FlyGirl

One of the more interesting exhibits at the Prado.

If you have seen the 3rd of May, you can’t miss the 2nd of May; it is right next to it. Both paintings tell the story of Spanish resistance during the Napoleonic French occupation of 1808. The 2nd of May shows the people’s uprising against the Mamelukes assault on May 2. The 3rd of May depicts the firing squad that followed for the members of the Spanish resistance in the early morning hours of the following day. Bothy paintings are very haunting.

I was expecting Southern Fried chicken and other soul food when I stepped into this place. I was pleasantly surprised. The menu has quite a lot of variety, including some very tasty Greek food, of all things. The atmostphere is very laid back and relaxed and they also serve some great alcoholic imbibements. If you are ever in Roswell, check it out.

I used to love this place. When I first tasted hummus, I just didn’t get it. Bland chickpea paste. So what? Then I encountered real hummus at La Fendee and all of a sudden, I realized what everyone had been raving about all along. And it also clicked as to why I didn’t like it before—I had never, up to that point, tasted authentic Middle-Eastern hummus, but only a pale and tasteless variation of it. La Fendee used to be a regular spot for me: Great hummus, delicious tabouli, just overall great food.

I haven’t visited in awhile, but I went back recently and made a sad discovery. What used to be great Lebanese food is … well, for want of a better description, all I can think of is “Americanized.” The hummus has been angloed down until it is as boring as, well, as a Yankee’s version of Mexican food. So I will be giving La Fendee a pass from now on, even though it is closest to my house, and heading instead to Mary’z.

I thought it would be kind of bohemian and arty. Instead, this is more like a Disney World version of bohemian and arty. Or maybe it is a Disney World version of Paris. Anyway, if you are looking for the next-generation’s Matisse, I am sure there are better places to look in Paris.

This place can make you rue having to look for it—it is only one block long and Ts into Rue des Trois Freres in Montmartre. It has significance for movie buffs: the intersection of Rue des Trois Freres and Rue Androuet is where the fruit & vegetable market from Amelie is located.

There is a photo of this under Passage de Abbsesses, but it is not located there; it is actually at the corner of Rue des Trois Freres and Rue Androuet. This is the market where they filmed Amelie and was three doors down from an apartment we rented in Montmartre.

Do not go into the Metro Abbesses station looking for any kind of help from the girl who works there. She will work on the computer, talk on the phone, pick her fingernails, stare off into space - and sometimes do some of these things simultaneously. The one thing she will not do - look you in the eye and actually give you any help. I guess she heard rumors of rude Parisians and doesn’t want to miss out on her opportunity to embody the ideal.

The Louvre has become synonymous with art, but this was not always the case. In medieval times, the Louvre was a fortress built during the reign of Philippe Auguste, the French king who paved the streets and built Paris city walls.

Just as the Tower of London has gone through many manifestations, so has the Louvre, including fortress, palace, and art repository. Its art collections were opened to the public after the French revolution.

Excavations in the mid 1980s uncovered the ruins of the castle and moat that existed from 1190 AD until the early 16th Century, when the keep was torn down to make way for the Renaissance palace that survives as the Musée du Louvre. Look for these ruins on the lower level of the Sully Wing.

This place is worth visiting for the architecture and the absolutely fabulous stained-glass dome. But if you live in the United States, you are going to find pretty much the same merchandise you find at medium to high-end department stores in the U.S., only you are going to pay more for it at Galeries Lafayette because of the discrepancy between the euro and the dollar. Go, look, but don’t buy.