going home.

omgosh, i'm going home in a few hours. totally flipping out.

jeff koons exhibition at versailles!!!

ahhhh!!! jeff koons exhibition at versailles!!! c'est magnifique!!!

i looove the reflections of versailles in the flower. like the bean in chicago!

Balloon Flower (yellow), 1995-2000.

Balloon Dog (magenta), 1994-2000. le salon d'Hercule.

Rabbit, 1986. 

yes, THE jeff koons rabbit!!!! this is very exciting for an art school kid like me.

Michael Jackson and Bubbles, 1988.

it's in porcelain, so it actually kinda fits in with some of the art of versailles.

weird, huh?

Lobster, 2003.

hanging from the ceiling like a chandelier!!!

Louis XIV, 1986.

blends right in. this statue is made of stainless steel, but it looks like silver, which is very interesting in this room, the mercury salon, bc until 1689, the room was filled with tables, mirrors, firedogs and chandeliers of solid silver! unfortunately, they had to be melted down to finance the war of the league of augsburg. so this would have fit in even MORE had the old decor been there!!! cool, right?

(whatever, i think so...)

Self-Portrait, 1991.

made of marble, once again, you wouldn't even be able to tell...

Bear and Policeman, 1988.

Moon (light blue), 1995-2000 in the hall of mirrors!!!

PHENOMENALLLLLL!!!

side detail of moon.

Pink Panther, 1988.

Large Vase of Flowers, 1991.

in the queen's bedroom. looks pretty great right? 

i love the seamless integration between old and new.

Jim Beam- J.B. Turner Train, 1986.

New Hoover Convertibles Green, Green, Red, New Hoover Deluxe Shampoo Polishers, New Shelton Wet/Dry Displaced Tripledecker, 1981-1987.

totally studied this in school.

Chainlink, 2002-2008.

Hanging Heart (red/gold), 1994-2006.

i adore the reflection of the floor and from the other side, the staircase is reflected.

i think that this could have been there in louis' time. it's very decorative and festive.

me in front of balloon flower with the gold gate to the left and the palace to the right.

and a silk scarf around my neck. :P

view of the orangerie. the sky was to die for.

that is Split Rocker, 2000, in the middle.

Split-Rocker, 2000.

the clouds are totally painted in... unreal.

arty shot of balloon flower through the front gate.

i know, i'm so clever. lol.

pretty much an amazing exhibit if you understand anything about modern art, or jeff koons specifically. i loved it. :)

strippers!!!

so, thursday night is ladies' night at au bonheur des dames. this involves free dinner, drinks, and a lil show. i went with elia and leoni, pictured above.

this was our dinner. not some silly little finger-foods, chicken, rice, salad and bread.

not too shabby for free!

yeah, this was the show. when it said revue, i was thinking, like, chippendales, which i've never seen either, but i thought they stayed on a stage or something. this, however, was basically a really big bachelorette party (although i've never been to one of those either, so i'm just guessing again...). it was a little bit crazy...

yeah, totally nekkid. no junk shown though, thankfully.

those are some impressive slouch socks though, right? i haven't seen those since about 1991. 

also did not realize boys (or strippers) wore them!

so, the firefighter came out in a full helmut and when he pulled it off, had one of those old men masks on and did his routine for at least 5 minutes with it on!

SO NOT SEXY!!!

elia

leoni

moi

so, all in all, it was a fun night. my first stripper experience was interesting. i'm just thankful i was not one of the "lucky" volunteers. they kinda grossed me out a little bit and were hilarious at the same time. like, when you feel really awkward, so you just start to laugh...

kinda like that...

crêpes galore!

can you believe it??? i had my first crêpes today!!! nearly three months in france and not one crêpe! so i had two in one meal. this was my dinner crêpe. it was ham, egg and emmental (type of cheese). it was delish and also kind of a heart attack on a plate...

then i got one for dessert too. i was craving pastry today... it looks messy and gross, but trust me, it was amazing. i got one with chocolate and berry sauce.

soooooo sweet!

so yeah, better late than never!!!

french hours of operation...

so monday was a BEAUTIFUL fall day in gay paris... idyllic, one might say. so i figured i'd head up to versailles again to check out the jeff koons exhibition. which i was tooootally stoked about. this is the sidewalk on the way to versailles. pretty freaking adorable, i know.

there weren't very many people and i wasn't sure where to go to get a ticket, as the first time i had a museum pass and got to skip the gigantic line.

a statue in the garden:

i guess the lack of people milling about should have told me something, but i just figured it was past tourist season...

the chateau as seen from the garden:

mais non, the place was freakin' CLOSED!!! duuuhhhh erin. nearly every museum is closed on monday!!! grrrrr... of course, i even looked up the times, but somehow missed the whole "closed on monday" part.

this is me shooting myself in the head bc i am extremely annoyed...

so i just got to take two really nice, long train rides for a little walk in the park. derrrrr...

hehehe

i went to a birthday party last night and it was a lot of fun. i got to meet a lot of new people and we had an ultimate dance party in the middle of the living room. all in all, an amusing evening.

now i have a bunch of pix, but they are not super-interesting individually...

this one, however, is funny without any context at all.

arnaud et moi:

the prettiest day ever and other notable notables...

this is my mini quiche lorraine. i just wanted to take a pic of it bc ya just don't carry around quiche in the states... it was DELISH and i ate it while i was waiting for the train! :)

this is just a cute little courtyard i always pass. i just love the gate, all the greenery, and the stone walkway. how charming!

i applied to the certificate program at parsons paris. cross your fingers for me!!!

this is the door to the building, just as it looked when they showed it on project runway! lol. 

i couldn't get up the courage to ask someone to take my pic in front of the door.

maybe if i get accepted...

i think this was from wednesday. i met moo for a late lunch, which kinda turned in to dinner too! we were sitting there a looong time! lol. then linda and madona joined us later. this is moo enjoying her sorbet. i had a delicious salad and chocolate cake!!! mmmm... so good.

it was kind of ugly that day. grey all day and rainy! bah!

i passed by this furniture store and it was pretty much all of the most amazing things i have seen. and when i say amazing, i mean ridiculous!

do you see the chandelier??? it is MARABOU!!! 

i actually like the turquoise couch a lot. the colors were pretty, but it was sooo much all together! but man! that chandelier... lol.

this is a cool pic bc you can see the reflection of the building across the street which looks classically french with the ultra-modern chandelier in the store. it was really huge and amazing too. that store was so fun, but i'm sure you'd have to promise your first born.

 it looked so expensive!

last night (thursday) i went with elia to bonheur des dames. it was a cute club and i got to DANCE!!! FINALLY!!! i missed dancing!!! we went with elia's sister and michel, her friend. 

it was such a good time!

this is me striking a pose on the dance floor!

ahh, today... today was a GORGEOUS fall day in paris. i woke up late (i did party hard last night...) and met mylene for brunch. i ordered a very traditional french breakfast of hot chocolate, breads and spreads, plain yogurt and oeuf a la coque with mouillettes (little strips of bread that you dip in the yolk of a soft-boiled egg!). 

me eating my mouillettes. delish! it was so warm and gorgeous. we sat there for forever!

then we walked up rue moufftard in search of a hat for moo.

HUGE CRABS!!! there are stores all along moufftard.

so, we didn't get a hat, but we did find moo's dream coat. it was perfect for her style. 

i could not have designed it better myself!

moo was getting a little emotional trying it on, so we knew she had to have it.

then we went a were lazy at her apt. moo had an appt to go to, so i got a ride on SCOOTERPOO! my fave! it was all part of my awesome day! then i walked back towards home. on the way i walked through the jardin des plantes (as seen in previous post in august). it was as beautiful the second time as it was the first. it was soooo sunny and gorgeous! i think i appreciated the day even more since it's been rainy and grey this week. i need SUUUUUNNN!!!

i was silly and forgot to check what these flowers were called, but i LOVE them.

LOVE.

i didn't check these either... oops. these ones are super-awesome though bc they are so sculptural and perfect! the color is great too.

me under the big tree. i am happy for such a gorgeous day. :)

this is the greenhouse. i caught the light through the window at just the right moment.

so cool.

after that, i walked home and bought myself a ridiculous pastry. i will miss the pastries... i don't have them too often (i still fit in my pants!) but every once in a while, they are heaven.

so that was my awesome day. paris was a lady in her wedding dress today, 

never looked prettier. it was like a dream. 

in the grey winter days to come, i'll think of today and hope for spring.