Jardin du Luxembourg

As I was ordering my noix de coco (coconut) scoop of ice cream, 2 little boys were tormenting the 3 girls also buying snacks. They were all laughing and yelling in French and running around and loving every minute. When I started to walk back towards the fountain I was the happiest guy in Paris. The sun was out, the perfect temperature, there was laughter and happiness and general contentedness everywhere around me.

The Luxembourg Gardens is one of my favorite places in Paris. It is perfectly manicured with beautiful flowers, a palace and potted palm trees (?!). The park is pretty large, with so many activities. It is what a park should be: pony rides, playgrounds, carousel, old men playing boules, tennis courts, statues, fountains and flowers.

It seems so very friendly, and it allows for you to sit among the trees if you like, go to the children's play areas, or sit down at a little cafe in the park. Something for everyone. The park is filled with these olive green chairs that anyone can take to their preferred place to sit and read or talk or people watch. Absolutely perfect. See these people enjoying them above?

I made a friend who was a duck by feeding her a little bit of my ice cream cone. And as I tossed more in, I noticed fish swimming up from the bottom! Strange to have so many fish in a man made fountain, especially when one can't really see them most of the time. Carp, but fish nonetheless.

And this place is a 5 minute walk from my house. I HAVE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS WEATHER WHILE I STILL HAVE IT.

Today was also our placement exams for our preliminary French course for the next two weeks. At the metro station on the way there this morning I was running a little behind and then I had no change to buy a ticket. I had to run into a pharmacy and buy the cheapest thing so I could break a ten euro bill. So now I have a new toothbrush. The end has a funny toothpick thing on it. Like a rubber cone with a very pointy end.

Anyway, I knew I was either going to be devastated or surprise myself on the test, and luckily it was the latter. I found the listening portion incredibly easy, but only because the woman spoke slowly and repeated it all again and again. Grammar was harder, I forget the little things (les, des, aux, leur, de, du) that are so important. I was able to sort of figure out the answers even if I couldn't always understand what they were saying, so then for one section I kind of gave up because I didn't want to be in a French class that was above my level. I need to review and relearn these first two weeks. For an essay question, which was "How did you feel about the points of view in the article you just read?" I wrote in French "I didn't understand the article enough to have an opinion."

In other news, I bought lavendar scented toilet paper on accident. It is my own fault for wanting purple TP, I should have figured color was not the only selling point. I have not yet used it, but I am a little skeptical for many reasons. One being that I hate those tissues with lotion in them and I am fearful of the paper having a similar texture. Plus I think using scented toilet paper implies that I am trying to cover up a stinky butt. I just want to say that I am in no way self-conscience of my bum, it is in no way smellier than any other average Joe. I see no need for scented toilet paper because something weird is going on anyway if there is a nose close enough to my butt to enjoy the perfume. So that's that folks. Bon weekend!

The Train to Amsterdam

So Eric and I left Prague in the evening to take an overnight train to Amsterdam. It all went fairly well, we made it on time and then as we got on, it was really hot in our cabin, so we stood in the hall and sort of looked out the window as we steamed (not a steam train) toward Germany. Well the guy in the next cabin also had the same idea and at this point there were not many people on the train yet. He was Australian and let's just say his name was Levi PartyGuy. After chatting for a bit, we went to go get food and Levi came with us.

He was convinced when people joined at the stops thereafter, they would be guests at his rager. Well we got beer and apparently we were the first guests. Another beer followed and then Levi produced a half a bottle of whisky from who knows where.

Upon talking to Eric about it the next morning, we realize that we had somehow become implicated in this party which we are sure our cabin mates who got on in Berlin were not necessarily happy about. At this point it was after midnight, but we remember talking to them anyway. They owed it to us. I remember lifting all their luggage entirely by myself...

Levi PartyGuy caused me a hangover. But I was not mad. In fact, the next morning when we arrived in Amsterdam Eric and I realized we never wrote down the address or directions to the hostel. But guess who was staying at the same place that night?

Levi saves the day!

Seemingly Cutting-Edge Theatre

I did notice some legitimate theatre in Prague. On more than one occasion. But it seemed to me that maybe August is not a popular month for theatre. Well, most theatre.

Black Light Theatre is a different story. It is ALL OVER Prague. But at this point Eric and I did not know that.

After considering going to see a "Historical Fantasy Show" (where I got the name for this blog)--which was just a scaled down Medieval Times in a basement that promised juggling, sword tricks and live snakes all which are done at your table while eating--we ended up instead running by a show that looked really cool. It was Black Light Theatre. I told Eric I thought I had seen something about it when we were walking earlier, but just in passing.

It was sold out. We went back and bought two full-priced tickets minutes before show time that had not been claimed. And this theatre was packed to the brim. With tourist or locals--we weren't quite sure--maybe a mix of both. I still haven't made a decision on that. But this was a Tuesday night and it was sold out. From the feeling of excitement in the air, I could tell it was like this every night.

From the pictures by the door Eric and I were expecting some sort of amazing Cirque du Soleil-esque show with amazing lighting. Instead we got one of the most puzzling, strange, but somehow endearing shows I have ever seen.

It was not amazing at all. You could immediately figure out how each thing was being accomplished. I mean, they were moving around in black light and balls were 'flying' through the air or one of their legs was black so it looked like they were levitating. The only amazing part was how much the audience was in awe.

Just so you know the pictures make it look much cooler than it actually is. That person doing that upside down was the grand finale of that act.

But it got stranger. It was not only Black Light Theatre (because one can only watch so much bad choreography with black light to music for so long) every other scene was 3 actors doing a slapstick police mystery routine. It was in no way related and never tried to be. Except in the fact that there was no dialogue. A whore and a guy in a doctor's coat and green jeans (?!) robbed a bank, the policeman was accidently chasing them. Somehow there was coke in the briefcase, which the whore attempted to snort a foot and a half at once, but for some reason the policeman entered.

I have never seen someone get shot in the balls with a gun 15 times throughout a play and live until the end. Until now. Oh, and I just remembered, there was a scene where the black light and the cop show mixed. For some reason black light dancers were dancing hip hop with wands in the bar scene.

I laughed the whole time. I was in awe. I couldn't believe this existed and I was there too see it. That show was truly a once in a lifetime experience, unless I decide to go back to make sure it wasn't some mind-blowing dream I had.

And then there was the curtain call. The 7 people in the cast all bowed individually and then together. Then the curtain dropped and raised in the period of two seconds and they did it again. THIS HAPPENED AT LEAST 8 TIMES. Individual and cast bows.

Anyway, on the way home we realized this was a Czech thing. There were more Black Light Theaters. We found 5 brochures from different theatres. Eric and I passed the National Black Light Theater, which shows daily a black light version of Cats. Let's just say we wanted one more night in Prague...