Paris - off the beaten path

I've been to the city of light three times before. And it holds a special place in my heart. My parents surprised me with a weekendtrip to this city to celebrate finishing elementary school.

We did all the things you should do as a tourist then, Eiffel tower, montmartre, Notre Dame, Tour montparnasse, Champs Elysee...And I did many of these again on my following trips because I went with Paris-first-timers. So, they got to see the landmarks. Even though every experience was different, I was glad they were not a must-do on this trip. 

This time I went with a friend who also had seen the high-lights already. So, we had fun stroling the streets (in the rain, regularly). Looking back at it now, it was quite a foodie-trip, I'll share some about that in a later post (due to photo sorting). But we did catch a few other known landmarks, I'd like to share some of them with you.

1. Le Palais Garnier (Opera National de Paris)

I love ballet. I danced for about 8 years and it stays with you. It really does. So, I love to visit theaters for that reason. On my very first trip to Paris, we passed this theatre by bus, but I'd never took a trip inside. This time we did pay a visit to the masterly Palais Garnier.  This jewel in Paris is huge, and overwelming in so many was. So much gold and rich red, mirrors, bling and marmer. The highlight of the visit is the auditorium, the place where everything after months or rehearsing, prepairing and practising comes together for an artist.
We walked around, snapping pictures and imagine big crowds come here to have a wonderful theater night. We didn't even think about getting a ticket (prices were way over budget for us). I loved seeing costumes and miniature decors for different plays. There is so much artistry and time consuming hand work in these pieces.
The shop at the end is a good place to pick up dvds of plays, operas and ballets and classical cds, but the giftshop was a little over-priced.

On a side note, I bet I had a guardian angel on my shoulder on this visit. My most thankful moment of the weekend (probably this year, even) was picking up my mobile phone from the ticketboot that I thought for a moment was lost or even robbed (thanks to an awkward moment at the giftshop).

Practical information:
Entree is at the corner of rue Scribe and rue Auber, Paris 9ème
Métro: Opéra (lines 3, 7, 8)
RER: line A, station Auber
Bus : lines 20, 21, 22, 27, 29, 42, 52, 53, 66, 6 8, 81, 95

Opening times: September - mid-July : 10:00 am and 5:00 pm (last admissions 4:30 pm), mid-July - September 10:00 am and 6:00 pm (last admissions 5:30 pm).

Tickets: €10, reduced €6, there are also guided tours available. Information is on the website.

2. Pont des arts

It was fun stroling over this bridge, known for all the love-locks. People watching. With our visit, a promotion team of Georgio Armani had taken over the bridge, handing out samples of the new Armani fregance Sí. Just looking at all of those locks, I couldn't help but wonder at times. Like, are all those couples still together? And all those friendships still going strong? Where are all those people from? How did the met? I guess you could come here sit down and wonder or if you've got the guts go and ask and collect stories.

Practical information:

Pont Des Arts

Metro: Pont Neuf (line 7), or Louvre-Rivoli (line 1)

3. Musée D'Orsay

I did run through the famous Musee du Louvre on one of my earlier trips. Just before closing time, me and my family decided we had to have a glance at the most visited painting in the museum, the Mona Lisa. And just that, so I followed my parents and cought glimpses of the long halls filled with master paintings and sculptures. Mona Lisa was surrounded by a last moment crowd, at least half a meter off, behind a thick pice of glace and very tiny. But we saw it. Well, needless to say the Louvre is on my list for a proper visit, but not this trip. This time, I favored Musée D'Orsay. I had never visited before but heard it was a great museum on impressionism. And it's one of my favorite times in art history.
The museum is a great, although a bit of a noisy place. Lots of space to sit and give your tired feet a rest while soaking in art from Master painters and sculptors. I was touched by two particular works. The Little dancer by Degas. I know about this sculpture a long time (it was degas who combined my two loves of dance and painting). Seeing the thing and being able to walk around was fun. But it was the face of the girl that struck me. To me she looked so unhappy and locked up (in this case in a glass showcase...).
The other piece was by Monet. I know he is a master. But his painting Curch of Vernon in the fog touched me in a way I didn't know art could touch someone. The soft almost transluscent colours and the gentle brush strokes, it is tenderness on canvas.

I loved the little corned they had dedicaded to Le Palais Garnier, because we paid a visit there in the morning. At the museum they have an intersection of the building in which I could see what was behind that huge print of red curtain. And walk on top of a miniature part of Paris.

Practical Information
1, rue de la Légion d'Honneur, 75007 Paris.

Metro: Solférino (line 12)
RER: line C, to Musée d'Orsay
Bus: 24, 63, 68, 69, 73, 83, 84, 94
Opening times: 9.30am to 6pm, 9.30am to 9.45pm on Thursdays
Closed on mondays, galleries start closing 5:30pm

Tickets: normal price (museum + exhibition): €12
But there are reduction rates and free entries (every first, Sunday of the month, under 18, members of the EU from 18-25). Check on the website for actual prices and information.

4. La Défense

We spent some time in the largest businessdistrict of Europe, La Défense. It's the part of Paris with all the huge towers you see from many viewpoints in Paris.We'd heard there's a bit of an open-air-museum and good shopping. But it was rainy, cloudy and quite crowded in the shopping center(s). So we stayed at the Grande Arch people watching and enjoying the view from the stairs of the Grande Arche over the Avenue des Champs Élysée.

Practical information:
Metro: La Défense (line 1)
RER: A to La Défense

The viewing deck on top of the arch are closed down apparently.

5. Montmartre

We enjoyed a view over Paris from the Montmartre. It's one of those places where it's always lively. We enjoyed a showcase of streetartist Iya Traore. Just keep your eyes on your bags and buying (fake) bags, sunglasses and other stuff from plaids on the ground, might not be such a good idea. 

Practical information
Metro: Anvers (line2), or Abbesses (line2)

If you got any tips for a travel to Paris, please leave them in the comments below, so I can catch them on another trip.

See you later this week with a short report on foodie places to go in Paris!

Wolrd of Manga

Maybe it´s the Summer season, but I see great exhibitions popping up around me. Or maybe it's because the actual Summer weather is falling behind a bit this year giving us lots of rain and way less than the average temperature. Museums are weather proof and I love visiting them every now and then. Especially taking a sketchbook with me, get inspired and learn from the great masters up on the walls. Yesterday, it were mainly Japanese artists that blew my mind at The World Of Manga exhibition at the Wereldmuseum (World Museum) in Rotterdam.

The museum is housed in the former gather place of the Royal Yacht club from prince Hendrik in the 19th century. 

It's a wonderful building inside and out. With an awesome view on the Erasmus bridge (and in my case a Holland America Liner cruise ship). 

Like I wrote before, I used to draw a lot. I've had a what I call my manga-period somewhere between 2003 and 2009. I looked up an oldie from 2008. 

For those of you who are not familiar with Manga and Anime (that's cool by the way, you're not the only one), to cut it short, its Japanese graphic story telling (manga) and animation (anime).
At some point I went back to more realistic, mainly portrait drawing. But the manga and anime have always kept a little place in my heart. Love watching the classic Spirited Away for example.

The exhibit World of Manga opened just this week. Although, I'm familiar with the style, I've learned so much from the exhibition on the roots of this art style. Characters and stories leading back to Buddhist and Japanese tradition for example. But what struck me most and never noticed before, is how much emotion is put in every drawing. I didn't bring in my camera or my mobile phone, just my sketchbook. I feel like making pictures of artworks in a museum is not doing justice to the amount of work that the artists put in their pieces. But I took my notes. Three artists made quite an impression and I've included links to their official websites, so that you can check them out.

Shiho Enta with the illustrations she's done for the Pillow Book (an at least 1000 year old book by author and court lady Sei Shonagon). Fuzichoco with her colourful, detailed work that are stories on their own and have beautiful fitting titles. There was one work of her titled 'Nostalgia looking for her mother' in which a girl is shown, in a second hand shop, because her mother has turned into a second hand object. She's hoping to find her mother this way. Shinkichi Tajiri put his person experience into designing his machines.

After I long and slow stroll through the exhibit, I continued to the permanent exhibition of the museum. 

Brought in a classic museum way in many glass cabinets I entered the world of Oceanian, Tibetan, Japanese and Chinese (religious) culture. Loved the wood carved masks in all different shapes and sizes.

sketch of a mask (item no. 123 at the Indonisia part of The Collection at Wereldmuseum. I plan on inkting and colouring (see the notes on colour).

As you can imagine with the museum visiting and a drawing bug at my hands, the crochet side is a little quiet. But I when a friend of mine asked me to make a little gift, I did. I worked up the free amigurumi pattern Konijntje Pluis by Stip&Haak. Although I made two little adjustments, a pompom tail and stitched eyes (baby safe) and added a little bow.

I leave you with a little love and the trailer of Wolf Children, a new anime directed by Mamoru Hosada

A new love and an old passion

You know those moments that you completely are unaware of time passing by? I've had a few the past few months. The good and a little bad, in terms of boredom caused by a bad bruised foot. The funny thing is, it happend during a great friends and dinner night, which is now marks peculiar happy memory. 

Well, the foot kept me on a couch or sitting on my bed the past six weeks or so. Which has led to watching too much missed episodes of master chef and attempting amigurumi crochet. It's my new addiction.

For my very first attempt I caught the very needed detailed and clear pattern of  an elephant by Jam made (on the right). 

On the left is a little friend. It's an adjusted pattern (working on a written pattern for you!) of Winston the Elephant pattern by Echtstudio. The funny thing is, I'm Dutch but I had to translate the pattern since I learned how to crochet with English terms. I have to admit I feel a little awkard about that.

I've been busy trying different patterns and collecting  and pinning. At the moment there are three crochetprojects on my hooks. First is a lace scarf via a Japanese pattern I found. Following that pattern goes well, although I had a few hicups, since I can't read any of the japanese writings that might include tips, tricks and some guidance. It's a fun pattern to follow and to figure out.

The second is my very first attempt on designing my own amigurumi pattern for a globe. It's starting to get somewhere. Hope I can share it with you in the near future!

And today I started on tackling another technique. Tunesian crochet. I've been waiting to try for a while and 

yesterday I got myself a standard tunesian hook of 3.5mm. Casting on the stitches was a little of a pain, but after that it's been a lot of fun!

When my hands ar not glued to a crochet hook, it won't take long before I grab a pencil. Drawing has been a great passion for a long time. But with all new things to learn on the handwork side, drawing has been a little quiet. Only my gallery on DeviantArt reminds me at times I used to draw a crazy lot just a few years ago.

I went to London last weekend and decided to bring a little sketchbook and watercolourkit with me. I had a great time on a six hour or so, bus ride from Utrecht to London and back. My best sketching moment was at the British Library. I made the pencil sketches of the sketch you see above. Of course there's no way I could watercolour right at the spot. So I noted the colours with pencil and added colour on the bus ride home. I would absolutely reccommend to visit, if only just to check the beautiful exhibition in the Sir John Ritblat Gallery (free enrtance). Mozart next to John Lennon, Jane Austen's writing desk, Bible's next to Korans and Japanese scrolls next to biological drawings in the book of Fishes by John Ray. It's a travel through time, culture and religion. 

Talking about London and art. I would also recommend you to visit the lovely, light and inspirational Slanchogled shop at 66 Chalk Farm Road. Loved walking around picked up a travel friendly waterbrush you see on the picture above, a kneeded ereaser and a issue of Simply Crochet (awesome magazine too. Should find a place that sells it here in Holland). And if you wonder what that weird name is doing there, the shops businesscard explained it to me. It is the Bulgarian word for sunflower, literally meaning 'looking towards the sun.'

I leave you with another new friend: classical music. It has become a great soundtrack on my crochet evenings. At the moment I would recommend Ludovico Einaudi. His music is used on movie soundtracks such as the beautiful and touching French movie Intouchables).

Wisdom on Wednesday

One of the things I find inspiration in for life, whether it's the good or the bad; are quotes by people who, generally speaking, have a little more experience in life than me. Or just in proverbs, lyrics or books. Enjoy some inspiration to help you the first week of spring! All are photos are taken by me, but of course quotes/lyrics used belong to the people quoted.

Lyrics by Marike Jager, go check her. Wonderful music. The song ‘Back Home’ is from her new album ‘Here Comes The Night’. The photo was taken by me in 2009 in Enschede (The Netherlands).

John W. Gardner was an American Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare.

A little inspiration poster from Hillsong Church London. I love the line: Feed your passion to learn, not just to be smarter, but to be wiser.

Some art by me (2011)