Pâques

Oh, y'all are so lucky... here's a quick photo update with things Gaby and I did today! First off, she invited me to her apartment in Paris for lunch and she cooked me ratatouille. It was so good, miam miam.

Check that cute lil' table!

Then it was off to get my first Berthillon ice cream on Île de la Cité (I went with gianduja chocolate, despite the fact that I still have no idea how to pronounce gianduja). Afterwards, we headed up to the 17th to the Musée Jean-Jacques Henner to see a (free!) expo on his Impressionist-type paintings. The museum was in an old house and as it was in a mostly residential area in the north of Paris, was practically empty and we almost had the place to ourselves. Definitely my favorite way to tour a museum. I knew relatively little about Henner, other than the brief mentions in my painfully boring informative critique d'art book for my literature and painting course, and I was surprised by how much I liked his style of painting - even though each room seemed to be almost an entirely different painter as he apparently changed styles frequently before settling on Impressionism. Speaking of, here's a quick snapshot of what he became obsessed with painting in the 1880s - namely, naked ladies bathing. (Does anyone actually think that any woman in the late 1800s actually strolled around ponds naked?)

Just chillin'

Since the museum was small, we finished with just enough time to walk down the street to Parc Monceau, a huge park filled with lots of little ruins, waterfalls, and tiny bridges. Sadly since it's been so cold out, the park wasn't as beautiful as it could have been, but there were still some flowers nonetheless!

Shameless MySpace shots on the bridge

Then it was time for me to go, as I had to head back home to celebrate Easter with my extended host family. Sad to say goodbye but I hope that I will have some time after finals end in May to go visit Gaby and her family in Grenoble! Easter with my host family basically consisted of me getting showered with ridiculous amounts of chocolate (those church bells sure are generous!) and frequent questions from my host grandmother about "In America, what do you eat for Jewish Easter?" Yes, mes amis, in French, Passover is translated as Jewish Easter (I'm pretty sure, judging from the questions she asked me, that host grandma still thinks Jewish Easter celebrates the resurrection). And apparently Eid-al-fitr is Muslim Easter. Close enough?

Dissertation time. Le blegh!

x R.