An enjoyable weekend...

Well before this weekend it seemed as though nothing too exciting had happened, other than starting classes last week. However, this weekend provided a few opportunities that I really enjoyed. On Friday, I received a call from a friend who lives in the village here to go oout with him and one of his friends, which I of course accepted. It was really nice, we went out in small city of Poissy, which is about 20 minutes from Bazemont. Not only was I able to drink my favorite beer (Paulaner for those of you who want to buy me some for my birthday, christmas, or just because you love me), but I enjoyed some very interesting conversation about the differences between France and the US, particularly in terms of the health care reform. I have been talking to a lot of people lately about the health care reform, since the major US news is also big news over here. People here have a difficult time understanding why Americans are so opposed to the reform, so I try to explain what I know, but they nearly always end up frustrated. And, I can't say that I blame them...Either way, I really enjoyed hanging out with the locals and really feeling like a part of France.

Sunday was the best, and most interesting, day of the weekend because I went to see Laurent's (the dad) show! It was magnificent!! Although it's difficult to describe the show itself, my best effort would say it's a mixture of classical and modern music with comedy. The transitions between the classical and modern music are absolutely incredible, as the group essentially has picked rhythms and melodies from classical music that are used in modern music and smoothly transitions from a piece by Bach to something by Michael Jackson, for example. The group, known officially as "Le Quatuor" basically invented the idea of this type of show, as nothing like it (at least in Europe) existed before the creation of this group. This year, they are celebrating 20 years together!! To put that in perspective, just think of how many popular artists have lasted 20 years...and then think about how many artists remain relevant for that period of time. Not very many...and those that have lasted that long are considered among the greatest artists we have ever known. Every detail of this show is genius at work...I know I'm doing an awful job of describing the show itself, but considering I've never seen anything like it and very few groups like this one exist, it's quite a difficult task. However, here's a link if you're interested: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2tZm3OiO_E&hl=fr This particular clip is, as the title indicates, an excerpt from the segment they call "The Music Professor" and I think it does a fairly good job of illustrating some of the more appealing parts of the ideas behind this group.

Of course, these types of shows have to take place somewhere, and even the venue was incredible. When they play in Paris, the shows take place at the Théâtre des Variétés, one of many little Parisian venues that has an incredible charm and coziness built into its walls. You can see the theatre on its website: http://www.theatre-des-varietes.fr/ just click on "le théâtre en images" or google it and look at the images. We also had the chance to go backstage, since we knew one of the artists. That was a very neat experience as well. Each performer gets essentially an apartment, complete with sofa, bed, showers, toilets, etc. A person could really live there if they wanted to! Plus, it's kind of neat to see a familiar person's name and photo at the entrance of the apartment with a sign that says (in French of course) "Laurent Vercambre's Dressing Room." I don't know exactly how to explain the place, but it is full of plush reds and warm golds and has the feeling of a living room almost (although it's a huge living room with a bunch of seats). We also were able to see the room that shows all the famous people who have played, acted, etc in the theatre and that was incredibly neat. Next weekend is my weekend with the boys and the weekend after I plan on going back to Paris for some sightseeing and friend-seeing. For now, that's the news from across the pond...I'll post some pictures of the house as soon as I finish taking them.