Paris Paris!
Instead of telling my LJ that I've been bad and ignoring it, I will post Paris pictures.
See, mom took me to Paris july 14-17th. Or, well, the first and last day were spent getting there and then getting back, but we were there for two days. I wasn't in the mood for Paris, or really going anywhere to begin with. Plus I had a misunderstanding with a very speshul boy the night before and very little charge left on my cell phone. Plus I had an epic yeast infection and my period was about to begin. Plus some asshole bad touched me on the metro on my way to the hotel.
So what was there to do? Obviously, try to enjoy myself as much as I could while torbo-running through every tourist attraction available. And posing for pictures. One of my talents most people don't know about is that I'm great at posing for very touristy photos. I love it, and send all my sense of dignity on vocation while doing it.
So here is my trip, in photos. They are many and huge, but it's 2010, so you can make it!
This is when we just got there, after we left our stuff at the hotel. It was close to the Notre-Dame, so we walked there. I'm posing with a chained whatchacallit, and youghurt. I bought four, to eat and to use as home remedy for yeast infection.
This is the Notre Dame. It was a huge (haha geddit) disappointment. One of the main reasons you want to see it is the exoskeleton, and there's no good place too see it from. Another reason you want to see it is that it's huge, but the grandeur gets lost on the tourist crowd.
When we went from the hotel, mom was like "why are you wearing pantyhose, it's warm!" and I said could always take'em off if I got hot. Mom was wearing jeans, fyi. Anyway, here I am at the Louvre, demonstrating how I should've brought my sweater as well.
That was the evening of the 14th. We slept and went to the Notre Dame, this time to actually get in and up. I had fun posing with the chimerae. Here I'm a duck, just like the one in the background.
Here, I'm savagely biting my bag.
Here, Iäm licking my chest.
Since I'm at the Notre Dame in Paris, I needed a photo with a bell. I have always admired the Disney corporation for making a jolly musical out of THAT.
Then I went to Centre Pompidou and then we had crêpes for lunch. Also,mom bought me Doc Marten's shoes that look just like all other black heeled shoes I own. I attempted to start a series of photos themed "shopping in Paris" where I'd pose like this with a growing number of bags. Unfortunately, we never snapped more shopping bag photos. This is the only one and my arms bend like this.
Jst trying to embarrass mom by posing stupidly.
After lunch, shoes, and some sales shopping we went to the hotel to change and go to the Eiffel tower. Here you can see that, contrary to the impression you miht have gotten from the previous photo, I know how to pose when there's a hole for the face.
Okay, so here's a family story that i will be telling my children.
When I was a kid, in Latvia in the early 90's, you didn't really have friends who had been abroad. Because at first you couldn't really get out of the country, and then there were some financial problems. Generally. Anyhow, the dad of a classmate of mine had found a treasure, so the whole family went to Paris. OMG. Naturally, the kid got a show and tell opportunity when he got back. And he was a simple kid, so he told about what he saw in his simple way. What I remember from that time is that he showed a postcardof the Mona Lisa and said "this is some queen" and I was schocked that the teacher didn't correct him.
Anyhow, there was another thing that he said. I don't remember it, but I think Tanja-in-Latvia did, and told her mom and her mom told my mom, and that's why it's a family tradition. He told about the Eiffel tower and described the experience in the terms of "so I climbed up on that Eiffel tower, and sat down with my ass on a stair". So now it's mandatory in my family to sit down on a stair and text people who understand that you are sitting with your ass on the stairs of the Eiffel tower.
Hotel conditioner did terrible things to my hair. Proof:
A BEAM!
One of those "mom, can you take a picture when I'm posing like this?"-photos. Happens a lot.
On our way down mom simply had to talk with her husband on the phone about what paint they'd get for the house. I amused myself by taking stupid pictures. There's a popular Swedish sone from the 70's I think, the chorus goes about how "i'm going to jump down from the eiffel tower if you leave me". I considered spending the last electricity my cell phone held on calling the very speshul boy and singing it, but it would not really be appropriate and funny, you know. Fun fact: if I'm not mistaken, that singer killed himself later.
This is a picture for my classy Paris tourist collection. this is the "I'm trying to fit both the tourist and the whole tower into one photo and fail" picture. Gotta have one!
The next day mom and I woke up with a clear desire never to climb stairs again.
We had breakfast (mom didn't let me to do the coffee+croissant thing because she was mom-like and thought I needed nourishment) and we went to Musée d'Orsay. This is me outside. Would be funny if they suddenly got a prince statue to deal with.
As many of you know, I'm a feminist. Normally, I can keep it under control, but sometimes sexism really ticks me off. There was a lot of impressionism going on at the Md'O, and back in those days people just couldn't realize that you could make clothes for women where the tops didn't fall off and left one breast bare. Here I'm posing outside with allegorical continents with one bared boob each. I'd pull my dress down in solidarity, if it wasn't for the photographer being my mom. Also, I don't know about the french laws for flashing in public. Chicken.
Apart from the abundance of naked ladies and no naked lads, I appreciated the museum. Especially this staue, that has to be the most darling St George statue ever. St George is all glorious and the dragon is just precious. You weren't allowed to take pictures inside, but everyone did anyway.
This is just a random photo of me and that woman whom I'm talking about all the time.
Oooh Champs Elysees!
After walking down the Champs and looking at the Arc de Triomphe we wnt to get food for tomorrow. As soon as they handed me the baguettes I realized that I had been in Paris for two days witout ever holding a baguette. I beamed up, because now I was holding two, and made mom take pictures.
We dumped off the food and went to the Louvre. We just had a couple of hours, and what do you do in the Louvre when you only have a couple of hours?
One: Mona Lisa!!!!!!!
Two: Venus de Milo! (so I missed the tourist pose like Venus photo-op.... :P)
Three: OMG THIS IS JUST LIKE IN THE DA VINCI CODE!!!1!!11!!!1
I told mom "i'll have a facial expression" and I did!
Of course we saw many other significant works of art, while we were at it. Many St Sebastians. Gotta love St Sebastians after all those allegorical Janet Jackson-women we saw earlier.
This was called "Diane a la biche". Since my French does not cover "biche" mom and I decided that it was no way to call an independent woman.
Me and Athena.
No me, but I love the matress and pillow!
Ewww sun!
Why did we only have a couple of hours in the Louvre? Because we had a theme night to run to. The theme being "venues living off their decadent early 1900-reputation, that no longer deliver at all". First stop was le Chat Noir that now is a terrible overpriced joint with a guy playing the piano and doing his own version of "I kissed a girl", and school cantina-rice. There's exactly one reason to go there - and the reason is that you have a tourist checklist. I did, so I was happy and satisfied.
The second was the Moulin Rouge. The show was entertaining, cince I never have seen the "chicks wear glittery thongs, never cover their breasts and carry heavy feather arrangements on their heads" kind of show live before. I really don't feel the need to do that again anytime soon, though.
They served champagne, which is probably the reason why i absolutely had to pose like in PQ-dances.
Zambezi!
Tiger Rag!
All in all, I am happy with my Paris pwerformance. There were very few photos I didn't take (I don't have any of the "I hold the Eiffel tower in my hand" variety) and very few supertourist things I haven't done (thrift shopping at Mortmartre). But I only had two days, so you can't say I didn't try.
See, mom took me to Paris july 14-17th. Or, well, the first and last day were spent getting there and then getting back, but we were there for two days. I wasn't in the mood for Paris, or really going anywhere to begin with. Plus I had a misunderstanding with a very speshul boy the night before and very little charge left on my cell phone. Plus I had an epic yeast infection and my period was about to begin. Plus some asshole bad touched me on the metro on my way to the hotel.
So what was there to do? Obviously, try to enjoy myself as much as I could while torbo-running through every tourist attraction available. And posing for pictures. One of my talents most people don't know about is that I'm great at posing for very touristy photos. I love it, and send all my sense of dignity on vocation while doing it.
So here is my trip, in photos. They are many and huge, but it's 2010, so you can make it!
This is when we just got there, after we left our stuff at the hotel. It was close to the Notre-Dame, so we walked there. I'm posing with a chained whatchacallit, and youghurt. I bought four, to eat and to use as home remedy for yeast infection.
This is the Notre Dame. It was a huge (haha geddit) disappointment. One of the main reasons you want to see it is the exoskeleton, and there's no good place too see it from. Another reason you want to see it is that it's huge, but the grandeur gets lost on the tourist crowd.
When we went from the hotel, mom was like "why are you wearing pantyhose, it's warm!" and I said could always take'em off if I got hot. Mom was wearing jeans, fyi. Anyway, here I am at the Louvre, demonstrating how I should've brought my sweater as well.
That was the evening of the 14th. We slept and went to the Notre Dame, this time to actually get in and up. I had fun posing with the chimerae. Here I'm a duck, just like the one in the background.
Here, I'm savagely biting my bag.
Here, Iäm licking my chest.
Since I'm at the Notre Dame in Paris, I needed a photo with a bell. I have always admired the Disney corporation for making a jolly musical out of THAT.
Then I went to Centre Pompidou and then we had crêpes for lunch. Also,mom bought me Doc Marten's shoes that look just like all other black heeled shoes I own. I attempted to start a series of photos themed "shopping in Paris" where I'd pose like this with a growing number of bags. Unfortunately, we never snapped more shopping bag photos. This is the only one and my arms bend like this.
Jst trying to embarrass mom by posing stupidly.
After lunch, shoes, and some sales shopping we went to the hotel to change and go to the Eiffel tower. Here you can see that, contrary to the impression you miht have gotten from the previous photo, I know how to pose when there's a hole for the face.
Okay, so here's a family story that i will be telling my children.
When I was a kid, in Latvia in the early 90's, you didn't really have friends who had been abroad. Because at first you couldn't really get out of the country, and then there were some financial problems. Generally. Anyhow, the dad of a classmate of mine had found a treasure, so the whole family went to Paris. OMG. Naturally, the kid got a show and tell opportunity when he got back. And he was a simple kid, so he told about what he saw in his simple way. What I remember from that time is that he showed a postcardof the Mona Lisa and said "this is some queen" and I was schocked that the teacher didn't correct him.
Anyhow, there was another thing that he said. I don't remember it, but I think Tanja-in-Latvia did, and told her mom and her mom told my mom, and that's why it's a family tradition. He told about the Eiffel tower and described the experience in the terms of "so I climbed up on that Eiffel tower, and sat down with my ass on a stair". So now it's mandatory in my family to sit down on a stair and text people who understand that you are sitting with your ass on the stairs of the Eiffel tower.
Hotel conditioner did terrible things to my hair. Proof:
A BEAM!
One of those "mom, can you take a picture when I'm posing like this?"-photos. Happens a lot.
On our way down mom simply had to talk with her husband on the phone about what paint they'd get for the house. I amused myself by taking stupid pictures. There's a popular Swedish sone from the 70's I think, the chorus goes about how "i'm going to jump down from the eiffel tower if you leave me". I considered spending the last electricity my cell phone held on calling the very speshul boy and singing it, but it would not really be appropriate and funny, you know. Fun fact: if I'm not mistaken, that singer killed himself later.
This is a picture for my classy Paris tourist collection. this is the "I'm trying to fit both the tourist and the whole tower into one photo and fail" picture. Gotta have one!
The next day mom and I woke up with a clear desire never to climb stairs again.
We had breakfast (mom didn't let me to do the coffee+croissant thing because she was mom-like and thought I needed nourishment) and we went to Musée d'Orsay. This is me outside. Would be funny if they suddenly got a prince statue to deal with.
As many of you know, I'm a feminist. Normally, I can keep it under control, but sometimes sexism really ticks me off. There was a lot of impressionism going on at the Md'O, and back in those days people just couldn't realize that you could make clothes for women where the tops didn't fall off and left one breast bare. Here I'm posing outside with allegorical continents with one bared boob each. I'd pull my dress down in solidarity, if it wasn't for the photographer being my mom. Also, I don't know about the french laws for flashing in public. Chicken.
Apart from the abundance of naked ladies and no naked lads, I appreciated the museum. Especially this staue, that has to be the most darling St George statue ever. St George is all glorious and the dragon is just precious. You weren't allowed to take pictures inside, but everyone did anyway.
This is just a random photo of me and that woman whom I'm talking about all the time.
Oooh Champs Elysees!
After walking down the Champs and looking at the Arc de Triomphe we wnt to get food for tomorrow. As soon as they handed me the baguettes I realized that I had been in Paris for two days witout ever holding a baguette. I beamed up, because now I was holding two, and made mom take pictures.
We dumped off the food and went to the Louvre. We just had a couple of hours, and what do you do in the Louvre when you only have a couple of hours?
One: Mona Lisa!!!!!!!
Two: Venus de Milo! (so I missed the tourist pose like Venus photo-op.... :P)
Three: OMG THIS IS JUST LIKE IN THE DA VINCI CODE!!!1!!11!!!1
I told mom "i'll have a facial expression" and I did!
Of course we saw many other significant works of art, while we were at it. Many St Sebastians. Gotta love St Sebastians after all those allegorical Janet Jackson-women we saw earlier.
This was called "Diane a la biche". Since my French does not cover "biche" mom and I decided that it was no way to call an independent woman.
Me and Athena.
No me, but I love the matress and pillow!
Ewww sun!
Why did we only have a couple of hours in the Louvre? Because we had a theme night to run to. The theme being "venues living off their decadent early 1900-reputation, that no longer deliver at all". First stop was le Chat Noir that now is a terrible overpriced joint with a guy playing the piano and doing his own version of "I kissed a girl", and school cantina-rice. There's exactly one reason to go there - and the reason is that you have a tourist checklist. I did, so I was happy and satisfied.
The second was the Moulin Rouge. The show was entertaining, cince I never have seen the "chicks wear glittery thongs, never cover their breasts and carry heavy feather arrangements on their heads" kind of show live before. I really don't feel the need to do that again anytime soon, though.
They served champagne, which is probably the reason why i absolutely had to pose like in PQ-dances.
Zambezi!
Tiger Rag!
All in all, I am happy with my Paris pwerformance. There were very few photos I didn't take (I don't have any of the "I hold the Eiffel tower in my hand" variety) and very few supertourist things I haven't done (thrift shopping at Mortmartre). But I only had two days, so you can't say I didn't try.