Yesterday I received an email from my professor Mindy stating that she wanted to take us to a free concert at the Pop In (a local bar) instead of having class. I googled the bar, and found out that they have concerts a few times during the week and that they were having a concert last night. I followed the links on the website so that I could sample some of the bands' music. I actually liked all three bands playing, and decided to go. Why not. I didn't want to get there at nine when the concerts begin, so I left the house a few minutes before nine. Google said that the bar was about 25 minutes from my house, and I've been to the area before so I believed it. The directions seemed so simple.
Well I set out with directions in hand, and walked past the farthest part of Avenue Beaumarchis that I had been to….and kept walking. I walked so far that I thought I would leave Paris entirely and walk into a field. I determined that I should just make a right and see if I could find the bar. I turned right, went down the stairs, and to my amazement the Pop In was right there. There were lots of people outside so I figured that the bands weren't playing yet. I went back and sat on the steps to wait. While I was sitting there I heard a man speaking English on the steps behind me. I turned around and starting talking to him. His name was Tyler and he is from Salt Lake City and is currently backpacking through Europe. He was with two friends that were from Morocco. They gave me a Heineken and we sat and chatted for a bit before I went into the bar.
The entrance to the bar is a tiny area with a few cramped tables. I knew that the concert venue was downstairs, but there were no stairs that went down. I went upstairs, through a small seating area, and found a set of stairs that lead down. The venue is like a basement. A few couches, all concrete floors and walls, and a small stage in the front. The band Tequila Mockingbird came on, and they were actually pretty good. They sung in English, but spoke perfect French to the crowd of 18 year olds. I left after their set and walked home.
On my way home a girl asked me for directions. I told her that I didn't speak French, but she said that she spoke English. I was actually able to tell them where the bar they wanted to go to was located. Look at me being a Parisienne!
Okay, moving onto today.
I woke up before nine with a hangover. Who knew that I was suddenly such a lightweight. I somehow got myself out of bed, had breakfast, and got to reading before my planned adventure to the Musée d'Art de la Ville de Paris. I finished reading, got dressed, and was out of the door by eleven. I took the one to FDR to the nine before to get to the 16th. I figured that I was heading to the outskirts of Paris. When I got off the nine I came smack into the face of the Eiffel Tower. Oh, hey there buddy. Nice to see you. I kept walking and found the museum.
I would absolutely recommend the modern art museum. It has a selection of art for every taste. There are multiple Picasso works (including sculptures and drawings) and pottery by Matisse, but there's so much more than than. There's the more "is this art?" pieces as well as modernist furniture and drawings. I really appreciated their wide selection; all of it is fantastic. This was my first time seeing a Duchamp! I really loved the Raoul Duf room. His painting "Trente Ans/La Vie en Rose" is my new favorite painting. I was also really happy to see Amedeo Modigliani's "Femme aux Yeux Bleus". My mom had bought me a bookmark of the painting before she left, and I was delighted to be able to see it in person.
"La Vie en Rose"
After I got off the metro, I saw a sign that pointed to the Musée du Quai Branly. I knew the museum was on my list, and I also knew that it was one of the museums that I wasn't excited for. I had come so far from home, and decided to at least try to follow the signs and see if I could find it. If I couldn't, no harm no foul. I followed the signs to what looked like the outside of a wild animal park; all bushes and trees. I found the entrance to the museum and went to get a ticket.
I got the line, and a woman told me to use the automated machine. I told her that I didn't speak French, she spoke English, but that I was a student and asked if I could get a free ticket. She asked how old I was, and then examined my card. She wasn't sure if my card was real so she asked a coworker. He didn't believe that the school was real. How could the University of California be in Paris. I showed him the address on the card and assured him that it was a real school. He gave me the free ticket.
I will admit up front that I'm not a big fan of "indigenous" art. I'm more of a paintings kind of a girl. However, I was really surprised of the vast selection of cultures represented by the museum. There's everything from: Native American, art from India, Asia, Africa, Australia, stone heads from Easter Island, and South American (including Inca, Aztec, and Mayan). I really liked the museum's layout. There were areas to watch videos about the different cultures that really brought the items alive. There was also music from each culture playing in each section. The museum is really dark, and it gives a great atmosphere to the works. I didn't appreciate that everything is displayed in two sided displays so you end up walking in circles or missing half of everything.
Today was my first time seeing Aboriginal art. I loved it. It's so detailed, and a lot of it is made of really fine, painted cross-hatching. There was a video of one of the artists creating a painting which was in the museum's posession. It really brought the work alive, and I appreciated it more. I was happily surprised to find paintings in the museum as well. I was even more enthusiastic when I saw a selction of Nasca pottery! I took a class on Peruvian pottery, and I was amazed to see one in real life.
The museum also had a display of posters concerning the role of Vietamese women in the Vietnam War. My favorite part was the exhibition called "Tiki Pop" that displays artifacts from the the Tiki culture in America during the 1950s. They even recreated a Tiki bar with seating, island music, and a Tiki movie! It was so fun and playful.
I didn't really like the African art. They put in works in really dark, small rooms that really gave me the creeps. It didn't help that a lot of the works included real human skulls. Fantastic.
I left the museum and headed home when my stomach began to rumble. I did, however, stop to take a picture of the Eiffel Tower because the view from the bridge was fantastic.
On the way home I stopped to get the Turkish food that I had had my eye on. I ordered a Greek sandwich (gyro meat on a roll) that came with French fries. I ate it outside so that I could people watch. It wasn't as delicious as last week's meal, but the fries were hot and crispy and I got protein and a vegetable (I got lettuce on my sandwich).
I came home and found an email from my professor. This weekend is European cultural heritage weekend, and lots of monuments are hosting special events. I can't resist the once a year opportunity to see where the Senate met and the President's room; I will be going tomorrow. Also, the Picasso museum is opening early for the special weekend. It's not offically open until October! How could I pass up the chance to go?!
I spent the rest of my evening planning my weekend, studying, skyping my mom, and painting my nails. I've had a busy day.
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