Tour of: Arab Cultural Institute

talk about technology:
it is possible to sit in the middle of a roman amphitheater,
a place where gladiators battled,
the oldest monument in Paris,
and get WiFi.
fo' free

the cages for "exotic" animals

Arab Cultural Institute:

The guide (who is also SUPER cool) also teaches my methodology course and will teach a course on "french cinema today" that I plan to take. He made a great remark about the building:

In response to the petroleum crisis, each country responded in their own way:

England increased trade with the Middle East, and the US supplied them with arms.

And what did France do?

Build a cultural center.

again, I was drawn to the angles and the light.
I love searching for all of the mini triangles in this pic.
It's kind of like that game in highlights magazine
(did you get that as a kid?)
that had a picture with tons of little pictures in it
(a carrot, a paintbrush, scissors, switchblade, weapons of mass destruction...)

the windows were modeled after cameras, I believe. but someone in my group
pointed out that the hexagonal shapes could be a reference to France
(because it is in the shape of a hexagon. sort of.)

the inside.
they close automatically with sun

looking down

the view from the tippy-top.
you can go out onto the deck

the view from the bitty (?)- bottom.
apparently architects don't tend to care too much about the basement,
but this one was special because he did.

I know that these are quite brief, but I have so much to share and so little time!

Love,

alexandra

ps I am trying to get used to alexandra, because that is the name I am going by here. A little weird/sophisticated huh?

Tour of: The Marais

imagine building this without modern day machinery...

a building from the 12th century.

"In memory of the small children of this preschool
deported from 1942-1944 because they were Jewish,
innocent victims of the Nazi barbarianism with the
complicity of the Vichy government.
They were exterminated in the death camps."

a building from the 12th century. or 13th.
but I think that it was 12th.
The dark brown is wood.

This made me think of madeleine: wasn't that the
book with the house covered in ivy in Paris?

all the angles, the shapes, the shadows.
it almost looks like there are three ladders:
the real one, the shadow, and the stone and edge of the building.

they found this wall when they were building the metro.
old paris used to be at least 3 feet under newish paris.
there is a courtyard behind the gates where you can be on
the same level as "old" paris

sometimes it bothers me when there is modern art in an ancient space,
but I felt that this really fit well.
The building was from the renaissance;
the courtyard was made of stone so that the residents could hear
when a horse/carriage approached.
 This was in stark contrast to the buildings (from the beginning of this post)
from the 12th century, when you were right on the street
and there was no privacy.
I like this mole because it represents today in a place from yesterday.
that and it was pretty damn cute and funny to see a huge mole in a manicured garden.

swiss chard in a garden in paris!!

triangles

I love how the grounds are so manicured,
but then you have this ivy that is
uncontrollable.

The Marais is definitely up there with my favorite places in Paris.

love, 

Alexandra

patrimoine!

So there is this very, very chouette (neat)  event in France (not just in Paris!)
where all of these buildings, monuments, famous places are open to the public.
For free.
This is the one time out of the year that you can see the president's palace,
among many other things.
I didn't actually see sarkozy's mansion, even though I was planning to.
It was at least a four hour long line.
non, merci.
Anyway, it is a big deal, and everyone gets super stoked and plans out where they want to go. This post is a small taste of what I did on that day.

SO. This is what I was talking about. It happens, I promise!
Parisians put on rollerblades. The street gets blocked off. There are ambulances.
And police. And police on bikes. And on rollerblades. I was stuck at this side of
the street while they went by. I think that I was there for at least 4-6 minutes
as they all went by. I can't wait to join in! This is the more relaxed one.
The one on sunday is more for families and people going a bit slower.
The one on friday nights is for really, really good bladers.
like flips, hills, hobble-stones, death traps....
yeah.

some really precious faces in this pic.

After we got through that horde, we (some friends from CUPA and I) waited in line for about an hour to get into the Naval Building. It was a beautiful building, and it was worth it just to see a place that is closed to the public for the rest of the year.

what's this? an anchor!

anchors everywhere! I am also seeing lots of them on shirts and as other cute details.

The view from one of the windows.

Marie Antoinette's death warrant was signed here, in this room.
I think.

I just love the dimension in this photo- all of this space, and no one could go out onto it.
Contrast this with the photo below:

where the magic happens.

Okay, I actually have no clue what this room is used for. If it is even used.
But isn't it ornate?

love,

 alexandra

alex takes it to the streets. on a bike.

So I have an obsession in Paris.

A lover of sorts.

His name is Velib.

A little exotic, you think?

Why yes, thank you for asking...

but in all honesty, I loveLoveLOVE

the city's bike system- first 30 mins free. In the states I bought 

a card that lets you use it for the first 45 mins free.

My walk to the metro now takes 2 minutes as opposed to 12.

And since the weather has been so beautiful, often times I skip the metro entirely 

and just ride a bike home. It has also made it easier to wear heels. 

I just hop on a bike, as opposed to walking on the hobble-stones in talons.

my bag- pens to keep my ocd at ease,  bobble water bottle that sounds like
a nazgul (lord of the rings) when I drink from it, planner, notebook full of
paris secrets and camera case. And my plan de Paris par arrondissement!
Best little thing ever. worth the 5 euros.

a little snacky poo. great, soft cheese made from goat's milk that tasted fresh.
Grapes that were ripe, delicious despite the seeds.
Goat's milk yogurt. yum!

love, alexandra

Versailles

The second of two palaces in as many days. In as many countries!
This update is a little delayed...
all of these photos were taken on september 8th.

just had to give a shout out to myspace and all of it's glory. mirror pic!
IN THE HALL OF MIRRORS.

Parisian Adventures: Episode 1

I attended a 9/11 memorial ceremony at Trocadero,
which is the arena/plaza/courtyard right across the seine
from the tour eiffel. I had a difficult time coming to grips with
the idea that ten years had passed since that day.
there was a period of silence during the
exact moment that the first plane hit.
I felt very proud to be an american citizen.
That night, I watched 9/11 footage on the news,
a recap of sorts. Since it was in French, the words of the
new yorkers were not edited. I cannot convey to you how unsettling
it was to view those images. to hear my fellow citizens crying out
and swearing and screaming is something that I cannot get out of my mind,
nor should I try to. As someone from a military family
who was on the east coast on that haunting morning,
I feel pride for my country in our ability to fuse together.

paris!

Short post for now...I forgot my password and acted stubborn about resetting it, but I just ended up doing it anyway. So I'm back! BUT...
I also forgot my camera cord. Which means no pictures until my lovely momma can send it to me.


I've been having oodles and oodles and noodles of fun here. It's typical Portland Paris weather here- it was pouring during the 9/11 ceremony at Trocadero (having to battle a sea of eye-puncturing devices umbrellas was no fun, but it was worth it). However, it was absolutely beautiful and sunny only a few hours later when I was walking around the eiffel tower. I took some amazing pictures, but those will have to wait...


love,
alexandra