A transitionary home for my soul stuck somewhere between the Swiss Alps and Parisian chic.
December 7, 2012
December 6, 2012
A closer look at Rodin
“The artist must create a spark before he can make a fire and before art is born, the artist must be ready to be consumed by the fire of his own creation.”
Auguste Rodin
Today I ventured out around Paris at close to freezing temperatures to hear of Rodin's career which was beset by controversy and disappointment. We saw the sculptor's early works, and heard of his struggle to get accepted: he was refused three times when he applied to study at the famous Beaux Arts school. The collection of sculptures displayed in the Musée Rodin and the attractive garden includes The Kiss, The Thinker, The Gates of Hell, Balzac, and The Burghers of Calais.
Auguste Rodin
Today I ventured out around Paris at close to freezing temperatures to hear of Rodin's career which was beset by controversy and disappointment. We saw the sculptor's early works, and heard of his struggle to get accepted: he was refused three times when he applied to study at the famous Beaux Arts school. The collection of sculptures displayed in the Musée Rodin and the attractive garden includes The Kiss, The Thinker, The Gates of Hell, Balzac, and The Burghers of Calais.
Looking onto the main building
A glimps of the most famous sculpture of the world with Les Invalides in the background
Detail of the Rodin Museum
Impressions of Rodin
Shadow play of a sculpture
Details of the house
Makes me think...
Admiring the blooming December roses
Perspective of "The Gates of Hell"
Can you imagine M.Rodin strolling down the alley?
Les Invalides looking on
Paris in one shot
Close-up of "Le Penseur"
Monument to Balzac
December 3, 2012
Rock bottom Expat day!
I believe I have hit rock bottom with my Expat adventures. Over the past 15 years I have never ever gone through so much trouble for a single document.
Either the so-called United Europe is a load of bla or the French are off on a limb. Probably both would be my impression at the moment! How difficult can it be to convert a Swiss driver's license into a French one? We're neighbours for goodness sake!
I have trudged across Paris three times to have some DomTom French tell me I needed yet another document that neither his colleague the day before told me about nor was it listed on the official site of the prefecture de police. Which makes me wonder: if THEY can't get it right why should anybody else bother?
Today - after my third attempt - I am the proud owner of a little number ticket that grants me access to one of the officers' booths. It does NOT mean I will necessarily obtain my French driver's license. The officer who grudgingly handed me my number ticket announced that waiting time was four hours. FOUR HOURS!? So much for cutting public expenses, there are forty people waiting for their turn and only one booth is open. My calculated guess: the other four are out for lunch at 13:47.
Three hours later I get called to the booth to present my papers. The lady does not seem convinced with what I am presenting but keeps on asking me for more documents of proof. I have come armed with papers. I will give you any certificate you wish in French, English or Italian. Just try me. I did not travel out to the suburbs of Paris three times in one week to be sent back home again!!!! I am controlling my temper while staring her straight in the face with a big smile. She takes the entire stack of papers and tells me to go wait!
I am actually feeling quite chuffed with myself since I've managed to comply with the French authority by supplying an attestation from my Passport country that I lived in my License country when my driver's license was valid as well as an attestation that my driver's license IS still valid. All in French of course! A big thank you to the Swiss authorities at this point who managed to send me the necessary certificates IN FRENCH within 30 minutes! Oh, I cannot begin to tell you how much I loooove Swiss administration officers....
After three and a half hours patiently sitting in a cold waiting room I am called back to the booth to be told that I will receive a letter at home and am handed back my passport and my Swiss driver's license.
Is that a YES or a NO??
The lady insists that I will be contacted. I am starting to bubble inside and looking at her squarely ask a third time what this means exactly. I ask her a fourth time but she keeps on repeating the same sentence: "You will receive a communication".
I get up and walk back to the receptionist/gatekeeper who so kindly granted me a number ticket four hours earlier and ask the question a fifth time: "Yes or No"? She deigns to tell me that it has been approved by the French authority but that the whole dossier needs to be sent to Switzerland for their approval as well. Standard procedure it seems. Never mind that the certificates I needed to present were issued by the Swiss authorities stating exactly that fact.
Should I ever meet the French president one day I will give him a piece of my mind! In the meantime I'll be checking the mail wondering if I have won or lost this battle and feeling thankful I don't need to convert a Chinese driver's license?!
Either the so-called United Europe is a load of bla or the French are off on a limb. Probably both would be my impression at the moment! How difficult can it be to convert a Swiss driver's license into a French one? We're neighbours for goodness sake!
I have trudged across Paris three times to have some DomTom French tell me I needed yet another document that neither his colleague the day before told me about nor was it listed on the official site of the prefecture de police. Which makes me wonder: if THEY can't get it right why should anybody else bother?
Today - after my third attempt - I am the proud owner of a little number ticket that grants me access to one of the officers' booths. It does NOT mean I will necessarily obtain my French driver's license. The officer who grudgingly handed me my number ticket announced that waiting time was four hours. FOUR HOURS!? So much for cutting public expenses, there are forty people waiting for their turn and only one booth is open. My calculated guess: the other four are out for lunch at 13:47.
Three hours later I get called to the booth to present my papers. The lady does not seem convinced with what I am presenting but keeps on asking me for more documents of proof. I have come armed with papers. I will give you any certificate you wish in French, English or Italian. Just try me. I did not travel out to the suburbs of Paris three times in one week to be sent back home again!!!! I am controlling my temper while staring her straight in the face with a big smile. She takes the entire stack of papers and tells me to go wait!
I am actually feeling quite chuffed with myself since I've managed to comply with the French authority by supplying an attestation from my Passport country that I lived in my License country when my driver's license was valid as well as an attestation that my driver's license IS still valid. All in French of course! A big thank you to the Swiss authorities at this point who managed to send me the necessary certificates IN FRENCH within 30 minutes! Oh, I cannot begin to tell you how much I loooove Swiss administration officers....
After three and a half hours patiently sitting in a cold waiting room I am called back to the booth to be told that I will receive a letter at home and am handed back my passport and my Swiss driver's license.
Is that a YES or a NO??
The lady insists that I will be contacted. I am starting to bubble inside and looking at her squarely ask a third time what this means exactly. I ask her a fourth time but she keeps on repeating the same sentence: "You will receive a communication".
I get up and walk back to the receptionist/gatekeeper who so kindly granted me a number ticket four hours earlier and ask the question a fifth time: "Yes or No"? She deigns to tell me that it has been approved by the French authority but that the whole dossier needs to be sent to Switzerland for their approval as well. Standard procedure it seems. Never mind that the certificates I needed to present were issued by the Swiss authorities stating exactly that fact.
Should I ever meet the French president one day I will give him a piece of my mind! In the meantime I'll be checking the mail wondering if I have won or lost this battle and feeling thankful I don't need to convert a Chinese driver's license?!
November 30, 2012
Alegria - a night full of fantasy
The show started off rather slow. I could tell the audience wasn't quite up to speed with applauding. We had yet to be transported into the fantasyland of the Cirque du Soleil. Through lighting, instruments, vocals and costumes the spectators were lifted away into the world of abstract immagination.
The circus' performers possess extraordinary talent. Their tremendous professionalism stands out when you see with what ease (seamingly) they whirl through the air, contort their bodies and fly from the trapeze.
Their timing is perfect, the rapidity extraordinary, their precision crucial. A crossover trampoline with up to ten artists whizzing through the air was dazzling. The fire-knive dancers were breathtaking. Acrobats were flipping through the sky on a bungy-like rope.
It is not the show alone that makes this circus so special. It is the fanasy and imagination the artists and the scenography conjurs in this performance. Extravagant costumes which cannot be pinned to a certain period nor a specific country are accompanied by masks with exagerated features, feathers, make-up and wigs. Paper confetti transports you back to childhood in an instant.
The backdrops are beautiful with lampions gliding through the air and ropes circling around our heads. Even while artists are performing with the spotlight shining on them you can still perceive subtle movements going on in the background. The entire stage is constantly dynamic.
My absolute favourite was the music. Music has always been a key part of the world famous circus troupe's various performances. However, I could not figure out what language the lady in a white hooped skirt was singing. It sounded Central Asian to my ear but I kept on recognizing words in French, Italian and Spanish...or so I thought?
Were I to describe Cirque du Soleil's "Alegria", I'd say The Magic Flute meets Dickens with a bit of Madame Butterfly. In any case, it is to remain an unforgettable night for my family.
The circus' performers possess extraordinary talent. Their tremendous professionalism stands out when you see with what ease (seamingly) they whirl through the air, contort their bodies and fly from the trapeze.
Their timing is perfect, the rapidity extraordinary, their precision crucial. A crossover trampoline with up to ten artists whizzing through the air was dazzling. The fire-knive dancers were breathtaking. Acrobats were flipping through the sky on a bungy-like rope.
It is not the show alone that makes this circus so special. It is the fanasy and imagination the artists and the scenography conjurs in this performance. Extravagant costumes which cannot be pinned to a certain period nor a specific country are accompanied by masks with exagerated features, feathers, make-up and wigs. Paper confetti transports you back to childhood in an instant.
The backdrops are beautiful with lampions gliding through the air and ropes circling around our heads. Even while artists are performing with the spotlight shining on them you can still perceive subtle movements going on in the background. The entire stage is constantly dynamic.
My absolute favourite was the music. Music has always been a key part of the world famous circus troupe's various performances. However, I could not figure out what language the lady in a white hooped skirt was singing. It sounded Central Asian to my ear but I kept on recognizing words in French, Italian and Spanish...or so I thought?
Were I to describe Cirque du Soleil's "Alegria", I'd say The Magic Flute meets Dickens with a bit of Madame Butterfly. In any case, it is to remain an unforgettable night for my family.
November 28, 2012
French bureaucracy
French bureaucracy. Do I need to say more?
I do not know if French or Italian is worse. What rubs me the wrong way is the attitude of the administrative officers. So, yes, you're not the most ambitious person but a little positivity wouldn't hurt, would it? Admittedly these public workers have to put up with all sorts of rubbish but then so do we certificate /permission /authorization seekers! Ever tried to convert a foreign licence plate into an Italian one or swap your driver's permit for a French one? Personal experience has shown me that it is easier to obtain an Argentinean residency permit or a Spanish driver's licence than either of these documents in France or Italy.
Twenty years ago these two nations might have had the excuse of lacking the necessary technology but, hey, has anybody told them to take a look into today's banking world. There is all kinds of personal info flying around there! Especially on the Italians at the moment. Why can't they apply the digital data sourcing to public offices? Life could be so much easier for everybody.
Meanwhile I'm standing in line waiting to be told by an African French what documents I am missing to convert my driver's licence while all the other people are stretching their necks to spot the country of origin on my document. Oh, did I forget to mention that I am the only white person queuing!?
I do not know if French or Italian is worse. What rubs me the wrong way is the attitude of the administrative officers. So, yes, you're not the most ambitious person but a little positivity wouldn't hurt, would it? Admittedly these public workers have to put up with all sorts of rubbish but then so do we certificate /permission /authorization seekers! Ever tried to convert a foreign licence plate into an Italian one or swap your driver's permit for a French one? Personal experience has shown me that it is easier to obtain an Argentinean residency permit or a Spanish driver's licence than either of these documents in France or Italy.
Twenty years ago these two nations might have had the excuse of lacking the necessary technology but, hey, has anybody told them to take a look into today's banking world. There is all kinds of personal info flying around there! Especially on the Italians at the moment. Why can't they apply the digital data sourcing to public offices? Life could be so much easier for everybody.
Meanwhile I'm standing in line waiting to be told by an African French what documents I am missing to convert my driver's licence while all the other people are stretching their necks to spot the country of origin on my document. Oh, did I forget to mention that I am the only white person queuing!?
November 27, 2012
Angels in Paris
"Insight is better than eyesight when it comes to seeing an angel."
Quoted in The Angels' Little Instruction Book by Eileen Elias Freeman, 1994
Did you know Paris was full of angels? Actually, come to think of it, this could be a good game to play with the kids while walking through Paris: Spot the angels.
Last week I joined a tour entitled: "Angels in architecture". Now, I'm not mad about angels but I figured I'd learn something.
We walked through the ages of Paris architecture, from medieval times to the 21st century, with a focus on angels sculpted in friezes, perched atop theatres and chapels, embellishing towers, private mansions and enlivening fountains, created during the times of kings, emperors and presidents.
We learnt about the work of some of France’s greatest architects and sculptors, and the different styles (gothic, classical, baroque) as we stood in awe in front of the St Michel Fountain, the Chatelet Theatre, the St Merri Church, the Tour St Jacques and some lesser known sculptures along the Notre Dame.
My conclusion? I can honestly say that I am just not into angels!
But I did manage to get some good shoots of the Quartier Latin which on a cold Thursday November morning seemed much less crowded than usual.
Quoted in The Angels' Little Instruction Book by Eileen Elias Freeman, 1994
Last week I joined a tour entitled: "Angels in architecture". Now, I'm not mad about angels but I figured I'd learn something.
We walked through the ages of Paris architecture, from medieval times to the 21st century, with a focus on angels sculpted in friezes, perched atop theatres and chapels, embellishing towers, private mansions and enlivening fountains, created during the times of kings, emperors and presidents.
We learnt about the work of some of France’s greatest architects and sculptors, and the different styles (gothic, classical, baroque) as we stood in awe in front of the St Michel Fountain, the Chatelet Theatre, the St Merri Church, the Tour St Jacques and some lesser known sculptures along the Notre Dame.
My conclusion? I can honestly say that I am just not into angels!
But I did manage to get some good shoots of the Quartier Latin which on a cold Thursday November morning seemed much less crowded than usual.
Can you spot the angel?
St.Michel Fountain
Church St.Julien Le Pauvre
A Greek - Melkite - Catholic church
Paris' oldest tree planted in 1601
Shakespeare & Co bookshop
Paris in it's autumn dress
Tour St.Jacques
Indian fall in Paris
Discovering secrets of Notre Dame
A stroll along the quai of Ile Saint Louis
November 25, 2012
Christmas spirit at the Champs Elysées
After an abundant Thanksgiving lunch today, I decided to take a digestive stroll down to the "Village de Noël des Champs-Elysées", thinking this might be a good start into the Christimas spirit. Oh boy was I wrong.
I had to fight my way out of the metro, shove myself past the 160 little chalets surrounded by hundreds and thousands of people. Whiffs of churros, onion soup, chocolate waffles, mulled wine and incense were taking turns as I pushed my way down the world-famous Champs-Elysées.
American Christmas songs from the 50s and 60s blaring out of loudspeakers and fake snow hanging from the roof tops is not my idea of a quaint Christmas market. Don't get me wrong I adore Dean Martin and Bing Crosby at Christmas but where has the traditional cosy holiday feeling gone?
I guess with over 1 million tourist walking up and down the Champs Elysées every single weekend something has got to give. So I went hunting for some good shoots instead. See for yourself:
I had to fight my way out of the metro, shove myself past the 160 little chalets surrounded by hundreds and thousands of people. Whiffs of churros, onion soup, chocolate waffles, mulled wine and incense were taking turns as I pushed my way down the world-famous Champs-Elysées.
American Christmas songs from the 50s and 60s blaring out of loudspeakers and fake snow hanging from the roof tops is not my idea of a quaint Christmas market. Don't get me wrong I adore Dean Martin and Bing Crosby at Christmas but where has the traditional cosy holiday feeling gone?
I guess with over 1 million tourist walking up and down the Champs Elysées every single weekend something has got to give. So I went hunting for some good shoots instead. See for yourself:
Metro Champs-Élysées - Clemenceau
Full moon over Place de la Concorde
Looking towards Pont de la Concorde at sunset
Boule de neige au chocolat
Babushka dolls
3 Euros for mulled wine is a good deal
Kids ride down the slide
Ride down the Champs Elysées
1 out of 1 million
Christmas lights lining the Champs-Elysées
Place Clemenceau
Trendy restaurant "L'Avenue" on Avenue Montaigne
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