I tried to capture some of the busy vibe in the metro today...and was only able to capture some of the moments when people were hurtling at me from every direction. But this short amount of video illustrates the general feeling. Sorry about the audio on these rudimentary videos. I only have an old copy of iMovie with me for video editing...and not much RAM.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
back to my project
Today I spent a bit of time taking photos in Pere Lachaise. I started a project awhile ago about the forgotten graves there...I found them fascinating and sad. And as I photographed them, I found them to each be beautiful in their own way.
Many tourists come to Pere Lachaise looking for the famous and they walk around with maps so they can find their graves. I collect images about the ones that no one else looks for and in many cases, stopped remembering them 100 years ago.
Here are a few of the snapshots that I took today. I have hundreds more.
Many tourists come to Pere Lachaise looking for the famous and they walk around with maps so they can find their graves. I collect images about the ones that no one else looks for and in many cases, stopped remembering them 100 years ago.
Here are a few of the snapshots that I took today. I have hundreds more.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
changing times
On Monday I stood on line at the Voltaire metro station to add another week's fare to my Navigo card. The line was long and slow and it took forever. Why? Because there were two gypsy kids standing over the fare machines and hovering over the customers while they inserted their Navigo passes and their credit cards into the machine. Most of these patrons were loading up their Navigo cards with fare for the month (November).
I've never seen Romany kids in my neighborhood before. I've also noticed more homeless people than the last time I was here, too. No one wanted to do their transaction with these kids hovering over them, but no one was able to get rid of them. The woman who worked in the fare window told them to go away and they just laughed at her. Then a male worker yelled at them, and again, they didn't leave.
Nothing short of the police could have gotten rid of them, but the police -- ironically -- were busy standing inside the corridors making sure that everyone's Navigo passes were current and trying to catch fare jumpers. Meanwhile, the passengers were being intimidated by these kids who were trying to grab their money while they updated their Navigo cards. Nice.
I've never seen Romany kids in my neighborhood before. I've also noticed more homeless people than the last time I was here, too. No one wanted to do their transaction with these kids hovering over them, but no one was able to get rid of them. The woman who worked in the fare window told them to go away and they just laughed at her. Then a male worker yelled at them, and again, they didn't leave.
Nothing short of the police could have gotten rid of them, but the police -- ironically -- were busy standing inside the corridors making sure that everyone's Navigo passes were current and trying to catch fare jumpers. Meanwhile, the passengers were being intimidated by these kids who were trying to grab their money while they updated their Navigo cards. Nice.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Sunday, October 31, 2010
10eme - 11eme
Today we turned our clocks back an hour -- no more daylight savings time!
Pascale joined me and we walked from Les Halles over to Canal St. Martin...had lunch at L'Atmosphere and looked in the shops...then walked over to Oberkampf and had drinks at Cafe Charbon. There was a little bit of Halloween energy in Oberkampf as the night began, but nothing like what you see in San Francisco, and maybe more to do with the Day of the Dead tomorrow.
Pascale joined me and we walked from Les Halles over to Canal St. Martin...had lunch at L'Atmosphere and looked in the shops...then walked over to Oberkampf and had drinks at Cafe Charbon. There was a little bit of Halloween energy in Oberkampf as the night began, but nothing like what you see in San Francisco, and maybe more to do with the Day of the Dead tomorrow.
Friday, October 29, 2010
more food...
Sorry for the ongoing food porn, but part of my day was spent shopping at Marché d'Aligres and Monoprix, eating, and then trying to walk enough to burn off all the calories.
Then I went to Gibert Jeune booksellers, one of the rare times I go to the rive gauche (the Fisherman's Wharf of Paris). I make this exception because there's so many fabulous books in that building, mostly at great prices, that I want to take the bookstore with me. I settled on only a few purchases, most notably, "Fahrenheit 451" in bandes dessinnées. Then, to avoid the crush in the awful St. Michel metro station, I walked to République before hopping back on the metro again.
Then I went to Gibert Jeune booksellers, one of the rare times I go to the rive gauche (the Fisherman's Wharf of Paris). I make this exception because there's so many fabulous books in that building, mostly at great prices, that I want to take the bookstore with me. I settled on only a few purchases, most notably, "Fahrenheit 451" in bandes dessinnées. Then, to avoid the crush in the awful St. Michel metro station, I walked to République before hopping back on the metro again.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
I'm always amazed...
...at how much cheaper it is to buy food in Paris than it is in San Francisco. These groceries cost €27, and it includes a week's supply of coffee, 8 containers of yogurt, a package of smoked ham, veggies and tomatoes for a salad, several rolls of toilet paper, some Dijon mustard, some breakfast grains, a container of "gourmet" olives, milk, mineral water, and a bar of dark chocolate. This would probably cost $40-$45 in the USA, and might not be as good.
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