Modern Art, Tate'nt All that Bad

10-3-2008

Today I felt like a college student in London. I set a record of sleeping in, 10:00. However, it was necessary after going to sleep six hours before that. I had a slow going morning. Eventually, I made it on my run. This time though, I brought my mobile with me to talk to others and figure out what I was to do with the rest of my day. I came to find out that my mobile actually tucks comfortably in a back pocket right above my buttocks. After one phone call, I decided to join a group with a tour of the Tate Modern Art Gallery.

Modern Art. The phrase entices some, and makes others cringe. I straddle the fence, which at times can be a bit painful.

Call me uncultured or someone who doesn’t appreciate all art, but about half the stuff in there just didn’t move me. And to me, that’s what art, in any form, should do. With modern art, the viewer spends too much time trying to interpret exactly what is on the canvas or exactly what a sculpture should be, that by the time it’s all figured out, emotion is an afterthought. I played a game with Rachel in which we tried to interpret what the artist intend in each work, or at least what our interpretation was. Each time our thoughts were completely different from the artists.

I guess my biggest critique of modern art is that so many of these artist are afraid to just be literal. There was a massive clay / bronze sculpture that took up the corner of a room. It looked like diarrhea pouring down from the heavens on to little turds below (I’m sorry but that’s the only way I know how to describe it). Upon reading the description, it’s supposed to represent a lightening bolt from the heavens giving life to yet undeveloped beings. Why can’t the blobs of poop on the ground at least resemble creatures and the pouring bowl movement from the heavens look like a lightening blot?

Another example: say you want to address the issue of domestic animal abuse. Instead of painting a picture of a battered dog cowering in a corner, you splash paint on a canvas while your dog watches….sounds ridiculous, but that’s modern art.

Now, some of it I absolutely LOVED. Take the previous example. You can draw a dog cowering in the corner and distort it all you want, but I still want to know it’s a dog. That’s the stuff I loved. There were even some completely ridiculous pieces that really spoke to me and I loved that. Here are my top picks:

• Paul McCarthy – Projection Room: very disturbing images of self-mutilation, but it does what it’s supposed to, makes the audience uncomfortable
  
• Jannis Kounellis – Untitled: a factory painted on the wall spewing smoke with two dead birds above the smoke with arrows though them
  
• Paul Nash – Landscape from a Dream: Surrealism which plays on the ideas of Frued
  
• Jackson Pollock – Naked Man with a Knief: very Picasso-like
  
• Edward Burra – The Snack Bar: Exaggerated figures in an everyday setting of a dinner bar, there exists an odd tension between the man, woman, and ham
  
• Diego Rivera – Mrs. Helen Wills Moody: huge face potrait
  
• Meredith (male) Frampton – Portrait of a Young Woman: she’s standing next too a cello, realism done very well, the picture is extremely vibrant and carries with it a radiant shine that cannot be caught from a camera. He said about this painting “[it is] a relaxation from commissions, and to celebrate an assembly of objects…beautiful in their own right”
• Cornelia Parker – 30 pieces of Silver: thousands of flattened pieces of silver arranged into 30 discs hung by strings, floating them about 6 inches above the ground. The shadows left by the images made the work. Upon further research into the piece I found out that the 30 pieces represent the payment to Judas for betraying Jesus
  
• Pawet Kwiek – a Polish pioneer in experimental video techniques
  
• Jenny Holzer – Inflammatory Essays: arranged into a colorful full wall display, about 12 essays each exactly 100 words and 20 lines
  
• Susan Hiller – States of Flux: five simultaneous videos focusing on telekinesis
  
• Ohh and I saw Andy Warhol and Pablo Picasso… I like Andy better.

And of course, I had to end the night at the ISH bar. Don't judge me. They have the cheapest drinks in London.

An Indie Extravaganza

10-2-2008

The exciting part of today was not work, although I did do an amazing “Get Involved” advert for the Burrough of Brent with Mercy and completed two adverts. The excitement came after work when Chad and I went to a show at the Hoxton Kitchen to see three bands at the Concrete and Glass Festival, an indie line-up for the record books: Frighten Rabbit, Bodies of Water, and O’Death.

Good gravy, a fantastic show. The energy from the bands, from their music, from the crowd, it all blended together to create an aura of divinity. Yet the show was at an intimate venue to keep it all on a human level. It was so intimate in fact that after Frightened Rabbit’s first song, a guy burst in the back door and yelled over the crowd, “is there a Rebecca in here?” The band promptly replied, “no man, she’s not coming. She never was…”

I always have to appreciate a show where the band is humble enough to walk out into the crowd and accept a few “great show’s” from the audience. We told each band that we came from Wisconsin to see them and that we pumped their music hard on 90FM, which is true in the case of every band there. Each were extremely gracious. 

On the way home, we found Oscar the Grouch. Upon arriving at the ISH bar, we arrived find that everyone else had already had too much to drink….

Happy New Month!

10-1-2008

Let’s see if you are picking up the pattern. I didn’t run yesterday, so how did I start my day today? (the inflection is that of a kindergarten teacher talking to the class)

If you said running in Regent’s park, you are wrong, as I drank too much last night....

And it’s a Wednesday, so I did what with my day?

Wrong, I did not go to a burlesque show. But I did go to work at Life FM!!

I went for a night run to get my exercise in for the day, and to my surprise there are just as many runners in the Regent’s park area at night, as there are during the day.

Challenges at the Office

9-30-2008

For some reason, a bottle of red wine was cracked open right as I was about to go to sleep…how could I say no. So it was split between Chad and I. Good thing I ran yesterday morning because it was not about to happen this morning.

Today at Life FM, I produced three promos for black history month, as it starts tomorrow. It is celebrated throughout October in the UK. My supervisor wanted me to go out into the streets and interview people, asking them about black history month: did they know about it, what they thought about, were they going to celebrate it.

Honestly, this thought frightened me a bit: a skinny blonde white kid walking around the streets of Harlesden asking black people what they think about a month that celebrates their freedom from the white man’s oppression. Not that I was scared I was going to be in danger, just that I’m not a confrontational person, and I was definitely the minority in this area.

Cliché as it is, whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Sure I got shot down a few times from people who didn’t like the idea of their voice being on the radio, but once I got one group of young students to talk to me, I was confident to walk up to anyone and ask them what they thought about the upcoming month.

The opinions were varied and interesting. I chatted with two groups of young students as it was just about time for them to be getting out of school. They were the best interviews, enthusiastic and boisterous. They gave me lots to work with as they listed off a list of prominent figures in the human rights movement. A couple I talked to were…well, not bitter, but adamant about it’s significance, and the importance of those who’ve helped to change things. Perhaps she seemed a little perturbed at my ignorance because I was playing the clueless reporter to get her talking. The last group I talked to was perhaps the most interesting. Two guys, seemed of Jamaican / Caribbean decent, started with the same generic “black history month is fantastic!” stuff. However, he got to talking and said something to this effect: “...It’s about the liberation, black people being freed from the chains of slavery, but true liberation hasn’t yet been….do you want me to go there?”

At my urging they both continued, very calmly and in turn so I could record every second. They talked abut how black people are still very much in chains, from climbing corporate ladders to education, he said that black people are to this day not given the same opportunities as white people. Was it weird having someone passionately tell you how ‘your kind’ is keeping him down? A touch, but I listened with an understanding ear. And I couldn’t have agreed with him more when we said, “One month of black history? Nahhh, black history should be all the time.”

Here's the final resutls:

Also I work that day I received tickets to The Duke Spirit. Mike and I went to check them out. They were decent. Not exactly my style of rock, but the venue, The Astoria, was worth the trip at least… and it was better than sitting in my room blogging….no offence.

I Work Hard for the Money

9-29-2008

With my legs ready for the day after my run in Regent’s, I was off to work. The station manager told me I didn’t have to get to work until closer to 10:30 but I still wanted to get my day started, so I intended on getting there around 10:00. Good thing too because due to Bakerloo line delays, I ended up getting to work around 10:30, which was right on time, but later than I expected. Following this week, I should have getting to work all figured out.

Basically, I had another fabulous day at work: produced audio, got to know people. My boss had to work till midnight, so she snuck out for a few hours in the middle of the day and left me a task list to complete. I completed the pertinent objectives, but left some of the “if you have time” items because the stations ad manager and his clients needed help with an advert. Three hours later we had an advert that was well done, but truthfully if all had been prepped ahead of time should have taken an hour. Upon my supervisor’s arrival back, I found out I shouldn’t have been spending that much time in the studio with any clients, otherwise we have to charge them more. Well, now I know.

Once I finished work, I stuck around the office and blogged, and read article after article about the $700 billion bailout bill not being passed.

A Whole Lotta London

9-28-2008

Today I gallivanted around London with the ISH tour group. For a mere £22.50 we got a hipster guided walking tour around Parliament, Westminster, and Big Ben, a boat cruise of the Thames where a comical deck hand pointed out great sights along the way, lunch at a casual-smart diner (where I had some delicious salmon in a plumb sauce), and the icing on the cake a flight in the London Eye.

The guide on the boat informed us that a popular thing to do nowadays is get married on the London Eye. It’s quite perfect really. Round trip it’s a half hour flight. Do the beginning mumbo jumbo on the way up, say your vows and the very top, then it’s all down hill from there….I told you he was comical.

But really I can’t say much more about the London Eye. It’s an experience and I’ll try to let a picture do the talking.

Upon the end of the London Eye flight, our tour with ISH travel group was over, but our day has just begun. Jenny and I met up with a lovely German girl named Karen. The three of us spent a good hour watching the amazing street performers around the Eye. Then went to an exhibit surreal artist Salvador Dali.

His exhibit was a journey into the mind of a genius. Since I was in his head, I figured I would right down a few thoughts of this master:

• What is important is to spread confusion, not to eliminate it
  
• I’m in a permanent state of intellectual erection
• Life is aspiration, respiration, and expiration
  
• For me, love must be ugly, looks must be divine, and death must be beautiful
  
• The fact that I myself do not understand the meaning of my paintings at the time that I am painting them does not mean that they have no meaning

After Dali, we journeyed to Westminster for a 17:45 Organ Recital featuring the Deputy Master of Music at the Chapels Royal, Ian Keatley. We were surprised to see the he was joined by Jim Motherwell, Her Majesty The Queen’s Piper. It was a brilliant performance consisting for only four pieces.

• Prelude and Fugue in C - J.S. Bach
• Pslam prelude Set 1 No. 1 - H. Howells
• Highland Cathedral - Korb, Roever (almost put me in tears, featured the Piper)
• Final from Sept pieces Op. 27 - M. Dupre

And that, my friends, is how you spend a day in London.

Gorillas, a Tower, and a Superhero

9-27-2008

In my preparations for this London excursion, I was given a book called 1000 Things to Do in London. It’s published by a fun-living magazine called Time Out, a weekly magazine that has everything, and I mean everything, that there is to do in London. From the off beat to the popular. The greatest thing I’ve gotten out of the book happened today: The Great Gorilla Run.

This 6km run through London is like many of the races I’ve run back home: hundreds of people all crammed into narrow streets, stretching and warm-ups at the finish line, fruit served after the race for the runners. Except at this race, the only fruit served after the race were bananas, and everyone ran the race in a Gorilla suit.

It was a beautiful sight, 700 plus gorillas running through the streets of London. The race is organized in large cities across the world to help raise money to protect African gorillas in the wild.  When I first heard of the race, I was online as soon as I could to register. However, one of the stipulations of the race is that you must raise £400 for the gorillas, and I wasn’t about to spend all my time in London soliciting for gorillas. Next time one of these races comes my way, I’ll be sweating in a suit of too much hair.

Oh and the best part about this jungle affair, I got a free giant inflatable banana. I believe my exact words to my flat mates as I walked in the room were, “Don’t worry guys, I got the giant banana for our room.”

Since we were so close, Jenny and I decided the Tower of London would be a splendid way to spend the afternoon. At 14 quid (slang for pound, like the American 'buck'), it was worth the stop.

Probably London’s most famous tourist destination, this heavily fortified castle has been used for just about everything since it’s completed construction in 1100A.D. From being a storehouse for weapons and armor, to a prison for important political inmates, to a hall for holding royal events, to a zoo, to an observatory, this entire complex, with it’s White Tower as the epicenter, has it’s fair share of history. Today it is used to house the Crown Jewels, important political documents, and of course as a tourist destination.  

We went on a tour of the place with a Yeoman Warder, or as they are more commonly referred to as, a Beefeater. These highly respected guards live at the Tower of London and are responsible for it’s protection and upkeep. Our particular Beefeater just so happened to be the raven master, the caretaker for the ravens that call the Tower home. Legend has it that Charles II was told that if the ravens left the Tower, the kingdom and the fortress would fall.

At least six must be present at all time. The raven master ensured  us that they are not superstitious. To prove that are not, they keep eight at all times….

Some highlights for me were the armories where they decorated walls and pillars with pistols, the V.I.P. holding cells where prisoners awaited their beheadings and carved graffiti reveling their life views after months of isolation, and the body armor that protected all the right places. 

On our way home, we took the walk across Tower Bridge which was quite difficult with tourists stopping every two seconds to take a picture. However, I was one of them, so I can’t really complain. Some knowledge I gained today was that the bridge that is often referred to as London Bridge is actually Tower Bridge, which is the iconic symbol of this city. London Bridge is actually rather mundane-looking.

As if gorillas running and a Tower of history wasn’t enough the city decided to give us another surprise.

Jenny and I were on our way home after our tower experience right around 17:30 – 18:00. It was rush hour and the tubes were packed. We squeezed our way to the center of the car as people continued to push in as the doors were beginning to close. A woman right next to the door didn’t get her handbag out of the way quick enough and the doors slammed in on it. So there’s her bag, caught between the doors. She pulled with all her strength but it wouldn’t budge. We could all hear the train make it’s usual start up sounds. People in the car looked at each other with a slight panic. Then suddenly, from the platform two hands, with Wolverine claws on them, reach through the crack in the door, grip each side, and pull them open. Once the door opens far enough everyone got a good look at the man in a full Wolverine costume from the old cartoon show / comic book. With her bag free from the door’s vise grip, she pulls her bag free. Wolverine gives her a little salute and walks away.

I love this city. 

A Day at the Globe

9-26-2008

Yesterday, we received an email from our faculty leader informing us of a tour we have today at 9am. This caught everyone by surprise, including our leader, but it was a pleasant surprise as it was a tour of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, an open-air, round, wooden structured theatre. Our lovely tour guide taught us much. Such as, the balcony seats along the sides of the stage were probably the worst seats as far as a view goes. However, those sitting there were the celebs of the day as they were just as visible as the actors themselves. The actors knew that these people were VIPs as well and delivered just as many lines to them as to the commoners.

The most interesting part to me was the intimate nature of this theatre. Unlike stages I’ve been on, where the lights are blinding and you perform to a sea of blackness, these actors are forced to stare each audience member in the face. Plus, performances in Shakespeare’s day would have been in the afternoon to provide ample lighting. The only stage I’ve been on that comes close is the intimate nature of Michelsen Hall, in the Noel Fine Arts Center at UWSP. But believe me, it comes nowhere close to the Globe....

After the tour Mike, Aurelia, Cody, Jenny, Josie and myself stuck around to see if we could snag tickets to that afternoon’s performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. On a stroke of luck, 10 standing tickets became available 5 minutes after our request. For £5, these tickets were fantastic, center stage right up front. The only catch, you stand for the entire 3 hours performance.

Truthfully, these actors were so compelling, you don’t even notice you’re standing. Each of them demanded the attention of the audience. The King had a commanding voice that I swear rattled the thousands of wooden pegs that hold the globe together. The women carried a soft femininity, but yet could stir laughter in the crowd at any moment.  The sets were minimal, simply there to help carry the story along, but the acting sold it. Probably the best performance I've ever seen on a live stage. 

Ohhh and on the way home we saw some sweet ice cream trucks.

Audio Editing and Karaoke Crooning

9-25-2008

I couldn’t wait to get to work the next day. I left a project incomplete and I needed to get back at it. Pugwash, one of the celeb presenters at Life, asked me yesterday to help him with a campaign regarding the MOBO awards. From what I’ve been told, the MOBOs are the Grammy’s of black music, which is what Life specializes in: hip hop, reggae, soul, R&B, basically anything with a beat. At least, that's how I describe it. Anywho, the station needed liners to play before a nominee. There were ten categories and five nominees per category, excluding Best International Performer, which had eight nominees.  So yea, I did a lot on my second day, and I was happier than an Oompa Loompa in Wonka’s factory to do it.

I had lunch at Ali Babah’s. I’m putting that in this post so I remember to go to it again. Spicy and fantastic.

Today rocked, for sure. To celebrate, I had to do ISH bar karaoke. Most all of the Wisconsin students made it down to the bar: the interns to celebrate their first few days on the job and the students to drown their sorrows of the beginning of another semester. Supposedly, the Wisconsin students have a reputation of being a force to reckon with at ISH karoke night. So I wasn’t about to let them down. The details are a bit fuzzy. But the gist of the story is I sang Total Eclipse of the Heart  to ISH dean Kevin Coyne. He came up on stage, and I sang my heart out to him. 

First Day of Life

9-24-2008

Despite the fact that I knew exactly where I was going and had a relatively good idea of how long would take, I still decided to leave about 2 hours earlier than I had to in order to be at Life FM by 12:30. I arrived in Harlesden about 11am and took that extra hour and a half to get familiar with my new neighborhood. I ended up stopping in a gyro-like shop and indulged myself for a good 20 minutes with this mass of chicken, salad, and spicy sauce on freshly made nan flatbread. I finished it just in time to make it to Life FM 10 minutes early.

It was a normal first day: orientation, interview, tour of the place, the usual. At the same time though, it was better than most first days I’ve had. My supervisor sat down with me and we worked out a personal development plan. She asked me what I was looking to gain from the experiences here, what I hoped to develop. She involved me right from the start informing me of where the station would be going over the months I would be there. I met everyone who was in the office that day and all were extremely welcoming.

Following the ‘getting to know you’ part of the day, I was given some rather mundane tasks, but I suppose that is understandable. If a completely stranger walked into my office, I’d make sure he or she was not a complete dumbass before I gave them any real responsibilities. Eventually, I was asked to assist some presenters (DJs) with some audio production.

Here, I must stop and thank WWSP 90FM. The past four years at that radio station provided me with the necessary skills to dive right in at Life FM. On my first day, I recorded one advert and began a MOBO awards nominee campaign. I was loving it. I worked from 12:30 – 20:00 that night and arrived back at MTH around 21:00. Sleep felt great as my day was way over stimulating and I was pooped.

Becoming London

9-23-2008

I’m off to a good start with my running schedule as I have a pretty good every-other-day thing going. This morning I ran alongside the London Zoo and saw lamas. Plus, I discovered the ‘off-leash’ area of regents. Most likely I will be running there more often to see the London puppies. However, they are hard to understand because of their thick British accents.

The rest of my morning consisted of blogging / journaling as to catch up on the European tour while it was still fresh. Because no one likes a stale European tour.

My afternoon, however, became much more interesting as Megadeath, Kallie, and I ventured to Camden Town.

The first place we stopped upon venturing from the underground was a quaint little art gallery. The information on the artist, whose name I can’t recall and didn’t write down, ranted and raved about this homeless artist who never had any formal training. After 10 minutes in that gallery, it was obvious he never had any formal training, and sadly, it became apparent that he was homeless as well. I think you can find better art at I'm Better than Your Kids Needless to say, the poor quality is why I don’t care to recall his name.

 

A few blocks from there we found what we were looking for, the Camden Market. Shop after shop of amazing clothing and tattoo parlors. I’ll be utilizing the tattoo shops later, but for today I spent £80 on a brand knew European outfit, seeing as how my job requires casual and I brought mostly smart clothes. But that eighty includes a nice heavy hoodie for cooler weather, a new pair of jeans, and a sexy argyle sweater vest, if I do say so myself.  Plus, I found a fantastic sepia panoramic of the Thames skyline and some nifty buttons for my satchel.

 

On my way home from Camden, I took my route to Harlesden for the first time.

 

From my first walk down High Street Harlesden, I knew I’d love this place. I was one of the only white guys walking down the street. Fresh fruit markets. Ethnic, to me at least, diners with kabobs, gyros, and a plethora or foods I have yet to sample or learn how to pronounce. A block away is the Irish Meat Market with carcasses hanging in the window. I found the offices of Life FM and smiled. Then I made my way back home.

 

Tomorrow I start work, so tonight will be an early one!

We Actually Have Jobs

9-22-2008

At seven in the morning, I awoke and went to ISH for breakfast. Interns receive £2.50 per day for meals, which covers exactly a three item morning meal and a small juice. More often than not, it looks like my three items will consist of scrambled eggs, two slices of toast (one white and one wheat for a well-balanced meal), and a sausage. Now I’ve heard that sausages can be called bangers here in Great Britain, however, I have seen no evidence to support that fact. I really don’t know which would be worse though:

“Good morning, can I have scrambled eggs, 

toast, and a hot sausage”

or

“Good morning, can I have scrambled eggs, 

toast, and a hot banger”

Sometimes I think Arrested Development just makes things up to be funny, but why would a comedy sitcom do something like that? Anywho, long story short, I’ve got my breakfasts in order, and all is good as far as morning nourishment is concerned.

Following breakfast I decided I would sample the National Healthcare System and stop by the clinic to have my tummy checked out. Since Paris, I get random intense stomach pains. The frequency of the stabbing pain has been lessening, however, I still figured it’d be worth checking out. Once I got arrived, there was the normal introductory paperwork, but it was much less intensive than that of a doctor in America. Long story short, I left without seeing a doctor and am waiting for a confirmation in the mail that my paperwork when through and that I can officially see a doctor here.

At 12:30 myself and the other interns made the walk to Great Russell Street where the Anglo American internship coordination offices are located, right around the corner from The British Museum. There all of our worries were put to rest, as many of us had not talked to our internship companies in months. We received a confirmation of our internship placement, a short synopsis of the company, and an A-Z London book which contains every detailed map of London you could ever want. They also explained to us how to dress at our internship. Perhaps this is because I have not worked in the ‘real world’ yet or perhaps it is a Britishism, but I have never heard of the three dress categories of casual, casual-smart, and smart. I was informed that my work is casual.

We all left that meeting on a euphoric high. As mentioned, most of us had no idea if we even had a job in London since we’ve heard nothing from our internships or Anglo American since our initial contact with them months earlier. Now, we knew. We were employed and were about to be functioning members of the London society. To celebrate our new employment, I bought a casual-smart (see, I’m using the terms already) satchel. Then Kallie, Megadeath, and I decided we’d celebrate our new jobs further by stopping in the closest pub, grabbing a pint or three, and people watching.

That night we hung out at the ISH bar for a bit and listened to a jazz trio consisting of a kit, bass, and trumpet. They were great individual musicians, however, without a harmonic instrument there was a void that need to be filled. No matter. We soon ventured further into London as it was Mike’s birthday at midnight. We cruised through the ever so popular Soho late at night, which is basically London’s red light district.

The only club we actually made it to was a chill yet upscale restaurant/bar upstairs, but downstairs was a scene from Dirty Dancing. The entire dance floor was full of tango/salsa dancers, and every one of them knew exactly what they were doing. My favorite was one guy with a girl on each arm. He was spinning them back and forth, to and fro, and never missed a beat with either one of them. We watched these dancers for a while as we dared not venture out onto the floor, but eventually the waft of body odor became overwhelming so we booked out.  

Awake to London

9-21-2008

With a fresh night of sleep in me, I awoke to a beautiful morning in Central London. Out my window I could see Regent’s park, and it was calling my name.

 

Went for a run in Regent’s Park right off the morning.  I’d been waiting for this run for a good year. It felt great. Friendly British people around every corner and plenty of room to breathe.

 

After the run, Chad, Luke, and I caught breakfast with Rupert, our fabulous bus driver, and said our goodbyes with him. Unfortunately, the rest of today wasn’t anything extremely exciting: got our internet set-up, blogged/journaled for a good majority of the day, oh and purchased a mobile. If you’d like the number, email me!

And Finally London

9-20-2008

Tickled pink is not only a terrible cliché phrase, but no where near describes how excited I was this morning. Yes, Paris was fantastic, but the entire time there all I could think was "London's only a day’s journey away"… and that’s what I’ve been waiting for.

We bussed to passport control. They stamped us into the country and from there, Rupert drove us onto a ferry that took us across the English channel.

From the ferry, just two hours stood between me and London! Longest two hours ever.

We finally arrived at the International Students House.  Luke, on of my roommates, arrived earlier that day with a few other students. We met up with them and as soon as we got our room keys, we were off to get settled in room 179 of Mary Travellian Hall.

As we got moved in, Chad poured Luke, himself, and me a shot of whiskey. We each took a moment to say what we had to say, why we are here, what we are looking forward to, and what we are expecting. That burning sensation on the back of our throats served as a pact that this semester was going to be the best of our lives.

That night consisted of us running to Tesco to pick up a few groceries and of course, some alcohol to celebrate our new arrival.

A Final Paris Goodbye

9-19-2008

Around 10am Jenny and I headed back to the Lourve for round two, and this time it was open. We had to “manipulate” the date on our museum passes, a.k.a writing in dark letters over the old date, because they were only good for two days and we needed a third. And the third day was totally worth it. We caught quite a few wonders that we would have missed entirely:

Following our final Lourve experience, Jenny, Cody and I also partook in our final Flunch experience, which for me was a good thing. I’m not one to be picky about food quality (after all, I do work at summer camps where I douse everything in ranch just to survive), but I guess I was just disappointed we didn’t get meal vouchers to someplace more “French.” But I suppose that would have been more expensive so, whatever.

Following the Flunch, we went to the Opera house. Due to a rehearsal, we couldn’t get into the actually performance hall, but even the lobby area where we chilled for a bit was worth the journey. Supposedly, underneath the Paris Opera house is an actual subterranean lake which Phantom of the Opera is based off.  

We left the Opera House an attempted to make it to the catacombs across town, but arrived ten minutes late and hence missed the skulls, bones, and other dead parts of people.

After completing my packing for the next day, Jenny and I made our way to Sacre-Coeur, a cathedral in the north of Paris which is on a high hillside overlooking the city. Litering the steps leading up to the chapel were a gaggle of college aged younglings drinking, smoking, and all taking turns getting up in front of the crowd that had gathered there and butchering Bob Marley. It was a nifty sight.

The difference in views over the city from last night to tonight is quite notable.  From the Arch in the middle of the city, Paris looked beautifully lit and awe inspiring. From Sacre-Coeur, due to it’s altitude and distance away, Paris looked like a smoggy, grungy metropolitan city, which truthfully, it is. But at the same time, it is so much more than that. That city has an intangible quality that draws you to it. It is easy to see why it is known as the city of love.

On our way back to the hostel, we got a street-side Panini. We sat at an outdoor table right next to a French couple. As we ate, it became apparent that the couple knew no English and we knew no French. Every so often in our conversation, I just stopped and listened to them. Such beauty in their language.

As we sat listening to our neighbors chat, an unruly pub crawl walked long the streets next to us. Low and behold, a number of students from our group were on this pub crawl, so I got their attention by throwing garbage at Emma. We got pulled into the pub crawl and made it to a couple of pubs. Eventually everyone made it home alive, and got at least some sleep before our final leg of the journey to the United Kingdom.

Viva paris.