Living Local in Paris #11

Our life in Paris is not all museums, monuments and souvenir shops.  We enjoy living local.  

Here is a another sampling of some our everyday Parisian experiences.   

The auction house Drouot was a frequent destination during Year 4.  We enjoyed visiting previews and observing live auctions, which were rapid paced.  Each time we visited, we viewed all sorts of fine art, antique furniture, vintage jewelry, old books, etc.  One remarkable thing was the low price of antique furniture.  You could furnish a small chateau for only a few thousand dollars.  True!

During one visit to Drouot, we toured a special exhibition, District 13, dedicated to street art from all over the world.   The signature work (pictured below) is a collage of street posters by Shepard Fairey.    

Another auction house that we visited was Artcurial.  One of their auctions featured works by street artists, including one by Dran, known as the French Banksy.  

Also during Year 4, we enjoyed attending local sporting events.  Our most recent event was a minor league hockey game between two Parisian teams.  Jean-Claude liked the uniforms of the visiting team.  That is one tough rooster pictured below.   

The home team dominated the game.

In addition to sporting events, we have attended a few local concerts and plays.  One concert was headlined by the singer Mika, with two opening acts.

Opening acts Corine and DAYSY

We had a very good time.

  

We also attended a couple of plays during Year 4, both by Molière.  One play was The Misanthrope, which starred the well-known French film and stage actor Lambert Wilson (he appeared in The Matrix films).

Jean-Claude, despite his French name, could understand very little of the rapid, witty dialog spoken in rhyming 17th century French.  Marie-Chantal, of course, understood nearly everything.  

 Another Molière play that we attended was Dom Juan.  

Fortunately for Jean-Claude, the play was spoken in French but English titles were projected above the stage.  So, he enjoyed the witty dialogue and followed the outrageous tragic plot.  

The play was presented in the Théâtre le Ranelagh, which has been designated a national heritage site.  

Opened in 1900, the theater is located in the 16th arrondissement.  The interior is decorated in dark, richly carved wood and the traditional deep red velvet.

Moliere is considered a national treasure in France.  Not far from our apartment, a large monument is the Fontaine Molière, erected in 1844.

We also attended a modern ballet performance at the Palais Garnier and a performance of Carmen at the ultra-modern Opéra Bastille.


The Palais Garnier:

The Opéra Bastille:

Another local experience was Jean-Claude getting a haircut, a coupe de cheveux.  During Year 4, a new barber shop opened around the corner, Le Barbutier.  

The shop has an eye-catching window display.  

Jean-Claude was looking shaggy when he walked in.  He walked out with one of his best haircuts ever.

Jean-Claude before and after

We asked if the motorcycle in the window was an Indian.  The barber politely scoffed:  "No, it is French. It goes with the vibe of the shop."  (The motorcycle is a Peugeot from the 1950's.)

Thanks for sharing some local life with us.