Day 4 - sept. 24 - Thursday

This is just an update of the evening... It should be in the end of the day, but here we go:

Even being tired I decided that I needed to go out at least once in Paris. So, I left my parents at the hotel and got the subway to Pigalle, a bohemian neighborhood. That's where the world's most famous cabaret is located. Today the Moulin Rouge is a show for tourist, but I passed it because it costs 92 euros a person. Instead I spent 20 euros, drinking with new -made-bar- friends Steve and Jen from the US (Seattle), and other people that I can't remember their names - dah- from France and Portugal. It was a lot of fun! I had to find my way back to the hotel, by subway and was just luck to probably get the last train back! Good times!!! Check out the photos:

Paris - during the day

Another fun day in Paris! We started the day not too far from the hotel, at the Pere Lachaise Cemetery. I fell in love with it when I watched a documentary about this place. There is so much culture and history there. The time of the visit could not have been more perfect: the fall. The day was grey and the leaves were falling. The atmosphere was melancholic.

As long as I don’t have to go see a loved one, I enjoy cemeteries very much!

At first my parents were not too convinced that a visit to a cemetery could be fun, but after a little while they just relaxed and enjoyed it!

Mike, this is for you: a picture in front of Jim Morrison's grave.

Chopin is also there.

The writer Balzac. This is for me...

And Alan Kardec's grave.

If you wish to do a virtual tour of the cemitery: http://www.pere-lachaise.com/

French singer Edit Piaf was also laid to rest here.

From there we went for a late lunch at Rue Cler, a famous pedestrian street with an open market.
There are stores for meat, fish, greens and cheese, making it a destination for great food shopping in Paris.

I could not resist and stopped for Creme Caramel. These people were a lot of fun. They didn't speak any English and we don't speak French at all. Can you imagine our communication? I have no idea what they were talking, but we laughed a lot!

Classy biker? In Paris, of course!

The day ended on my favourite bridge in Paris:
The Pont Neuf, or New Bridge. This is is the oldest standing bridge across the river Seine in Paris. Its name, which was given to distinguish it from older bridges that were lined on both sides with houses, has remained.

This reminds me of the beautiful movie Les amants du Pont-Neuf, from 1991, with fantastic Juliette Binoche. If you haven't watched it, here is synopse from the site IMDb:

Set against Paris' oldest bridge, the Pont Neuf, while it was closed for repairs, this film is a love story between two young vagrants: Alex, a would be circus performer addicted to alcohol and sedatives and Michele, a painter driven to a life on the streets because of a failed relationship and an affliction which is slowly turning her blind. The film portrays the harsh existence of the homeless as Alex, Michele and Hans, an older vagrant survive on the streets with their wits. As they both slowly get their lives back together, Michele becomes increasingly dependent on Alex as her vision deteriorates further. Fearing that Michele will leave him if she receives a new medical treatment Alex attempts to keep Michele practically a prisoner. The streets, skies and waterways of Paris are used as a backdrop to the story in a series of stunning visuals which dominate the film.