If you scroll down over the post below, you’ll notice I mentioned people on hols? Well, just to make a point, I did go on hols ;) and unfortunately, this blog was a tad not updated…

All my apologies and do not worry: interesting updates as soon as I get over jetlag :D

• It’s hot
• It’s muggy
• Offices are empty
• Cars are rare, boulevards are crossed without checking*
• Shops are closed
• Restaurants are closed
• Grocery stores are not as well supplied
• Markets are half the usual size (if not smaller)

You get the picture I believe… People are away on hols! At times, the city feels almost asleep… The sun and heat are certainly not helping :P But well, soon, it’ll be my turn to leave. Mouahahahahahaha…

* Well, why yes, usually I DO look before crossing…At least for boulevards ;)

Et pourtant… l’exposition de la Pinacothèque à Paris (Toutes les infos pratiques ici.) n’est pas à la hauteur. J’ai vraiment été très déçue : très petite taille de l’expo, nombre limité d’artefacts issus des fouilles de Shaanxi… J’étais déjà allée auparavant à l’expo sur le même thème qui avait lieu plus tôt au British Museum à Londres et je suis tombée de haut. Autant j’avais adoré la version anglaise, extrêmement bien montée et pour laquelle j’avais même cru ne pas pouvoir obtenir de place ! Autant je ne recommande pas cette version parisienne, vraiment pas à la hauteur d’une comparaison quelconque…

De meilleures photos ici (par exemple). La précédente a l’avantage d’être de moi, mais ça se voit aussi sur la qualité :P Admirez quand même aussi les couleurs du coucher de soleil!

Depuis le 1er juillet, la Tour Eiffel s’habille de bleu à la nuit tombée. Apparement, un hommage à l’Europe qui durera les 2 premiers mois de la présidence française (ie juillet-août)…

Rien de bien neuf pour les Parisiens, voir cet ancien post ici même.

We’d settled on the Passerelle de Solférino (near Musée d’Orsay) which ended up being a tad too far as part of the fireworks were too low and hidden by buildings. But still, I thought I’d share a little picture with you:

And happy belated “Quatorze juillet”! :D (As a dignified French, I will not say “Bastille day”! :P )

Did you know you can actually do that in the very center of the city? Right in the Luxembourg gardens! Yes you can!

I have pics!

Here a little boat:

But one has to be cautious! Accidents happen…

And that’s without taking into account the dreadful and dangerous pirates!

Or worse… The baby ducklings and their wicked beak!

So many adventures! :D

I <3 Hokusai… Here are pics of my personal collection to illustrate a bit:

The (I believe) immensely famous “Wave” (in the form of a dish towel bought at the British Museum):

And my 2 new acquisitions (in the form of postcard and bookmark respectively):
- Red Fuji

- Dragon in the Clouds

So, convinced already?
My preference among his work goes to the landscapes, the flowers and the animals (no really?). The daily scenes are quite nice too, but I’m no fan of his more erotic work /rolls eyes. To each his own I guess…

Also, as the museum has recently been renovated, I also had a look at the permanent collections, which are really neatly presented. I especially liked the rotunda on the upper floor with lovely decorated screens and the statues on the lowest floor from Cambodia (among others :P ) (You can have a virtual tour on the museum’s webpage I believe)

I almost forgot! We noticed they have a restaurant in there! Mostly asian food of course and it looks lovely! To try next time…

En ce moment, Paris est un concert permanent ! Avec entre autre, tout bientôt, les concerts de Mika ou encore de Jack Johnson, on ne sait où donner de l’oreille !

Ce soir (2 juillet), un “rassemblement de bonheur” devant l’hotel de ville. Les détails.