Paris

As some of you know I was lucky enough to travel to Paris to visit Aly last weekend. It was an amazing trip but alas, ended to quickly. I flew Ryanair and was pleasantly surprised, in that I did not feel like cattle like I predicted. That said, you get what you pay for in terms of hospitality and comfort (I paid around 100 Euro round trip, but tickets can be had for much cheaper).

Aly's apartment is in the 17th arrondissement, putting it close to the Champs Elysees and L'Arc du Triumphe. I purchased un carnet de billets so we were able to take the subway all over the city. I think my favorite was the cemetary Pere Lachaise, where Edith Piaf, Oscar Wilde, and Jim Morrison are buried (among others). The winding layout of the cemetary gave it a very whimsical feel. Check out the pictures on Picasa.

We also did a boat trip on the Seine, walked around Montmartre (where we saw Sacre Coeur), and many more. Perhaps the most surprising moment was when we walked into the Tuileries and stumbled upon fashion week. The garden was filled with paparazzi and models who don't look better person. We also saw Scott Schuman, aka the Sartorialist, shooting pictures for his famous blog. I was able to get his autograph for Aly this past weekend when he came to Dublin. She was too chicken to talk to him in France.

On a side note, this was part of note from my friend Hodge. It was too funny not to share.

by the way, I have lost all respect for you now that you blog about yourself, but I am comforted by the knowledge that your soul is suffering greatly for your actions.

hope things are going well!

I have posted some pictures on my picasa account for your perusal. Enjoy (unless you are Hodge.)

Arthur's Day

Sorry for the long time in between posts, but I just got home from Paris. Today I am posting some pictures from Arthur's Day, which was the worldwide celebration for the 250th anniversary of Guinness. There were events at pubs all over Dublin, but because we didn't get tickets, we weren't able to get in any pubs with live music, though The Bleeding Horse did have a live feed from the main event at St. James Gate Brewery, where Tom Jones and others performed. The event culminated at 17:59 (get it?) where everyone raised their glasses to Arthur Guinness.

Stay tuned for a Paris post and pictures.