Bonjour, ca va? I'm getting along swimmingly here in Paris. Yesterday we all slept late and sent Sébastien (my cousin's son) out for pain au chocolat for breakfast. Once we had finished breakfast (right around lunchtime) we took the Metro to Le Marais, a district in Paris that is both a Jewish area, and a gay area. Interesting combination. This weekend was Les Journées du Patrimoine, or the national heritage weekend, which meant that many of the museums were free that you normally have to pay for. It also meant that everything was much busier. However as we wandered around Le Marais we found Victor Hugo's house which we were able to go into free.
We just sort of walked around the Marais seeing all the sights (Sébastien wasn't entirely pleased with this I don't think) and we ate lunch in a cafe run by a very bad tempered man... it seemed very French! We then walked to and through the Jardin des Tuileries, a large 'garden' with the Louvre at our back and the Seine on our left. At the opposite end to the Louvre there is a museum/gallery called something like the Orangerie which housed impressionist/cubist/modern paintings by the likes of Monet, Picasso, Cezanne and Modigliani. Here is a picture of Alex, Sébastien and I in front of a Monet... the white on our shoes is from the white stones in the Jardin des Tuileries.
Sébastien (and Alex and I, I must admit!) took advantage of the seats place in the middle of each room, supposedly there so you could enjoy the large paintings from them, but I'm sure the majority of people using them were just resting their legs.
And me in front of a Picasso that looks remarably like one we studied in Art History in school.
So far my two days in Paris have greatly increased my desire to learn French at university. Today I'm taking myself off to a free tour of Paris offered by a compary that works on a tip basis. I'm going on the Metro and I have to change lines so wish me luck!!
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