Milano

Lauren and I went to Milan for our two-year anniversary. The city was clean, convivial, and full of amazing architecture... oh, and food. We loved it. All the Italian stereotypes we've heard our whole lives confirmed themselves: Italians gesticulate a lot, they love bottled water, and they eat a lot of gelato. On our last night in the city we went to the canal which houses a lot of little restaurants, venues, and a little artist community. It was almost too picturesque. I could live there.


The next day we took the train to Lake Como before heading home. We rode the boat around the lake for a while and just hung out. It seemed like we had entered into a secret, walled-off, rich person's communal paradise. It was like dream, I didn't feel like we were really there and the whole day passed by like a few fleeting minutes. Getting home was insane; in the end, we rode a train, a bus, a car, a plane, and a boat all in the same day. Yeah.

Orangerie

Picasso, Femme au tambourin


Amedeo Clemente Modigliani, Paul Guillaume, Novo Pilota


A few of my favorites at the Orangerie today.

This was day two of Lauren's family coming to visit. They arrived yesterday on no sleep, so we kept it simple: the Arc de Triomphe, some Quick, La Durée, and hung out at their hotel room for a bit. We got going earlier today (with the Wade's) and went to Montmartre, Sacré-Coeur, Orangerie, and a river boat tour. Lauren convinced her folks to walk from the hotel to Paradis du Fruit, which was just as divine the second time for us as the first. We are all worn out. Goodnight.

Disneyland!

Yeah, we went to Disneyland Paris a few weeks back. Here are a couple of pictures.



I actually had a lot more fun than I anticipated. Now my parents want to go when they come over! We'll see if two times in two months will hold up for me.

Paradis du Fruit

Today is day one of our two week vacation for Easter. We spend the day doing some chores, and then headed to Parc Monceau for a little picnic. We only stayed for a little while because the wind started blowing and it got pretty cold, but it was nice while it lasted.
Lauren really wanted to go to dinner at la Paradis du Fruit, which recently opened up on Ave. Wagram by our place. It was incredible.

Amazing Grace

Lauren came home today from work around noon and crawled into bed with me. We napped a while and then I headed off to rue Duphot near la Madeleine to see a modeling agency. It was a gorgeous, slightly humid, day outside and the streets were full of people. Once I found the address and figured out how to get into the building, I was welcomed by a prototypical-Parisian-gay man. He brought me into a nicely furnished room, had me fill out some contact info and took some pictures of me. Before I knew it, I was out on the street again, sweating from both nerves and the heat.
I decided I'd wander over to Madeleine since I hadn't been over there in months, and I've never been inside the church itself. I walked around the perimeter for bit before I went inside. To my surprise there was a youth choir singing, so I sat and listened while I waited for Lauren to come meet up with me. Everything I heard was very good, but I only recognized Amazing Grace. They ended up being from Michigan of all places.

New Zealand Embassy Fashion Show

Its finally springtime in Paris, which has meant off and on rain and sunshine. At least, the temperature is more reliable. I wore a t-shirt outside for the first time in six months the other day. We've been feeling a lot more hopeful about the possibility of staying longer, probably because of the weather. We have had some good things happen though over the course of the last month. I received AE status and picked up another English teaching job for a company called LanguageConnexion. I teach Monday (Ivry) and Thursday (Sceaux); the kids are rowdy but its not too bad. Lauren finished her photo internship at Door Studios and has been shooting steadily.



Last Thursday I was in a runway show at the New Zealand Embassy for Icebreakers. I put makeup on, modeled three outfits, and got paid a hundred and fifty euros. Not bad.

Saint-Germain-des-prés

Lauren wanted to take me to Saint-Germain and Saint-Sulpice today. The area was the hub of the existentialism movement at the time of Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir. Today it is a charming neighborhood that boasts tons of boutiques, galleries, and good food.


Saint-Sulpice is Paris' second largest church behind Notre Dame, and carries a very different feeling.