Paris Day 25: Wandering the streets of Paris (CN)

After class, walked along the Seine. The time is so short now, and there are so many things left to see.

To the Orangerie, which stands at the head of the Tuilleries like a sentinnel, parallel to the museum with the Alex Soth exhibit. Beautiful inside. Monet's waterlillies span two enormous elliptical rooms, like an infinity sign. Despite all the people around me, it's if I'm at Giverny, seeing with his eyes. Reminds me of a conversation with Depressed MD, way back in college. Said he would often take off his glasses when walking around campus at dusk, to better feel the colors of the sunset. Hope DMD is doing better these days, although I rather doubt it.

Then to the Georges Pompidou Center. Louise Bourgois exhibit is bizarre and wacky. I quite like the enormous spider creations, and try to like the women-as-houses paintings and miscellania, but I just can't get into it. Frankly, I was more seduced by the words describing the exhibit than the exhibit itself. THere were a few things in the permanent collection that I quite liked, and used my camera to catch them. Hope to get a chance to update later. Stayed at the Pompidou until almost closing. Then again, it stays bright so late into the evening, that one hardly notices the time slipping away.

On the walk home, I met Da in the street running in front of Notre Dame. Such an eccentric character, it was hard to miss him. Had just come from a reading at the Shakespearre book shop. I'd always meant to make it to one of those, but had never managed. I'd done my requisite check to see if there was a hardcover copy of By the River Piedra, I Laid Down and Wept by Paulo Coelho, but they only had the paperback copy that graces bookstores everywhere, so I passed it by. Chatted for a few minutes, then made my escape to the apartment, where sleep awaited.