And, just a side note, another huge plus about this new appreciation/addiction is that I've learned to love hot sauce, like the actually hot stuff! I can only imagine my Dad's rejoicing as he reads this since he's been pushing cayenne pepper my way for as long as I remember.
Besides eating falafels and hot sauce, I've actually had some pretty eventful days. Well, kind of... its definitely been balanced with a lot of sleep ins, hours of blissful uninterrupted reading, and almost a whole season of The Tudors. And, possibly the best part, I don't even feel guilty about any of it - I have less than a month! I'm just trying to do what I want when I want because I appreciate that is a very limited and unique period in my life...
OK, so besides eating falafels and despite being lazy, I've seen some amazing things lately. I went to the Musee Carnavalet, which is a converted mansion dedicated to the history of Paris. I honestly skipped most of the permanent collection because there was a Louis Vuitton exhibit and it was really cool! It mostly ignored the commercialization of the modern brand (although there were a few clever nods to the persistence of fakes) and focused on its super interesting history. I liked seeing the original sketches and inspiration of the monogram and damier canvas, and there were amazing examples of earlier luggage. My favorites were a trunk that turned into a desk and a trunk dedicated to shoes with a specific labelled drawer for every pair...
A room in the main part of the museum...
The following day I went to the Vampire Weekend concert! It was awesome and just so much better than I expected! I generally really enjoy doing stuff alone but I was a little hesitant going to a concert by myself. But it was a chance to finally wear my bright blue Chloe blouse (I hate the word 'blouse' but it is what it is) and I got a sweet solo seat beside the sound booth. And I love their music, so it was totally fun. I took a few photos with my blackberry but I'm not tech savvy enough to get them on my computer...
I also did a bit of early Christmas shopping for myself, thanks to my brother! I'm pretty picky when it comes to scents but I fell in love with Diptyque's new perfume, Eau Duelle, when I walked by their counter at Lafayette a few months ago. I've since stocked up on samples and confirmed that it really is as delicious as I first thought, so I made an investment in a big bottle! It was fun going to their first ever boutique, which turns out to be super close to where I live, and they're really friendly. I know there's really strong ties between memory and smell, so I'm grateful that I'll have such an amazing scent to remember Paris by. (Although, admittedly, the most persistent smell on the streets here is a combo of urine and restaurant vents, but that's not worth remembering!)
Today I checked a few things off my to-do list (which is sadly dwindling) and revisited some old favorites. It was incredibly sunny today (so welcome after a few days of pure gray) so I went to the Jardin du Luxembourg. Most of the flowers are gone and the leaves have fallen but its still so pretty - the fountains are still going and the grass is green and the people watching is just as good. My cousin, Kait, is coming pretty soon so I made a list of things we need to do. Even though the sun was out, it was still pretty cold, so I had to keep moving and walked up rue Bonaparte.
I've walked by the St. Sulpice Church countless times, but I've never stopped in. It looks pretty unwelcoming because they're restoring the outside so its covered in scaffolding, but it is amazing inside. Firstly, Delacroix has done a lot of the decoration of the side rooms so there are incredible huge paintings of biblical scenes. Secondly, the main windows aren't stained glass so there's much so light, especially on such a sunny day. Thirdly, it has a super famous organ that happened to be being played when I was there. Organ music is so interesting to me - it can be really soft and nice and then, out of nowhere, it sounds like God himself is shouting at you. I like imagining what people must have thought of it before recorded music and speakers existed - it had to have had an effect on people.
I went to Pierre Herme afterwards and indulged in an Ispahan - the unbeatable pastry of rose flavored cream, fresh raspberries and lychees sandwiched in a macaron. Unbelievable every time. I also went to the Delacroix museum, being inspired by my visit to St. Sulpice. It was pretty small but worth going to. The most memorable thing, besides the collection of paintings and engravings, was a palette that was actually used by Fantin-Latour but given to him by Delacroix. I love seeing the palettes of other people - they're like little haphazard paintings themselves. Except this one was entirely too neat (or I'm just jealous because mine never look like this!)
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