2 Days in Paris

I've been accompanying my best friend here for the past few days. She's got a bit of a homesick and been kind of sad. She's a happy type of person and when she gets upset or sad, you will definitely see it showing on her face. So this finally has given me a chance to play a role of a good friend for a few days.

Wed: We met at Opera, did some shopping in the area, then walked to rue du Temple near Hôtel de Ville. There're always some street art or graffiti on the Parisian streets...









some I find them cool and funny, some are just...names. Afterwards, we checked out the American Apparel store and the American retro one. These two are ones of my favorite brands. American Apparel does reflect the American lifestyle. What they offer are the 3C's; Cotton, Casual, Colors. Everything is simply casual like t-shirts, hoodies, shorts, leggings, socks etc. but you can find most of the basic items in all the colors you would hope to find. Amazing. For American Retro, actually, this is a French brand with a kitsch design...at least for the few past seasons. However, we didn't get anything...as usual for the sales season, if you don't come early enough, the chance of finding an item you like or the size that matches yours is close to none.


After, we walked towards le Jardin des Tuileries. This time it's different as there is a theme park with a ferris wheel, a carousel, etc. Not many people as the weather has been rather unpredictable these days; sunshine, heavy rain, and strong cool wind all in the same day...speaking of the global warming.

Anyway, we got there around 7ish pm. The sky was still blue with some clouds and sunshine. A few kids were running around and some were trying to get the little boats sailed with a stick...It's always pleasant and serene getting away from the daily routine or whatsoever to enjoy some bits of nature in the city like this...

Thurs: We met at Le Bon Marche, a Rive Gauche department store, very Parisian with a high positioning and image (unlike the tourist attraction like Galeries Lafayette). My friend wanted to find some gifts for her family and ended up getting a Long Champ bag for her mom... and I got a reddish pink dress from Comptoir des Cotonniers, a very French brand, subtle colors with an understated design.

Then as planned, we took a metro to catch a movie "2 Days in Paris" with Julie Delpy. The movie talks about a couple; a French girlfriend and a New Yorker boyfriend who can't speak French. Watching this, I couldn't help but being reminded of the Richard Linkslater's "Before Sunrise" and "Before Sunset"...savvy dialogue with a quirky charm of Julie Delpy... and some parts of this movie actually did remind me of...my life here as being rather lost in translation. Anyway, I'd say that if you usually enjoy a *dialogueful* comedy, you should give this movie a try.