(Bridge from Inception)
Today I was awoken by my host family’s chimney sweeper-man. Waking up in a frazzled daze, once I discovered what the source of the noise was, I found it quite humorous! In the States the idea of an actual chimney sweeper seems as if from a cartoon or an old movie…(at least for me growing up in the town of Rocklin where people are lavish and have electric, faux fireplaces which do not require cleaning). After stumbling out of my room, the joyous chimney sweeper and my host mother excitedly dragged me to the side of the apartment where there was a long ladder up to the roof. After making the hike up the ladder, I finally arrived (in my socks and PJ’s) at the roof of this Parisian apartment building. IT WAS GORGEOUS. I could see everything from the Eiffel Tower to Montmartre Sacra Coeur to Montparnasse Tower. Unbelievable. After finishing my toast and tea I set off on my own exploration (considering Tuesdays I don’t have any classes). :] Stumbling around the various streets of Paris I found myself, by accident, at the site of one of the scenes from the American film Inception! It is the scene where Leonardo DiCaprio is teaching Ellen Page how to create dreams on a bridge. The mirrors from the scene were obviously solely for film purposes, but after strolling down the bridge I also found the building which is the dream training facility in the film. In real life it is actually just an old office building, but I found the graffiti shown in a shot right before Joseph Gordon-Levitt enters the building. (After getting home and doing research to confirm this was the bridge, I discovered that this same bridge was also from the Marlon Brando film, “Last Tango in Paris” where he is shown walking down it and crying.) After admiring the Hollywood-esque vibe from the bridge, I went on to search for a few vintage shops I had heard were the best in Paris. I uncovered a gem; the vintage store called Reciproque. Browsing the racks of vintage Chanel, Chloe and Prada I almost fainted when the woman working asked if I’d like her to start a dressing room for me. Pretending to be posh I replied with, “Bien sur” meaning “of course” in English (haha). There I was in this vintage boutique trying on 1,000 Euro Chanel blazers and 700 Euro Dolce and Gabbana dresses just for fun, admiring the labels and not even being able to afford a single stitch. Next, I searched for the thrift store Guerrisol where there were large basins full of sweaters for 3 Euros to old Levi jeans for 5. This store had a more Goodwill-ish vibe and was chaotic full of people of all ages searching for a good buy. Leaving both stores having bought nothing but time I grabbed myself a tomato, basil and mozzarella cheese Panini and made it back to my home in the 15th arrondissement. Right by my apartment, I could see across the street a cute little bakery ran by two young women. As I peered in I couldn’t resist the temptation to buy two petite macaroons, one Café flavored the other Pistachio. They were absolutely to die for-Don’t worry friends and fam, I’m bringing some home with me in December! :]
Well on other news, the Inox Techno Music Festival was one of the most fun days I have ever had... Music Festivals have such a fun, bohemian vibe that I adore, people are so care-free immersed in the music. I’m dying to go to another one! Bon Iver is playing soon with Lykke Li at the Pitchfork Music Festival-two of my favorite musicians… geeshh dream team right there. Welp, since I last updated I’ve seen many interesting sites; The Mosque, Catacombs, Le Pantheon, Shakespeare and Co. (where parts of Midnight in Paris were filmed and where Hemingway once studied), Versailles, Palais Garnier (The Opera House), Sacre Coeur, plus many more to come… :]
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