The city dresses up Champs Élysées every winter. I didn't get to see it last year, so I made sure to check it out this time around. It feels so different from LA this time of the year.
A Christmas market was set up along the boulevard as well. It happens every year but somehow I didn't find out until recently. I was captivated by the Russian nesting dolls...
...as well as the abundant food.
Another novelty item: hot wine...
...I didn't dare to try it though. I chickened out and went with vodka instead.
The highlight of the evening was when I came home and discovered this gem:
Isn't she giving me some major evil eye?
Link to the album:
Leonardo da Vinci in Venice
I was roaming the streets of Venice and somehow found myself in Campo San Barnaba, where the Leonardo da Vinci exhibit was happening.
A lot of his inventions were about flying, like this giant glider and helicopter.
But it turns out that da Vinci came out with a lot of other stuff too, from weapons like machine guns and warships...
...to musical instruments like this dragonhead citar.
Link to the album:
Weekend in Venice
Just came back from a 3 day weekend in Venice. It took six hours door-to-door each way, but it was well worth the trouble. This was actually the first time I've been out of the country since I landed in France two years ago. Here are some of my best shots from the trip. Blogger can't handle all my pictures, so I put links to each of the albums below.
My favorite part of Venice were the masks. There are Chinese copies everywhere, so it was real tough to find authentic ones at first. But after looking at a dozen or more stores, I got to the point that I could tell them apart. Take these gold leaf plated ones for instance. The big one at the top goes for over 500€.
Link to the album:
Venice is, of course, best known for its canals. You literally can't take a bad picture in Venice. Just point anywhere, shoot, and Presto! There's your desktop background.
Link to the album:
Next are probably Venice's gondolas. They're about as romantic as things get (right after proposing at the Eiffel Tower). Great way to light up your romance, if you can afford it (they're like a hundred bucks a ride).
Link to the album:
Venice was apparently and empire that ruled the seas once upon a time, and Piazza San Marco was the heart of it. The whole place just reeks of power and money.
The Piazza was kind of a bummer since they were doing renovations and there was scaffolding all over the place. Completely ruined the view. I might have to go back just so I can get a decent shot.
Link to the album:
Other than the boats on the canals, Venetians get around the city entirely on foot. I thought living in Paris would have trained me for all that walking, but I was so wrong. My feet still hurt.
The city is truly a labyrinth of tiny passages. Some streets are barely wide enough for a person to pass thru. You could probably shake hands with your neighbor across the street from your window. There are some parks here and there that are a bit bigger and give you some much needed breathing room.
A fair was going on in one of the neighborhoods when I was in town. I tried a Fritelle for the first time (it's like a churro, but round). Delicious, but I had to skip lunch to compensate.
Link to the album:
Venice has been known for its glass for centuries. The guidebook said that a long time ago they moved all the factories and the glass blowers to the island of Murano to keep their trade secrets safe. Authentic Venetian glass still comes from this island (and it's super expensive).
One of the glass factories was open even though it was Sunday, so I had a chance to see their work. The glass blower took a glob of molten glass at almost 3000°F and made a little vase out of it. No PPE like gloves or goggles or anything by the way. Safety Violation! Where's my SOR form?
Link to the album:
My last stop was the island of Burano, which is known for its lace making and its colorful houses. It reminded me of La Boca in Buenos Aires (but way classier).
Here's another famous site of Burano: its leaning bell tower. Google says it leans 5 degrees, just like the world renowned tower of Pisa.
Link to the album:
It was a great trip overall. Venice is one of the most beautiful cities I've seen so far (although I still think Paris is better).
Here's a link to all of the pictures:
My favorite part of Venice were the masks. There are Chinese copies everywhere, so it was real tough to find authentic ones at first. But after looking at a dozen or more stores, I got to the point that I could tell them apart. Take these gold leaf plated ones for instance. The big one at the top goes for over 500€.
After combing through the entire city, I finally found this little store in Dorsoduro that had exactly what I was looking for. All the masks were hand made right on site out the workshop across the backyard. Take a look at the showroom:
Link to the album:
Venice is, of course, best known for its canals. You literally can't take a bad picture in Venice. Just point anywhere, shoot, and Presto! There's your desktop background.
Link to the album:
Next are probably Venice's gondolas. They're about as romantic as things get (right after proposing at the Eiffel Tower). Great way to light up your romance, if you can afford it (they're like a hundred bucks a ride).
Link to the album:
Venice was apparently and empire that ruled the seas once upon a time, and Piazza San Marco was the heart of it. The whole place just reeks of power and money.
The Piazza was kind of a bummer since they were doing renovations and there was scaffolding all over the place. Completely ruined the view. I might have to go back just so I can get a decent shot.
Link to the album:
Other than the boats on the canals, Venetians get around the city entirely on foot. I thought living in Paris would have trained me for all that walking, but I was so wrong. My feet still hurt.
The city is truly a labyrinth of tiny passages. Some streets are barely wide enough for a person to pass thru. You could probably shake hands with your neighbor across the street from your window. There are some parks here and there that are a bit bigger and give you some much needed breathing room.
A fair was going on in one of the neighborhoods when I was in town. I tried a Fritelle for the first time (it's like a churro, but round). Delicious, but I had to skip lunch to compensate.
Link to the album:
Venice has been known for its glass for centuries. The guidebook said that a long time ago they moved all the factories and the glass blowers to the island of Murano to keep their trade secrets safe. Authentic Venetian glass still comes from this island (and it's super expensive).
One of the glass factories was open even though it was Sunday, so I had a chance to see their work. The glass blower took a glob of molten glass at almost 3000°F and made a little vase out of it. No PPE like gloves or goggles or anything by the way. Safety Violation! Where's my SOR form?
Link to the album:
My last stop was the island of Burano, which is known for its lace making and its colorful houses. It reminded me of La Boca in Buenos Aires (but way classier).
Here's another famous site of Burano: its leaning bell tower. Google says it leans 5 degrees, just like the world renowned tower of Pisa.
Link to the album:
It was a great trip overall. Venice is one of the most beautiful cities I've seen so far (although I still think Paris is better).
Here's a link to all of the pictures:
Pont des Arts - Cadenas d'amour
Dropped by the Pond des Arts while looking around the Louvre. This is where lovers chain their locks on to the bridge and throw away the key into the Seine. So romantastic~♥
Diabetics beware! These pictures are ultra sweet...
14 juillet fireworks
Went to see the Bastille Day fireworks last night.
Here's the finale:
300000 showed up to watch the show. Take a look at these crowds:
They completely flooded Champs de Mars. Great show.
Here's the finale:
300000 showed up to watch the show. Take a look at these crowds:
They completely flooded Champs de Mars. Great show.
The flea market comes to the lazy tourist
A Russian encounter... in Paris
The Cold War between the US and the USSR ended back when I was in kindergarten, so the little I know about the Soviet world comes mostly from textbooks. Imagine my surprise when I found a stand dedicated exclusively to Soviet memorabilia.
The lady at the stand said everything was original 100% made in Russia. That rarely works as a sales pitch where I'm from.
I don't recall ever seeing anything even remotely related to the USSR back in LA, so I felt a bit awkward and out of place being surround by all these things that are supposedly "evil".
Most of the stuff seemed to have Lenin in it, from little portraits to statues to huge canvases.
Suddenly the fact that they've preserved his body for all these years doesn't sound too crazy.
I don't recall ever seeing anything even remotely related to the USSR back in LA, so I felt a bit awkward and out of place being surround by all these things that are supposedly "evil".
This guy seems to be having the time of his life however.
Most of the stuff seemed to have Lenin in it, from little portraits to statues to huge canvases.
Chinese stuff at "la brocante"
French people seem to be fascinated by Asian stuff. In Paris, you're rarely more than a block or two away from a Japanese or a Chinese restaurant.
The Asian stuff I found fell anywhere between the stereotypically Chinese...
...to what I can only assume to be anti-communist Chinese modern art.
Some of the stuff (like these laughing soldiers) appeared to be slightly veiled political satire.
And then there was flat out communist propaganda. I wonder who would put something like this on their coffee table...
The Asian stuff I found fell anywhere between the stereotypically Chinese...
...to what I can only assume to be anti-communist Chinese modern art.
Some of the stuff (like these laughing soldiers) appeared to be slightly veiled political satire.
And then there was flat out communist propaganda. I wonder who would put something like this on their coffee table...
Can anyone tell what the sign on the poor guy's neck says?
Decor
A style to suit every personality:
the classy executive
the creep
the brainiac
the aristocrat
bookworms
the slightly unbalanced
the eccentric
barbie fans
trekkies
...and my personal favorite:
the passive-aggressive
(perfect for the office)
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