The Grand Rex

The Grand Rex: 1, Boulevard Poissonnière 75002 Paris
Métro Bonne Nouvelle

I was going through my pictures and I am pretty sure I have never posted a picture of the Grand Rex. I've never been in this Grand old theater, but I pass by it about once a month when I go on one of my big walkabouts. I took this picture the opening night of the Michael Jackson show, This Is It. I tried very hard to get some of the images of Michael flashing on the screen (wasn't a big fan, but thought it would be cool to have a photo of the event), but I didn't manage to get any good ones.

I have to admit, the facade of the building is very impressive. The neighborhood is a bit dodgy, but it is sort of a mini-theater district. This being Paris, there are tons of theaters, but I am pretty sure the Grand Rex was one of the first big ones constructed in Paris. It opened in 1932 and at the time was the biggest theaters in Europe (or so the website says). If you are in Paris, you should walk by it as it is near the Opera Garnier.

A Long Overdue Christmas Post

The magnificent Christmas tree inside Galleries Lafayette. Absolutely worth the crowd to get a look at this.

I am just slightly ashamed that I did post these before Christmas and would be even more so if I hadn't been so busy. But packing, working, buying presents, organizing my apartment so that nothing would be damaged during a month's vacancy, well what can I say? It was a bit much this year. I did however, take photos of some of the Christmas lights in Paris. So here are some belated pictures for those of you who have never seen Paris really lit up. Christmastime is a lovely time to visit!

Lighted chandeliers on the rue leading up to Place Vendome

Place Vendome (kind of disappointed as it was decorated exactly the same as last year)

No idea why this particular street is Canadian-I am sure there is a good reason, though.

Sidewalk outside Printemps. The windows are decorated beautifully but I didn't have the courage to fight the crowd in order to get a good shot.

Job Applications, Life Changes

I've decided it is time to leave France and have given myself a deadline of six months to find something, somewhere, but I had forgotten how daunting the job application process is. After reworking my CV for the last week, I think it is probably in okay shape to start submitting. If anyone, anywhere knows of any job opportunities, please let me know. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated!

Since I have decided that I am on the last leg of my French journey (I know, I know, things can always change and I might be here longer than I want considering the job market at the moment), I promise to blog at least once a week and to take as many photos of Paris and the surrounding areas as possible. But, if any readers-if there are any left-want to know or see something specific, please let me know and I'll do my best to blog about it.

Hope everyone is having a pleasant New Year!

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a great holiday and will be able to enjoy 2010. Something tells me it's going to be a great year, perhaps I am just being overly optimistic, but I definitely think it will be better than 2009. For the two or three people who read my blog, I apologize for the long absence. I was in the States celebrating the holidays with family and just did not have the chance to blog. I do however have some nice photos to share in the next few posts.

In addition to everyone in my family being healthy and happy, I received the best Christmas gift ever: my Italian citizenship. I've been trying for almost three years to get it (proving that my family is from Italy, having documents translated, etc.) and finally I have the passport to prove that I am indeed Italian. While I have no immediate plans to move to Italy, the passport will enable me to live or work in any countries of the European Union (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom) without having to obtain a visa. I can't even begin to explain how huge this is. It's like getting married and having kid.

I hope everyone else had a good holiday too!