Others in this series, here
And the last few bits of lovely Paris...
Until next time. Sigh.
Showing posts with label Paris. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Paris. Show all posts
Paris, Je T'Aime | The Street Artist of Marais
Others from Paris, here
When you look at this...
A version of this famous painting - Rembrandt's "Titus, le fils de l'artiste"
...would you believe, it's being drawn live by this guy?
Yes, as I was as astonished and impressed.
The Business of Being Parisian...2
continued from here
Like London or Delhi or Bombay or New York, Paris is more than one city. There's the Paris of the garish tourists, for no outsider can match the finesse and grace of the true Parisian, and there's the Paris of the classic and nonthreatening seediness, if there's a such a thing, in Montmartre. There's the Paris where I narrowly avoided being robbed*, and there's the Paris of the puppet artist who shooed away an ice cream quaffing American from his shop but warmly welcomed wide-eyed me. There's Hausmann's Paris, of course, and weaving through all of this is the Paris of the Parisians, where they go about the seemingly uniquely cliquey business of being Parisian.
Like London or Delhi or Bombay or New York, Paris is more than one city. There's the Paris of the garish tourists, for no outsider can match the finesse and grace of the true Parisian, and there's the Paris of the classic and nonthreatening seediness, if there's a such a thing, in Montmartre. There's the Paris where I narrowly avoided being robbed*, and there's the Paris of the puppet artist who shooed away an ice cream quaffing American from his shop but warmly welcomed wide-eyed me. There's Hausmann's Paris, of course, and weaving through all of this is the Paris of the Parisians, where they go about the seemingly uniquely cliquey business of being Parisian.
It all comes together in a sort of unreal utopian fairy tale unlike a London or Delhi or Bombay or New York - the wonderland that Paris is, to me.
*Not exactly a hold-up, but boarding the RER train, I caught a girl trying to open my bag that was carelessly slung on my shoulder. She disappeared before I could react, leaving me very indignant indeed. Well, served me right for being a careless tourist. I clung on to my belongings for dear life for the next three days in the city. And no, this episode did nothing at all to spoil my Parisian fairytale - if you've been watching this blog lately, you might have guessed that. :)
*Not exactly a hold-up, but boarding the RER train, I caught a girl trying to open my bag that was carelessly slung on my shoulder. She disappeared before I could react, leaving me very indignant indeed. Well, served me right for being a careless tourist. I clung on to my belongings for dear life for the next three days in the city. And no, this episode did nothing at all to spoil my Parisian fairytale - if you've been watching this blog lately, you might have guessed that. :)
Paris Je T'Aime | Paris, I Love You...(3)
(Others in this series from Paris, here)
"The solitary and thoughtful stroller finds a singular intoxication in this universal communion. The man who loves to lose himself in a crowd enjoys feverish delights that the egoist locked up in himself as in a box, and the slothful man like a mollusk in his shell, will be eternally deprived of. He adopts as his own all the occupations, all the joys and all the sorrows that chance offers." ~ Charles Baudelaire on the Flaneur.
and the story continues...
Paris Je T'Aime | Paris, I Love You....(2)
...continued from here.
In large part, what makes Paris Paris, and keeps it what it is, are the Parisians, the people of Paris. I met a few really nice ones, and spotted a few interesting ones...
...like these two little boys, play-dancing on a busy street in Montmartre, oblivious to the bustle around them...
...or Monsieur Carry PlasticBag In Mouth. New form of paparazzi protection?
:)
More to come, soon.
Paris Je T'Aime | Paris, I Love You
The Flaneurbanite's fallen in love. With Paris. It happened almost at first sight - just like in the movies. Four days of a whirlwind romance later, she's back in London and pining away. It had to happen, it was meant to be - a flaneuse is bound to fall in love with the city where it all began... so far, she only knew Paris through Baudelaire's walks. Now she knows it as her own, her very own.
The love affair begins :)
Paris, Je T'Aime...
The love affair begins :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
