I have the afternoon off, and there are so many opportunities to explore around this great city. After my class ended at noontime, I wanted my day to consist of something more than my room or a classroom: it was time to tackle a new neighborhood. Hop on a random bus and arrive at Hotel de Ville, totally unplanned but totally perfect. I discover something magical: that quiet actually exists in this city, where you can hear something more than cars honking and escape la foule, overwhelming and chaotic on the streets. It's le quai (boardwalk) alongside La Seine, down below all the streets and far away from the chaos. Here it's peaceful, tranquille, and wait...is that...is that a bird I hear? Do they really exist in this city ? Mais oui! Here it's cobblestone walkways and strange sculptures that hang on the giant wall along le quai. There are little tugboats that line the docks, filled with fishing nets or lanterns. Along the river passes les bateaux mouches, the tour boats that show a view of Paris from the water. Tourists hang off the sides and take pictures, awed at everything there is to see, from Notre Dame to the Eiffel Tower.
I grab a bench, bitter at the fact that this looks like a 'couples only' deal, with two people romantically sitting on each bench. I grab one my own and reluctantly make friends with a seagull.Then it's to Le Marais, my new favorite neighborhood. It's right off Metro° St. Paul and the tiny, windy roads takes you out of Paris and straight into the old Jewish quarter. Specialty boutiques, like pictures framers, absynthe shops, shoe cobblers, and leather shops line the tiny streets. Even the street names are Jewish and no longer French. My favorite street that I find is called Rue des Rosiers, a road that is so...Jewish I thought I had stepped into a synagogue. Little boys run around with yamakas, Jewish bakeries open their doors to let out whiffs of freshly baked Challah bread. Hollllla! Ok, I can't resist, I need a Yiddish pastry. Le Marais is not only historic, it's quiet. A serene kind of quiet that you start to appreciate here in Paris. Forget about the commotion of the city and just...relax. Wow, haven't done that in a while. I see one friendly neighbor open the shudders and call out to another, and then just enjoy the quiet in Place des Vosges, a nice park in the centre.
Turn the corner and BAM! the Jewish quarter suddenly becomes a very, very gay neighborhood. Instantly and noticeably flamboyant. Brayden explained it as a Venn Diagram: where the Jewish quarter and the gay neighborhood meet, and you've got: gay Jews? Dudes walk past me with tighter pants than I have, with a hairstyle that puts mine to shame. One aggressively homosexual guy practically body-checks me out of the way to make room for his swaying hips coming through. Bonjour ! Even the teenage girls around here are dressed to kill, wearing Vogue fashion, and high heels at the end of their longggg skinny legs. This quartier is also known for its fabulous vintage shops; I mosy around and stop in a few. Even on a Wednesday afternoon, there's a scramble for vintage clothes from the 80s that are now making a comeback with a vengeance. Women are tearing through the racks, digging and digging for vintage clothes like it's going out of style. Oh wait, it already has! It seems that all the old ladies of Paris (most likely, all from my neighborhood) have donated their ancient clothes from the 60s that are now being sold back at record prices. Talk about recycling !
I wander some more and come across Paris's best-kept secret: the Picasso museum hidden away in the calm of Le Marais.
The museum is as quirky and eclectic as the artist: mirrors confront and contort your image while bronze statues line the walls. It must be field trip day because there are loads of little kids running around the museum with colored pencils, given the task of redrawing Picasso how they see it. Imagine being a little kid and Paris is your playground: you have access to some of the world's greatest art. 
Here I see some of his most famous artwork, including his collages, two auto-portraits and his later work. 
Three levels wind up and up, with assymmetic walls and stairs. Very funky. Very French.
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