It was just another normal day at work, nothing too exciting other than my lil' mini-adventure during lunch. I quickly ate my banh mi and apple sauce at work and decided to go check out the Louvre de Antiquaire, but unfortunately it was closed today so I will have to check it out tomorrow. I love antiques and vintage things! I hope to one day fill my abode with beautiful works of art from all over the world and especially my travels. :) Since I couldn't go in there, I decided to just wander around the area to see what interesting shops I could check out.
I saw this other antique shop, but it had a sign saying they would be back soon, but they lied. I tried coming back to that shop a few times and they were still closed! I took a pic of the window display though. It reminded me of furniture and works of art I saw at the Boston MFA a few years ago. Soooo beautiful!
The antique desk looked like something from the late 17th or 18th century period that was pretty popular in France because of the "Chinoserie" European ornamentation. I also saw similar stuff in the Musee de Orsay a few weeks ago in Paris.
I also went into a few art galleries that were open on Rue St. Honore. They were so cool and I contemplated asking if they needed any extra help since I always wanted to work in an art gallery, but my time is stretched pretty thin already so I guess that dream will be put on hold for a lil' while longer. At least I can still go and appreciate the artwork whenever I have time. I went into this one art gallery that had this huge painting of Louis XIV like the one below hanging that reminded me of this one class I had in my Fashion Art History class of the Louis XIV period. The painting was gorgeous!
Louis XIV was also known as the Sun King and he was known to transform Fashion especially in Versailles. He was a patron of the arts and supported the development of beautiful tapestries, textiles, furniture and ornaments. Everything was elaborate during this time period of luxury, splendor and pleasure. Everyone followed the Grand Monarch's lead, especially the Court and then the people with this new extravagant style that replaced the baroque period. The fashion trends would run rapid and men's fashion was actually more popular than the women's during this period. New fabrics of lace, silks and dyes were being introduced and being adorned by the nobility. The color and texture were so important and dripping with elegance and luxury. Silkworms were brought from northern Italy and factories were developed in Lyon, France where they are now known for their amazing silks. I could go on and on about this period (and I hope I got my facts straight haha)! Every time I go to any art gallery or museum and see anything from this period, I am just in awe of the extravagant beauty. I wish I could close my eyes and go back in time to see what it would be like to live in a time like this!
After the galleries, I wandered off to these lil' hidden alley ways to see what I could find and I was happy to stumble across some more interesting things that were so unexpected! It's so true that you can always find an adventure just around the corner! I came across these scultpures hanging in this alley way, I'm actually not sure what they are or where I was, but I thought they were cool.
The first quote, "...Et que nous retrouvons sur toute la terre." means "...And that we find in all the earth." What I get out of that is: seek and you shall find and I sure did find some interesting things...it's amazing how you can just do that by opening your eyes and walking down a different path...going on a road less traveled quoted by Robert Frost.
The second quote, "...L'homme que l' on trouvera ici, c'est celui qui s' accorde aux questions que la mort pose a la signification du monde." means "...The man that we find here is someone who's given to the questions that death poses the meaning of the world." And I guess what I get out of that quote is life is short. When I think of life, I think of how precious it is and how quickly it could be taken away. So I really try to live my life to the fullest. There is soooo much I want to see and learn and do that I know in my lifetime, I will never be able to do everything, but I will definitely try my best to do as much of it as I can! I don't want to look back in life and think I coulda, shoulda, woulda..I wanna be able to say I did this and I did that! I want to be old and look back on the colorful and amazing full life I had. I want to close my eyes and have flashbacks or reminisce on all the chapters of my life and share them with my children and grandchildren. I remember when I was little, I'd always ask my parents and grandparents and even aunts and uncles to tell me stories about their lives and their past...I always loved story time! I'd go through old photos with them and tell them to share with me what the picture was about. I've always been a curious monkey (my chinese zodiac), sometimes it would get the best of me, but I can't help it!
Then I ended up in this really cool courtyard by Palais Royal. I didn't know what it was until I asked Michel when I got home, but I got the feeling that it must be something famous. Apparently it was Colonnes de Buren, which was sculpted by Daniel Buren who is a French conceptual artist. It was created in 1986 and became very controversial as it integrated contemporary art with historical buildings. But as I was standing there taking it all in, I definitely didn't seem to notice the controversial aspect of it since all I wanted to do was jump from column to coloumn hehe. Everyone there was taking silly pictures including me, but I'll just post the normal ones haha
David and Michel both told me that tomorrow is Music Day in France! It's become really popular, almost as much as Bastille Day. David said to be careful because it can get crazy and violent! Music is played throughout the evening into night. The first music day in France was held in 1982. It was Jack Lang's idea who was the minister of "Culture". He wanted to promote integration and exchange of young people. Now every year in France, 10 million people will go to the streets to listen to over 800,000 professional or amateur musicians. The French people love this because it's a Free event and you can find any genre of music you like from techno to classical music.
Hopefully after work I'll stumble across an interesting corner of fun music...I'm sure it'll be another enlightening experience!
There was this weird creepy guy lurking in front of our boutique that kept staring inside and walking back and forth. I waited til he disappeared before leaving...what a weirdo!
I also saw on my way home some models on their "Go Sees". It's just like the show on America's Next Top Model. They are tall, beautiful girls wandering the streets of Paris dressed down or dressed pretty fashionably looking lost with their maps. David said there are a lot in our area of where we work because we are by the Louvre. Sometimes fashion shows are held there. He was telling us there could be a possibility that Miina and I could be invited to go for Metal Flaque for Fashion Week in July. I reallllllllllly reallllllllllly hope so!
When I got home, Michel was starting to cook dinner! I'm not used to having a male roomie, but he's an awesome roomie! He cooks and cleans! lol I feel spoiled...I could get used to this! hehe j/k ;) He made this mussels pasta dish that I thought was way better than my pasta I made a few weeks ago. He told me the good pasta sauce to get for next time, so I will have to try again haha. Then we had dessert! We had these French strawberries, cranberry and blueberry juice and green tea. I had the idea of putting nutella on the strawberry..that was my only contribution besides also making a plate of bananas and oranges too! haha Michel also has an appreciation of yummy food and presentation! :)
I think tomorrow's going to be a busy day at work, but I rather be busy so the time can go by fast! Anyhoo...Bonne Nuit! Bisous Bisous! oxox :)
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