Monday, October 1, 2007 - 1:37 PM
montmarte, and a sunset
Lest you think I spend all my time in the library, here are some pictures from my trip to Montmarte yesterday. And I swear I am working on a decent collection of photos of my neighborhood, which will go up soon.
On the way there I saw this in the métro:
EDF is an energy company and Bleu Ciel is their new sub-brand which is supposed to be more ecologically sound. The ad says "EDF is creating Bleu Ciel so that everyone can have a corner of blue sky [to call their own]." Bleu Ciel means blue sky, except normally it would be written the other way around, so it's more akin to the brand being called Skyblue. Anyway, the graffiti says "let's create, rather than consume" and "the planet is not a nuclear trashcan." I don't know what to say about EDF, but I'm kind of intrigued at the prospect of a nuclear trashcan. Like, a trashcan that got exposed to radiation and turned into a giant monster and attacked the city. Or a bad, bad name for a bad, bad high school garage band. "Hi, we're Nuclear Trashcan, and this is our latest song, 'You Puked on My Heart.'"
This was the first street I saw when I got off in Montmartre. This is definitely the first time I've said this about anything in Paris, but this reminded me of Guatemala.
I guess just looking up at that narrow street crammed with people reminded me of Chichicastenango, except, you know, without the pools of garbage-water, Mayan priests, and esurient 3-year-old children trying to sell me belts. Definitely the same stock of gullible foreigners, though-- I was a little surprised at how many three-card monte games were going on, and even more surprised at how many people--in particular Americans and Italians-- were crowded around them in fascination. Three-card monte may literally be the oldest trick in the book, not to mention the general rule of thumb that a guy doing business on a cardboard box almost always sees taking your money as his prime directive in life.
Continuing uphill... la butte Montmartre, the tallest point in Paris, and the Sacré-Cœur basilica, where they don't allow you to take photos inside because they are mean, mean people.
After I left the basilica I went into the courtyard of the church behind the basilica, which was actually on Montmartre way beforehand. Voilà, Saint Pierre de Montmarte, consecrated in 1147 but built about 50 years before:
On my way back down....
She was on her way up...
This graffiti was at my left...
And this dog was at the bottom.
The day before, I was feeling kind of bleh and went out to take some pictures around sunset:
The back of Notre Dame:
Quoi?
¶ 
On the way there I saw this in the métro:
EDF is an energy company and Bleu Ciel is their new sub-brand which is supposed to be more ecologically sound. The ad says "EDF is creating Bleu Ciel so that everyone can have a corner of blue sky [to call their own]." Bleu Ciel means blue sky, except normally it would be written the other way around, so it's more akin to the brand being called Skyblue. Anyway, the graffiti says "let's create, rather than consume" and "the planet is not a nuclear trashcan." I don't know what to say about EDF, but I'm kind of intrigued at the prospect of a nuclear trashcan. Like, a trashcan that got exposed to radiation and turned into a giant monster and attacked the city. Or a bad, bad name for a bad, bad high school garage band. "Hi, we're Nuclear Trashcan, and this is our latest song, 'You Puked on My Heart.'"
This was the first street I saw when I got off in Montmartre. This is definitely the first time I've said this about anything in Paris, but this reminded me of Guatemala.
I guess just looking up at that narrow street crammed with people reminded me of Chichicastenango, except, you know, without the pools of garbage-water, Mayan priests, and esurient 3-year-old children trying to sell me belts. Definitely the same stock of gullible foreigners, though-- I was a little surprised at how many three-card monte games were going on, and even more surprised at how many people--in particular Americans and Italians-- were crowded around them in fascination. Three-card monte may literally be the oldest trick in the book, not to mention the general rule of thumb that a guy doing business on a cardboard box almost always sees taking your money as his prime directive in life.
Continuing uphill... la butte Montmartre, the tallest point in Paris, and the Sacré-Cœur basilica, where they don't allow you to take photos inside because they are mean, mean people.
After I left the basilica I went into the courtyard of the church behind the basilica, which was actually on Montmartre way beforehand. Voilà, Saint Pierre de Montmarte, consecrated in 1147 but built about 50 years before:
On my way back down....
She was on her way up...
This graffiti was at my left...
And this dog was at the bottom.
The day before, I was feeling kind of bleh and went out to take some pictures around sunset:
The back of Notre Dame:
Quoi?
¶