MASSIVE eye roll. First of all, there's an unnecessary prologue wherein people xerox documents very dramatically. Second of all, watching a movie about the Pentagon Papers set in the offices of The Washington Post is like watching a TV show about space colonies set on earth (on the plus side, I'm now very interested in this awesome newspaper called The Failing New York Times). Thirdly, I hated Meryl Streep's performance. She was totally phoning it in (because the role didn't scream Oscar, perhaps?), and she wasn't the only one. There was absolutely nothing in this movie to indicate Steven Spielberg was ever on set; maybe he directed it over Skype. And don't get me started on the faux feminism bullshit the filmmakers seemed determined to pat themselves on the back for.
Paris à la heidenkindom part deux:
Last week I shared photos from The Louvre, Seine ducks, the National Archives, Père Lachaise Cemetery, and a cooking class. Now for the trip's exciting conclusion!
Day 5: I had an appointment to tour the Paris Catacombs in the afternoon, so I spent the morning wandering around the Notre Dame area. I was going to visit the Musée de Cluny (Museum of the Middle Ages), but it was closed for reno. Whomp whomp.
Fun street art
Sculpture from the Archaeological Crypt, a new museum right in front of Notre Dame with artifacts and excavations dating from Roman times.
Then, bucket list item: the Paris Catacombs! The line was insanely long so I was glad I bought my ticket ahead of time online, even if I did have to take an Uber to get there. Thanks train strike.
Entering the catacombs
Remnants of the original stone quarries
According to audioguide, people used to sneak down into this room for macabre concerts and parties.
I was surprised by how creeped out I was by the catacombs–usually that sort of stuff doesn't bother me, but it was really creepy down there. I was also surprised by how short the route through the catacombs actually was. More than half of it was just climbing in and out, and the whole thing took about 20 minutes! They really don't let you see very much. But it was still cool.
I also visited the Musée Zadkine, which was okay but nothing to write home about.
La Closerie des Lilas, an old haunt of Hemingway's that now charges $22 for the cheapest drink on the menu. Protip: do not drink where Hemingway used to drink. They're still trying to make up for his unpaid bills, apparently.
Notre Dame at twilight
Day 6 was miserable weather, so I decided to go to the Musée du Quai Branly, a new-ish museum of non-western art.
Train strike graffiti at the bus stop
Me getting creative with shots of the Eiffel Tower
The Musée Quai Branly is very thoughtfully laid out and presented. I was impressed, though I wish I'd picked up an audioguide, as the paper guide wasn't terribly informative.
After the Musée du Quai Branly, the weather was even worse. So I stopped in at the Orangerie, which has the best bathrooms. Seriously, I'm talking Japanese-level bathrooms here.
Before #metoo
Water Lilies
A cool building in evil weather
Bucket list item: drinking a sidecar at Harry's New York Bar. This is an awesome bar! It's the type of place where you go in for one drink, end up staying three hours, and leave having made new friends.
Day 7: St. Denis, one of my favorite stops on this trip! If you took an art history class you're probably familiar with St. Denis, since it's the first French Gothic cathedral. It's famous for the stained glass windows that paint the interior of the church like abstract watercolors; it's really breathtaking. The cathedral also houses the bodies of every French monarch, and some of their relatives, starting with Clovis I.
The mummified heart of Louis XVII, Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette's son.
Truly heart stoppingly gorgeous
The graves of Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, their son, and a few other people I forgot.
The cathedral's original crypt, which was looted during the Revolution and is now empty. The bodies of France's kings and queens were dumped in a mass grave, but escaped destruction and were recovered once the monarchy was restored. You get the sense that St. Denis' new tombs and effigies are something of a penance for the Revolution.
After St. Denis it was back to the Eiffel Tower for dinner. Yes, there's a restaurant in the Eiffel Tower now!
As far as eating in the Eiffel Tower goes, you're paying for the view–literally, what you're charged depends on where you sit, not what you eat. Therefor it should probably come as no surprise that the food was just okay, although the main course was quite good. The view, however, was pretty spectacular, and it was definitely a unique experience.
Day 8: Reims! Champagne country! Unfortunately I didn't get to do as much as I wanted, as the train was over 2 hours late. Uhg. But I did get to see the cathedral and tour a champagne house, so yaa!
Cathedral of Reims
I have no idea who this supposed to be, but I love her.
Inside the cellars of GH Mumm. Very cool! Literally and figuratively.
The Mumm wine library containing all their best vintages, dating back to the 19th century.
Sunset over Champagne (this is the greatest train station I've ever been in, btw)
Day 9: Montmartre. I loved Montmartre, even if the weather was miserable (again). It was so rustic and ridiculously charming and completely unlike any other neighborhood I visited in Paris. If I moved to Paris, this is where I would want to live.
View from the Sacre Coeur
Suzanne Valadon's studio in the Musée de Montmartre
Cat eye door
That one alley in Montmartre that's in, like, every movie.
The last vineyard in Paris
Day 10: Didn't do a lot. I wandered around soaking up some rare sunshine, then went to the Musée des Arts et Métiers, which I had confused with The Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie and wasn't too impressed with as a result. I wish I'd gone to the zoo instead! Oh well.
Anyway, I promised I would give you some restaurant recommendations, so here they are!
L'Etincelle: The first place I ate in Paris, and the perfect way to kick off the trip! The staff was super nice and my meal (I had the duck, at the not-so-subtle suggestion of the waiter) was delicious. I also took my café and croissant there in the morning and they were also very gracious and friendly.
L'As du Falafel: There aren't a lot of cheap meals in Paris, but at about 10 bucks, this is a bargain. You order from the window, like a food truck, then follow the locals to one of the hidden gardens around the Marais and have a wonderful picnic lunch. The crepe place down the street is also good.
Au Bougnat: Surprisingly affordable, considering it's just a few steps away from Notre Dame, plus really good food.
La Petite Place: A random place I picked because I was hungry. I thought I was ordering a green bean tarte Tatin, I'm not sure why, but nope! It was beef tartare with green beans. And you know what? It was freaking delicious.
Le Ceni's: Nice atmosphere and plenty of food for the price.
58 Tour Eiffel: As I said earlier, you're paying for the view, but it's a unique if touristy experience I'd definitely recommend. After all, how many people can say they had dinner in the Eiffel Tower?
That all for now! Hope I didn't bore you all with the Paris photos. Have a great week and fun Memorial Day weekend if you live in the US.
The Shape of Water, starring Sally Hawkins, Octavia Spencer, Michael Shannon
Not del Toro's best movie, in my opinion, but of course still pretty damn good. Not only is it gorgeous to look at, it's about more than just a monster. My only complaint is that the monster was in desperate need of some more character development.
Tbh I wasn't expecting much from this movie, and probably would have never watched it had I not been on a plane and desperate for in-flight entertainment. It was surprisingly hilarious and very weirdly touching! I'd never even heard of The Room before this movie came out, so if you're worried it's just for fans of The Room, don't be. It's really about friendship, following your dreams, and an incredibly strange guy named Tommy. A must-see for anyone who's a film buff.
Pitch Perfect 3, starring all the people from the other Pitch Perfect movies.
Not as good as the first Pitch Perfect, but certainly better than Pitch Perfect 2. I'm happy they figured out it's a good idea to have a script before they started filming.
I loved the first Deadpool, but I struggled with this one a bit. The beginning feels very meandery and it takes the script a long damn time to get to the point. But once Wade went into rescue mode it recovered its momentum and humor. I also liked Domino and the twist with Cable.
Up in the Air, starring George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, and Anna Kendrick
My favorite part of this movie were the two female leads, so much so that I thought for a moment it might have been directed or written by a woman! It wasn't, but there are several female characters in this movie who aren't just there for the male lead to lust after, have their own stuff going on, and speak more than three lines! It's kind of sad that's progressive, but hey, I'll take what I can get. Unfortunately this film has no resolution, so even though I enjoyed the journey I kind of felt like it left me up in the air. Still trying to decide if that was on purpose re: the title.
As a side note, I'd like to ask Netflix to stop listing movies like this under the category "romantic comedies." kthnx.
Paris a la heidenkindom:
I'm baaaack! Actually I've been back a while, but didn't want to post anything until I'd had a chance to edit some of my pics. But I had a fabulous trip and I can't wait to tell you all about it!
First off, my hotel, the Caron de Beaumarchais, was absolutely wonderful. It was a block up from the Rue de Rivoli in the Marais. My room was super cozy (good luck doing nightly yoga in there), but the shower had plenty of water pressure and the bed was super comfy. It was a surprisingly modern hotel considering the building dates from the 17th century. I would recommend it, although skip the 13 euro breakfast – there's an excellent café, not to mention a Starbucks with free wifi, right down the street.
And speaking of breakfast, a word on budget: you might remember I was freaking out a bit before I left because Rick Steves recommended a daily budget of $140, not including accommodation. Well, he was more or less on the nose with that, not because of museums fees or transportation, but because of food. It's super expensive to eat out in Paris, even if you just go to regular bistros. I had some excellent meals, though (more on that later).
As for travel hiccups, the main one was the train strike, which is still going. The strike was only 2 days a week, but it just so happened those were the days I needed to get to/from the airport OF COURSE. I was planning to spend the last 3 days of my trip in Reims mainlining champagne like a glamorous MFB, but because of the train strike I canceled my B&B reservation there and just spent one day touring a champagne house and walking around the city–which is beautiful, btw–before returning to Paris.
Anyway, pictures! That's what you came here for!
Ceiling of the hotel
Might seem strange that this is in Spanish, but the President of Paris is Spanish and lives around the corner from where this was written.
Sein ducks!
Day 2: in the Louvre...
A new exhibit at the Louvre I really enjoyed traces the history of the palace from when it was first established in the 13th century. This is one of the walls of the original palace, which was surrounded by a moat.
View from the top floor of the Louvre. That's a lot steps, people.
View from the courtyard.
Nicolas Flamel's house! For real!
Day 3: Museum of the National Archives 😍, tour of the Marais, and the Centre Pompidou
The Museum of the National Archives was filled with cool historical artifacts. This one's my favorite: it's Robespierre's table, and if you look closely you can kind of see the red stain of Robespierre's blood still visible under the glass.
I took a walking tour of Paris with Paris Greeters and it was one of the highlights of my trip. My tour guide showed me so many hidden historical nooks and crannies around the Marais. Here is the last surviving medieval street in Paris.
Sunset from the Centre Pompidou
One of my favorite paintings! A portrait of Philippe Soupault by Robert Delaunay.
Day 4: Cooking class and Père Lachaise Cemetery
Parisian cooking class with a French chef! Very Audrey Hepburn.
Coquilles St. Jacques, or scallops baked in their shells with cream, cheese, and mushrooms. Such a low-cal lunch, no?
I ate scallop eyes
Fish in paper
Bucket list item: Oscar Wilde's grave
A tree by Jim Morrison's grave covered in discarded gum. WHY.
Well, I have to go make dinner now, but I will back with more pics from the rest of my trip, plus some restaurant recs, next week. I promise!
Nothing. But I did find some articles of mine online that I hadn't realized were posted by the publication! Read my guide to the Her Paris exhibition, which focused on female artists in 19th century Paris; and a review of that Haitian art exhibit I mentioned in my last Sunday Snapshot.
I've been wanting to see this film ever since I first heard about the Kickstarter years ago. A year after the death of Vincent Van Gogh, Armand Roulin is asked by his father to take one of his letters to his brother, Theo. But when Armand arrives in Paris, it's to find Theo dead and his wife and child gone. As Armand tries to search for someone, ANYONE, to take possession of the letter, he's drawn into the mystery of Van Gogh's death. Was it suicide? A tragic accident? Murder? Everyone in Arles seems to have a different theory, and a different reason to either hate or love the celebrated artist.
I ADORE this movie. It's absolutely gorgeous: 125 professional artists hand-painted every still of the film, bringing Van Gogh's paintings to life. I loved the visual quotes of Van Gogh's work and you really get a feel for how his paintings are a diary of sorts, documenting all the places he went and all the people he met.
I also enjoyed the film noir-esque atmosphere and storyline, which is particularly appropriate for such an expressive artist.
My only criticism is I don't understand why they didn't full-out animate the movie instead of filming it in live action and then hand animating it. It doesn't quite make sense to me: not only did they add an extra (and expensive) step, I'd rather look at a character in this film and think, "Oh look, it's Doctor Gachet!" or, "It's Postman Roulin!" than, "Oh look it's Chris O'Dowd and Aiden Turner!" It was just distracting and pulled me out of the movie. But otherwise I think this is probably the best movie about Van Gogh I've ever seen.
And PS, "Starry Night" at the end COMPLETELY wrecked me.
Normally Christopher Nolan is my spirit animal, but this movie didn't do much for me. I appreciated the reportage angle Nolan was going for, but my mind started to wander about halfway through. There were just so many boats. And so much water. And the Germans were hardly ever mentioned or shown, which I found kinda weird and it made the whole thing a bit hollow. I mean, the Brits could have been fighting against the French for all we knew. There was certainly enough antagonism between the two. But war movies aren't really my thing, so.
Honestly pretty entertaining! It's not a good movie, mind (the presence of Elizabeth Shue should tell you that much), but I enjoyed the '70s B-movie vibe and some parts were just too hilarious. Plus Bruce Willis actually looked like he was having a good time! If you do go see it, expect a slow start, predictable plot, and lots of blood and gore.
Uhg. First of all, there's a long and completely pointless prologue. Then Gerard Butler dies and leaves notes for Hilary Swank to send her on a treasure hunt to overcome her grief, or something. Question: WHO WOULD DO THIS? It's nutso. Also, let's say for the sake of argument someone would do that. Would their widow then proceed to fall for [[[redacted]]]? Hard to believe. This movie made me happy I refused to read the book.
I realize this is supposed to be a "slice of life" film and not a drawn out romcom, but there was absolutely nothing going on of interest in this movie. It felt like a stage play where the characters just stand around and talk about their backstory. Tika Sumpter does do an excellent Michelle Obama impression, though.
These weeks in heidenkindom:
My trip to Paris is nigh and I spent yesterday afternoon pre-packing. I like to prepack because it reduces my stress, and also my packing process is basically: pick out everything I think I'll need, realize there's no way I'll be able to fit it all into my extremely tiny suitcase, and then edit it down.
That's something I don't want to be facing for the first time at 8pm the night before I'm set to take off.
The extremely tiny suitcase
Plus, when you prepack you realize what you need and what you may be packing two of for no good reason.
As you can see from the photo above, I'm a big fan of packing cubes. If you're the type of person who has crap spread out all over your bed 10 minutes after you check into your hotel, these will make your life about 100x easier and more organized. They're like drawers for your suitcase!
Anyway, I always enjoy seeing what other people pack, so I thought I'd share my still-tentative packing list:
A shit ton of socks. Guidebooks always tell you to only bring 5 pairs of socks, but once I was on a trip in the winter and ALL my socks got wet. There were no dryers and the suckers wouldn't air dry because it was cold. I was miserable. As a result, I now pack about 50x more socks than I think I'll need, and I've yet to regret it.
Undies
Shoes! I always pack two pairs of shoes, but I'm still undecided on which I'll bring to Paris. I actually bought two pairs of shoes specifically for this trip, and they're good shoes, but I kinda just want to wear my Merrill's and bring casual flats even though–again–the guidebooks are like, "Don't wear sneakers! You'll be spotted as a tourist immediately!" Okay, but I'm also going to be walking a lot. What's your answer to that, guidebooks?
Shoes! But which to bring?
Pants, another area I'm undecided about. I was going to bring a pair of jeans and black slacks for going out to a fancy-ish restaurant and/or trying to get a free upgrade on the plane, but I realized through the magic of trying on clothes that the slacks I have don't fit anymore. And all the dresses I have are sleeveless, so now I don't know what I'm going to bring exactly.
Pajamas
Tops (4 long sleeve, 1 button down, 1 short sleeve, 4 sweaters)
Adapter
Ziploc bags
Duct tape
Door lock
Clothing detergent & sink stopper
Jackets are something else I'm going back and forth on. It's supposed to be rainy and in the 50s, which is pretty darn cold for me, so I don't want to just bring a thin rain jacket because I will freeze and be miserable (see socks, above). I was going to take my black trench, but then the blahgs (uhg why do I read this stuff) were like, "Don't wear heavy coats through security, especially if they have a bunch of zippers!" I can see their point, but unfortunately the black trench will not fit into my extremely small suitcase. So now I'm back to the rain jacket and just layering it over a sweatshirt, but again, if I go out somewhere nice to eat...
Camera
All the charging cables
Portable charger
iPad
Kindle
iPhone
A scarf, if I can remember it
Toiletries
Earbuds (set of two)
Journal & pen
Umbrella
Small wallet-sized purse
Rick Steves' Paris–Rick Steves is not the hippest person on the planet. But this guidebook is packed with a TON of useful information and unique tours you can't find anywhere else. If I had to recommend one guidebook to Paris, it'd be this one.
Paris by the Book–A publisher sent me this last week and I was like, "That's a weird coincidence!" So I'm going to give it a try on the trip. If it sucks I'll just leave it in the airport or something.
Basically all my packing indecision comes down to the fact that I feel the need to dress like an adult, because PARIS. But it's stressing me out since I usually don't dress like that. What to do.
Anyway. If you have any packing tips you live and travel by send them my way! I'll be adjusting as needed until it's time to leave for the airport.
Hope you all have a great week and Happy Easter if you celebrate it!
