Needless to say July was slow going, I was slow to start
research on my dissertation and I wasn’t doing much else. Once I had my meeting
with my supervisor to figure out the chapters of my dissertation then things
seemed to pick up. I was asked by
my supervisor if I would be going to Paris, my dissertation is about
Photographers in Paris between 1919-1939, I hadn’t thought about it. As soon as
she brought it up it was only the only logical thing to do. So I decided to see
what exhibitions were on in Paris that would help with my dissertation. There were a
few things, so I looked around for the best deal for transport to Paris and
booked a bus, Eurolines. I booked the hostel, not many available at the height
of summer in Paris, but I found one and I booked it, though I had to change rooms three times. That was two weeks before,
during the two weeks before Paris I had to write my first draft chapter, so I
spent time researching in the British Library and the school library. The
second week I researched a bit more and wrote my first chapter, I’m not happy
with it, but I always have the chance to rewrite it. Aside from researching I
celebrated the 4th of July with friends by attending a bbq, oh how I
miss grilling.
So I took the bus to Paris, it went through Dover and we
went on a Ferry over to France. I have to say seeing Dover from the English
Channel it’s beautiful. I would love to go back and explore and take pictures.
I got to my hostel around 11 and was pretty tired. The next day I put my stuff
in a storage locker because I had to move rooms. Anyway I started the day going
to Centre Pompidou, got lost finding it, I’m pretty sure I went in a circle and
passed the back of it. I don’t know, but I found it. I went to see the
contemporary art exhibit. Modern contemporary art I’ve never been a fan of,
some of the stuff is interesting, but I never really liked it. I finally got to
the photograph area, there wasn’t much, but there were photographs from
Brassai, Eli Lotar and Andre Kertesz, two of whom I’m writing about in my dissertation.
Seeing prints that I’ve read about and looked at in books are always better
when seen in person. Anyway after I was done looking around the exhibit I
wasn’t feeling very well, so I had lunch at Centre Pompidou and decided what I
was going to do next. I was supposed to check out the Kandisnky library, but
that didn’t happen, it was way too nice to spend any time inside in Paris, I
might have regretted that later. After that I headed to Musee Caranvalet where there
was a Eugene Atget exhibit. This is what I had to come to Paris for, I’m
writing about him in my dissertation, not much is known about the man other
then little bits and pieces. The exhibit was very informative, there were
original photographs and it was amazing. I only wish I had taken notes, but
whatever notes I would have taken I probably have read before. After the museum
I went to the courtyard outside to figure out what I was going to do next. I
decided to take a walk by the Seine and see if the vendors were selling anything interesting. I
ended up by Notre Dame, sat outside in the sun for a bit and then I decided
that I would go up the towers of Notre Dame. So I waited in line. Must have
been for an hour, not bad. What was bad was the walk up, I’m fit, but not that
fit, so huffing and puffing up the stairs to get to the top was worth it. The
views are amazing and I got to see the gargoyles. I brought my larger camera
on this trip, even though it was heavy I got some amazing photographs. I ended
up talking to 3 guys on the top who were doing a Euro trip, one was getting his master’s and the other two were in medical school. I told them a couple
places to see in Paris, they never heard of Sacre Coeur, I told them to go
there for more amazing views. So after Notre Dame I walked down and walked
along the Seine over to the Latin Quarter for dinner, they always have good
deals. I had escargot for an appetizer and then steak, I love escargot, well if
I don’t think what I’m actually eating. Anyway I got back to the hostel around
8 or 9 to check into another room. I had to change rooms three times because
nothing was available 3 nights in a row, I was pretty tired that night, a lot
of walking.
The next day my throat was killing me still, I think I might
have had strep, but I don’t know. Anyway it was a late start, I decided to go
over to the Montparnasse area, mainly because I wanted to see the area where
artists and photographers congregated and lived in the 1920’s and 30’s, it was
the place to be at that time, not now. I went to the cemetery, yes a little morbid but it was quiet ( a cemetery quiet, really?) and I
wanted to see the graves of Man Ray and Andre Kertesz (I think he was
there). I never did, mainly
because I wanted to find the Catacombs, I thought the building was in the
cemetery, nope, it was a few blocks down the road. I got to the building there
was a line, I kept on following the line all the way around. It was long, I
briefly considered not getting in it, but I figured I wasn’t going to be in
that area again. 2 ½ hours later I finally got to go into the catacombs. Crazy?
Yes, also this was the only time I wish I had a friend with me, mainly because
so one of us could go buy a sandwich or something. I’ve been to catacombs
before, in Italy, but the bones had been removed. Anyway it was awesome, beyond
cool, walls of bones that just kept on going and going. After the catacombs I
went to the gift shop, I had to, I bought skull salt and pepper shakers. After the catacombs I ended up going to
Luxembourg Gardens, I had a orange hot dog.
Side note: so the thing with the orange hot dog is when my
sister and I first visited Paris, I was 7 she was 9 she had a orange hot dog in
the Tulleries, and ever since then she’s been obsessed. She hasn’t had the
chance to travel to Paris but when I went in 2010 and again this year I had an
orange hot dog for her and took a picture. It’s the little things in life that
count.
I walked around the gardens for a while and then I found the
crème de la crème, I found the middle. It was beautiful, the water fountain,
the flowers, the palace? I don’t know what the museum or building or whatever
it was, was. There were kids playing with sailboats in the fountain.
Side note and another story, my dad has a picture of me, when
I was 7 playing with a sailboat. Again it’s the small things that made you
smile.
I took pictures
though the half naked people sunbathing aren’t pretty. After the gardens I went
to go to the Montparnasse Tower, again getting lost. I found it and waited in
line, I was already sun burned from standing outside for 2 ½ hours for the
catacombs, so really I didn’t mind. It’s kind of like the Sears tower in
Chicago, but not. When you get to the top it’s a room with windows, but you go
upstairs and it’s an open topped roof with glass walls. There is a direct view
of the Eiffel Tower, amazing views. I ended up sun tanning a bit in the middle
on the rubber pad with people. I talked to a couple from Costa Rica, I had
talked to them in line and again up top, the guy told me to go to the Pantheon
and go up. I told him some places to go as well.
The third day I was everywhere, I started out the day in the
eastern part of the city to go to Le Cinematheque Francais to see the Tim
Burtin exhibition. It was amazing, drawings from the beginning of his career to
movie props. I would have bought the book, but it was huge and I didn’t want to
lug it around. So I’m going to buy it online, because it was too amazing not to
buy. After that I went to rue Mouffetard to find a cheese shop, though it
wasn’t open. I ended up having lunch in the square and the walked over to the
Pantheon. It was a hot day, again. I think the Pantheon was my only
misstep of the trip, it’s a church and yeah you can go up to see views, but I
realized I have seen 360 degree views of Paris from pretty much every tall
point by now. The Eiffel Tower, Sacre Coeur, Notre Dame, Montparnasse Tower,
and now the Pantheon, not a lot of people can say they’ve done that, so I count
my lucky stars that it’s happened. After that I went back to rue Mouffetard to check
if the cheese shop was open, nope, oh well. I ended up having ice cream, there
was a shop that made the ice cream in the shape of a flower, it was really
good. I ended up going to the Eiffel Tower, not to go up it but to people watch
and sun tan in the grounds below. I loved that, a lot of people were around,
but I got to lay out in the sun near the Eiffel Tower. I love that I could do
that and not have gypsies or the souvenir guys bother me, apparently they’re
not allowed on the grounds anymore, which is good. After I got tired of the sun
I went to find dinner, my initial plan was to have dinner near the Eiffel Tower
so I could see it light up at night. Considering how many times I’ve been to
Paris I’ve never seen the Eiffel Tower sparkle. I was picky about what I wanted
to eat, I wanted mussels, and not every restaurant has them. I ended up in the
Latin Quarter again, after I ate I did a little window shopping and realized
that I was tired and I didn’t want to be out late at night. So I hopped on the
tube to go back to the hostel. So no sparkling Eiffel Tower for me, I always
leave something to come back to, and that is something I’ll see someday.
My last day I checked out, stored my stuff in a locker and
had 3 hours to kill before I had to catch my bus. I ended up walking along the
canal by the hostel, there was a lot going on, boats, water park, beach scene.
It was cool, I found a café and had breakfast overlooking the canal. I walked
along it again and then decided to go to the nearby park. It was mentioned to
me by a person in one of the rooms I stayed in. I did, it was
beautiful, there’s this huge rock island in the middle, you can only get to it
by a bridge, it was beautiful. It was also a little of a hike, so I was kinda
sweating by the time I got to the top, but it was worth it. I went back down,
sat in the sun for a little until I had to leave. The sun lifted my spirits a
bit, before I left London it was rainy and dreary and I came back to hotness,
also the bus took the chunnel. I thought we were going to take the ferry again,
which was why I didn’t take pictures of the cliffs at Dover. Oh well, something
to go back to see. I got what I came for a clear mind and a better attitude.
Paris je t’aime
