Friday, 22 June 2012
PARIS
Without a doubt, Paris is the most beautiful city in the world, it has such gaity and energy and after not going there for so many years, its nice to have been back.
Everyone has heard about how bad the French treat foreigners but I'm happy to report that their attitude has now changed and despite me having a very limited French vocabulary I sailed through without a hitch speaking in English all the time and the French were very polite and helpful trying their best to understand me and succeeding in doing so. There was only one particular time in Montmartre in a small crowded shop where I bought a small red handbag in the shape of a rose for my sister Patty and seeing no queues, naturally I proceeded to go directly to the counter to pay and someone sighed: Arg! English! as though I had taken her place. "I'm not English" I said just so the English didn't get a bad reputation and they all laughed relieved. They are like us, if something goes wrong, we always blame the French so I suppose they do likewise. We really enjoyed our few days in Paris, walking around the iconic places like Notre Dame Cathedral, La Plaise de la Concorde in glorious sunshine, what a sublime place Paris is, full of restaurants, cafes with their sweet little tables al fresco enjoying a good conversation. Parisians really know how to enjoy life. We also went for a spot of shopping at Lafayette (which is the largest mall in Europe) and it is by no means like the other generic malls you see everywhere else in the world. At Lafayette's when you look at the ceilings of the building it has this Belle Epoch wonderful look but very modern and chic in the counters. When you are in Paris, you notice the fashions more, as the Parisians are very elegant indeed. I was searching for the latest look in make-up and found it there. Somehow I managed to describe what I wanted to the assistant who was a young fellow with very little English who produced exactly what I wanted with three different products and I left the shop completely enchanted as I thought when I first went in, that I didn't stand a chance in hell to get what I was looking for, so I was very happy that it didn't take too long either. We did this was after spending all day at the Louvre Museum which by the way, how much it has changed for the better. No more queues to see the Mona Lisa, everything seemed so airy and light plus they have opened up more restaurants along side the corridors upstairs of these beautiful buildings shown in the picture. Although when we were having our lunch over-looking the glass pyramid, I noticed that the police had cordoned off the big plaza around it and the public were barred from coming in. Two police cars were at the front and suddenly an enormous bomb exploded! What a fright! but it had been a controlled explosion of an abandoned suit-case. I wondered who had missed their pajamas and their tooth-brush that night. Ha,ha,ha.
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17 comments:
Hi Maria
Yes, although I’ve never been there, that’s the image I have of Paris – little cafes with tables outside where people sit and eat croissants and drink coffee and of course smoke Galloises! When you say they are very elegant, does that include the men, or do they just wear ordinary clothes like the English? It’s good to hear that everything is spacious and full of light. Paris was redesigned in the 19th century and the modern wide boulevards replaced the cramped narrow streets that had been barricaded so often by insurgents and sanscoulottes.
Yes, Parisian men also dress very well and are elegant too. The thing with the British is that unfortunatelly they have become too Americanised where you see them dressed in dreadful tee-shirts and tennis shoes. English women are not elegant either. Once upon a time, the English were very elegant and their tailors used to produce the famous English cut and their cloth material were the best in the world but not anymore so it's nice to go to Paris and see quality clothes and elegant people again. There are still narrow streets in Mont Martre.
Having said that, I think the most elegant woman in the world today is the Duchess of Cambridge wife of Prince William.
Hi Maria
I am not elegant myself, but I do recognise it in others and Patrick Macnee was definitely very elegant.
It isn’t just about clothes really, it’s the whole way of moving. You find that some people have such an economy of movement, it’s almost a pleasure to see them sit in a chair or light a cigarette or do any other perfectly ordinary thing.
French itself is an elegant language, though French and English are lumbering carthorses compared with Latin. I am trying to think of a modern French person who is at the forefront of fashion and style, but I can’t think of any, though I know there must be lots of them. Bridget Bardot was once, but she is a pensioner now, and a recluse I believe.
The best models in the world are English aren't they? like Kate Moss. We do have the London Fashion Week but you are right that of hand I cannot think of any modern French person who is at the forefront of fashion and style either. I think that the designers that the Duchess of Cambridge uses are English, although Princess Diana used to have a French Haute Couteur designer. I think the most elegant people are the orientals. Japanese women have exquite manners especially when they do the Tea Ceremony. I don't think that Bridget Bardot was elegant but Audrey Hepburn was very elegant.
Mont Martre is very picturesque and the artists still have their atelliers there. This was the place where the impressionists painters lived and frequented. The tradition has not been lost. About 10 artists wanted to draw my portrait but with so little time, I didn't really want to spend my time posing for anyone. There was this pesky one who followed me and Peter, so we went inside an Irish pub with the hope that I would loose him but after we came out, he was still waiting outside and I said: "Not you again? which part of NO, don't you understand? To which he replied: "You look very attractive when you get angry" I replied: "You are beginning to annoy me" and then he said he would leave me alone but he left laughing!
What was an Irish pub doing in Paris?
I suppose these artists are trying to earn a few bob. Do they still do the pavement art out there, with the pastels?
The Japanese tea ceremonies are very intricate, I believe, but personally I wouldn’t care if the women there are elegant, as long as they make me a nice cuppa.
I think that’s what’s missing from the European catwalks. The women come on in these fancy clothes, but they’d look so much better if they were carrying a teapot too. Ha, ha.
Irish pubs are everywhere in the world Robert. Even in Mexico too.
No. I didn't see any pavement art in Mont Martre. Most of them were trying to get someone to pose for them to make 25 Euros per drawing.
I have to admit that a lot of these Haute couture are designs that no one in their right mind would be seen wearing in the street. I have seen some models wearing lamps on their heads. The emanciated druggy look attracted a lot of criticism and when the designers where asked about these outrageous dresses and looks, they replied that it was just for the show! a lot of the dresses go for thousands of pounds. I like the traditional French designs like Coco Channel. Not this other horrible creations that no one can wear.
It is just like everything else. That any trash is being called "design" for instance, I could never understand how a torn and faded pair of blue Jeans could be called a "designer" signature or whatever and that people would be prepared to pay a lot of cash for what essentially looks good only to be in the bin.
Hi Maria
It’s the vanity principle. If someone can design something – it doesn’t matter if it’s clothes, or a haircut, or anything else – the key thing is to make sure it’s terribly expensive. The idea is that all the idiots with more money than sense will flock to throw their money at it. It’s a way of saying “Look at me, I’m so rich I can afford to pay this.” And then there will be others who pay, and find it a bit more of a struggle to afford it, but who want to be thought of as rich. No one ever lost any money by underestimating the vanity of the rich. It’s as though that money is burning a hole in their pocket and they simply have to spend it to confirm their place in the world. All one needs is a lot of rubbish, and a lot of impertinence, and access to some rich nincompoops, and bingo!
These are the wisest words I have ever seen and it's absolutelly true.
I like the word nincompoops it fits well and add it to my vocabulary. Robert this brings to mind the nincompoop Jessica Eastwood who as a sign of "Art" burned a handbag which believe it or not cost $100,000. The handbag looks quite ordinary to me, she could have donated the money to the homeless that are many in the U.S.A. right now, instead of wasting it first by buying this handbag and then burning it. Maybe it was to show everyone she has so much money, that she can turn it into smoke. The message is: I'm a nincompoop!
Hi Maria
This was Francesca Eastwood (Clint's daughter). She has apparently had death threats since performing this stunt. I suppose she can do what she likes with her money but she needn't try to make out that it has anything to do with art because she just makes herself look stupid.
Francesca or whatever her name is, she lacks talent so a stupid stunt like this, is not "Art" and everyone saw it for what it was... a stunt. To tell you the truth I didn't know that anyone was daft enough to buy a handbag for that price when you can buy a small house for the same price. Its completely disproportionate. Death threats? I think she is worth more alive than dead, she has left herself open to kidnapping by someone short of cash. Maybe her daddy can spare the odd million to get her back. Ha,ha,ha.
Maybe some modern artist will send Clint a note reading :
"If you want to see your daughter again, put one million dollars in a carrier bag. Go to the third tree past the second phone box. You will see a litter bin ten yards away. Place the carrier bag in the bin. And then set fire to it."
And Clint would send a note back saying: You Can Keep Her
No. Seriously, it's a tale of our times. There are people who have enough money to burn without batting an eye-lash, whilst others are starving.
Before this, I never knew there were handbags that sold at that price!
Hi Maria
Well, I don’t mind Clint. He’s a good actor. I used to watch him in Rawhide. Then he made the spaghetti westerns and then the Harry police movies....
The thing is, Clint is rich because people have given him their money. They’ve paid to watch him in a cinema, or on TV, etc. So it’s ordinary people who’ve given him his wealth.
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