Let's Get It On

The 'Love Meter' part of my horoscope for this week starts out with:

"November 10-16: OMG - this is a GREAT WEEK for you! Love, opportunity and action converge making things pretty masterful and satisfying for you and anyone lucky enough to be near you."

and ends with:

"Yeah, you make quite a long-lasting impact on swooned-out friends and lovers. This week's Full Moon makes you even more attractive. People view you as a very feverish love epidemic they never want to recover from.

So I'm thinking if I've got the mojo happening, it might behoove me to get my ass OUT THERE to meet people. And, by OUT THERE, I mean wear lipstick.

There's been this hottie on the bus that I've sort of been eyeing for the past couple of months and while there isn't anything extraordinary about his looks, he IS a reader, and that right there is unbelievably hot.

I gave extra care to my presentation this morning, adding both the aforementioned lipstick AND mascara. Hair done, cleavage noticeable - I was all set! Do, do, do (that's my waiting music) and we climbed aboard the bus. I chose my usual seat in the back and he chose a seat in front of me.

Oh gawd, he smelled soooooo good. Nice, clean haircut and the most nibbable ears I have seen in a long, long time. I was having an, erm, moment to myself thinking about those ears when Marvin Gaye's Let's Get It On came on my mp3 player. The timing was simply comic and I laughed out loud, complete with a nose snort.

And here is where I remind you that I had nasal surgery last month and thus I, um, basically just sneezed all over the back of his head.

Somehow I don't think this was what they had in mind by "make quite a long-lasting impact".

Short, Funny & Cute (just like me)

This is such a cool video, and the song's kinda fun too: OK Go - Here It Goes Again

This was taken from my office window in Edinburgh:
And this was taken from my office window in Glasgow:
And THIS was seen walking back to my office from the Post Office. To combat the illegal flyposting of album & concert posters, Glasgow started applying the red-cancelled stickers. Don't think they expected this. Heh. I titled this shot "rapture revoked".
and lastly, I put a deposit on a flat today! Now, as long as nothing goes wrong, I'll be living in my own by November 29th! Woot!

A few stragglers

No entry last Thursday. Or Friday. Guess what, no real entry today either! I'm trying to figure out how to write my next entry which is kinda unpleasant for me, but totally necessary. I'm also flat-hunting and in general still trying to take things slow. So bear with me.

In the meantime, I thought I would show you the few remaining stragglers from the the Paris trip. This is the Pont Notre-Dame (bridge), the link between quai de Gesvres on the Rive Droite and quai de la Corse on the Île de la Cité. Pont au Change is the next bridge up. On the left you can see the Sainte-Chapelle ("Holy Chapel"), located within the Palais de Justice complex on the Ile de la Cité.

This is the Northwest view from the Eiffel tower-- you can see the River Seine, the Trocadéro gardens, and the Palais de Chaillot.
Here is part of a tomb-door, seen in the Père Lachaise Cemetery.
Also in the Père Lachaise Cemetery, this is part of the "Monument to the Dead" by Albert Bartholomé. "Located at the end of the central aisle, the stone monument rises in two tiers: in the middle of the lower level a couple with a baby is sleeping peacefully in death, protected by an angel. Above this alcove, a trapezium-shaped doorway symbolises the portal to the after world. A couple is crossing the threshold. Two lines of men, women and children are converging on the portal, from the right and left."

(click here to see the wall sculpture in its entirety):
Not your average headstones for these folks. I absolutely love, LOVE, this cemetery.
A plant seen outside the cemetery. I have no idea what this is. I call it Purple.
The Pigeon feeder seen outside Notre Dame. These birds just walk all over, looking in pockets, etc. So disgusting. And yet, intriguing.
Another zoom shot from the Eiffel Tower; this is the Arc de Triomphe.
Pont d'Arcole, a suspension bridge over the river Seine between Place de l'Hôtel-de-Ville and the île de la Cité.
Probably my favorite shot from Père Lachaise. I can only dream to someday be loved like this.
Inside the tombs, the back walls on many have stained-glass windows. This is one I found especially cool with the cobwebs and the light.
C'est finis!

Paris in the Fall (part 3)

Are you sick of reading about Paris yet? I love the place, and want to go back, but I am getting a little weary of uploading the photos from this trip. I have been uploading for a month now. Criminy. I shot over 1,000 but am keeping less than 200 of them. Thank gawd or I'd still be uploading at xmas!

Now we've come to part 3 of my wee trip. It was Monday, our last day in Paris, and we'd lucked out yet again with the nice weather. Gear bags loaded, we trekked down the street a ways, heading to a different subway station and thus avoiding the need for a train change. Quick trip on the underground and we popped up near the Cimetière du Père-Lachaise (famous cemetery).

Before we could go visit the dead people, MaryAnn and Esteban wanted to find the chicken people. The last visit to Paris they'd discovered a place selling fantastic rotisserie chicken and the were determined to get back there and have some more. Problem was they didn't remember the name of the place, just the general location. We trudged on for a bit until they figured we'd gone too far, so we popped into a bar for directions and a (thankfully) hot cuppa joe. The bartender(?) gave us directions, and also explained that the place was closed on Mondays. Denied! Not to fear, MaryAnn and Esteban managed to procure us wonderful sandwiches from the Greek shop while Sally, Chris and I picked up bread, cheese, and chocolate.

This little guy was waiting outside the grocers for his daddy:

We stopped outside the cemetery to purchase a map, and then walked to the centre to sit down and have a bite of lunch. We had quite the spread with our hot Greek beef sandwiches (avec des pommes frites, bien sur), red wine, cheese, etc.

We weren't the only ones with the bright idea for a picnic, and the place started to fill up fast. I was kicking back on the bench, contemplating the joy I would feel if I had a cup of coffee, when MaryAnn reached into her pocket and pulled out Timmy. I laughed out loud and then made her hold him out so I could take a shot. Timmy is a world traveller.

Lunch complete, we set off to find our first famous grave, that of composer Frédéric Chopin. I was slow-poking my way thru and stopped myself with a big "whoa" when I saw this grave. Once I found the gang I made them come back along the trail with me cos I knew they'd want to photograph it, and I was right.
Later on, I think very near to where the bat-winged skull was (see below), this was another one that caught my eye as I was pushing to catch up. (I'm starting to see how I managed to shoot so many pictures in such a short time.) Crucifixes, generally, creep me out. But I thought it was an interesting contrast between the shiny black and the changing leaves...
SO MANY graves to see-- this is like disneyland for the morbid. :-D
FINALLY got a crow-in-flight shot!
The world famous headstone for Jim Morrison:

and also author and Oscar Wilde. This was so vandalised, it had a security tent around it-- so this is the best I could manage. Odd, but very cool.
We then split up thinking to divide and conquer and quickly locate the grave site of Edith Piaf. As I rounded the corner, I ran smack dab into (not literally) several Holocaust memorials. I couldn't help it, they made me cry.
Nobody famous in this one (that I know of), it just struck a fancy. I was very tempted to title it "EuroDisney", but I restrained myself.
LOTS of stray cats in the cemetery. Lots of pregnant, stray cats.
My favorite flower:
Wicked cool, there was one of these on each corner of a tomb (over near that crucifix):
Another 'street' shot of the cemetery
and an abandoned tomb.
We spent about 5 hours in there, barely scratching the surface of what can be seen, but we were knackered and needing the loo and agreed it was time to head to a pub. We found a cute place in the Latin Quarter, and enjoyed a couple drinks before splitting up again to get the last of our adventures. Sally and Chris went to shop, Esteban and Sally went to see Notre Dame, and I got to see the Shakespeare and Company bookstore. "For over fifty years, the bookshop has housed numerous writers and hosted readings by published and unpublished authors."
Very cool inside, although I was a bit disappointed that all of the books were in English.
I left without buying anything and wandered over to the Notre Dame myself. I was attempting to get a shot that eliminated most of the tourists (good luck), when I noticed all the pigeons. I took out the wee camera and shot a little video, and then took a few shots of the pigeon man. Worse than crucifixes, hordes of pigeons are super creepy. Witness:

I found the two, we found the other two, and then we all found a cash machine. Quick stop at the metro and we were on our way back to the flat. Funny thing, though, once we arrived there wasn't a single one of us that wanted to go back out to dinner. We cancelled with Sally's friends and stayed in for the night. A lovely, simple dinner of bread, assorted cheeses, fresh apples, wine, chocolate cookies and cheerful conversation. Afterwards we kicked back on the sofa and watched a few episodes of Saving Grace on the laptop.

Bliss.

Paris in the Fall (part 2)

crikey-- I was clicking thru my Paris set on flickr, trying to choose the photos for today's entry and I realize that I am still not finished uploading. Guess I'll include what I can, and give you the link to the set to check on at your leisure. Also, I'm having issues with the photo size. I've had to manually re-size them, so my apologies if they look hinky.

I left off with MaryAnn and I arriving back at the flat after a quiet Sunday morning of touring through several arrondisements. Once there I had a wee meltdown over MaryAnn's bitchiness and childish temper tantrums, repeated miscommunication made more frustrating as we are all supposed to be excellent organizers and communicators, period problems, and lack of fucking coffee.

Good crying jag completed, Sally came back to pick me up and we headed over to the National Museum of Modern Art and met up with Chris and Esteban. There wasn't much in the way of street art on display, so we opted to try for some breakfast/lunch. Once that was out of the way, we checked in with MaryAnn and decided that we'd all walk over to the Eiffel Tower.

I've since checked the route, and it is supposedly only 3-miles but it took us nearly 3 hours to get there. Lots of photo-stopping, obviously, not to mention the very expensive water break with the snooty hostess (rude in Paris? mais non!) (actually, that was the only rude person I have ever encountered in France. I just thought it funny that it should be the exact stereotype: a snotty restaurant worker)

We arrived at the tower with a much shorter line and I was glad we'd waited. It took about a half hour to get our tickets, and the whole time I kept debating about hopping out of line and buying some ice cream. It had been sunny all day and I was hot and parched and desperately wanting to scratch the nose of the horse standing next to the ice-cream truck. Looking at the ever changing sunlight, though, I remained where I was and before I knew it, up we went. First elevator takes you to the 2nd Floor, where you find the gift shop, toilets, etc. This is where we left Sally, as poor sistah is afraid of heights. Next lift up to the top and yowza, that was some view. The sun was getting ready to set and it was definitely worth elbowing my way thru the throngs of people. Once the sun turned I was snapping away, totally blown away by the pretty colors, only to realize later that because of the light you cannae tell that it's Paris. They could have been shot from my patio. One shot I lightened up so at least I could see the buildings.

Outside the Musée du Louvre:

Fence, outside the Musée d'Orsay:

Musée du Louvre et Pont du Carrousel sur la Seine:

One of the bicycle rental stands seen throughout the city:

VERY cool door:

Southeast view from the Eiffel Tower, down the Champ de Mars, with the Tour Montparnasse (Montparnasse Tower) behind the École Militaire:

Zoomed shot of the Sacré-Cœur:

Oui, c'est l'Arc de Triomphe:

Enfin, le coucher du soleil:

Only later did I think we should have stayed up there longer and taken night shots, but the stomach can rule a traveler and we were past ready for our evening meal. We took the lift to ground level and walked around the base until the rest of Sally's friends showed up. From there we trekked along the avenue until we located a place everyone was willing to try, and who could manage to fit us all in at the same table. The food itself wasn't noteworthy, but the waiter was outstanding-- well worth his generous tip. And the chocolate cake was to die for. THE best chocolate cake I'd probably had in years.

Afterwards it was an adventure in getting back to the flat, with us eventually flagging down a taxi (faux pas, they do not like to be 'flagged down') who would not take all 5 of us so I shoved Sally and Chris inside and rattled off the directions to the driver, giving the metro station nearest to the flat-- and then Esteban, MaryAnn and I hauled ass to the underground where we caught the last train home. Whew!

It was a long day and I was definitely ready for bed. I snapped a battery on the charger, swapped out the memory cards, and was asleep before my head even hit the pillow.

Paris in the Fall (part 1)

On Saturday, September 27th, I flew from Edinburgh to the Charles de Gaulle International Airport (Paris). Quick flight, hammering home to me again how frickin' close I am to so many wonderful places to visit.

As soon as I arrived in baggage claim, I saw Esteban looking for me on the other side of the glass-- he caught sight of me and through various hand-signals indicated they would be waiting for me at the exit. Small duffel claimed, out I went and did all the greeting and hugging and sniffing of butts. This is the point where the real journey began: exiting the airport (Aéroport). We are rather savvy travellers so it was mere minutes to purchase the train tickets and maneuver our way down to the platform. Chris, on the other hand, has a severe dislike of public transportation and is unfamiliar with the procedures. It was entertaining to listen to MaryAnn and Esteban explain each step, repeatedly until Chris said, "Look, I'm never gonna get this. Just don't lose me!"

Heh.

No sooner were we settled on the train than the doors closed and the two guys standing there flung off their covers to reveal a speaker, microphone, and accordion. Now see, this is exactly the kind of shit that makes me LOVE public transportation. Always a story.

Changing trains at the Gare du Nord, we arrived at the Strasbourg Saint-Denis (Métro Ligne 4) stop and climbed up to see a most beautiful afternoon. We checked in with Sally, giving her our location and setting a meetup at the café across the street. The waiter there spoke English (as did most of the French we spoke to), was an absolute hoot, and we sat outside there for nearly 3 hours just casually eating and drinking and watching all the gorgeous people go by.

Finally it was time to collect the key to our flat, and off we went down the street. Five flights up a tiny, uneven, staircase and we reached our wee flat. It wouldn't be bad for just two to live there but I certainly couldn't fathom squeezing anymore folks in there than that-- and I'm used to small places now. It was perfect for our needs, though, and after a quick drop of the suitcases and pees for everyone, we were off once again.

This time we took the subway to the Champ de Mars (Field of Mars), with the plan to walk over to the Eiffel Tower (la Tour Eiffel). MaryAnn found a ball, which we managed to kick between us the entire walk up and back. I stayed in the game until that point when I kicked the ball and it rolled into trees and sent a live rat scurrying away. Ugh.

Although I have not been to Paris since *cough* 1984, I knew that very little would have changed in the city. Paris is pretty much set, unable to expand and a with a belief in preserving the history. Not that things aren't renovated, but unlike other places you can count on Paris to be basically the same as the last time you saw it. Except, of course, when they do something wild like change the Eiffel Tower to BLUE and add on sparkly light show:

from wikipedia: "At the start of the French Presidency of the European Union in the second half of 2008, the twelve golden stars of the European Flag were mounted on the base, and whole tower bathed in blue light."

The queue to go up the tower was probably 2 blocks long, and I was glad we opted to not go up that night. Instead we met our friends at this cute little restaurant and gorged ourselves on some fabulous French food.

In the morning, MaryAnn woke me at sunrise and we watched the sky bloom with pinks. Quickly we dressed and grabbing our cameras we set off on a walkabout toward the river Seine. It was Sunday morning, mind you, so I was a little perplexed at the number of ladies standing on the street corners but quickly forgot about them when I saw a store for Mannequins. Oh, be still my heart, an entire freakin' store full of 'em (yeah, I know, I gotta find another photography niche)! Through Les Halles, around L'église Saint-Eustache, to the river, Pont Neuf, and over to Notre Dame. We arrived at the Cathedrale shortly before the ringing of the bells, and man that was one loud, awe-inspiring presentation.

MaryAnn and I then headed back across the river to the Latin Quarter, past the 2nd shift of hookers (silly me, I always assumed that was a night job), and on to the flat where we met up with the rest of the gang.

Here are some of the things we'd seen so far:I'm still uploading photos, so there's lots more to come...

**edited to add: oh my, I uploaded the photos via the flickr links, forgetting that they are all HUGE files (I shot RAW). I tried to resize the pics but if they look weird, or if you want to see more (along with the tags and descriptions), you can go to my Paris set.