After another sleepless night provided by the booking fiasco combined with my still-adjusting sleep schedule I shambled downstairs where I met with Romy for breakfast. After a brief shared rant about the events from the prior evening she offered that I accompany her to a few monuments, museums, as well as meet with her boyfriend's sister Stefi around 3pm.
Our first destination was Les Deux Magots, a cafe which was a popular destination for many famous figures of including American author Ernest Hemmingway. Today, the cafe survives as a hot spot for tourists looking to experience a piece of classic French culture. Romy, however, has an even deeper connection to the spot as 20 years ago she had her photo taken in front of the cafe with her mother and sister. Per her request, I took a similar photo of her in front of the cafe. You will find the two photos below.
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| Romy in 1993 |
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| Romy in 2013 |
After a short drink at a nearby cafe to savor the temporary nice weather, the two of us set off towards the Louvre museum through the beautiful Jardin des Tuileries. Along the way we continue to talk about our lives, the things we appreciate about Paris, and poke fun at the "achievement" tourists who run up to a monument, take a photo and sprint to the next one as if on some global scale scavenger hunt. Deep into our conversation, Romy walks right into a deep puddle to which I inquire if they have puddles in Argentina; she assures me they do not.
As we approach the Louvre's main entrance we see a large crowd gathered. Pushing our way through to get a view we discover that a Dutch men's choir is performing on the street.
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| Romy attempting to catch an invisible something. |
Our next stop was Centre Pompidou, a beautiful industrial-style building made of glass and metal which housed multiple modern art exhibits and film screening rooms. This was by far the most impressive overall collection of modern art I have seen in Europe. The variety is unmatched ranging from product design to wild sculptures to confusing paintings to sickening interactive exhibits. The exhibits constantly remind me of my unmatched freedom that comes at the cost of loneliness as well as the ways technology and design have leapt forward so much far forward that our society struggles to keep pace. We forget that we too are animals evolving in this world which is expressed in our thoughts and tools. If you love modern art then come spend a day here, it's very thought provoking yet grounding.
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| Artist: Simon Hantaï |
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| HP Designed Watch |
Distracted by the exhibits and they by their conversation, I lose the girls and have trouble contacting them with my flaky mobile connection. It is late in the day and the rain has once again returned so I stroll past Palais de Justice (Paris' justice department and monument) and St. Chapelle to catch the metro back to the hostel.
I check into my new room and greet my new roommates, three American girls in their early 20s (Alex, Kay, and Tampi) who had went their separate ways but were reunited for the sake of their trip. I introduce myself, joke around a bit, and overhear that they're trying to find something to do with their evening besides drink in the hostel room. I offer up Batofar from the previous evening which is an instant sale.
I lead them towards Batofar, shooting the obligatory "girl trip" pics, and finally made our way into the club. Tonight's event is UK electronica label "Fat Records'" release party. The music was vastly different from the previous night (90's alternative) and consisted of smooth electronic tracks with occasional jumpy and exciting moments. The crowd wasn't as big as the previous night which left a lot more room for me to dance like the imbicile I am. After a few hours of the four of us dancing akwardly we decide it is time to head home and get some rest for another big day of Paris.
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| A relaxing view from the deck of Batofar |
Tomorrow I will say goodbye and likely never see them again. Have fun girls and be safe.
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