.
Centre de Georges Pompidou
Finally made it to French Group a bit late – another one of those wrong exits at the metro station. Had a good time today – 3 French speakers and 3 English. One was a woman from Oklahoma who speaks almost perfect French, and the other a young man who was born in Iowa but only because his parents were attending University there. He then lived in Australia and a few other countries before landing in Paris with his wife. Wonderful Aussie accent and speaks French about as well as I do which was oddly reassuring. After French class it was off to the rue Rivoli for a shopping spree. Stopped by Starbuck’s for a latte, and then shopped for perfume at Sephora. Not much different than a Saturday afternoon at home but a lot of fun. Had planned to visit the Eiffel Tower today, but of course it started pouring again so I took my purchases and headed home. On the way I came across the George Pompidou Center, a high-tech architectural wonder [or eyesore, depending on your point of view], in the Beaubourg area of Paris. It opened in 1977 and houses the National Museum of Modern Art, along with a large public library, restaurant, cinema, bookshop, music research institute, and a new internet café. Having visited before, and it being a Saturday when every Parisienne in Paris is out and about, I decided to save a second visit for another day.
Wet and soggy, I finally arrived home. As I turned the corner, there appeared to be some sort of May Fête going on in the street with little children everywhere. A piñata was hung from a rope tied across the street and I almost got whacked with a piñata stick! Fortunately I made it safely to my door with nary a scratch. Put away all my groceries, checked my email, had some lunch and suddenly had the most intense craving for a Nutella and banana crepe! [If you’ve never had one, go out and find one immediately.] As luck would have it, there’s a crêperie stand right around the corner, so I meandered off down the street again to pick up some Kleenex at the Monoprix and a warm buttery crêpe with my stomach doing somersaults anticipating tea time. As I turned the corner to walk the block toward home, I saw a crowd had gathered at the head of the street. Wondering what could possibly be happening now, I turned the corner and saw a red carpet now lining the street and a fashion show in progress! Never a dull moment here. Above is a short video of the show. Sorry it’s a bit dark, but then it was a dark and cloudy day....
Bon soir
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