Rene Magritte at the Musee Maillol

"This is not a Pipe" or "The Treachery of Images"

The Musee Maillol, right off the Rue de Bac metro stop, is holding a really fun Magritte expo I just saw today. While I know this isn't the most academic way to describe it, I've always liked Magritte because I always get a chuckle out of him. His stuff is silly and absurb, but also spot-on and often pretty funny. For instance, one of the drawings (the expo is called "Tout en Papier" - all on paper, so there are no paintings) shows a man painting a bird onto a canvas, while he looks at an egg on a table - and the title is "Le Clairvoyant." Anyways, without giving away too much more, I'd reccomend checking it out for a little breath of fresh air. Magritte has always been one of the most original artists.

More on Jane Jacobs

Well, Kottke.org is still putting up posts on Jane Jacob's legacy, and this one's also interesting as far as urban space is concerned.

Cities are a "Clash of Scales" Article

Avant-Garde Art in the 13th Arrondisement

Found this article on Gridskipper. Here's the text, and head to the article for a lot of links related to it...

You want to see the real contemporary art scene in Paris? You’ll have to schlep a little. Get off the metro at Chevaleret (line 6) and head for rue Louise Weiss, rue Duchefdelaville, and rue du Chevaleret. The galleries in this part of town will give you a taste for the up-and-coming young artists – some, but not all, from Paris. Opening hours can be a little erratic, so check before heading for the 13th arrondissiment.

The district is always under construction, and it’s seen the emergence of a succession of galleries in recent years. Originally set up as a community project, various organizations shared rent on premises that could be divided up, also sharing invitation lists and holding joint openings. There’s such a joint vernissage on Saturday, April 29, at 4 p.m.; the next one is June 8. Interesting gallery standouts include Kréo, devoted entirely to design; or Jousse Entreprise, which exhibits both 1950s furniture and contemporary art. It was in this area that Emmanuel Perrotin (now in the Marais with the old guard) originally took a gamble on the Japanese artist Takashi Murakami before he landed the Louis Vuitton bags. The best bets this coming weekend are probably Galerie Magda Daynz, showing Miss Van’s super-sexy graffiti; and Galerie Praz-Delavallade, showing Iranian-born and Switzerland-based video artist Shahryar Nashat. Miss Van’s after-show party is at La Suite – to get on the guest list, email aftershow@magda-gallery.com. Other recommended venues to visit include Air de Paris, Galerie GB Agency, Galerie Almine Rech, and Galerie Suzanne Tarasieve.

I'll see what I can do about going over and checking out some galleries, even though time is kind of turning into a premium since I'm down to my last month.

Chateau de Vincennes, Mini Golf & Parc Floral photos

The Keep of Chateau de Vincennes

About to shoot a 2 on the Arc de Triomphe

Notre Dame is mine

After finishing off the Eiffel Tower... Hole #18

Le Mini Golf and other things

Today, after having to make a quick trip down to the study center to record a cassette with a 5-min "personal summary" of my stay in Paris for class, I met up with a friend and headed out to Chateau de Vincennes. We had really wanted to check out the new Magritte expo at the Musee Maillol, but it'll be there for a while, and nice days in Paris are always less than a sure thing. The Chateau itself is pretty interesting, having grown up reading David Macaulay's Castle (basically one of the best books and companion dvd of all time) and about three hundred other books on knights and castles and such, I was a little let down by the lack of "medieval-ness." However, there is very cool but small keep that was the home of Saint Louis, but it's under renovation until March 2007. Overall, it's good for a walk, but you won't be running across battlements, pretending to shoot a bow and arrow (or maybe that's just what I do...).
After, we found out that the Floral Park is right on the backside of Chateau de Vincennes, and since it was still gorgeous out, we headed over and spent a few hours going around there. There's some sort of Japanese expo going on now which includes Japanese artwork, performances, and I assume, flowers.
The highlight was the mini golf. Yes, mini golf in Paris (well, technically outside the peripherique I think). Let me say first that the state of mini golf in the States is a lot more solid, but this was still a fun time, even though it was all asphalt. What made it such a riot, despite the awful hole design, was the theme: Paris. Every single hole has a weather-resistant little replica of a Parisian monument. It's so kitschy. For instance, the hole for the Pompidou one involves hitting your ball inside the mini shop class replica of the Pompidou (which is actually like an impressive 3-4 ft high) and then up a ramp and down one of the external ducts into a hole. The Sacre Coeur one is actually situated on an incline, and you have to give the rubber ball quite a tap to make it inside the Sacre Coeur, before it shoots it out another entrance and down to the hole. Also, it must be said that the Tour Eiffel is hole 18.
After, I stopped by the Louvre for a bit to check out the Tintoretto/Venice temporary exhibit, which is actually just one room, but presents a number of interpretations of "le paradis" from different artists who were all vying for the same commission in Venice, which Tintoretto ultimately received. I also checked out the Medieval Beaux-Arts - which has a sizeable collection from St. Denis Abbey, including stuff that belonged to the great Abbot Suger.

Rich Artists, Bad Art?

Here's an article from the Guardian on the perils/successes of being rich and an artist. One forgets that artists such as Picasso, Monet, and Dali actually did profit from their success - often it's the other side that gets the most attention: the suicidal or starving artists such as Van Gogh or even Rothko.

Jane Jacobs and Urban Planning

Well, since I'm in Paris, one of the big urban centers of the world, I don't think I could really pass up at least noting the passing of Jane Jacobs, who died on Tuesday. I'll admit that I'd only heard about her book, The Death and Life of Great American Cities, before. It's been on my mental must-read list for the last year, but you know how those lists go, or don't go. I've mentioned before, I'm a big reader of Kottke.org, because Jason Kottke posts on stuff he finds interesting, and the stuff he finds interesting is in general interesting, so it all works out. Anyways, he's been doing a bit on Jane Jacobs since she passed away, putting up some links to articles, etc, and I've gotten more and more into what she was all about. I think a good start is this article here from Slate.com, which is a consistently interesting and relevant site. Here's an excerpt:
Jacobs' own prescription, inasmuch as she had one, was based on an appreciation of the vitality of traditional urban neighborhoods, in particular Greenwich Village in New York, where she lived. Lively and interesting street life, a diversity of uses, residential areas intensified by parks and squares and public buildings, a mixture of old and new buildings, and the importance of what she called districts—areas with a functional and recognizable identity—these were the ingredients of successful urban neighborhoods. Compared with the ambitious and innovative ideas of architects and planners, it sounded ridiculously simple, not to say simplistic.

And here's the last paragraph:

That vision of the urban good life had wide appeal, but the supply of old cities that offered the requisite mix of street life, architecture, and diversity was limited. The lively city districts that Jacobs championed, including her beloved Village, have become exclusive enclaves, closed to all but the extremely wealthy. She always considered the amenities of city life to be everyday and widely available goods. Little could she have imagined then that they would become luxuries instead.

This is the part that I found the most interesting and unfortunate, because it's a truth I can see here, in Paris, but also easily in Washington DC or in Minneapolis. Types of areas such as the Marais in Paris, Dupont Circle or Adams Morgan in DC, or Uptown in Minneapolis all have a lot of the ingredients that Jane Jacobs was talking about, but less and less of the access. Living in any of these areas (or increasingly, a city in general), has become an expensive proposition - which nullifies a lot of the vibrancy that creates that initial demand. I wonder where some sort of equilibrium can be found between money, security, vibrancy, and individuality in urban space. Is it even possible?

20 Years Later: Chernobyl

Outside the Paris vein, obviously, but there's a moving photo essay on Chernobyl here: http://todayspictures.slate.com/inmotion/essay_chernobyl/

I think part of the problem with a disaster like Chernobyl is that everyone knows it happened, knows it was awful, but until you see some of these pictures, it's hard to grasp how awful it truly is. In this new era where we can't shup up about nuclear bombs, these pictures are worth a look.

Juergen Teller, Tadanori Yokoo and Italia Nova

Today was a big day for museums. Before lunch, I checked out the Juergen Teller and Tadanori Yokoo exhibits at the Fondation Cartier. Juergen Teller is most known these days for his shoots for Marc Jacobs or Yves Saint Laurent, but his expo at the Cartier is a lot more personal. While there are a few shots of Kate Moss in various poses, most are more simple, and involve his children or his wife, or even just nude shots of himself. I'd highly reccomend checking it out.

The other part of the Cartier's current exhibit is a Japanese artist, Yokoo, who is compelling to say the least. I wish I had read more before I had gone in, because there's a lot of references and such in his work that seem really esoteric, but also definitely worth gaining a fuller understanding of. Most of the paintings in the exhibit are from his "red period," so literally, expect a lot of red.

Later this evening, I checked out the nocturne of Italia Nova at the Grand Palais, which is a retrospective on Italian Art from 1900-1950. It's a quick hop through all the major periods in Italian Art from that period - Futurism to Magical Realism to Tabula Rasa. I'd reccomend it purely for the educational value - there's some amazing de Chiricos and everything is explained very thoroughly. While I didn't like all the periods of art, it was a great introduction to Italian Modernism. There's going to be some rooms you dislike and some you love, but that's the way it goes with modern art. My favorite were the paintings on Magical Realism - I loved way in which the artists depicted people and their surroundings. This is a good partner exhibit to the Rousseau, just beware that they are separate exhibits on opposite sides of the aptly-named Grand Palais, and both cost 8 Euros with student reduction, and 10 Euros without.

Quick vs McDonalds

I just finished up a pasta dinner full of things Jacques brought back from his trip to Italy - Parmesan Reggiano, Italian Sausage, and fresh olive oil. I also had a bit of wine. Actually, quite a bit - enough to have my head light enough to discuss the various merits and downsides of the two competing burger fast food chains in France.

First, I feel a little bit of background is necessary. Paris is an expensive city. It's hard to eat out for under 10 Euros, and you should reasonably expect 15-20 Euros for a decent meal including some sort of drink. Given the awful exchange rate here that has consistently been kicking my bank account's rear end since I got here, we're looking at easily over $20 for a decent meal out. Of course, there are other options. I've mentioned the Student Cafes, which I do go often for lunch during the week. There's also cheap asian places, with prix fixe menus at around 6 Euros for something like an entree, a plate, and some rice. Of course, these places can often be the food poisoning express, as many of my american and french friends have found out. There's also the obvious choice - cook for yourself. Which I do. Every morning I do breakfast at home, and most dinners during the week involve something from Monoprix, ATAC, or Picard.

The problem that often arises is that Paris is such a social city. Dinner parties are a major part of your social life in Paris. With so much amazing food around, it's hard to avoid them. If you spend a day out and about, such as I did today going to various expos, you're going to find yourself undoubtedly in some random corner of Paris with an empty stomach.

This is where fast food rears its affordable head. You can eat for under 6 Euros, no worries about slow waiters, overpriced tourist trap food, and you know what you're getting. Fast food for me is what I eat when I need to refuel on the run.

The two big options, as I've mentioned, are Quick and McDonalds. Quick, or "Quality Burger Restaurant" is as far as I can tell, a French chain. And honestly, it's pretty awful. It's more expensive that McDonalds and not nearly as good. Avoid it at all costs, and don't say I didn't warn you. Their "gourmet" monthly sandwiches and everything might sound inviting, but they're flavorless and overpriced.

McDonalds, on the other hand, is the roi of french fast food. McDonalds in France is surprisingly not bad and has a particular French take that separates it from the American ones. For instance, they have espresso. Yes, you heard me right, you can get (mediocre) espresso at McDo. There's also another option for french fries, which are larger "Grands Patates" or whatever they call them, and are potato wedges with a sour cream dipping sauce. If I were you, I would avoid the Croque McDo, which is McDonald's overpriced and poor take on the croque monsieur. Also, the Royal Bacon is delicious, as are their Strawberry (fraise) Milkshakes.

One of the hard things for me is that their menu is basically English. Chicken McNuggets in France are still Chicken McNuggets, but with a french accent on them. They become "cheekenn Meecnuggehts." Same for words like Milkshake or McFlurry or le Big Mac. I've actually tried just saying them in English, but the cashiers always look at me quizzically.

Also, the French absolutely love McDonalds. Love. There are always lines at the Place de Clichy McDonalds. It was also the case in Barcelona, where lines were out the door at the La Ramblas location. I think a big part of the reason they love it so much is what I mentioned before about food prices. You see a lot of younger people there that really don't have any other options for food. It's not like kids go around eating onion soup and duck breast everyday, as appetizing as that might be.

Back in the Saddle

After two weeks of being out of Paris, I jumped back into the fray on saturday, after taking friday off to get some japanese food and see "V pour Vendetta." I finally went over to see the very solid Dora Maar exhibit at the Musee Picasso. It chronicles her relationship with the painter through photos and memorabilia collected after her death in 1997, along with portraits of her by Picasso and plenty of his other works. One of the highlights, besides all the amazing candid shots of Picasso is the Guernica series, where she photographed him during the making of his masterpiece. So you see the evolution from the blank canvas to finished product in stages.

After that, I walked around the Marais for the afternoon, which is quite a sight on a beautiful saturday. The streets were packed with people, as were all the shops and cafes lining the narrow streets. A promenade around Paris is an experience on many levels. Besides the amazing coffee and food to be found, there's also the Parisiennes out for spring. That was followed by a barbeque out at Bois de Vincennes with some friends of Andrew's, then off to an apartment party over by Rue St. Maur.

Today was "Museum Day." Basically, I have this list of exhibitions I still need to see, and I figured today was a good time to cross off three of them. I started out by going to the Grand Palais to see the Henri Rousseau exhibit - Jungles in Paris. I kind of go back and forth on Rousseau, some of his stuff is really not skilled enough and comes off as childish. In other works, his simple style really comes through and helps the painting, especially with his jungle paintings which are the centerpiece of the exhibit. I'd reccomend it at the least just for the opportunity to see something a little different. Beware though, Grand Palais doesn't really take History of Art student cards for free admission, I had to pay 8 Euros, which I haven't had to do in a long time with that card.

I hopped across the street to the new Peru exhibit at the Petit Palais. It covers works such as pottery, metal, jewelry, and textiles on all of the separate pre-Spanish Peruvian empires. The highlight for me was the Moche who were a very aggressive empire, known for rather explicit or violent imagery. Their artifacts because especially famous after the discovery of the Lord of Sipan - which I studied in archaelogy last semester and is basically the King Tut of new world archaelogy. I'd highly reccoment this exhibit, it doesn't overwhelm you but provides lots of background information on all the successive empires and their artistic styles, geography, and history.

Since it was nice out, I took the walk down along the Seine to the Louvre, where I used my Louvre Card to bypass the ever-growing lines of spring. I went there specifically to see the new Islamic art exhibit called "From Cordoba to Samarquand" which is a small exhibit put on in conjunction with the under construction (and I.M. Pei-designed) Museum of Islamic Arts in Doha, Qatar. It's only a few pieces, no more than 50, but they're all unbelievable. Seeing the calligraphy got me really excited for my Arabic classes next year. After that, I did the complete circuit of all of the French and Northern School paintings, everything from Le Brun and Poussin to Vermeer, Van Dyck and Rembrandt. I am now officially all arted out. Until I go and see the Juergen Teller thing tomorrow at the Fondation Cartier.

My day was only spoiled by the rain, as was everyone else's as I sat outside of the Centre Pompidou eating a French excuse for a muffin from Starbucks. On a side note, it looks like the whole Tunisia thing is on the rocks this summer. It's probably not going to be a big wage-earning job, and eventually we all have to get around to that type of stuff. Off to the salt mines of Minneapolis it's looking like.

Camel's Milk

I'm linking to this article on camel's milk only because I had the (mis)fortune of trying it in Morocco this summer. For lack of a better expression it's not quite my cup of tea. Salty and kind of odd. I could see it being a hit with the health nut/bourgeoisie Trader Joe's crowd as this article suggests...

Paris to Marrakech (and back)

So I'm back in Paris, chilling the in relative comfort of the guest room at my place (the only place I can find "Jenny WiFi" - the only unencrpyted WiFi around). This morning, I woke up at 6:30 at the Hotel Islane in Marrakech, which is a 2 minute walk to the Djemaa el Fnaa ("Square of the Dead" - where they used hold public beheadings) in Marrakech. Steven and I got out the door by 7:00 and luckily my slightly expanded Moroccan Arabic vocabulary helped us get a decent price from a petit taxi to the Marrakech-Menara airport for a flight back up to Paris.

Anyways, from that point, there probably needs to be a fair bit of rewinding. I need to write about Aix-en-Province, Barcelona, Algeciras/Gibraltar, Tangiers, Rabat, and Marrakech... I'll see what I can do. For now, I'll just post a few highlights:

- Unfortunately only Steven got to see me geek out at this, but I flipped out when we got to see Gibraltar. The rock is basically impregnable and still remains a British military base. Eisenhower was there during World War Two, and... yeah. I'll stop there. Trust me, it's cool.

- Seeing my buddies in Rabat was great and surreal. When you associate a place so closely with a particular period of time in your life, it's weird to go back, even though this summer isn't that far in the past, I've been in Minnesota, Washington, and Paris since, so I'd reallly built up distance. Get this: I taught the Moroccans how to bowl at the Mega Mall in Rabat, and I also taught them how to play Beer Pong with some Casablanca Beer. American culture 101. It also helped I was there with Steven.

- When I got into Marrakech yesterday, I headed straight for Restaurant Chegrouni, which has the best Tajines I've ever found in a restaurant in Morocco. The time before that I was in Marrakech, I ate there twice. Get the poule citron tajine with almonds. Eat it with bread and order some Jus d'Avocat (avocado juice with milk) to wash it down.

- The Fundacion Miro in Barcelona has an exceptional temporary expo on an artist I first discovered at the Musee d'Art Moderne de la ville de Paris, Douglas Gordon. He uses video a lot as a medium but also does some installation work. I especially liked the title of one of his works there which was called "What Have I Done" and was around 26 TVs playing all of his work. I liked the whole lack of a "?" wordplay.

- I actually stayed outside of Algeciras for the one night I was there in town of La Linea, which is minutes away along the coast and right next to Gibraltar. Steven and I got a hotel there at the AC La Linea for half price, aka 62 Euros. This was after 5 rooms in two hostels over 6 nights in booked-solid Barcelona and a night train down to the south of spain. There was TV. There was a shower. There was a free minibar. There was quite decent mexican food close by. I was happy.

I'll get some pictures posted when I get them.

Barcelona, Take 2

I´m sitting in an Easy Internet Cafe right on La Ramblas right now, just finishing up my allotted half hour before I head off into the craziness that is Spain on Good Friday... everyone is on the streets right now and there´s a parade later.

I have a night train from Barcelona to Bobadilla in the south of Spain, then I´m taking a regional train and spending a night in Algeciras before taking the boat over to Morocco. All goes well, I´ll spend a few days in Rabat before heading down to Marrakech for my flight on the 21st.

Barcelona is crazy and quite amazing. There´s some well-done museums here, I checked out the Joan Miro Foundation and the National Museum of Catalonia yesterday, which of all things has a Toulouse-Lautrec Lithograph exhibit. I´ll write more on them and on Barcelona when I have a bit more free time, probably when I´m back in Paris... Now it´s off to get some tapas and some cold Spanish beer.

Barcelona, take 1

So I'm here at the Habana Home hostel in Barcelona, typing away on one of their computers with free internet. Due to Semana Santa and poor planning, I'm basically here until Saturday, when I take a night train down to get close to Algeciras, and then hopefully a ferry monday morning to Tangier, Morocco so that I can train it on down to Rabat for a few days. First impressions on Barcelona are pretty positive. I've been here since Sunday night and I'm finally getting into the rhythm. The city is very well laid-out, lots of wide boulevards, very pretty architecture (and plenty of weird buildings designed by Gaudi), and plenty to do and see. Unfortunately, it's been pretty chilly here, ie: in the 50s, so I haven't been able to enjoy the beach life or anything like that.

Also because of Semana Santa, there's been a lot of jockeying around between hostels, which has been really tiring. Everything is pretty much booked solid so that we can't leave Barcelona to go to Lisbon or anything, and staying here is almost as difficult... I'll write more probably when I get down to Morocco and get back to the familiar internet cafe in Rabat, inshalla.

ps- I know this has been communicated to me before, but the sheer amount of awful hairstyles here is unbelievable. Mullets, bad dye-jobs, etc. Everywhere.

Bonjour America

Just came across this very popular French blogger who's now trying to make a name for himself here with taped video messages to America. Here's the article where I heard about him on BBC, and here's his french blog. I haven't watched any of the videos yet, but it looks like they're searchable on his blog, and if not I'm sure a quick Google search would turn up something.

Article + more spring break

I just got this article of AP. Thought it was pretty interesting since there have been so many disruptions around here lately. Students have been closing down railway stations and interfering with the RER for a while now. Oviously this isn't the way to react... I hope my TGV to Aix tomorrow isn't going to have any problems. Also, I just picked up some tickets. Since the Spanish train online system is not responding to requests (which didn't surprise me whatsoever) I have a train to Aix, and on Sunday I'm heading to Barcelona, which I'll reach at night. I have a hostel there with Steven up through Wednesday, then we're going to try and get over to Lisbon before going down to Morocco. Motorist Drives Through Crowd in Paris Apr 07 11:07 AM US/Eastern

PARIS

A motorist drove through a crowd of students protesting the government's new youth jobs law Friday near the Sorbonne University, injuring seven people.

Furious demonstrators overturned the car and tried to kick its windows out, while police in riot gear and helmets worked to disperse the crowd.

The incident came after high school students spent the afternoon disrupting traffic outside the Sorbonne by picnicking on a busy boulevard. They were heading away when a frustrated motorist tried to burst through the crowd.

Several dozen youths turned the car over and unsuccessfully attempted to drag the driver out before police and onlookers intervened.

Firefighters said seven people suffered light injuries.

French students have been protesting for weeks over a new law that will make it easier for companies to hire and fire people under age 26. While most demonstrations have been peaceful, some have seen violence from a radical fringe.

Spring Break it

I'm in the middle of packing for what will be a 2-week odyssey with Stephen through France, Spain, Portugal, and Morocco. Right now it looks like we'll be staying in Lyon, Aix, Barcelona, and Lisbon, before we hop a train to the south to take the ferry to Morocco. My end flight is the 21st out of Marrakech on Royal Air Maroc to Paris at 9:30am.

I'll have scattered internet access at cafes when I can get it, and more when I get down to Rabat.

I don't think this has all really sunk in. Truth be told, I'm a little apprehensive. Steven just got his Euro Rail pass, so we're going to make train reservations, then book a few hostels online, and hopefully depart later this afternoon. This whole backpacking/Euro Pass thing is not my cup of tea in general. It's definitely going to be a string of situations that might require some getting adjusting to, and all of the sticking to train times and making sure to get to Morocco will probably be stressful.

But, on the bright side, I'm fucking traveling around Europe (and Morocco). Now I'll just say that to myself another thirty times.

The quoteable strikes

"... there is no doubt that the French are cutting their own throats by striking at every opportunity. Last year French railways lost 10 per cent of their freight traffic - more than any other country in Europe - through actions like this... France and Italy are in a headlong economic race to be the sick man of Europe."

- Chris Davies, leader of Britains Liberal MEPs

I'm going to try and find some of the slogans the students have been using, some of them have been really clever. I remember seeing this one at a metro station in Montparnasse - "CPE = Contrat Poubelle Embauche" (poubelle is trash can in French). The graphic had a trash can with the CPE stuffed in it. Trust me, there's about 40 million other acronyms they've come up with as well.

New-ish in Paris

- I know I already noted the Los Angeles Exhibit at the Pompidou, but I'd like to reiterate how much I liked it. Provocative stuff, and a little taste of what the French really seem to idolize about California style (ie: American Apparel is without a doubt la mode here).

- I've heard that the new Juergen Teller exhibit at the Fondation Cartier is quite good, I just found this article on it from Paris Voice. At least go to see the building by Jean Nouvel.

- And even though I already mentioned the Los Angeles exhibit for a bit of escapism, there's also the Rousseau Exhibit at the Grand Palais, which I've also heard is "magnifique."

The Young and the Jobless

This post title is the heading of this piece on Slate.com that asks for reader's reactions to the demonstrations in France against the CPE. I found this little bit interesting:
"It is time that the French government, and a few others in the EU, realised that the job of the government is to make unpleasent short term choices that will lead to long term improvements."

Week in Paris

Just said my goodbyes to my relatives (mom, sis, aunt, cousin) who spent a fair chunk of time here in Paris. The first weekend, we went up to Bruges. Getting back Monday, we commenced with the whirlwind tour. For example, on Friday, we split up and half did the Centre Pompidou (the new Los Angeles Exhbit is so cool), while the other half went to check out the Bonnard exhibit (which I talked about earlier, and is amazing. It even just got a big writeup in the NY Times). Then we met up after some street food and went to the Petit Palais, where we did the tour and I showed my mom one of my favorite paintings - Portrait de Sarah Bernhardt by Georges Clairin. After that, we took the metro over to St. Germain des Pres to get a coffee at Cafe de Flore. Then we did some shopping and hopped on over to the Louvre because it's open late Wed and Friday. After our whirlwind trip around the Louvre, with me jabbing elbows to get through huge crowds of tourists, we had dinner at my place, where Jacques made Osso Bucco (am I spelling that right?). A few bottles of wine later, we all filed out and I fell into a deep sleep.

Some other highlights:
- My family loved the Orsay the most (big surprise), and really raved about it the most throughout the trip.
- Shopping in the Marais is always a kick for people. I took them to Muji, one of my favorite stores here in Paris, where they have really cool stationery and such. I also really like their clothes, which are utilitarian and urban but not too expensive.
- They also really dug the bag store Brontibay on Rue de Sevigne right off Rue Rivoli.