-Squeaky Toy-

Paris often leaves me breathless.  Walking to the metro I took a big whiff of Paris, and ended up coughing and sputtering like I'd inhaled an entire butterfuly.  Thank you cigarette butts, vomit on the sidewalks, and no Parisian habit of cleaning up after your dog.

The woman sitting next to me on the metro seemed to have a squeaky toy lodged in her throat, as she kept making odd "Unghf" and "Eewp" noises, really loudly, plus fort.  It could have been hiccups, but I held my breath just in case this squeaky toy infection was contagious, and I noticed I wasn't the only one giving her odd, sideways glances.

The sidewalks and the metro are not the places to look (or smell) if you want to love Paris.  For that, you need to stand outside a bakery, close your eyes and just...inhale.  Or go watch some French men play with violins.

 Last night, the ACCENT program sent us to a performance at "Le Théâtre des Variétés" on the Boulevard Montmartre.  It was a musical comedy by Le Quatuor, a quartet on 3 violins and one on a cello (or bass or something).  And how could I not enjoy 4 grown men dancing around making faces, playing Thriller on violins, doing Elvis impressions, and making phallic jokes with their string instruments?  Jests aside, they were incredibly talented, playing their instruments with combs, all 4 men playing on one cello at the same time, and throwing in a few acrobatic feats while never missing a note.

 

(I know I look completely washed out in this photo, but it can't be helped in theatre lighting)

Some acts were wordless, some were in English, some were in French...all were amusing.  Even if you don't understand a word (which sometimes I didn't), Le Quatuor was a fun group to watch.