I'm all for admiring the beauty of women and the general appreciation the French have for "just looking" in general, but I'm not sure looking up women's skirts as they go up a spiral staircase is really "respectful courtesy". It seems more like the desperate measure of an awkward adolescent who is too afraid to actually talk to women (and having studied political science in Paris the same time as Colin, I can say that our classmates were/are not exactly the socially suave Parisian men that you might imagine). 

But hey, I'm obviously thrilled to see another Parisian book about sex and pretty ladies. Maybe they'll be looking for a publisher to bring out the English translation. ;-) 

(And if you're curious what the French think...) 

Castles and ruins in Sintra, Portugal.

Being on vacation, I let Amy (and Rick Steves' Guide) lead the way.

Drinking a 1975 Porto (at 11am...I love vacation!) 

Some of the beautiful tiled facades.

And a peacock hanging out.

 
A monument to the great sea explorers of the past...in the background the April 25 Bridge (inspired by the Golden Gate Bridge and named for their Liberation Day, April 25, 1974) and the Christ statue that inspired the famous Christo Redentor in Rio de Janeiro.

Yes, I got burnt, but it was worth it!

PS: Many Portuguese families emigrated to France during the dictatorship that ruled from 1910 until 1974, and now make up the largest community of foreign origin in France (Algerians make up the second largest). Read the interesting article about it here.

PPS: "French Leave" is actually a phrase meaning "to leave without permission or announcing one's departure". Read about it here.

Why?

Because Daft Punk are from Paris.

Because the talented dude who did this video goes to Carleton College (my alma mater).

Because I don't feel like writing about the Torch's harried trip across Paris this Monday.  

Because who doesn't want to dance when this song comes on?

 PS: This YouTube has had millions of hits, and the guy who made it appeared on the Ellen DeGeneres show.
 

The latest soirée for the lonely hearts of Paris is Wine Dating, organized by the team at O-Château. It's basically a wine tasting for singles in an impressive setting, the top (56th) floor of the Tour Montparnasse. I've been in Paris since 1995 and had never bothered visiting this tourist attraction, despite the very correct observation that "at least when you're in it you won't have to look at it." It was pretty cool to see Paris from such heights without the wind (we stayed inside because it's freezing in Paris right now, but there's also an outdoor viewing platform).

The Wine Dating room at the Tour de Montparnasse.

Not a bad view!

People began arriving for the Wine Dating, some with friends, some on their own, all ages, many nationalities (I was at a table with three French people, a British expat and a Mexican airline pilot). We were assigned tables so that the male-female ratio was correct, and welcomed with flutes of pink Champagne.

I was at the Claude François table.

There were three wines tasted, a white and two reds. The O-Château tastings are usually in English, but the wine dating was in French. Only a few people spoke no French at all, but there were quite a few bilingual Parisians to help out. And really, it's a wine tasting...who needs to understand the sommelier's lesson as long as the wine keeps flowing? (just kidding Olivier!)

"I've found that wine helps a lot when it comes to meeting girls," said the Olivier, O-Château's founder, when explaining how he came up with the idea. Aside from the actual drinking, each table also formed a team in the wine quiz afterwards (my table won the honor of being dead last...we may have had too many refills and not enough water...the blood is thinner at that altitude).

Check out the sparlking Eiffel Tower in the back! Très romantique, non?

At the end of the tasting, there was a buffet of cheese and coldcuts, and most of the people were still standing around chatting amicably when I had to take my leave a half hour later. The Wine Dating takes place the first Monday of each month, the fee is €35/person, sign up directly online.  

The Tour de Montparnasse is that ugly black skyscraper sitting all alone at the bottom of the 6th arrondissement, crowning the Gare de Montparnasse (train station). After it was built in 1969-1972, and at 210-meter (689-feet), it's the largest building in Paris. The locals were appalled by its ugliness and the way it cast a long shadow over the city, and immediately banned the new construction of all tall buildings. According to rumor, it supposedly is lined with asbestos and is being "cleaned", although I didn't see any evidence of this on my visit.

I can see my house from here! That's Montparnasse Cemetery on the right, and the 13th arrondissement straight ahead, with the Chinatown towers.

In the mean time, it does have one redeeming factor. You can visit the 56th floor for rooftop panoramic views of the city. There's an indoor area with a gift shop and café, a, actual restaurant, and a viewing platform outside. I was actually quite impressed with the views, even on the cloudy spring afternoon.

This is the view over the 6th, with Luxembourg gardens in the foreground and the Bois de Vincennes that dark spot in the far distance to the right. See the shadow of the Montparnasse Tower?

Thomas, Nicole, et Heather

Thursday night was actually relatively warm, so I crimped my hair (!!) and went out with some friends to see Nicolas Ullmann's Hard Rock Karaoké night at the Flèche d'Or. Amazingly, others actually dressed up too, and despite the fact that I can't sing (or won't, heh heh), it was a fun party! Here's the slideshow of pics:

Thursday night, April 3, is a special Hard Rock Kararocké tribute night at the Fleche d'Or (102 Bis rue de Bagnolet, 20th), hosted by the illustrious Monsieur Ullmann. Come and sing your favorite rock hits with kickass live band:Ac/Dc, Alice Cooper, Aerosmith  Anthrax, Black Sabbath, Blue öyster Cult,  Def Leppard, Deep Purple, Europe, Guns n’ Roses, Hanoï Rocks, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Kiss, Motorhead, Mötley Crüe, Led Zeppelin, Megadeth, Metallica, Pantera, Queen, Spinal Tap, Scorpions, Slayer, Van Halen, White Zombie...there will also be special guest singers (get out your French rock encyclopedia) including: Cyril Bodin (Amenbirdmen) GUSH, Laura Mayne (Native), Yan Desthal (Modjo), Yarol Poupaud (FFF), Patrick Eudeline, Suzanne (Pravda), Salo, Nikola Acin (Hellboys), Pascal Mono (star Academy), Phillippe Almos (WAMPAS), Philippe Paradis (ZAZIE), François Delfin, NAWFEL, and a few surprizes. There will be prizes for the best singers, check out the website for the songlist available: www.myspace.com/ullmannkararocke  Free entry, from 8pm through 3am.

Friday April 4 on the Batofar (quai Francois Mauriac, 13th) is New Wave Day from midnight until 6am (okay, yes that means technically speaking it's Saturday morning, not Friday night, so keep your snarky emails to yourselves), a DJ set of the best of the 80s new wave, electro-rock and disco-punk (depeche mode, blondie, the cure, visage, eurythmics, new order, bloc party, the rapture, kaiser chiefs, editors, goldfrapp, vitalic, miss kittin & the hacker, alter ego, tiga, lcd soundsystem, ladytron, swayza, etc.), entry €10.

Friday-Sunday April 4-6, are the semi-finals of the FallenFest music festival of up-and-coming bands from the Ile-de-France. For just €15, you can listen to about ten rock bands battle it out to make it to the finals this summer. One of my favorite bands, Delicate, will be playing Friday night. The concerts take place at Le Trabendo (Parc de la Villette, 221 avenue Jean Jaurès, 19th), from 7pm until midnight. The last round I went to sold out, so get there early in the evening if you want to get in!

And the window shopping isn't bad. I particularly am fond of the Prince Jardinier boutique, so was disturbed to see they are temporarily closed after a fire. The online boutique is still open, though, and wouldn't you know it, they are selling authentic Paris park chairs, rescued by the Prince Jardinier from "retirement" in the local dump, and given a good scrub and paint job.

No, they are not cheap; the reclining chair, my preferred, is €495. But where else can you get an authentic piece of Parisian history for so little? Until I can afford one of the little apartments above the shopping arcades with a view of the gardens, then a chair will do just fine...