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Project 365 – Week 42

Now that we’re settling back in to the daily grind, our social calendar also starts to fill itself up quickly. We’ll be seeing friends and family, in Paris and elsewhere, and significantly my oldest and best friend will be here in a week for a visit. I have so much to show and to share with her, that I don’t really quite know where to start. Since la rentrée there are many interesting exhibitions to see, new places to eat, etc. I need to make a list and let her choose what she’d like to do most.

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Notre Dame Cathedral

14 Oct: Paris is beautiful, and even more so in autumn. For F, it’s the softer lights of the sky that make autumn an enchanting season of the year. For me, it’s the colours surrounding us. There’s something about golden leaves on the trees and a variety of hues between vermillion and tangerine to spread some seasonal colours – quite a difference from the multi-coloured summer blooms. I also love stepping on the drying leaves, hearing the rustles under my feet while daydreaming as I walk. Even the slight nip in the air doesn’t bother me when I get into this little world of my own.


Ticket

15 Oct: Since coming back to Paris last week, I’ve been taking swimming lessons at the municipal pool near my place. Today’s my fourth lesson and believe it or not, I’m also on my fourth swimming instructor. Not sure why there’s such a large rotation of instructors, each one teaching things a little differently. The first couple of lessons were scary but being in the baby pool means I can always stand up if something goes a bit out of sort. Then I migrated to a larger pool and there it got scarier. Being able to see the increasing depth of the pool floor made me squirmed. I have more work to do for sure, but finally, after all these years, I’m tackling something out of my comfort zone!


Cafe table

16 Oct: You know the feeling, of recognising something yet couldn’t quite put your finger on? I have a block with this cafe table. Think as I might, I can’t figure out why is the face so familiar to me (where could I have seen it before?) nor identify the artist behind it (have I seen this in an art piece in a museum among those that I’ve visited?). Google Images had not been helpful in solving this mystery, so I’m putting it out there. Maybe someone has an answer? Thanks in advance!


Colours

17 Oct: In the centuries past, this was probably how an average man, woman and child saw the wonder and believed in God. Perhaps it is still true now. The clever use of colourful stained glasses not only depicts biblical figures and stories (to the illiterates) thus becomes an effective teaching tool, but when the light shines through, however fleeting the moment may be, the beauty reflected on what are ordinarily plain pillars and walls persuades one of the grandeur promised by God in paradise. Even though I am not particularly religious, I find this magical.


Bookstalls

18 Oct: Only a handful few of the bouquinistes are at work today. The weather has been fine, but the temperature has also taken a few notches down. Can’t be too pleasant to be sitting out all day, since I imagine that trade would also be fairly slow as the tourist population dwindles by comparison to the summer months. I don’t know of many Parisians and Paris residents who browse and buy from the bouquinistes, and more and more stalls seem to stock souvenir objects like posters, postcards, mini Eiffel Tower figurines, and the likes. If it’s not for certain regulations in place, the old books on display would have been long replaced by more lucrative products…


Demonstration

19 Oct: If there’s one thing about autumn, it’s the return of demonstrators to the street. Every other day, there seems to be something people are not happy about and they are showing it, loudly. Certain demonstrations are small, but others can be a lot more disruptive and ends up with squibbles in the press between the organisers and the police on the number of attendees – the former exaggerating the figures and the latter keeping them conservative. To see several hundred percentage point difference is not unusual!


Vineyard

20 Oct: I debated visiting the vineyard of Montmartre last weekend but I eventually shied away from it. It was the 80th Fête des Vendanges and the hill of Montmartre was in full mode of festivities. With that, it also means very large crowds just about everywhere in the neighbourhood. I normally go to Montmartre for its quaint village, quiet small streets and calm hidden gardens (yes, yes, they exist). To jostle about with thousands other doesn’t sound all that attractive to me.




Category: Project 365

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2 scribbles & notes

  1. med says:

    Keep it up with the swimming lil!!! ;)

    wonderwoman on the table? kekeke

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