Marché aux Puces de Montreuil

Today I took a trip to one of Paris' many flea markets at Place de la Porte de Montreuil. Packed full of oddities, varying from dental instruments to dusty old suitcases, rusty keys to art nouveau gramophones, moth eaten fir coats and bald plastic dolls. One has to sift through the rubbish to find the gems, but I'm certain that with a trained eye and plenty of patience there would be plenty to be found!

Graffiti- to love or loathe?

Paris is certainly a city of contrasts when it comes to urban beauty. In my opinion, the neo-classical, bourgeoisie stone buildings which dominate its cityscape sit awkwardly against walls of chaotic graffiti. Cutting across the elegant and traditional with radical colour and a strong vibe of youth and change, be it rebellion or simply reinvigoration. As you can probably tell I am undecided about my views on graffiti. While yes, I can appreciate it takes extraordinary skill and talent and would definitely consider it an art form, a part of me is hesitant. Does it really accentuate diversity and convey modernity and development or is it really a selfish form of self- expression, marring the beauty of history? I took a visit to a nearby street- Rue des Pyrénées, famed for its graffiti. I watched an artist at work with precision and care. Can one really consider this a defacing blemish on the cityscape?

Another day...another mercerie!

After yesterday's trip to La Droguerie which was more akin to a boxing day sale than a normal weekday in a haberdasher's shop, today I opted to visit another. Ultramod is near to the metro stop Quatre Septembre and is an amazing find. I was here only to buy nylon sewing machine thread to finish off the edges of my weave samples but was tempted by the incredible selection of buttons, trimmings and all things beautiful! Quieter, with friendly, pleasant staff, this is the mercerie I would most recommend.

Another useful find.

Today I took a visit to the fabulous trimming store- La Droguerie. It really is an Aladdin's cave for anybody with a remote interest in textiles. Just don't expect service with a smile...you are in Paris after all!

Only in Paris....

A lucky cat sat amongst the window display of a bookshop on Rue Faubourg St Anne.

A Rendez-vous with the lovely Sophie!

With only 3 and a half weeks left, Sophie and I finally managed to get our acts together for a lunchtime meet and massive catch-up.

It was so nice to be able to chat openly about our ups and downs, fails and successes and general time in this new city. It seems as though we have both managed to find what I believe they call "our own little Paris" and have fallen head over heels with our new lives here. The culture, atmosphere and sheer beauty of the place equally astounds us both.

However to get back to reality, on the school side of things we have both certainly encountered difficulties. From lack of communication to being lost in translation this relocation has certainly had its challenges work wise. While she had a giggle at my heart motif linen tea-towel class and was shocked at the rigidity and lack of creativity within my classes, it seems she was suffering from the complete opposite- a lack of direction, not really knowing what is demanded of you. Whereas I know exactly what is demanded of me- it is written on a post-it note affixed to each loom "wool coat", "soft bed-linen" et tout le bazar. My problem is that my creative streak and desire to break free and try different things sometimes gets the better of me. Much to my teachers sheer annoyance.

At Ecole des Beaux-Arts Sophie said she is in 4th year! I suddenly felt a little embarrassed to say that I had opted for first year! But actually I am glad as it seems as though the other years are very much self-directed and without a good grasp of the language and knowledge of where to get resources, how to use all of the machines etc I think my technical classes suit the purpose much better as I am here for such a short period of time.It has also given me much insight into the "french way" and in particular the french style not only of textiles but of teaching and life in general. Suffice to say Sophie said she had not managed to find anyone willing to teach her how to use the knitting machines at her school yet. She has however been doing a lot of drawing and photography which I imagine has given her plenty of inspiration for future projects and is definitely something I have missed.

On the subject of the language, we both had the same thoughts. You can forget your Alevel French. That won't help you here. What you really need is a willingness to try and fail, a confidence to remain clueless, and an ability to remain calm and collected when you are unable to express yourself. Also being at ease and content with your own company and thoughts really help as I imagine not being able to have a deep, meaningful conversation for weeks may drive a lot of people crazy. And no the French do not/will not speak english. Even in Paris. And why should they? After all we are guests in their incredibly precious capital city....

The splendor of Versailles....

Snapshot

Paris, what a strange place....