At Cimetiere du Père Lachaise

Last year when Steve and I were in Paris, we went to Père Lachaise cemetery for the fist time. It turned out to be one of my favorite things we did on that trip. Maybe it's just my inner goth coming out (it was only a matter of time, really), but this is one of the most fascinating places in Paris.

So, this time we wanted to go back and take the boys. When we cheerfully announced that we were taking them to a cemetery, their reaction was "Can't we just stay home and play video games?" But, being the kind of parents we are, you know the type, the ones that forced you to see boring museums and stuff as a kid, we made them go anyway.

And surprise, surprise, they loved it. Jack especially loved it. He loved looking inside all the crypts and the broken down chairs and stained glass. And the crows were cawing and although it was a little more atmospheric when we were there in the rain last time, it was a great way to enjoy a sunny day.

In the cemetery. Where they bury dead people.

Go figure.

Max and Jack peeking into a spooky crypt.

The oldest headstone we found that day.

This place goes on forever, and feels like a city in and of itself.

Frolicking amongst the corpses.

The grave of Chopin. It was just before his 200th Birthday when we visited, so it was totally decked out.

And we had to visit the grave of Oscar Wilde, and even though I chickened out last year, this year I puckered up and made a wish. Hope it comes true.

At The Parc Floral de Paris

Last week we had sunshine EVERY DAY! At home that may not be a big deal, but here it certainly is, and it makes me realize that spring is definitely just around the corner. To enjoy the great weather, we went with some friends to Parc Floral de Paris, and it truly lived up to it's name. Around every corner there were crocuses bursting from the ground. No better sign of spring to me.

Grandma's Gonna Be Jealous

I'm not exactly sure why, but my Mom, the boy's Grandma, has always wanted to have a pony.

Seriously.

She bothers my Dad periodically, but she's yet to get her dream pet. So she might be a little jealous to see what the boys did at the Jardin du Luxembourg on Saturday afternoon:

A Room With A View

I'm pretty sure the boys scored the best nightlight in the world.

A Cold Day In Chartres

Last week we went on a day trip to Chartres with the students to check out the famous Chartres Cathedral. It was rainy, cold, and even colder in the cathedral due to the renovation work they are doing which requires that it stays open to the outside ALL THE TIME. Seriously, I think it was about 10 degrees colder inside than outside, and it was far from warm out there.

Yikes.

But it was a bit surreal to be inside the very cathederal I studied back in my Architecture 101 class oh so many years ago. And it was nice to be out of the city for a while and enjoy the charming, laid back pace of the countryside. And I think the boys had fun too!

Score.

The boys loved this little maze we found in the gardens around the church.

Some serious stained glass.

Prayer candles.

My favorite part of Chartres was the carved stone scenes of the life of Christ around the chapel. It was very dark and creepy in this area on the day we visited, which only added to the experience.

Jack loved this row of funny little faces and wanted to be sure we got a picture.

The view from above.

Chelsea and Shaina, two of the students, on one of the towers of the cathedral.

I never get tired of views like this.

Sans Objet

The other day Steve said he wanted to plan a night out for us. I said okay, and then he came back and told me that he had bought tickets for what he called "some guys dancing with a big, mechanical arm." Hmmmm... he usually has good judgement about these things, but he also comes home from the video store with some pretty random rentals from time to time, so I was a bit skeptical. But he was excited about it, so I figured I'd go along with the whole thing.

Turns out that the performance was called Sans Objet by director choreographer Aurélein Bory and was playing at a theater in Monmarte. It was more performance art than dance, and was an hour and ten minutes of mesmerizing, funny, beautiful, and scary movement with this huge mechanical arm and two guys dressed like Mormon missionaries. The whole thing started out with the arm under a huge plastic sheet, moving in semi-darkness. It was amazing that something mechanical could be so graceful and human in it's movements. And then the guys came in and seemed to slip in and out of existence between movements. And then, from time to time, they would seem to defy gravity to suspend themselves from the arm, and from doing yoga I know they had some major bondas going on to make it look so easy. The performance finished with the huge plastic sheet put up in front of the performers and robotic arm like a curtain and then someone or something beat it to a pulp and then a bright, white light shone through it's tattered remains like stars in a night sky. Seriously super-cool, smart, inventive, French stuff.

So, score one for Steve, because I think it may just be the coolest thing I've done in Paris so far.

Two Favorite Movies + Two Days In Paris = Just About As Perfect As Life Gets

Last week was crazy busy, and then put some major league migraines on top of all of it, and, well, I think I have an excuse for not blogging as much as I should. There, I said it, now let's move on.

Anyone who knows me knows that two of my favorite movies of all time are Amélie and Once. Amélie came out way back in 2001, and never before had a movie captured my idealized memories of Paris better. That movie is how life should be, in Paris and everywhere else. And that Audrey Tautou is just so cute. And Once came out in 2007. Steve and I saw it on our anniversary that year and, although it's filmed in Dublin, it took me right back to the time we spent living in London. Like Amélie, it just felt really authentic to my memories of my time in the UK. Once is at the same time thrilling, joyful, heartbreaking; a lot like life.

These are two of the like four films I actually own, because I am not a fan of owning movies. I feel like they get overwatched that way, and I'm not keen on collecting a bunch of stuff. But these two I had to own. I just had to know that at any given moment I could drop anything and watch them. It's like having two good friends sitting on your shelf for you to hang out with whenever you want. If you haven't seen one or both of these movies a) I feel sorry for you, and b) what are you doing sitting around reading blogs on the internet? Get in your car, go to the nearest Blockbuster, and RENT THEM NOW!

So, as you can imagine, I was pretty excited to learn that Audrey Tautou was going to be in a production of Ibsen's A Doll's House (or Maison de Poupée in French) in Paris. A bunch of the students wanted to go, so we got tickets. I was well aware the whole thing would be in French, and that along with the fact that I had a migraine the day of the performance arrived, made me think about bailing at the last moment. But I pushed myself, because I knew I would regret it if I didn't, and went. And I am so glad I did. Audrey Tautou was exactly what I thought she would be, charming, funny, and energetic, even in a heavy play like A Doll's House. I have never wished I understood French more because I could tell I was missing out on a ton of the subtext by not compreneding the language, but it was still totally worth the time. And the pain. I just wish I had photos, the costumes were amazing and the makeup and lighting was all very film noir, so it felt almost like watching a silent film from the 20's (might as well have been slient with as much as I understood). It was exactly what I would have expected from French theater. Amazing.

About a week earlier a new friend of mine, Leslie, emailed me to say she and her husband were going to a concert with this band who did the movie Once, who were now in a band called The Swell Season and had I heard of them. After peeling myself off the ceiling, I wrote her back and said "Uh, YEAH!" and then went to get tickets. The first place we stopped was sold out, but we were victorious at the second, and got two of the last five seats. Lucky, lucky us. Actually, lucky Glen Hansard and Markéta Iglovà because had I not gotten into the concert I probably would have been haunting the streets of Paris looking for them. It was amazing. Glen Hansard got sounds out of an acoustic guitar I've never heard before, and seems to be exactly the same in person as he is in the movie (which isn't saying too much about his acting, I suppose). Okay, I cried a little, but I seriously think the scene when the two of them sing Falling Slowly is one of the most perfect movie moments ever. And I made Steve take some video of the song during the concert. Not the best footage ever, but you get the point.

So, I'm still feeling pretty lucky that I had these two amazing opportunities, one right after another, over just two little days in Paris.

The opening act for The Swell Season was an American (from Boise to be exact) folk singer named Josh Ritter (Janell loves him). He was downright amazing too, and he had the biggest, toothiest smile I've seen since I left the states. You could just feel how thrilled he was to be there. At the end of his set he thanked Glen Hansard for inviting him on the tour and talked about how much he was enjoying traveling through Europe and said "This is just about as perfect as life gets."

I have to agree.