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Last dinner in Paris

We've been back a week now but I am still fondly thinking of our last meal in Paris. It was at a market that sold Italian, Greek, Algerian, and Moroccan prepared foods along with fresh meats & produce. The outdoor seating was pleasant and informal. By far the least expensive meal we've had yet one of the most enjoyable. Will definitely go back next time I'm in the Marais district again.

Public holiday

For the places not closed in Paris due to strikes, Monday schedule, or whim, many were closed due to the public holiday after Easter. The Eiffel tower was mobbed but we were in good spirits for the 3.5 hrs we were there in the morning.




North leg




Sacre Coeur from the top of the Eiffel.




At the top

Manet and the Easter Bunny

August lost a baby tooth on Saturday thanks to Anand's well-placed yank. She woke up yesterday and found 2 Euros from the tooth fairy and a bunch of candy eggs all over the Paris apt from the Easter Bunny.



















I also gave her the marzipan pig she had picked out earlier.










It was missing all extremities a short while later.

Later that day, we went to the Orsay museum and saw the Manet exhibit.

Not allowed to take pictures, so here are some links.

August had this to say about the Manet breakfast-nude: "that's pretty funny because a bug is going to bite her butt."
Breakfast-nude

Of the one where a Frenchman is chatting up a lady, August said: He looks like he's thinking "now's-my-chance". She looks like she's thinking, "I'll try but, ummm..." The Garden

Of "Olympia", August said she looked bored. Until then, I hadn't realized Manet was an early feminist of sorts. Olympia


August wanted to show off her missing tooth afterwards.










We capped off Easter Sunday with a visit to the park and a delicious dinner at Glou.

Fewer lawyers in France, so the equipment is scarier=more fun.









Here, the kids play chicken. If both kids hang on, instead of jumping off, they'll smash into one another on the pulley swing. Ouch!








Climbing structure that's pretty darn high.










Merry go round with a contest where the winner gets nothing. French lesson in life. Bonne chance!

Paris metro vs U.S. technology

Can hardly believe how awesome the new metro subway cars are. Huge windows, here's the view from inside one while above ground.



Buying metro tickets sucks for Americans. No American credit card works on the metro ticket machines due to American companies refusing to invest in cards with the new chip technology. We're pretty much the only large nation in this situation. Btw, if you're in Paris you'll want to buy the Paris Visite metro card with cash - make sure you have enough 20's.

I complained to BofA via email to a district manager, but received a form letter response. They know I can't switch to a competitor over this.

Thoughts on Turandot

I wasn't a fan of opera before, but I am now. Unfortunately, I think opera suffers from the same weaknesses as plays but even more so in that energy from the singers/actors must carry the performance. You can't rely on anything else to keep the audience's attention. I've seen a lot of plays and one opera with lackluster energy and that just kills it for me.

I was surprised to find that operas are more dramatic than any other story mediums x 10. I love that.

I think the Turandot story is simple, but there are a couple things the audience has to puzzle out. If you give up, Turandot will seem small and short. But if you think about why the kiss changed her heart and why Calaf lies down on the ground at the end after winning her heart, the opera is much more rewarding.
I feel it really captures the paradoxical nature of love.

Turandot Act III

The original post on this topic disappeared, so here's a different take on it.

In act III, Calaf vows to capture Turandot's heart. He has bought himself some time by offering to die (releasing her from having to marry him) if she discovers his name/identity.

In order to learn Calaf's identity, "unrelenting" Turandot tortures the slave girl from Calaf's palace. The slave girl, Liu, has a different plan in mind.

When Liu kills herself out of love for Calaf, the princess is surprised to see such devotion.

Later, Calaf finds Turandot and tells her he is going to kiss her.

When he kisses her, her heart turns towards him. This part doesn't ring true, no kiss can do that. But I think it's just a symbol standing in for attraction and losing control. She does explain that she felt he was different from the start and that scared her.





And also: "in your eyes shone the light of heroes."

She tells him to go, but he doesn't. Instead he tells her his name and identity so that his fate is in her hands.

The "great trial" begins and Turandot declares that she knows his name. The audience is sad to hear this as it means certain death to Calaf. But then she says his name is Love. The ending scene has one last surprise.