Mardi Gras and Ash Wednesday

Well it's been quite a busy two days. Tuesday we went to the Musee d'Orsay in the morning. That was ok, but not my favorite visit to the museum. The tour guide talked too long at each painting, and so we only saw about eight. But there was also a big exhibit that went to Chicago, so I think a lot of the good stuff was missing. I did see my favorite painting by Renoir though, so it wasn't all bad.

From there we went to the Jardins des Tuileries for a picnic. How French! The weather was gorgeous, and so we enjoyed sitting out in the sun. We walked to Place de la Concorde after and were smack in the middle of Fashion Week. How fabulous. The only thing we saw were some really interestingly dressed people, but all week I've seen odd hairstyles, outfits, etc. because people are going to the fashion week events.

We then went to the Lido, the classy cabaret on the Champs Elysees. I learned that you never wear green on stage in France (of course, I had to wear a green shirt) because Moliere was wearing green on stage when he fell down. People thought it was part of the play, but in fact he was dead. So...unlucky. Also, you can never say "rope" or "rabbit." These come from sailing traditions. A lot of sailors worked in theatres because they could climb up to the rafters and work the backstage drops. Saying rope was unlucky on a ship, and that tradition carried over to the theatres. And as for rabbits, once there was a boat sailing on the ocean. The men had brought rabbits to eat with them on the voyage, but the rabbits escaped, ate the wood of the boat, and the boat sank. So....unlucky. Anyway, it was fun to see the backstage areas of the Lido, but the most fun was the rehearsal on the stage. At first it was a group number, but at the end it was a couple dancing. The girl must've been made of rubber. The final pose was her with her head touching her feet, arching back in a complete circle. The man picked her up, lifted her over his head, still while she was in the circle. Then suddenly he threw her up in the air, and she fell/slid down him as a circle around him. I hope I wrote that clearly enough. It was unbelievable! The best was that after that, Deborah said, "Hey, Shay, go show her how it's done." Yeah, right.

After the Lido, we went to the Latin Quarter to hang out, shop, explore pedestrian streets, and generally meander for about two hours. And then we met all our French buddies at a Moroccan restaurant for dinner. I was surprised that I liked the food. Of course, I didn't add any spices to my couscous and chicken. Haha. How bland can you get? We didn't get in until almost 11pm, and I had a slight headache, so I went straight to bed.

This leads me to Wednesday. Appropriately, we spent Ash Wednesday in two cathedrals. First was St. Chapelle. Built in the 13th century by Louis IX, this gothic cathedral was made to house relics. It is not very big, but most impressive. Three of the four walls are all stained-glass windows, and the fourth wall has a giant rose window at the top. The picture doesn't do it justice. It was breathtaking. This was my first time visiting it, and I was not disappointed. It certainly lived up to my expectations.

Then we went next door to La Conciergerie. This used to be a palace, but was transformed into a prison during the Revolution. Prisoners were held here until they were carted off to Place de la Concorde to be beheaded at the guillotine. Most notable among them was Marie Antoinette. There is a recreation of her cell and a chapel on the site of her actual cell. Had I thought about it, we should've all eaten cake in the cell. That would've been so appropriate. Alas.

Last on the tour with the kiddos was Notre Dame. No matter how many times you see it, it's still quite remarkable. This time I enjoyed sitting in the relative warmth, listening to organ music, and not having teenagers ask me questions or say my name. It was wonderful.

The kids went off with their buddies, and I joined Fabienne and her two friends Sabrina and Marlene for lunch. They are both really sweet and funny, and I hated having to tell them goodbye. Fabienne, who is still not feeling totally well, went home, and I went shopping on Rue de Rivoli. This street of shops runs from the Louvre all the way to the Bastille. I was successful in finding French ensemble pieces as well as gifts.

Tonight, Fabienne and I ate a quick dinner : salmon and avocados and chocolate cake, and then headed off to the movies. We saw The Fighter, which opened here today. It was fantastic. Fabienne was happy there were subtitles what with their thick Boston accents. At times, I too was happy there were subtitles. Most amusing was a scene in which they go to a French film. They can't pronounce it correctly, and Amy Adams' character complains about having to read subtitles. That got a laugh.

Now I'm off to bed because I have to leave with the students at 7am for Normandy and Mont St. Michel. I'm not taking my computer, so it'll be Friday or Saturday before I write again. Yikes!