Cris in Paris

josh rouse

sometimes you go to a concert being already a fan, sometimes... you become a fan... I was feeling as if I was missing a lot of concerts these days, but guess I was just waiting for a good one!
this was the perfect plan for a sunday evening after a great weekend... thanks to Al for coming with me.. it was great sharing it with him, hopefully it will be just one among many.. in Paris, in London or anywhere else..!!
Unfortunately images cannot show what means not being able to sleep afterwards or being singing the songs for a couple of days now, but just in case.. (anyway, for the fans..)

London in the rain

I did it. I finally crossed the sea by train and got to London for a weekend! I left the country of the Champagne to arrive to Pancras Station, where the longest Champagne Bar is. Anyway, it was not the time for Champagne anymore but for pints in Camdem ;) and that was Friday night: gossip and laughs with the interns of London and chinese food for one pound, delicious!
On Saturday, Ines and me decided to make some tourism, but it isn't easy with that rain... soooo we moved to the British Museum (hehe, just to see what will be missing and I won't be able to see in Athens in a couple of months), ate with Begoña in Shakespeare's Head: fish and chips and then some shopping. The chapter in Abercrombie and Fitch and the casual luxury deserves a post in itself, but I wait for Ines to do so. I will just say that the queue deserve the entrance and that I fall in love four or five times ;) I can't avoid it when a boy smile at me like that...

After a tour around, Covent Garden and its musiciens, Piccadilly Circus etc we met again to go to the Soho to have dinner and have some drinks. Not bad the interns that decided to live there.. (sí, somos unos pobres becarios sí...)

Sunday, not even trying to keep with tourism.. but a better plan for a Sunday morning: Brick Lane. The market (I will deny it anytime in the future, but I bought three dresses for 8 pounds..) the superb Indian lunch, Truman Market, with, as Alberto described, all the cosmoposh of London, and finally the 1001. This was THE PLACE. 24h open from Saturday to Sunday, various ambiances, cafeteria, chill out, and disco. The beers at 3pm on Sunday afternoon and the House Music, just unforgetable.

Then it was THE CONCERT (next post coming soon) and waking up early after a short nap to get to Paris on time to solve all the AP (absolute priority!)

Great weekend, who were there know what I am talking about.. Thanks to the A-Team (Andrés, Alberto, Andrew and the A-usent A-lvaro who let Ines and me slept in his bed) and to Begoña who showed around like an authentic londoner!

Finding Netherland

I waited for this trip a long time, lack of opportunity, lack of company, lack of time? But then the right time comes, (as always for anything in life) and there you are, sitting in the Thalys heading for a weekend in Amsterdam.

I cannot write a common post about Amsterdam cause Amsterdam is like an impressionist painting. You make an open composition with a couple of brushstrokes in order to get the movement, the crucial element of human perception and experience. Here you have some brushstrokes…

• Netherlands sounds like something out of a fantasy novel. And it is indeed the scenary of a fantasy novel.
• Casual people. Not studied casual, but straight ahead 'I think I'll go without shoes today' casual.
• Language sounds like German being spoken underwater.
• Crafted - everything - staircases, water glasses, window shade pulleys, laptop stands - crafted, and crafted well.
• Water everywhere. Canals, bridges and nice houses 1,80 metres length.
• Red Light District. Girls in underwear to the left and to the right (feel safer looking ahead). Hate the look of the guys, like being in the best supermarket ever.
• Contradiction. Hate prostitution but they get more money in one day the monthly minimum wage, they have central heating and guess it is not that boring. Wish there was a supermarket of men to get an idea of what it feels like. It is a pity that no man can stand a full-time working day (yeah, you cannot pretend that erection..)
• Smell pot everywhere. In every corner you get whether the best pot smell, or the nastiest dirty weed ever. And coffees in a coffee shop.
• Flower market full of bulbs and grow-your-own-dope kits.
• Bicycles everywhere. One million for a population of 800.000. And boats. Want one house-boat.
• A sculpture of a hand-touching-a-brest-and-a-half at the feet of the main church of Amsterdam, which is just in front of the Red Light District. Are the Church and the Sin still so closed?
• Recipes. Discussions about whether it is better raw, boiled... but in the oven??? A lot of discoveries…
• Wok. The best wok ever, made by a Spaniard and his Thai girlfriend. Next thing in my list to thing that I have to learn to prepare.
• The flying pig: a crazy hostel with crazy people. Love that I still enjoy that kind of things and situations, I am not that old yet ;)
• Aurora’s awesome tour on a Sunday morning. It rained for 4h, but it worthed it. Amsterdam does look different now for me.

And then coming back to Paris with a lot of new thoughts in my head. Is spirituality a motion that runs against reality, or is it an intense experience of reality? I feel contradiction, the more and more contradiction

Gracias Cris por este finde. Definitivamente nunca hubiera tenido mejor ocasión ni mejor compañía.

Santa

What I got from Santa in advance... a lot of spanish ham Iberico (preparing a party to share it cause I don't feel able to eat that much), spanish cheese Manchego, turron, one of our secret recipes, alcohol (hehe like the Jagermeister), magazins, a tshirt to impress the frenchis and.. laughs and cares. Unfortunately I had a cold, but anyway hope you enjoyed Paris as much as I do! Thanks to you

who said there are not sunny days??

I know it is hard to believe but sometimes topics are not true. After two months here I have to say that I have had plenty of sunny days, most you don't enjoy them cause you have to work (oh what a pity..) but others, you DO enjoy them.
Here a couple of videos of one of my favourite plans, just sitting by Montmatre..
The thought was inspiring, maybe for another ocassion.. today just the videos...

if you are travelling

We always fear running out of battery in our Ipod.. voilà the solution...
http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=GfPJeDssBOM

strike: DAY.. who cares!

Tuesday morning..

Anything you are reading about the strike here is... true? hehe guess it is something you have to experience to understand.. but the most important thing, don't think it only affects the metro!

Yesterday we had tickets to the Opera... thanks that I had taken the metro in the morning (well, it was not that much fun, but at least..) because in the evening, I did 6,5 km to reach the Opera and then 3,5km to get home (thanks I stopped by and I was invited to have dinner, otherwise I would have never arrived ;)

And thanks that I live in the CENTRE...

But the best part was the ballet. They are on strike too, still don't know if it is in solidarity with the others or because they didn't want to take the metro or just that they want to work till 50 too. Anyway, a strike there means that there was no scenerie, nor wardrobe. So.. the dancers were.. some in slips (I promise it is true, every time he danced Patri and me couldn't stop laughing), some in their Adidas, and some with the pijama... PRICELESS.

The good thing was that with our 10euros entry we sat in a great place as it was almost empty, and the ballet is always the ballet ...

una opinión como otra cualquiera

http://www.cincodias.com/articulo/Sentidos/corazon/Espana/oficina/Paris/cdscdi/20071119cdscdicst_1/Tes/

veni, vidi, vinci

Some visits scare.. the Old School is one of those. No matter how well you slept the night before it would never be enough to survive the weekend.. No matter how many great great nights you had spent together you always find that you can still have a great one.. Even though there were some absences.. some expected and other unexpected :( I am looking forward for the next one!

strike: day TWO

sun was shining.. don't try to go by underground, just walk... beautiful beautiful paris on a cold morning.. one hour and something to get there.. and many many pictures after..

arrive to the office: 10.15 :) (love strike days, people even greet you for arriving..)

today it was BEAUJOLAIS, the day the first wine is on sale. So after work.. cold evening.. no transport.. the answer is just to drink a couple of wines...

discover a typical TASCA with wine and kind of tapas. Get drunk easily (I'm sooo easy.. ;)

go back on foot again..

Conclusions of the day:
1. you love Paris
2. you have made more than 12km by foot (I would say many more cause I still have trouble to find the shortcuts ;) love to walk along the Seine..
3. you love the Beaujolais (it won't never happen again, you promised it once already hehe...)
4. you go home early cause even though you love more than anything "liarla" (kind of get on trouble) you know that you have more obligations.. tomorrow the old school is coming (hehe la vieja escuela, vosotras sabeis de lo que hablo) so you have to be prepared for that :)
5. did I say I love Paris? oh my God.. that's a funky crime...

strike: day ONE

This is the song to cheer up a day like today, again on a stupid strike and probably the last one with good weather (from now on I will probably need a boat to come to work hehe) It really makes me laugh! Don't get scared...

live music

It was a long time since the last time...

The lights go off and you feel the butterflies in your stomach
Your mind stop thinking in any other thing and you just let yourself.. fly!
The guitar starts playing one of your favourites songs...

Bones, starved of flesh
Surround your aching heart
Full of love

and you sing your favourite refrains...

In the end all you can hope for
Is the love you felt to equal the pain you've gone through

You came in your own
That's how you'll leave
With hope in your hands
And air to breath

If something has to change.. then it always does...

I won't disappoint you
As you fall apart
Some things should be simple
Even and end has a start

Every little piece in your life
Will add up to one

There is no better plan for a Sunday afternoon than live music!! And thanks for the company, it was the best, an authentic fan :)

From here I invite you to listen to their songs. Soon some more discoveries..

Paris Express

Feeling down? Need some laughs? Buy today a Paris Express! You will get more than you ever imagined in only 36h!
The offer includes:
Warm welcome at the airport.
Moet Chandon and Comté for dinner.
Paris nightlife: a boat, a street called: thirsty street? some pastis, some beers and finally Pigalle with our favourite songs till 6am
Early wake up: cafe au lait and croissants, and a some of the basics: Tour Eiffel, Arc du Triomph, Champs Ellysées, la Seine, Place de la Concorde, Louvre, Notre Dame... Some relax: petit bistro sympa, formule crepes et cidre. Some shopping at Le Marais, some modern art in the Pompidou and quick siesta (while you get your usb memory fulfilled with all the films and tv series and music you ever dream of)
Soirée gastronomique: fromage et vins du pays. A lesson of music (surprisingly and extraordinary knowledge of the attendants, my emule was working all night..) and loads of laughs (thanks to Sarah and Maren!)
Paris nightlife 2: a pub with disgusting and at the same time amazing drawings in the walls (the beer was ok too) and a new discovery in our favourites of the Paris la nuit, Truskel forever!! Some dancing, some yawning and... finally able to sleep with a smile in your face..

Lili, feel welcomed anytime soon!
(vivan las canciones que nos ponen de buen humor!)

first visit

You got a message in the morning and in the evening somebody is knocking at your door. Surprises always scare me.. but it is true that some surprises really worth the try :)

Getting lost in Paris, eating a great-uneasy-to-digest raclette, sitting by Montmatre to see a couple singing and going back home on foot by night after an exhausting day.. are some of things you can't miss when coming here to Paris.
And that's more or less what unexpected visits get.. but they get many more things, like a bottle of Champagne in the fridge, another unexpected visit sleeping in the living room that night and an unexpected party!
Some visits worth the surprise, guess that was one of them :) Thanks again!

to my friends

Wednesday 9AM you got this message: <Cris, I’ll hop in the car after work towards Paris tonight, is it ok for you? I would arrive around 23h. Greetz! >
Thursday. A phone call with a friend <…Cris I had thought of visiting you three times this year…!! is it too much..??> (She didn't say that last sentence but I wanna think that she thought it..)
Friday. A call on your cell from a friend of a friend <Cris… can I stay at your place tonight?? All the hostels are fully booked…>
Sunday: Lili sends me a message. She decides to hop into the plane next weekend :)

Nothing more dangerous for your health than the low cost and having an apart in Paris...

So for the moment, fully booked, no more free weekends till next year.

(Having friens is nice.. and stressful! but afterwards it worths it. Thanks for the surprising and funny weekend, hope there will be more like that :)