lido, part 2

yesterday, i headed out to anzio, a small beach town an hour from rome. it was a nice getaway from the 90 degree heat of the city. i also managed to have a very tasty lunch of spaghetti with frutti di mare (see pict). when i got back to the city, i headed out to watch soccer, met a few new italians, hung out and chatted with one of them named Giuliano over gelato at Giolitti and the steps of the Pantheon, then stopped in to say hi to Donatello again on the campo, and called it a night.

roman holiday style

the other night i stayed out till 2am sipping prosecco around via della pace with an amusing ragazzo, lorenzo, who just returned from 7 years at Oxford for undergrad and grad/phd degrees in math and economics. apparently he won some math contest in italy and got a scholarship of sorts (no idea if that's legit). so, you know, it was your typical monday night in rome, ha! he tried to get me to go to the trevi fountain at 2am, but funny enough, i had already been there/done that with Giuseppe way back when and wanted to keep that memory as is. anyway, there is just something about this city that is so alive, friendly, and intriguing it's so full of energy and also has this overt sensuality (that is lacking in the north). people just enjoy life more, family more, friends more, each other's company more. there is a good balance of life and work....or maybe it's more like everyone thrives off the *lack* of work?

oh, speaking of work, i learned more rome info today, as the owner of the rental company i rented my apt through stopped by my place, or HIS place, since i learned it is actually his pied a terre when he's in rome. he and his family live out in the country, with their 2 bambini, and use this place when they're here. it was nice to meet him, talk shop (he is a mac-pc "switcher" so we talked steve jobs, design, cali, etc) and his wife is an art critic so again, we talked art, design, modernism (or lack of) in rome, etc etc. it was really cool to meet him and get his insight on life and work in rome, and also find out more about this neighborhood (and day trips to the shore) from here. i'm hoping to maybe get some job leads or ideas from him as well....

later in the day, i finally left for the 37 c degree (!!!) city to shop around, or more like, find Giolitti and Mandarina Duck. both were successful endeavors (i ordered caffe + chocolate con extra panna and found a good black bag). then i walked all the way from Via Condotti/Spanish Steps to my old apt on Via Vechhiarelli. It was so lovely to walk along the river and see the ponte st angelo again as my landmark for my/annie's old hood. i found the apt, walked all along the street where meghan lived and farshad/donatella had their store, then walked along Via del Governo Vecchio, spotting the hole in the wall family osteria that Annie and I used to hit up. i cannot believe how little has changed in ten years! it's scary, yet so comforting. baffetto, pizzaria monte carlo, mogana shop, cul de sac , insalata ricca - all these fantastic places have had such staying power here.

i rounded out the day pretty nicely - came home and had a snack of tallegio + rosemary crostini, prosciutto + melone, vino, finished my book ("eat pray love," in which i only liked the "eat" section) and then met up with rita at her parent's electronics shop (think hair dryers/ converters vs laptops) right down the road from my place. she picked me up on her scooter (see pict), which is always so dangerous, scary and fun simultaneously, and we headed off to check out this new, cool docked 2 storey boat party place on the tevere that she is considering for her wedding in Sept (which, i am hoping to be able to attend). the space just happened to be hosting a very, very nice cocktail party for mercedes benz/smart car, as well as some high-end cigar brand. home run! we chatted w/ her former colleague, who is an events planner there, had some wine, italian hors doervers like bresaola, shrimp, mussels, asparagus, white bean salad, cheese, salmon, prosciutto, (see pict), focaccia, champagne, homemade orrechiette. there was a live jazz band and singer, 5 star service, hired models, men in great suits, women decked out inappropriately, the works. for a tuesday, it was great people watching in rome (though everyone had dates and was at least 50, so i couldn't quite 'work on my citizenship', hee hee)!

three coins in a fountain (and a hangover)

this trip continues to be full of highs and lows- either everything's really great, or everything's really screwy / typically euro. right now, luckily, i am back at 'great.' i cannot possibly explain how content i am right now- i think i have found italian nirvana. today was a perfect combination of all things rome: i woke up, had a coffee, checked out the tromp l'oeil celing frescoes at St Ignatious, walked over to the lovely trevi fountain, hung out and did some people-watching there for awhile (and, threw my coin in, because i swear it works!), had real pizza with hot coppa, then tracked down the latest version of the "best gelato in italy," a place called 'san crispino.' i had hazlenut (nocciola) and chocolate con panna (with whipped cream), of course. it was pure heaven, in a cup. it was so creamy and wonderful, nothing artificial and no weird consistency. just perfect.

then, i talked to my apt rental agency and found out they could move me to a huge apt, for the same rate, with tons of space, light, AIR CONDITIONING (it's 35 degrees c, like 86 f), a real kitchen, laundry, dishwasher (?!?!), closets, real bathroom, views of all these pretty rooftops, and of course, 2 blocks from the campo dei fiori, on via pelligrino (means "pilgrim"), which is a pretty swanky street. i moved all my stuff, then walked around the shops, which are pretty close to cornell's palazzo, managed to re-find my favorite shoe places (good shoe radar never dies), and buy a couple of shirts on via dei guibbonari. the same pizza place we always ate lunch at is still there, btw! yay!

right now, for a 'snack' i am now having some prosciutto, mozzarella, bread, and this amazing slab of pork fat the butcher sold me by convincing me to melt a small slice onto some crostini - basically a bacon bruschetta. how brilliant is that? oh and i also picked up at cannoli and a sfogliattelle (hard to find sicilian pastry that craig liberatore randomly loves) at Il Fornaio. to top it all off, I'm meeting up with rita at vineria on the campo for a drink and dinner. can't wait to see her- it's been probably 7 years or so, at least. should be fun to catchup! now if Giuseppe were still here ;)

ok, either i'm in a movie, or in a dream, or maybe a movie about a dream? there is something beautiful every direction i look. every cobblestone alley, every rooftop, even the manhold covers, are aesthetically pleasing. i just walked around via giulia (a tony street address to have) and via del pelligrino around 7pm to get over to the river. i walked by no less than 4 furniture restoration places, all with this beautiful old italian design stuff laying all a round the storefront, spilling out onto the stree, and also with classical music playing. i also saw a couple cool art galleries, and a poster for Verdi's "Aida" at the Baths of Caracalla for tomorrow night, so i might need to check that out....

(ended up going out w rita then my new italian friends. drinkking prosecco at 130am at cafe della pace always leads to a fun night!)

luca, lorenzo, giovanni, and fabio

luca, lorenzo, giovanni, and fabio: i think these are the 4 main names for men in italy- i have met at least 3 of each at this point- all amusing characters! 

anyway, yesterday, i went to the villa borghese to chill and read in the park, and also visit the galleria borghese, which is home to some of the best bernini sculptures- apollo and daphne, the rape of persephone, david, etc. the villa is beautiful inside- no surface is left un-frescoed! i had a nice afternoon milling around- there was some ecofest as well, and i ended up windown shopping around via condotti.

i went to Corallo for dinner (home made orecchiette with pesto, saving fiori di zucca for another night), then some soccer watching near Pzza Navona. the streets were packed! it was like a Steeler game x20 in terms of crowds and enthusiasm and emotion. unfortunately, they lost to spain and are out of the Euro Cup. i'm sure many italians are calling in sick today to mourn. i met some very friendly folks- the bar i was watching the game at is basically a penn state bar, but also run by this guy Giovanni, who was actually in the Post Gazette blog 2 wks ago, some posting, "When in Rome." i guess he runs the Steeler bar of Italy? Of course i just happened to find it, out of the 9000 bars I could have watched the game in....anyway, i am going to hang out with him tonight. he has some story he needs to share- other than he spent last thanksgiving in Pgh, totally random! then for overtime i went to another bar, met some cool italians there and am hoping to meet up w them tonight as well. and, i'm also supposed to hang with Rita- cant wait. 

Im off to do some work for anne then to the Fountain of Trevi, then some beach on the Tiber near Castel St Angelo....

roma!

today: roma! finally, after ten years, i am here! i woke up at dawn, took a 20 min ghetto Ryan Air flight from treviso and arrived at my apt around near the Pantheon by 10am. the 1st thing that happened was a few people called out, "Ciao bella!" (finally- i was beginning to wonder if the Italy was *that* repressed or proper theses day, but the romans reassured me they haven't changed) and then a 'Google maps' car drove right by, with a 4 way camera mounted on the rood, so maybe i will be in online (via the street view) it in front of "my" apartment in rome? so amusing. anyways, the next ten hours went like this:

10am: b-line to tazzo d'oro (best coffee in rome) for a granita with loads of whipped cream
10:30am: visit pantheon, start tearing up out of the overwhelming combo or being in rome, being deliriously tired, being very warm, and also being just so happy to finally be here again, a place i have where i made so many fond memories that continue to inspire me to get back here over and over.
11:30am: visit piazza navona (note: bernini fountain is being cleaned, under scaffolding- kind of downer), meet family from pgh
noon: hit up Il Fornaio, buy pizza bianco (focaccia with salt and rosemary), take yet another pict of giant mortadella (gourmet bologna) that sits in the doorway
12:30: visit campo dei fiori market- buy arugula, prosciutto, melone, mozzarella di buffalo, cucumber, pepper, bread, lemon, extra virg olive oil, balsamic (which is like $2 here), bottle of chianti, 2 peaches, Abracci cookies, and some water con gas. it was heaven!
1:30pm: made lunch- salad with above stuff
5pm: went back out, looked around Via Del Govern Vecchio
7pm: eventually ended up at Bar Della Pace for a glass of Prosecco
9pm: Eurocup at the bar near Pzza Navona (russia beat netherlands in ot)
midnight: happily asleep after a solid day back in rome

i also managed to get a bunch more "ciao bella"s which was nice, what is up with the boys in the north not being so forward? boring. anyways, i realized my apt is right near cornell as well as so many other favorite places.

a few other thoughts i keep forgetting-
- my cabbie learned English from listening to U2 album and their film "Rattle and Hum"
- rome is the only place in europe with tons of Americans
- i talked to rita and we're hanging on Monday
- roma's just the way i left it , and it makes me so happy

venice beach

yesterday, i decided to hit the lido (beach) in venice. i haven't been to venice in ten years, i was there for Carnevale, which is a very mellow, weirdly macrabre event with people masquerading around the city in very elaborate costumes and masks. the whole thing is pretty amazing to see, but it's not quite 'show me your tits' new orleans or brazil's version of mardi gras.

anyways, i thought i'd go check it out again, since it had been awhile, and it was an easy day-trip from treviso. i took a train to venice, boarded a vaporetto (their version of a water taxi) and rode for about an hr till we got to the last outer stop, Lido. there is a really nice little promenade out to the beach, full of families eating ice cream (btw i an convinced 4-7pm in italy is some sort of gelato hour for everyone), and then i set myself up in a chair and umbrella with a good book and some solid people watching. i read my bookj, saw some very tan old me in speedos playing bocce, as well lots of your basic inappropriate euro beach stuff. i wished my fam had been there with me, tough - we usually hit the european beaches all together, a la the Grizwalds and my dad randomly makes friends with amusing locals. it was a nice day - I ended it with a bellini and real pizza and then some soccer watching with some local folks, once i got back to my b&B in treviso (which by the way, was really random and design/artsy, fun place to stay). as this norm in italy, venice is definitely in an odd state of old meets new (dilapidating bldgs and peeling paint vs this new Santiago Calatrava bridge that's going up).

my mentos commercial life

i made it to treviso (north of venice, south of the dolomites) today- the home of tiramisu and radicchio, does it get any better? it does, because the entire town also smells like magnolias. i biked all around the well-heeled town today and discovered some pretty parks, river banks, and hidden cobblestone streets (as well as how to bike along side crazy italian drivers while wearing a dress and flats). good stuff! i really like this town as well- small and snazzy, near some amazing geography (dolomites and grappa/prosecco country). i managed to have a few local things- a cocktail called a 'spritz' (aperol and white wine) as well as some after dinner sorbet of lemon, prosecco, and vodka....

this evening, i managed to meet up w/the italian north face gals for drinks/dinner and they brought friends. it was so nice of them to hang out and set up a great evening! we had a fun time chatting in both english and italian, went for apertifs and then pizzas, and all just hung out till about midnight on the main piazza in town. there is talk of me staying to hang out some more, and go to a bbq at one of the guy's houses on saturday, but i am supposed to head to rome. such decisions....

lake lugano, switzerland

sooo, today was another spectacular day trip out of milan, to the clean air and blue skies of the mountains up north. i took an hour train to the foot of the Alps / the lake district, which includes Lakes Como (bellagio), Maggiore, Garda, Lugano, and a few others. it's like 10 Lake Tahoes all together, and it was really nice to get away, enjoy the sunshine, and have lunch with a very interesting and fun cornell alum. he and i had a great chat about living and working in italy, time spent in ithaca, his business ventures, etc. and, his 'how to live and work in italy' tips were very helpful and interesting. i'm glad we made the effort to make the lunch happen - getting up to Lake Lugano was amazing for my brain and body! i'm finally headed outta milano tomorrow, and off to treviso/venice to hang with the North Face ragazze.

the mountains and lake lugano (think of how close verbier & st moritz are)!

pure switzerland

i even dorked out and did a boat trip

school, shopping, salons, soccer

today, i found a funkier part of the city, near the Porta Ticinese, and also managed to meet with the director of an interaction design grad school program, get a haircut, eat focaccia, walk all over town, and (finally) buy shoes. oh and then i went to 10 corso como, this amazing design store with a huge selection of art books, then hit up a bar with a really wonderful friend of a friend, who was at Smart Deisgn NYC right before i was there. we watched Italia beat France in the Euro Cup round 1 finals. pretty lovely day all around!

tomorrow, i head to Lake Lugano, Switzerland, for a much-needed day trip to the mountains/lakes, to have lunch with a Cornell alum. apparently he lives in Lake Como, is just there for work- he has perfected la dolce vita. as for me, I am enjoying the 'dolce far niente' (the sweet doing nothing) when i am not running around trying to meet and greet a full range of the design community here.

for nat:

interviews numero due and 3

i'm eating a cannoli as i type this....

interview #2 was interesting, at a classic product design/interaction firm with offices worldwide (hint: they designed the 1st Apple IIc). getting there was not so easy, especially in the non-stop rain (apparently this is the worst summer weather in "200 years"), because it basically consisted of a subway ride to a 20 min train to a 10 min walk, to basically the equivalent of um, something like hoboken. well, maybe not that bad, but i have to admit- milan and it's outskirts don't quite do it for me. everything OUTSIDE of the city is spectacular, and i still love love love Torino and Bergamo and the mountain/lake lifestyles they'd promise...anyway, it was a solid informational interview, but i'm not sure i am the best fit for what they need. also, i am not sure I am tech/code freak enough. I prefer the front end of visual design and branding these days. additionally, they can't hire me from the US office, then ship me to milan. the interview was pretty cut and dry, but just fine. i talked to 2 friendly creative directors and get a feel of what's doing there, showed them my stuff, etc. i'm doubtful anything major will develop, but who knows. it was at least helpful to meet some more local/global design folks, and also brush up on my interviewing skillz.

interview #3 (today at 6pm, which i guess is not technically "after" work here in siesta-land Italia) was pretty damn fun! it was at a very cool design/interactive/educational/experience/exhibit design firm, also outside the center of milan as well (I guess buying real estate in the choice part of town is out of the question at this point in history, unless you are Miuccia Prada). anyway, there are possibilities that i could do contract work for/with them, as web projects come up. it was really helpful learning about design processes and normal work life in Italy (vs the rest of Europe, let alone the US) and the woman i met with was very, very friendly and fun to chat with. her perspective was fresh and interesting, and she has a great global experience / knowledge. she is also very enthused about being a designer in general, and it was cool to develop a rapport, talk shop, swap stories, etc.

anyways, i am at least stoked i managed to set up some many meetings from afar. i saw a wide range of firms, and have a few more things lined up still. 

eats

i think it's time to move on to more of a photo-blog, or phlog. ha. anyhu, here's some northern italian highlights:

fiori de zucca, figs, strawberries, avocados, and porcinis. five of the best foods on the planet.

antipasta milanese (this usually comes FREE with your drink at happy hour in the north)

polenta cakes with little chocolate birds, typical of bergamo

vecchia vs. nuova

italy seems to be in this weird state of transformation - but with no middle ground. the transition between the insanely old to the completely new is rather visually abrupt, and can been seen in numerous outlets. as i was walking around the Duomo in Milan today, I noticed a few juxtapositions - one sign inside the Duomo (3rd largest catherdral in the world btw. #1 is the St. Peter's, #2 is in Spain) had this photo of Jesus and mentioned "the web." huh? see pict. they were out of pamphlets to go with it, but i was dying to see the connection, especially in such an old old setting, and in front of this huge bay of memorial candles, and all these old nonnas praying and touching things near the altar.

then walking from the Duomo toward La Scala, through the somewhat over-the-top designer indoor shopping Galleria (the 1st/80 year old Prada store is there), i saw this really cool pop-up shelter for the homeless. it was started by an student architecture group in Atlanta, i think, and supposedly cost about $400 to build. it was very odd to see this hut in such a historical setting, and also near a very old gypsy woman begging (who also happened to have on a very lovely silk scarf- all very strange), not to mention near Prada, Ferrari, etc. 

oh, and i had my first gnocchi of the trip today. mmmmmmmmmmmm. 

PS Happy Father's Day, Dad!

i heart lombardy

this just in: i am totally sold on northern italy, the regions of lombardy, aosta, and piedmont. they are full of lakes, resorts, mountain retreats, tons of skiing/mountaineering, and road biking everywhere. as per natalie's suggestion, today i checked out the upscale hill top town of bergamo, an hour (by train) northeast of Milano. it was full of stunning panoramas from the old town, up on the wall-fortified hilltop -- you could see milan, the Dolomites (gateway to the ski resorts like Madonna di Campidoglio, Cortina, and ultimately Zermatt, St. Moritz, Davos, Lugano, etc) and the rest of the quaint other hillside towns in the area. i was (again) very excited to see some greenery and huge mountains, so close to such a pristine little town. to get up to the old town, you have to take an funicular from new bergamo (citta bassa) to the old village (citta alta). it is italy's version of the Incline in Pittsburgh, except it was built in 1887 (Pittsburgh's was actually built earlier, in 1877 - who knew??).

highlights (mostly food and locals):

- lunch of home made pasta called casoncelli- basically small raviolis filled with prosciuotto, pancetta, sausage and cheese in a sage butter sauce, and a nice barbera

- walking up thru the swanky part of town to the top of an old castle, with amazing panoramas

- being chatted up by some old folks at the top of said castle, then being invited to coffee with them, all the while practicing italian and learning about the history of town from them

- buying a hunk of taleggio cheese (local to the area)

- seeing the town church and chapel

- noticing the town crest in the church gate that is randomly comprised of um, 3 testicles for its, um, crest/logo design, as the town hero died of syphillis and supposedly was um, anatomically endowed, in such a random way (see pict)

- panoramic vistas from the top of the old town (mounatins up to 9000 ft nearby)

i am really falling for northern italy! hopefully, i can come back and set up shop for a bit....

interview numero uno

i'm on a train right now, from torino to milano, looking out at the shadows of the sun setting on the alps. i am very excited about how close they are to torino! courmayeur, chamonix and la thuille are within 3 hrs drive and the town of Aosta looks like a beautiful entry way to the region. soooo, today was "Interview" #1 and it went well! i was approriately dressed (thanks, mom!), and met with the founder of an interaction design firm in torino (also have offices in Milan and Rome). they are ~20 people now, and grew out of an interaction grad program near milan that i totally almost applied to in 2006, called Interaction Ivrea. unfortunately, the program is gone/was rolled into Domus, but the good folks from it are all over the world - and at great firms like IDEO, frog, etc. i know a few are even in SF and had emailed them at one point way back when.

we chatted about what i could do, what they need, how bad the pay is in italy (day rate is like $220 USD) and also about how the average italian makes ~$1600/MONTH. um. yeah, soooo i need to retool my expectations, which is fine, and which is what i knew already, but denied my brain from filing, and just focus on the fact that i could maybe actually finally *live* in italy. so, not to be too excited yet, but i think starting next next week, the wonderfully talented and smart person i met with is going to give me a very short term trial assignment (paid) for some major fashion client. i can hopefully work on it from rome and then see if there's a chance to come back, perhaps for 6 mos, like sept - dec. we both agreed the new norm in gen ex-pat land is project based work, vs a set time abroad and it all seems very flex/up in the air. i'm just worried i am not well-versed enough in interaction/user interface design ie i need to have a grad degree.

my potential office is pictured to the left - no cubicles there....we talked for an hr, went over some of my work, sorted out possible scenarios. i explored the town, which used to be know basically for Fiat and the rougher working class, but b/c of the Winter Olympics, the Slow Foods conference, and now selected as the 2008 World Design Capital, there is a lot doing! It is very lovely and full of trees and greenery everywhere, hillsides/mountains in the backgrounds, a river, nice buildings and huge piazzas, and of course good gelato (that place, Grom, for you New Yorkers), and loyal soccer fans. the town set up a massive video screen for all to watch tonight's Italy-Romania EuroCup game in the main piazza.

tomorrow, i am doing a day trip to a town called Bergamo, and then have 2 more interviews on Monday in MIlan, a tour of a university on Tuesday, and maybe another coffee with a friend of friend Wedneday (who works in ID at Whirlpool), then North Face gals near Venice on Thurs. There is also a chance i will go to Lake Como to hang with some Cornell alumni.

oh and last night i had a fun night out with a local ragazzo, Lorenzo. we checked out the scene where the cool kids hangout, had a few drinks, then went for a fabulous dinner with way too much veal, prosciutto, asparagus, and brunello di montalcino...it was fun to hit the town with a local and get the inside scoop on all things italia :)

everything in its right place

the title of the post pretty much nails it, and is also a solid Radiohead song. we saw them live last night at the Bercy (note: open seating means don't go in 5 mins before the main act, even in uber-civil paris). the set was really unique and they dorked out nicely with extra touches of hipster moves (camera at the piano, arty video in the background). i remember when i was doing cornell-in-rome TEN years ago, the architects in the program were obsessed with a video from "OK computer." anyways, the point is, besides radiohead being one of the best live shows i've seen in while, it's been *10* years since i lived in rome! huh? unreal. i have been dreaming of that city for so long now, and cannot wait to get there again it in a few weeks. 

although i head to milan tomorrow, i'm sad to be leaving paris. despite the french (ha), it truly won me over big time. every little nook of the city has something creative and cool tucked away, and it's nice to be where art/artisans are so commonplace and respected. today's highight was going for lunch with Natalie in the Marais (leek quiches + 25cls of a good aligote wine) and then going for ice cream at Berthillion. pict attached. the chantilly (whipped cream) here is soooo yummy and light! i gained 1 kg just looking at it.

we finished off the night with steak frites for 2 bigger than my head! thanks for being super hosts, nat and alex. some day, i hope to return the favor in rome. a bientot!

natalie's cultural update

a missive from france: 

Oh to be hip, male, skinny, limber and French:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36e9kZcRWGI

Make sure you pump up your sneakers before watching and let me know when Tecktonik comes to the states....

Miss you guys!
Natalie

cultural Q&A

possible topics for the next post:

    - goat, cow, sheep: which cheese is right for you?

    - pork fat: friend or foe

    - how to properly pronouce "millefeuille"

    - white pants and how to wear them year-round (and skin tight)

 talk amongst yourselves/discuss.

euro cup!

today was another nice mix: pain au chocolate to start the day, a visit to the odd Centre Pompidou (which still is weak compared to MoMA, AND i just missed a Lousie Bourgeois show), then shopping in the Marais, a 'hood where everything starts at 100 euro, so basically i only bought lunch (chevre chaud salad mmmmm). tomorrow, i am on the search for the store, Colette, Antik Batik, and of course, a stop at Galleries Layfayette.

europe's main religion, aka soccer, or the Euro Cup started this week. we just watched France tie Romania on tv just now, Italy is on later. i love being in Europe when that tourney is on. it always leads to good parties in the street, and everyone's jazzed in general. i need to learn my players again, though. no more old italians like Roberto Baggio or Casiraghi. makes me wish i had tix somehow.

anyway, to save euros, we're cooking in this evening. oh and alex is back- he made it in this am after johnny's bach party weekend in tahoe. or course, in small worldness, he hung out with pete davies up there, who is my contact at terrapass (and who knows i am here attempting to still do work for him while traveling). anyway, small town. and in a good way. ie this thursday in milano, i am hanging with a guy, lorenzo, who alex and nat met last week at Tjarko's wedding. I guess he worked with Tjarko at Mckinsey in Zurich, so there's all these lovely overlaps and open invitations worldwide....love that stuff! then i am supposed to hang with North Face pals of Pam's, maybe Emmanuelle's aunt/uncle, and perhaps some Cornellians near Lake Como. so many decisions. let's hope i get a gig here somehow so it never ends :)

btw, this country is obsessed with Converse All-Stars, low tops. please send some so i can sell them on the street! maybe they'll trade me some for Lacostes?

tomorrow: Radiohead at the Bercy!

bonnard vs. vuillard (and some chevre)

i'm pretty sure paris has it all figured out - good eating, lots of family, small cars, city bikes for point to point rentals, siesta, good skincare, and fashion (they skip the fitness thing). basically, today was another nice day! the sun came out, and i was able to watch parisians perfect the art of a lazy sunday in the city.
cultural highlights:
- Musee D'Orsay
- remembering the entire era of Impressionism
- fantastic rooms of the best of the era: Bonnard, Van Gogh, Cezanne, Monet, Manet, Renoir, Rousseau, Degas,
- trying to decide if Bonnard was a better painter than Vuillard (verdict: he was)
- walking along the Seine, crossing the Pont Des Arts
- just lounging in the D'Orsay foyer
- checking out the Zoological gardens and endless rose trellises
- numerous bijan frises and women on bikes in berets and neck scarves

eating/drinking:
- pain au chocolate
- shopping for dinner at a wonderful food market (bought fresh fish, good greens, fresh herbs, country pain, sasuages, cheese, ripe peaches, white asparagus)
- espressos
- Leffe beers while watching the men's French Open finals (sorry, Federer. you were my hero. damn.)

the feeling of just being able to explore one of my favorite cities in the world is fanatasic! i am finally getting my directional bearings (marais, bastille, st germain? check!) and am loving the chance to just mill around, see what happens, take in some art, some 5 star cuisine, not to mention i also get to spend quality time with natalie (we snuck in the 10pm "Sex and the City" flick tonight and were the only ones laughing at the part where she gets a non-917 cell number)....

also, it was so invigorating just being around real art again. the paintings and collection at the D'Orsay are some of the best in the world, and the setting of the old train station is so unique and special. i truly enjoyed seeing a few of the Van Gogh's up close (i had to once talk about / draw part of room one for a PA Governor's school application in 9th grade). it was also cool to see the Bonnard paintings. Growing up in Pittsburgh n'at, I remember spending a lot of time looking at this one at the Carnegie- one of his female nudes in the bath with a little dog - and the colors and contrasts and paint applications in it was fascinating to me. he truly was one of the best painters of all time.
tomorrow, time to get serious: shopping and the Pompidou! i am going to find Colette, Antik Batik, apc, and also treat myself to some Berthillion.

guest blogger: natalie phillips

Greetings from special blogger guest, Natalie! I’ve been attempting to make a life here in France since last September and, along the way, I’ve picked up on a few things that are quintessentially French: mostly amazing things, some kinda odd, and some just down-right baffling. I’d like to share the story of acquiring our French Open tickets in more detail because it is a great example of how things operate in France and because I am delighted that Chapas got to witness it first hand!

Story is as follows:
1. I search craigslist for tickets, find some at a reasonable price, and make the inquiry.
2. Tickets are still available; Chapas and I make plans to meet the fellow at 4pm on Friday afternoon to pick up the tickets.
3. In the meantime, I read on the Roland Garros (French Open) website that tickets are NOT transferable under any circumstances UNLESS register online and transfer your named tickets to the new ticket holder.
4. The man who wants to sell me the tickets tells me that he called the Roland Garros hotline, and was informed that he could sell his tickets, but that the new ticket holder needs to show a photocopy of the carte d’identite of the original ticket holder. Complex.
5. On the way over, Chapas and I get nervous, as we don’t want to be scammed (the tickets are expensive), we believe what we read on the official Roland Garros website and decide to ask our ticket man to re-verify the rules in our presence.
6. On meeting our friendly French fellow (who was very friendly) we ask him about the rules, and he repeats what he was told. The tickets are in the name of a friend of his who bought them, and he gives us photocopies of her identity card. We ask him to re-verify that this will work and he calls the hotline, very willingly.
7. He is now told that he can of course transfer the tickets, but he must also give us a signed note along with the tickets, authorizing the transfer. He writes a note (see attached). But the note is signed by him, not the ticket purchaser, who female. So what good is the note? He is momentarily baffled by this logic.
8. I call the hotline- and am informed that all I need is a photocopy of the identity of the original purchaser.
9. We purchase the tickets.
10. Upon arrival at the stadium, the tickets agents give the tickets the briefest of glances and we waltz right!

Moral is: nothing in France is every truly explained in a satisfactory manner. Much business is conducted by mere speculation, and when a French citizen is asked to clarify a procedure, s/he will most likely give a vague, uncertain response. I have THOUSANDS more examples of this, but it is hard to explain unless you see it person! I am still baffled as to why the three sources we consulted about the ticket transfer (the website, and two separate phone staff) who all presumably worked for the same company, all had a different answer to the same question….

BUT THE MATCH WAS AMAZING AND WE HAD THE BEST TIME! The above experience was just a funny little anecdote along the way!

france traditions: center court, confusion, crepes

today, we had another funny and wonderful day in paris. after sleeping 10 hours, natalie and i headed out to Roland Garros to see the women's finals of the French Open. the place is amazingly manicured and clean, and full of Euros in lacoste sneakers and sweaters (with additional sweaters tied around shoulders). we are basically living a mentos commercial. 

oh, so we had some crazy ticket buying fiascos (see next blog by guest writer and hostess extraordinaire, natalie) but managed to get in. we got to our nose bleed seats, and enjoyed an energetic, very close match between safina and ivanovic - 2 women in the best shape i have ever seen. their arms were incredible, and they never stopped moving for a single second. it was a quick 2-0 match, then some trophy action and lots of cheering. we stayed to watch mens doubles (which a few folks slept thru, odd). next was happy hour! kir royales then to creperie des pecheurs (which looks like a ship inside) for brittany style savory crepes + nutella/banana crepes. dinner was followed by a stroll thru the packed/trendy/young st. michel, a ridiculous suset over the seine, a quick run thru notre dame, the marais, then back to the bastille and home. we are trying to get on normal paris time, but are a tad off today and i still getting over my cold, so we're now back at the apt attempting to watch cheesey french tv. i already wish i had more time here - so much to see and re-visit (and buy)!

bonjour, yinz.

day 1:

i made it to paris in a haze but via an upgrade to biz class. my cold is better, hallelujah (but that may just be the robotussin talking). alex/natalie's apt near the Bastille is amazing....all in all, a nice start to the adventure!

today was classic france:
- saw a cool richard serra installation at the grand palais (see photo)
- ate a croque monsieur w/ some nice butter lettuces, drank real espresso (no milk)
- scoped out shops for princess tam tam bras/undies
- checked out the flagship Louis Vuitton store on the Champs-Elysees (amazing shoes)
- bought tix for tomorrow's French Open women's final!
- looked at mid-century modern furniture shops (that Le Corbusier chaise lounger will be mine someday)
- had duck and profiterole for dinner/dessert
- remembered some 10th grade French words ("Voila!" "C'est not possible." "Combien?")
- found part of my soul, and appreciation for art again

can i just say i wish you all were here!?