Sea of Trees

So, began my last day in Paris with the Musée l'Orangerie, under 26 and it's only 5 euros.  It's worth it if you love Monet, or Renoir, or Soutine.  Otherwise, it's a fairly small museum, and NO pictures absolutely in Monets ever so peaceful caves of les Nylphéas.  However, it's definitely hidden a bit in the Gardens, so just follow the signs out of the Concorde station and go into the gardens then to your right.  And BEWARE of the sneaky solicitors who WILL rush towards you the second you stop to even change songs on your ipod or brush you out of your face.  They will ask you if you speak english, and even if you shake your head and keep walking they will ask you where you are from, continue to harass you and simply demand 'sign here'. why? you ask. 'sign here'. what the fuck for? 'sign here. for the handicap'. if you say no, they will either just huff and walk away to attack someone else, or they'll just say... yes 'sign here' again. and if you say yes, and sign? they will say 'okay, how much are you donating? And they WILL make you donate.  So, lesson there, just kindly say No (because you are broke and that's a fact).  These people aren't just here, but everywhere else touristy in France too.  By L'Orangerie, two girls literally grabbed my arms and bag when I kept walking and I swung my hand up and def yelled like one pissed off person 'NO DESOLE'. Geezus.

Police don't like them bubble performers 

I returned to Southern Paris to a favorite Boulangerie (no name other than boulangerie) to grab dinner - these lil square pastry/sandwiches; saumon and epinard, only 1.20 euros! And so good I havn't found them anywhere else.  Then continued to search for my mum's great uncle Le Ba Dang.

To be honest, I had very little motivation behind me, be it laziness from all my medication and sleep to aimlessly search or just stubborness because my french phone wasn't working, I had never heard of him let alone heard of any family member talk to him, just about him.  I guess maybe I was just afraid to an extent.  I had no idea what I was getting into, or what I would say. My French is crap, and my Vietnamese downright embarassing.  How to say 'Hi I'm your long lost cousin's granddaughter all the way from the United States. You've probably never heard of me but here I am! Lets be friends! YAY!' I somehow, after walking for 20 minutes in a triangular shape off the Metro did I find the address I was given, and rang the apartment intercom believing all odds were against me, and that if they did call the cops, maybe they'd be so forgiving of my foreign stupidity to take me home cause I was out of metro tickets.

Anyhow, I pulled a run-in into the building when someone walked out and went on up.  Shit, was she confused.  Confused enough to let me in, and then ask me who I was and who sent me.  Yeah, I felt like something out of a bad spy movie.  I apologized a million times that I didn't call before because of my sad excuse of a pay as you go phone, but she was very nice and continued onto explain that her husband was very sick. It was all a bit surreal, there was definitely art everywhere, and apparently the whole 7th floor was theirs and she showed me around the balcony that wrapped around with a view of the Eiffel Tower.  Then Le Ba woke up from the couch, and she attempted to introduce me while I wrote my name on a paper for him to see.  He vaguely remembered my grandfather, but then again, his wife told me they were now 92, and 84, and after having traveled all over the world with his exhibitions and such it's been hard to remember when people don't keep in touch.  

Handwoven painting

It was hard to take in, he had a hard time finishing sentences and looked so frail, but through some translating and hand motions, haha, he came to understand my family was another part of his, I was from San Diego and an art student.  So, he was stoked on that and wanted to show me his studio the next day.  But the look in his wife's eyes was not reassuring and she called me away to take pictures of their home.  He was so ill he hadn't been back to his studio in a long time, let alone been able to walk without pain.  It broke my heart honestly.  He kept saying 'When you return', and all I could do was smile and say yes, hopefully I will soon.  The anxiety of leaving... will always be there, but sometimes it cracks and false hope seems cruel.  But I'm glad to have found him, and express thanks for the beautiful art he has made, on behalf of my family.  He has had exhibitions in Asia, France, and the US... and who knows where else... even has a foundation in his name in Asia. 

So all in all, Paris is like Los Angeles but with mass Historic buildings (derhcitylife), and the Eiffel Tower really is more beautiful at night, while Champs Elyses is nothing more than expensive stores and you're a human dodgeball when it comes to cars - that'll be the only real shot of the Arc.  Montmartre, you were my favorite, and I'm counting it a blessing in disguise that I've missed the Parisian flea markets - otherwise I'd be super broke.  If you plan on bringin a rollercase be prepared for the lack of escalators or elevators from the metro and to carry that shit up who knows how many stairs (I knew I had some logic in my turtle backpack), and the food...oh I have surely gained weight.

outdoor ballroom lit up by the full moon

I cried

Concrete gopher holes

After Paris, I made my way to Dax, 4 hours south, aiming to be close to Biarritz and see the surf culture in the Southwest of France.  I was picked up by a friend of a friend, Clement and his mother.  A sweet kid, and colorful woman, so nice and welcoming! We made our way to the small village that they lived in called Linxe, pretty far from the station and into the forests.  Traditional houses, and the skinniest trees I've seen, mostly bare up until the top third or so.  It's the size you'd imagine for a place where everyone knows everyone.

Took a nice walk through the forests, eating berries and nuts right off the trees and bushes. Clem messed around with a snake, and we creeped on some old stables and barns.  The trees would go on forever and then suddenly stop, due to storms that have wiped out acres at a time.  It's nice to be somewhere so quiet after the city.  Empty yet full at the same time.

Hes never seen The Ring

KL