From Wednesday Morning to Saturday 7.13 pm

I can't really remember what happened on Wednesday other than classes and (I'm sure) watching of Stargate. My memories of the above self-imposed time period begins on Thursday morning.

I woke up with the intention of going out and exploring. But I started to read Rousseau and lost track of time and then I needed to quickly do my French, so there was no exploring in the morning. Then Milena and I went off to class, which quite wonderfully, ended early. We made our way back to the Residence to drop off our backpacks (sac à dos) before our French conversation sessions. Off to the Luxembourg stop on the Metro we went.

My converstation assistant (who looks so much like Becky! but is not pictured) took us around the Latin quarter and then to a tiny tiny bar to meet up with some of her friends. I had an Ernest Hemingway and it was good. The garnish on the drink was a small bunch a red grapes with seeds. Like all produce I have had here, they were delicious. A sign in the bar read "All Gamblers and Fancy Women must sign up with captain before boat leaves New Orleans." The walls were red and the tunes were good.

Friday was Busy Day. Melina and I made our way to the Louvre early so that we could pick up our student passes. A quick turn around Sephora (man, all the stores here are the same as the states...you would think that wouldn't be so, but then again...) and a cafeteria lunch, and we met up with the rest of the program for our tour underneath the pyramid. A Journey Through the Italian Renaissance. I found myself wishing that I had Baxandall's "Painting and Experience in Fifteenth-Century France" (yes yes, I know that France is not Italy, but it is a good reference for Reniassance painting). After the whirl-wind tour, I made my way over to Nadia's where we talked for a bit and decided to go back to the Louvre to take advantage of the free entry for students that evening. On our way we got distracted by H&M, went in, and bought the same shirt. We have remarkably similar taste, methinks. After a quick crepe, the Louvre, at last. Flemish Reniassance paintings this time. For a sampling, see Hans Memling's Triptyque de la Résurrection du Christ http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/memling/resurrect.jpg (note the feet hanging from heaven), Bosch's La Nef des Fous ou fatile de noueurs débauchés http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/bosch/fools/fools.jpg (note the chicken on the maypole), and Corneille de Lyon's Portrait présumé de Clément Marot http://cgfa.sunsite.dk/l/p-lyon4.htm

Some photos of the Louvre at night.


After some wonderful discussion about painting and meeting a copyist, we decided to go to a late show of Memoirs of a Geisha, which we both liked until we got back to Nadia's (it was too late for me to get back to my place) and read the reviews. Oh well. We walked along the Seine for a bit and I discovered that Nadia hasn't seen An American in Paris. Must be corrected at some point.

Saturday was/is also a good day. After making our way back to my place, we did some homework (yay Rousseau) and then went for a run that was supposed to last a half hour, but ended up being an hour. We went to le Parc des Buttes-Chaumont (http://english.pidf.com/page/p-291/art_id-1025/idf-PCUIDFSRV0000567/). It is lovely. I hope to get back there is a couple of days for pictures.

Nadia is going to take me to a crepe soiree that one of her friends is hosting tonight. I don't expect to speak much, but that is a-ok by me.