Entre Les Murs

Les Nuits Blanches

Since AL was jet-lagged anyway, and getting a good night's sleep was scarcely an issue, we went off to explore Nuit Blanche last night.  I gather this all night artistic event (I don't know quite what else to call it) has spread to many other cities, including Toronto, so may be familiar to most of you.  We started off on the Champs Elysées because we'd read someone had sculpted a herd of sheep out of ice, and we wanted to see that.  We had a little trouble finding it because it wasn't as obvious as the thronged creations across the street at the Grand Palais and the Petit Palais, whose line-ups were too daunting for us.


We strolled with the crowds down to the Place de la Concorde, where the obelisk and statues were all lit up in blue lights.  The artist, Yves Klein, had purportedly done it in "Klein Blue", but I noted at least two distinct shades.  Anyway, when you put it that way it sounds more like a branding than artistry to me.

Once we'd finally found the sheep we headed off to the Marais.  Again, lots of crowds, but that would be normal for a Saturday night here.  We poked through venues where the line wasn't too long.  Mostly we just enjoyed the lively scene.


When we'd had enough we took the Batobus, a boat that plies the Seine on a regular route like a bus, from the Hotel de Ville to the end of the line and then found a cab home by the civilized hour (for la Nuit Blanche) of 2:30.

posted 8.10.06