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1 The Red hand points to where my hotel was. It does not show on the photo, it is blocked by the building on the right.
The Yellow hand points to the Le Comptoir du Pantheon, which was a local cafe/bar. It was the one nearest to my hotel so I went there quite often.
The Green hand points to The Pantheon, which is almost unreal. It is gigantic. Like in the US there aren't any buildings this big. Giant pillars and design and the dome and everything.
The Blue hand points to where my friend Morgan was living. She took me to Chez Henri which was a great, great restaurant. Also located near the Blue hand.
2 This is a photo taken down inside one of the Paris Metro stations.
The Purple hand points to a poster advertisement for this "film," advertised as Sauvetage Explosif. Translated, this means: "rescue explosive." In America this "film" was called Simon Sez.
The Green hand points to the picture of this fat, fat, fat supporting player dressed as a monk. I didn't get a close up shot, but it's pretty ridiculous stuff.
The Blue hand points to a white sticker that someone slapped on top of Rodman's head. It seemed a very appropriate maneuver.
Because Dennis Rodman is a worthless piece of crap.
3 It was a nice, warm, somewhat humid day. I stopped at yet another wonderful sidewalk cafe for a Badoit. Badoit is like San Pelligrino water. And then -- but moments later! -- it started to rain. And then it got harder and harder. People ran to the sidewalk cafe for lattes and hot chocolat, beer and "Coca." And still it rained harder! Then it actually began to hail! Then it stopped. And then the sun came out again. All within 20 minutes.
4 I went to one of the famous museums in beautiful Paris! This is the line to get into the D'Orsay! Coming soon: pictures of the Cafe D'Orsay across the street, Brasserie D'Orsay next door and shots of the D'Orsay building. I did not actually go INSIDE the museum.
5 This is my hotel room at the Hôtel Du Pantheon.
The blue hand points to a speaker. I brought two small speakers to plug into my CD walkman. They came in very handy. And they ate up a lot of batteries too.
The green hand points to a bottle of France's Badoit sparkling water. It is very similar to San Pelligrino.
The red hand points to the lamp, whose shade always got knocked off balance (as you can see) whenever I opened or closed the curtains (in background).
The orange hand points to some of the new CDs I bought while in France. I bought 5. A new Franciose Hardy album, new Autour de Lucie, new Dimitri from you know where, soundtrack to The Young Girls of Rochefort by Michel Legrand, and new Moloko.
The yellow hand points to my CD travelling case. Jam-packed.
The purple hand points to the TV. I got to watch Friends subtitled on one channel and dubbed on another. MTV in Paris is one hell of a lot cooler than it is here.
The white hand points to a mirror (standard).
6 This is, I think, the Rue St Germaine. That is a major film theatre, the MK2 -- which is a neat name for a theatre, eh? N'est pas?
Anyway, huge posters all over the city were around, really cool posters for this movie: Hypnose. Starring Kevin Bacon. It looks super freaky and cool. In actuality it is the film Stir of Echoes, remarketed for France. I think Kevin Bacon is a bigger star there than here.
Actually Stir of Echoes isn't that bad. It's as good as the Sixth Sense if you ask me. I don't like Kevin Bacon that much, but he was good in it.
7 When I first saw this I was like "Oh, pickets," but as I got closer it looked friendlier. I think it was a parade or something. It was right by the Sorbonne. I think it was Sorbonne related. I remember getting a Häagen-Dazs ice cream after taking this picture.
8 On my first day, I arrived at my hotel around 4pm. I hadn't slept in many hours due to all the time differences and jetlag and stuff, but I was sort of wired. So I took a shower, got something at a cafe and decided to see this new Juliette Binoche film. For those of you who don't know, she is my very favorite actress of all-time, and the most beautiful woman of all-time. So, as it turned out the theatre was just a few blocks from my hotel. This is it. Under "Cinema Champo" is a poster for the film: La Veuve de Saint-Pierre. It's all in French.
9 Okay, about 2 blocks down the street from my hotel, there is this building. This is it. This is a photo of it. You see those young people crowded around each other? Okay, those are mainly pretty French girls. And they would gather there all the time. Like different pretty French girls would hang out there. Like inside that building is Pretty French Girl School. These girls are gorgeous. They're all about 17 or 19. The girl I am pointing to is the one who broke the camel's back. See how smart she dresses too? I saw her and I was like "this is crazy! All these beautiful, young girls here all the time! What is this secret building!? I'm gonna take a picture!"
10 Virginie Ledoyen is the new L'Oreal spokesperson. I love her. This is her on a big rotating billboard thing. Behind her: Paris, France.
11 This is the moto I rented for two days while in Paris. It is green. It is a Yamaha. What's fun? Riding in circles around the Arch D' Triumph.
12 I was on the outskirts of Paris, returning my rented motorcycle, when I passed by this shop. It reminded me of the old shop in SF where I used to get my old Alfa Romeo fixed (all too often). Some of you have been in that beautiful, green, Alfa Romeo Spider. It's gone now. I sold it because of parking nightmares, and other nightmares. But it's image remains vivid in my mind. My car was a '93, a graduation gift, in 1993, from my parents. That was the last year they were exported to the US. Or imported in the US. Alfa Romeos are major cars (especially in movies*) in European countries. Here, they're more a novelty.
*In Damage, Juliette Binoche drives an alfa romeo. The end of that film sees her husband walk in on her and his father having sex and then accidentally falling off a building to his death. In Contempt, Brigitte Bardot says "get in your Alfa, Romeo" to her boyfriend and they get in and get in a fatal crash. In Blue Juliette Binoche is in a car wreck with her husband and daughter (they die) when their Alfa Romeo leaks a vital fluid. In Winter Sleepers a guy is involved in a fatal accident with another Alfa Romeo.
13 Oh, yes. That is the beautiful, gorgeous, super-talented, glorious French actrice supreme! Isabelle Huppert! While in Paris I picked up quite a few magazines with articles on her. I can't read any of them of course. But I do think I get a general idea. For more on this lovely, luscious superstar see her webpage, here at this site.
That's me with the backpack. There's many of these "presse" (press) stands around Paris selling magazines and newspapers. And Mentos! A lot more variety of flavors in Paris too.
14 This is across the street from the Dorsay/D'Orsay. There is the Tabac Dorsay and the Royal Orsay. Packed with dumb American tourists. See, by not actually going inside the Dorsay or the Louvre, I FOUGHT against the stupid American attitudes. "Oh Henry," the midwestern homemaker drawled to her husband, "See that fellow, Moe-Net, drew that. Look at all the pretty colors." "Yeah, I wonder if the hotel'll have any o' that Hoosier game on the TV later. Damn frogs... probably not.
15 This is in front of the Dorsay/D'Orsay. Grand, beautiful statues. Ignore the birds. I'm the guy at the far right of the photo, in the gray suit.
16 This is the Socialiste Party HQ in Paris. Notice the Red doors? Socialism is like Communism is Red like Red China like the Reds like Red Dawn... I am painting my kitchen that shade of red as we speak (you know what I mean), but in no way do I embrace Communism.
17 It was a quiet, gray day. It may have been the worker's holiday, or a Sunday. Nothing's open except restaurants and cafes. I was feeling melancholy. Or maybe looking at this picture now fills me with melancholy. That is a great black & white picture of George Clooney laughing, wearing a neat suit on the cover of Premiere magazine. This was an ad for the magazine. They were all over the city. I've circled it in red, for your pleasure.
18 This was taken in one of Paris' Metro stations. This ad was all over the city. It was for the Cinéma en Coulisses expostion. I believe this still was taken during the filming of The Girl On the Bridge. That's Vanessa Paradis.
19 This is a menu, written in "French."
20 This is a Paris Monument. Right at the end of Champs D'Ellyse (that is not spelled right), where it meets that big ferris wheel. It is obviously phallic. It is obviously the exact same structure as the George Washington Monument. But I do not know which was made first.
21 This is just about a block away from the infamous D'Orsay. I was walking away from it and I looked back and thought it would make a cool picture. I call it "coolparisshot.jpg."
22 This is in Montmartre. I came out of the Metro (on the left) and got a drink at that cafe right there. I sat next to those two pretty French girls for a while, yet I said nothing to them. Then I went and got batteries for the camera. Then I walked down to Montmartre.
23 This is in the famous big Ferris Wheel. It is right at the bottom of the Champse D'Lyssee (sp), where it meets the famous museum: The Louvre. I did not ride the Ferris Wheel. I have never been on one. I am waiting to ride on one with a lover now. Or someone named Ferris. That I would do too. I'd keep saying stuff like "Hey I'm on the Ferris with Ferris!" or "Ferris Rides Free! It's his wheel, after all!"
24 This is one of Paris' many fashion houses... Givency! The Audrey Hepburn favorite. I like the look of the building and the trees and the writing. It was closed when I walked by. In Paris everything is shut down on Sundays.
25 This is beautiful, isn't it? To the right is the Dalloyau bakery (you know the one) and next door is Le Rostand (Croque Monsieur!) and next door to that is a bookstore and next door to that is Cafe Orbital. Straight ahead is the Pantheon and right across the street from that is my hotel. To left is a huge, wonderful park. This is a great picture. Because it's nice, but it's like the epicenter of my time there.
26 America is Everywhere. Even in our beloved, fabled Paris.
27 Photo speaks for itself.
28 This is me with my girlfriend in Paris.
29 I was really lucky to stumble onto the Paris branch of the San Francisco Muffin Co.
30 Isn't that just what you think of when you think of Paris? All those breads and pastries in the window. Wonderful.
31 I was touring through another Parisien alley, when I came upon a '99 Triumph Adventurer, black. I can't normally recognize a bike's make, model, year like that, except that that is my exact same bike!
32 This is a shot that I turned around to take, I believe in Montmartre, after walking down this hill. And there's more hill to go. See the windmill up there? See the green cross? Those are all over Paris. It signifies a drugstore. Those are "cars," or "automobiles," lined up to the right.
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