The ballet company that I went to see tonight performs works by Maurice Bejart who I have heard of before, but know nothing about. I suspected that it would be more interpretive than classical and I was right. There were four unrelated pieces comprising the show. The first piece was fairly easy to understand: two girls like the same boy…and each other. Who will end up together and who will end up alone? The second work was a lovely pas de deux but I spent the whole time thinking that recent escapees from
Auschwitz shouldn’t wear white unitards. Your ribs sticking out hurt me.Go eat an apple or something! The third piece really intrigued me until the animatronic lion came out (I kid you not). The last work involved a group of dancers being partnered by other dancers who were wearing burkas (ok, they weren’t really burkas, but that is what they looked like). As I former dancer myself, I feel like it is a dicey proposition to let someone partner you who really can’t see anything, maybe that’s just me. The lovely
French lady sitting next to me (she writes an arts blog, had her son late in life, and grew up in Normandy) said to me at intermission “isn’t it lovely that they have no costumes and no set, it allows you to use your imagination to make the piece mean so many things”. To which I say… give me lavish sets and costumes and an easy to follow story about a doll that comes to life!

First thing today I sent off walking to the Opera Garnier (the Phantom’s Opera) to see if I could get tickets for the ballet. It is a very long way and it is very cold, but I digress. My walk took me past Cartier so I went in to have my ring cleaned because you might as well if you can! They were all very friendly and my ring is now sparkly. When I got to the box office at the Opera I literally got the last ticket for the show tonight. I couldn’t believe it. I am never that lucky! For lunch I wanted to go
to the Maison des Truffe and have a 30 euro omelet. Unfortunately even at 2:30 it was packed. What I fail to understand is the people who were waiting in line for a table with their 5 year old child. This place literally only serves about 20 items, they all contain truffles and they all are prohibitively expensive. When I was a kid, it was a special occasion if we got to get a happy meal at McDonalds ( my mother will write a comment trying to deny this but it is true)!

Other random musings:

I hate homeless people with dogs. What do you sedate them with so that they will lay still at your feet all day looking pathetic? All dogs I have ever known want to run around and play! I am not going to give you money just because I feel bad for your dog, but kudos to you for figuring out that people do feel worse for your pet than they do for you!

I was proud of myself for walking by not one but two Bennettons and not going inside. I did succumb to BCBG where I had the pleasure of being followed floor to floor by my own personal shop assistant. My favorite. Similar to shopping in markets in Asia except this guy wasn’t saying “I make you good deal pretty lady” he was just staring at me.

I saw a sign on a shop around the corner from my hotel that said “vacuum packed cheese can clear customs” and I am wondering if I should test this out.

I wasn’t planning on starving to death while I was here but I was very intimidated to go into a brasserie with its stereotypical waiters and French menu. There is a promising place in the block next to my hotel but I couldn’t quite bring myself to go inside. I walked a couple of blocks towards my destination the Musee de Cluny and came upon another place called Brasserie Balzar and forced myself to open the door and just go inside. It was very crowded but one of the waiters found me a table. I got a half bottle
of bourdeaux and to eat a something, something St. Jacques which rang a bell in the back of my head as something I had heard of before. It turned out to be scallops with risotto and asparagus with shaved Parmesan on the top. It was really good! First off the portion size was perfect, I was able to eat the whole thing which I never can do. Second, the atmosphere was so quintessentially French bistro that it almost felt like Disney World instead of real life. Thirdly I was sitting next to two British ladies who
informed me that it is actually quite famous and that in the 1920’s Literary people ate there (so they say)! I even successfully got the waiters attention to ask for the check.

After drinking half a bottle of wine I really don’t recommend going to look at tapestry. I am sure that the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries are deservedly famous but after no sleep on the plane last night and my heavy  lunch I felt like my ability to appreciate it was somewhat impaired! I didn’t have any trouble, however, buying myself yet another sweater at the half price sale at Monoprix. It was only 15 euros!! 

There are two platforms together at the airport train station for the trains to Paris. Everyone is waiting at platform 1 because the sign says that the train is due. After about five minutes of waiting a train comes at platform 2 so everyone gets on that train including me, but then the train just sits there and sits there. After awhile a train does come at platform 1 so everyone jumps off the train I am on and runs across for the other train. I don’t want to be the only person left sitting on
the train so I follow assuming that they all speak french and maybe they know something that I don’t. Of course then that train proceeds to sit there while the train we were all originally on leaves with like 6 people on board and we are all squashed together waiting for something to happen!

I am at my hotel now and it is quite nice. My room is small because it is a single but it has plenty of heat which is vitally important since it is freezing outside!! The average January temperature in Paris is supposed to be 40, instead it is 20 and snowy! The elevator would have given some of you (Elizabeth) the heart palpitations. It is tiny and very oddly shaped. I had to take my backpack off to fit inside!

I should have realized something wasn’t right when instead of posting my flight on the electronic board a gate agent just put a plexi sign holder on the desk with the flight number on it. When I got to the end of the jet way I went down the steps and turned to the right and received my first view of the plane. It was tiny!! It turned out there were only 20 seats. The flight attendant checked our seatbelts and then stowed the three foot baguette one of the passengers was carrying (really the baguettes
are sooo good in Albany you have to bring one home to Canada with you?) and then climbed into the cockpit! My mistake he was the co-pilot. He then got on the overhead and warned us that it was going to be turbulent! I supposed it doesn’t take much wind to make it feel turbulent when you are flying something the size of a station wagon! He also informed us that no electronic devices were to be used at all for the duration of the flight. I suspect that it was because they were navigating the way to Toronto using
their i-phone and didn’t want anything to interfere with the signal.

I did arrive in one piece and am at the airport in Toronto now. I just bought a $2 bottle of water with my Amex card because the one kind of currency I don’t have is Canadian!

It never ceases to amaze me when people are surprised to find themselves in the security check at the airport. You must have known you were planning on flying somewhere right? Why are you wearing three belts and carrying your hunting knife? Make everyone else’s life easier and just stay home!! A group of future soldiers (this is how they were referring to themselves and they all had “Go Army” backpacks) was in the line for the metal detector next to me and all I can say is yikes! I hope there is
extensive training in their future.

Also, that announcement about not carrying other peoples luggage is so ridiculous. I don’t even want to carry my own luggage for goodness sake! Why would anyone agree to carry a perfect strangers stuff as well as their own?

I’m feeling a little nervous about the logistics when when I get to Paris. I am planning on taking the train into the city if I can figure it out! I am going to spend some quality time on the flight reading my guidebook that I should have opened well before this. Hopefully it will answer all of my questions!