At the Ballet Off of Trocadero

Oooooh, I have been neglecting you, haven't I? Apologies. I will work to catch you up sometime soon. For tonight, I'm just going to post about tonight!

Today the Central folk went to the ballet (again). This time, we saw the Maladain Ballet Biarritz perform Magifique (Tchaikovski Suites) athe the Theatre National de Chaillot.

Oh.

My.

Goodness.

Guys, this seriously may have been the best ballet I have ever seen, and I have seen a lot of ballet in my relatively few years. It was modern, certainly, but set up against some of Tchaikovski's best. Parts were weird, most were beautiful, and all was utterly impressive. Even if I hadn't enjoyed the choreography, the sheer athleticism it displayed would have made me a fan. Normally, one of my favorite parts of ballet choreography is when the guys jump. They get so high and hang for so long, then land so softly- it's such an incredible display of the true athletes and masters that they are. There was a definite lack of men bounding about in this ballet, and I didn't even realize it until close to the end, because there was so much else impressive, from every dancer, of both genders. Parts were beautiful, parts were strange, most of it was quirky and energetic and wonderful dancing. I vote we start a letter-writing campaign to get PNB to add it to an upcoming season.

Except we should add that they can do it without the strange child laughter during the transitions. That was just creepy.

The metro that took me most of the way there was above ground much of the time, which I always love. At the very least, I get to see all of the wonderful Parisian buildings (I have a serious affinity for what I call the "triangle blocks,"and the slanted roofs that are on most of the buildings). And I'm always craning to see if I can catch a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower. Tonight, I caught several. A busker was in my car, which normally rather annoys me, but tonight it was actually quite wonderful. He played accordion while the Eiffel Tower peeked through gaps between centuries-old buildings, and then suddenly shot into full view as we passed over the Seine. Yesterday, my main feelings regarding Paris were "What is wrong with this city they don't have any $*@(&#$ Nyquil!!!" Tonight, though still Nyquil-less and frantically popping Ricola to keep from scaring my fellow Metro-riders, I was all giggly- "This is Paris! This is Paris! I live here!"

My Metro finally succumbed to the Paris Underground right before my stop, Trocadero. When I popped up onto the main street, I stumbled upon a lovely surprise: Trocadero Square.

Sample of the view from Trocadero Square. This picture completely does not capture how utterly huge the Eiffel Tower is from this vantage point. It completely fills the height of your vision.

I think I would set up and live in a pup tent on Trocadero Square if I thought the police would let me. Apparently if I had a dog with me, they probably actually would let me, because they wouldn't know what to do with the dog if they busted me. Good little tips for if anyone ever aspires to be homeless in Paris. You can sleep in the Metro stations too, if you have a dog. Doesn't work with kids, though. There is a recent law that says that if you are begging with a child, the state can take said child.

Ran into a few other Central folk and we wandered around for a few minutes looking for some crepes for a girl who still needed dinner. Didn't find any (there is a crepe stand right there, with a huge pyramid of Nutella jars, but he refuses to make Nutella crepes. Apparently the Nutella is only for the waffles that he also sells. ???), but got to see a little more of the area. Very posh. Went inside, saw the best ballet ever, and then Metro-ed home. But not before stopping one last time....

Catch you later! xoxo