stay close, don't go

Before I came to Paris I didn't do any research on what I should see. I didn't read any guide books, didn't talk to anyone who's been there, and I didn't even do any internet research. I decided that if I had plans to see too much, I would be disappointed if I didn't see all of it.

Instead, I decided on one single thing that I wanted to see. I figured that of all the things to do in Paris, what I wanted to see the most was the catacombs.

FOILED.

I am destined to never see the catacombs.

My plans were thwarted.

Due to acts of vandalism, the Paris catacombs are closed. Indefinitely.

WHY, CRUEL WORLD?

Just last week I went to Rome with some other girls. A ray of hope shined through the darkness! I discovered there were catacombs in Rome! Emma and I made a trek to the outskirts of Rome to see them.

FOILED.

Alas, the address we had was either

a) incorrect, or

b) nonexistent.

I was furious. The most annoying part of the story is the fact that we could see the tops of the catacomb ruins peeking through the ground.

So close, yet so far.

future sightings

ocean man

i've seen it all. da vinci, monet, picasso, van gogh, renoir, degas, rembrant, and on and on. the list of artists whose work i've seen could fill up this blog post and spill out of the computer screen. but i kept feeling like something was missing from my visit here in paris. who did i need to see?

the answer to that question, my friends, is another question.

who lives in a pineapple under the sea?

spongebob squarepants, or bob l'éponge carré as he's known here in france, will always hold a special place in my heart. i just love that cute, yellow fella. the cartoon never gets old. it's so clever and hilarious. yesterday i was lucky enough to go to a spongebob art exhibition.

it was basically a collection of satire artwork with spongebob replacing the main character in each painting. GENIUS.

i've never been more happy in my life.

even though i was by far the oldest person at the art exhibition (seriously, at least five times older), i thought it was very inspiring. there was an entertaining little blurb i read that i'd like to share. it's pretty deep. i've translated it into english, so it won't be quite as eloquent:

"how old is spongebob?

and why does gary meow?

spongebob doesn't have an age. he is eternally young. one might also ask, 'why are strawberries red? why are cookies tasty? why do birds suddenly appear in the sky?'

all are questions without answers..."

HA. oh spongebob, you've done it again.

side note:

in france, squidward is called "carlo." i guess those frenchies can't pronounce his real name well enough. it would come out all crazy: "skweed-war."

show me your colors

warning: this post contains images of very inappropriate pastries. viewer discretion is advised.

i am the luckiest girl on earth.

every morning i wake up and take the metro into downtown paris. on the days when i have classes, i get off at the "hôtel de ville" stop and walk down rue de renard. soon, i find myself in front of the LDS church/institute building.

the catch? i also find myself in the gay neighborhood.

yes, it's true. i spend most of my time in the gay quarter of paris. and when i say gay, i mean it. h-o-m-o-s-e-x-u-a-l.

and DANG do those people know how to make good pastries!

right across from the building where i have classes is "legacy choc," paris' premiere gay pastry shop. as my teacher says, "the gayer it looks, the better it tastes." they've even got little same-sex couple figurines in their window display.

i've had an assortment of goodies from these guys. this one was my favorite.

but i've yet to try the "magic baguette," the phallic-shaped bread complete with poppy seeds for effect.