Innsbruck and more…

Hello my dear, wonderful, amazing, great P-E-O-P-L-E !!!! Unfortunately, I have a writing crisis. For some reason it started to be really hard to force myself to write (I think that there is not enough time for the blog, but as they say: if a person sincerely desires with all his heart, he will find the time for anything). Well, maybe I have been procrastinating for a long time. Finally my hands reached the keyboard, and the eyes reached the screen, and the bum made it to the chair. In other words, all parts of the body gathered together in the right place and therefore I can write an article about such a wonderful town as Innsbruck, that is in Austria.

As I mentioned in my previous article I am writing in the opposite direction which means that before Innsbruck I was in Verona&Venice and after that I went to Vienna (that I have already written about). I was traveling to Austria from Italy (Verona) with the bus company called Hello. I want to say that I was very happy with the service. Firstly, I like the design of the bus (pretty simple, stylish, black and white). Obviously design of the bus is the most important thing for me, haha. The bus itself was big, comfortable, with a socket (so I could charge my American “Mr. Apple Jobs”). In addition to that we were traveling almost in an empty bus so it was very comfortable. No complaints at all!

(The photo was taken from the internet)

(My own photoshoot, going with the wind 🙂 )

I do not know how interesting and useful it will be for you to know about my relationship with couchsurfing, but I still want to share it. For those who have never heard of this strange word I will explain: couchsurfing is one of the largest guest networks, existing as an online service. It unites more than 7 million people in 246 countries. Unfortunately, I’m not an advanced user of this service. It has been just 2 times when I found (and, eventually, stopped) at the place of one  lovely Italian woman in Verona. It was an excellent experience and I am very grateful for her hospitality. In Innsbruck I decided to stay with a guy. In fact I was really surprised about this moment: it is extremely unlikely that I can get into a car with a stranger, agree to enter his house and stay there for a night or even a few, and at the same time it’s not a problem to do all these things if I do it through the site. I find it quite strange. And it’s all despite the fact that the company cannot check everyone and will not do this, so I get all the information about my potential host from his/her profile (what the person wants to share with the rest), from the photos and reviews of those who have already stayed at this user of the site. Anyway I found my “victim”.  I was sure everything was going to be great, but I made a big mistake as I did not ask for the address of the young man, and the day before my arrival he didn’t have the opportunity to get in touch. In the end, I was afraid that I would remain without a roof over my head (even though it had moved many years ago))). Therefore, I had to look for another option with the use of airbnb (and it’s not some kind of advert, I just really like to help my readers while sharing my experience). Again, I made a mistake. I wanted to tell you about it my friends so that you don’t fall in the same trap. I booked an apartment from someone called Jonathan (it was a small one-room apartment, rather even a studio, but in the very center of the city, 2 minutes walk from the railway station and with a magnificent view of the mountains). I kind of looked at the address and understood how I could find the house BUT on the way I got lost 1000 and once times, asked almost everyone on my way where this notorious house number 3 was, then the Austrians called Jonathan at my request, and he did not pick up the phone. In general, everything was at the right time as they say! haha) What was extremely pleasant is that the Austrians welcomed me in such a great way. I even met an old lady who could not actually help me so we parted ways with her and in a few minutes she RUN (caught up with me) and told me where the house was. She really went the extra mile for me! Finally when I found the house I realized that there were about a hundred apartments and there were surnames written on the opposite of each flat-number and in order to call I needed to know the surname of the apartments owner. However, I only knew his name (Jonathan). Then I went to the neighboring Kebab, I spent quite a while explaining my problem to the local cook and telling him that I needed him to call to the phone number (to Jonathan) and say “Natasha is here.” And the Turkish man spoke English very badly (and I couldn’t speak German). Anyway it all worked out, Jonathan came and after some minutes I was at the desired studio, enjoying the view with the mountains and thinking about such a beautiful life! I was glad I had all these little problems because what didn’t kill me made me stronger 🙂 and also it was good to know how much friendly and hospitable the Austrians were.

And here, by the way, the photo that welcomes you at the railway station

And there was a great view from my window  not XP)

For one and a half day that I was in Innsbruck I managed to walk around the city, visit Swarovski Museum in Wattens and Ambras Castle. And, probably I also managed to blind the city with my unbelievable beauty))). In fact, I don’t think so but I felt that way in Innsbruck. Almost every passer-by man looked at me fascinated. For a moment I even thought that something was wrong with me: “Why do all these people look at me like that? Maybe I’m dirty and I am walking with a dirty face?”))) But then they told me that I was really beautiful. As I said earlier – the Austrians are really good people! Have no complaints at all)))

As about the city itself – I really liked it! How compact it is, fabulous and toy. The houses are all neat, colorful and unusual. At the same time, it is located among the mountains, which gives it an even greater fairy-tale character. And, of course, there is an important component of any city which is the river. In my opinion, it has everything it needs. Innsbruck reminded me of Andorra which is also really pretty and surrounded by mountains.

The only thing that bothered me very much and left some kind of sediment was my evening walking when I saw how much rubbish was there, on the streets of the city. In addition, that evening (as well as during the rest of my time in the city) there was a strong wind so most of the garbage flew in the air, and at that moment I realized that I would hardly call Innsbruck a fairy tale. However, it should be noted that everything was clean and washed in the morning so Oscar goes to Leonardo DiCaprio, and Respect goes to the street sweepers of Innsbruck. Well done guys! And still it seems very unpleasant that some citizens and tourists there don’t appreciate its beauty and allow themselves to clog the city.

(The photo was taken from the internet)

(These 2 photos were also taken from the internet)

(The rubbish I was talking about)

(The wind did it work – all the bikes were scattered).

(I think it’s an interesting name of the shop)

(And this photo is dedicated to my close Czech friend, whose name is Milan)

Found them (road signs) being interesting)

(And here are some creative teapots)

The next day early morning I went to the Swarovski Museum. I strongly advise you to visit this place if you like magic, miracles, creativity and, of course, crystal and glass. To make it easier for you to do this and not to make my mistakes I’ll tell you how to get there ( it’s obvious that I prepared all the instructions for the trip, BUT somehow I managed to wait at the wrong station for the wrong bus and therefore I lost an hour). Everything was the way I like: clearly, correctly, thought out))). So, my dears, you need to go to the central station of Innsbruck and look for the big bus of greenish color with the image of the museum. It is very important!

For some reason (although I had all the necessary instructions), I decided that I could go to the museum with an ordinary bus and I saw that one was going to the right place for me which was Wattens. (See photo below: bus 4123 goes to Wattens).

Just so you know what exactly you need: a bus like on the photo below. Here is this beauty (and it’s not the bus number 4123):

I advise you to come a few minutes before your departure. The stop is right next to the entrance to the central station. I bought my ticket from the driver, it cost me 9 euros (round-trip, this price is for March 2017). There is another option to get there by car or teleport, but I have no idea about it (for now))).

The entrance-ticket I bought at the ticket office of the museum, which you will see straight after coming to Wattens with the bus. It was very surprising for me as the cashier spoke Russian, so unfortunately I could not show her that the Russians could also speak the language of Shakespeare pretty well.

I was even given a brochure with a museum (how rich I was, haha) so I can share some interesting information with you, my dears. Since I try to respect all copyrights, I’ll make the information brazenly taken from the brochure by crystal birds, with the quotation marks.

I like this phrase that greets you at the entrance to the museum’s territory. As for me, it’s really nice and positive 🙂 and I do like such things! “Yes” is the word we should use more often (though at some particular cases I can take my words back, haha)

(When the Siberian Giantess meets with the Austrian Giant. When he saw me he opened his eyes widely and his mouth with the shock and fright, and I said to him: “Oh, come on, Austrian people think that I am beautiful! Don’t be nasty!”)))

(The photo was taken from the internet)

“The world of crystal art was created by the artist André Hiller in 1995, on the occasion of the centenary of Swarovski brand and it was supplemented by another amazing land of crystal nature. Where previously there were arable and virgin lands stretched, an amazing garden, a new miracle, was added as a supplement to the Giant’s treasuries in 2015 (in the year of the company’s 120th anniversary). The Giant’s Garden is the place where you see the reflection of your own soul in the mirror, or you simply cannot resist of the crystals’ charm.” (c)

For some unknown to me reason I missed this text in the catalog and went straight away to the museum (building itself), I could not wait to look at the luminous art objects. I think that this was my mistake as I spent a lot of time observing all the internal expositions and, therefore I practically ran in the garden while putting a tick (=must see) in order to catch the bus that was leaving the museum at certain hours.

The first thing that you should know is that during your stay at the museum you can download all the information about the Giant’s treasures (the Swarovski Museum) that fascinate you with the first words and sounds… Or you can do the way I did while not downloading anything but simply connect to their wi-fi there and find on the official museum website all the stories that mentioned above. I must say that it undoubtedly strengthened my impressions of what I saw there.

“Swarovski Crystal Worlds” are divided into several rooms or as they are called “Wonder Rooms”: Blue Hall, Mechanical Theater, Crystal Cathedral, Silent Night, In Lattice Sun, Crystallocaligraphy, Ice Corridor, Transparent Opacity, Wonder Studio, Diva, Eden, Fame, 55 million Crystals, Reflections, Crystalline Forest, Timeless.

It is difficult for me to select the most interesting Wonder Room since every single one impressed me to some extent, so I will simply share photos with you my friends and add a few comments (I am not such a good photographer so I’ll try to conquer the world with my text))).

(There is a “Great wall” (not of China this time) which is made out of Swarovski crystals.) How many of them are there!) An immeasurable amount!)

And here is the close-up of the wall, in case if you didn’t look properly on the previous photo or if you simply want to count all the crystals)

The mechanical theater. There were shirts flying, the mannequin walking without a head (which often happens in the world nowadays))), okay, I’m joking). In general, there was everything so mechanical, so theatrical (I am the best at explaining, haha). Well, in fact, it’s better to see than to talk about it.

And this is just a masterpiece (The Crystal Cathedral). When you enter the room, you forget who you are, what you are, where you are … everything is sparkling, shimmering, changing lights and colours, and sometimes the Cave (Cathedral) transformes so that  you can see some more Art objects inside the wall at certain time. I spent there quite a while and now I am complaining that I never have enough time for everything I do)))

And this is such a Winter Fairy Tale with a very beautiful Christmas tree, created from Swarovski crystals, and also there are very interestingly decorated walls and lighting which unfortunately I didn’t take a photo of.  You seem to fall into the winter there, whatever season is out in the yard. That time Cinderella remembered her Siberian home and she thought: “Perhaps I’d rather go to this room in the Austrian museum than in Siberia.” Actually I am a kind person and patriot of my country, but at the same time somehow I do like to live abroad. It’s such a paradox of my life.

I found a nice chandelier for my place, hahah. Well, actually I would prefer to live in a place decorated in minimalism. Anyway, first of all I need to decide which country to live in, that is the question (after “to be or not to be” because I cannot compete with Shakespeare).

I am not sure what is the connection with Swarovski here (maybe he was just passing by when it was made)), but this is a very interesting art object, especially for such a little 27-year-old girl like me))). There are no images on the floor and once you step on the path of good and beauty (floor I mean)), then there are different patterns (instead of traces) appeared behind you . As for me it is fun!

And here are the photos of the hall with a very beautiful art object which are consists of well-known (and not only) architectural structures, as well as the railway and the train goes (on the wings of love just like I do) the train … And the hall itself is painted beautifully (look at the photo, behind my back). Actually it gives the impression of a kindergarten and something too bright and childish maybe, but in life, however, it looks quite interesting! And as I said earlier for a 27-year-old kid like me, the kindergarten is the right place to be at))

As far as I remember it was a room with geometric figures with some projections on telling the history of different countries and eras. My memory may cheet on me so I am not sure, especially this little lady (memory) doesn’t like history that much…

Here is the reflection of Medusa Swarovskić in the mirror))

If only euro cost much less I  would probably buy that for my ordinary walk to the shop…or maybe not?)))

And here is the highlight of the programme (which according to the internet costs smth like 2250 dollars)! Why is it such an important part of my article?? Because it’s that special crystal slipper from the film “Cinderella”, which was released in Russia and the whole world in 2015. I remember how I went to watch this movie with my close friend, while being in Omsk. And now myself being a fictional-real character (Cinderella from Westminster), found her shoe!! Well, where are you, my Prince? I have already found the shoe myself. I’ve done all the work for you! :)))

And here is a shot from the film (a photo was taken from the Internet because for some good reason I could not attend the shooting of the film at that time even though they tried their best to make me coming to the USA)) But we are Siberians – to be taken very hard, haha

Finally, I  managed to get out after a very impressive internal exhibit (it was not easy because the crystals beckoned me as if they knew that I was a crow)).

And what did I see outside? Another fairy tale…

“The crystal cloud consists of more than 600,000 crystals. What’s more there are three different sizes of the crystals, so that the cloud is more sparkling in the light! It (the cloud) majestically floats above the water surface and invites you to dream. The light of the crystals on the water reflects like stars in the sky, even on a very sunny day ” (which was not the case on my visit, haha)

“The 20 meter high gaming tower is the world’s highest indoor playground, where really diverse games are offered” (didn’t take the photo of it though).

“More than 10 football fields could fit the territory of the Crystal Worlds of Swarovski”.

“There were 72 445 bulbs of flowers planted in the Giant’s garden”

Many thanks to the museum for birch trees. It was such a pleasure to see them for the Russian soul staying in Austria!

And here are a couple of photos of Swarovski windows in Innsbruck:

I still had some time to fly by bus to the castle-museum Ambras (after Swarovski), which was (and still is) one of the main attractions of Innsbruck. The cultural and historical significance is closely connected with the name of Archduke Ferdinand II. (I will probably forget this name right after I post this article…that’s a shame really).

And lets discuss again “how to get there”. This is what I found on the internet:

I completely forgot I am writing in English and it’s in Russian. So it says that you can get to the castle for 9 min only with the bus number 4134 and all the stopts/directions written in German there. And I asked Jonathan (not the seagull Jonathan Livingston though I wish I could talk with such a great bird))) to help me with the scedule of the buses and he was so kind (my landloard) to send me all the times. Have a look here:

The castle contains magnificent collections of armor, weapons, jewelry, paintings, sculptures and so on. In truth, this museum was not an easy thing for me. Firstly, I already felt a bit tired after the Swarovski museum, and secondly it was hard to look at ancient things, behind which there were a lot of real stories and legends, when you are still somewhere in the clouds of crystals. I wanted something light, airy and magical and there were armor of knights and weapons in front of me. I felt like quoting Stanislavsky “I don’t believe!”))).

Anyway I took the most I could from my visit to the museum. First of all there was a truly marvelous view of the city observed from the hill where the museum was located. Secondly, I really liked the cashier and the museum administrator (it was one person). He was very friendly, kind and cheerful. When I asked for an audio guide, he said that in that case I needed to leave my passport as a deposit. I was confused because tomorrow I was already going to Vienna and I kind of needed my little friend (passport) in any case. I asked a stupid question (I am the best at asking stupid questions))) if they return my passport or something like that. The man answered me that we should have hoped, especially if it was found among the other passports. It’s nice to meet people who are ready to joke easily and without embarrassment during working hours. Well, at least I like it.

(The entrence of the castel’s park territory)

(Here is the Scaring Achtung))). I felt really helpless! I know almost 4 languages! Well maybe I know just  2.5 if being precisely. In any case it’s not so pleasant to understand that it is written “Warning!” in red there. And then you have no idea what it’s all about))) I simply tried my best not to smoke, not to leave rubbish, not to offend anyone, steal anything or kill anyone while I was at the museum territory. Maybe one of the points I meantioned above was actually in this mystical for me “Achtung”))) Anyway I had been a good girl 🙂

At the museum…

So here I was leaving one of the museum’s halls when I saw this birdie. We greeted each other, discussed the cost of euro and how it it is to live in Austria and then I left her…I can say it’s an interesting museum))

And here the birdie lost her head because of my incredible beauty and I did the same because of her pure beauty too…)))

Being a true artist and a little bit abnormal person I can see lots of interests and beauty in the wall texture…and unfortunatelly not that much interest in the knightly armor)))

And here’s another birdie but maybe less cute (I hope she doesn’t read my blog as I am afraid of her). By the way, I know that I have to call the bird “it” but I simply cannot)). Anyway I also approached her and decided to talk about the euro exchange rate but, apparently, I stepped on her sore spot. The birdie turned into an angry bird and went after me and I started to run along the street. I know it’s strange and funny but I was frightened of this predatory animal)))

And I like this shop’s name which reminded me an idiom. “The early bird catches the worm”

Once I was walking somewhere in the centre of the city and found some writings on the wall and I was disappointed with it. Why do people write such unpositive things? I should have changed the writing because some people may believe it’s true when it is actually not! 😉 Have a look at the photo above and remember it’s nothing but lie!))

I am not sure what else to share with you my dears. Two days passed unnoticed and were very busy and lively. Thank you dear Innsbruck that you welcomed me in such a lovely way! I have no complaints!

And here is to you, my dear friends, my sunny friends! I really wanted to share stories about the carnival in Venice, about the visit I paid to Romeo and Juliet in Verona, about my living in the province of Milan and the capital of Italy – Rome…there is so much to share BUT it turned out that I have a plenty of work and responsibilities of all kinds therefore I’m inclined to believe that all these stories will remain mysteries covered in darkness. By saying this I mean I do not have time to share these stories. I wish you all as much free time as possible, so that you always have enough of it! And if for some reason you do have a lot of it – be nice, share with me, eh?)))

I love you all, I kiss you all!

Paris. Art. Fashion.

Good day, dear friends! And if it is not good yet, then it will change soon! I am sure about it, and sincerely wish you so!

As you have probably noticed it became a good (sad) tradition for me to absent on my blog for weeks or even a month. Of course, I would like to write more, to share the joy, albeit a bit shrouded in sadness (yes, sometimes it does happen with your  happy writer))

And the reason of my long absence from the blog was my immersion in everyday life, as well as an artistic life too. For example, I finally registrated on Instagram and was also working  with my muse by one side. You can observe some of my old and (soon) new creations by clicking on this link http://instagram.com/smita_art . By the way, I want to assure you that I’m not a two-faced person! I’m  many-faced: I am Natasha from Russia and Cinderella from Westminster, and now Smita … yes, this is my new nickname on Instagram. This name is a Sanskrit name meaning “smiling” or “ever smiling woman” (there are diverse meanings of the name, but the main point remains the same which is a smile!) This is the name I was given in India, while was working there and discoverig the extraordinary world of mysterious Indian lands.

With my introduction of this article I wanted to show (probably once again) that art is somehow my life, my happiness, positive and many other things therefore I dedicate this post to the beauty (meaning art), which I have been able to discover in Paris! Thus, I will finish my story about the city of love and light (till the time I am reunited with it again) and continue with something else, but also bright and beloved…

During my quite a long and certainly a magical stay in Paris, I have visited completely different museums and galleries, not similar to each other. Today I will cover only some of them…

I would like to begin the beautiful story with Ilya and Emilia Kabakov’s exhibition (Soviet-American artists born in Dnepropetrovsk who have achieved success in Moscow), which was held in Paris, at the Grand Palais museum.

This exhibition made ​​a great impression on me, so I’m having some difficulties with choosing certain aspects of what I saw and putting my emotions and impressions all together. So I decided to offer you (my dear amateurs and professionals of the art) to read an article by The Guardian (http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2014/may/09/the-strange-city-ilya-emilia-kabakov-monumenta-grand-palais) which, in my opinion, reveals this story very well, providing enough information, and I will also share my personal feelings on the subject.

Of course, the Grand Palais impresses, even outside, before to enter it. So, I am showing to all of you the birth of a new great photographer (as I am)))

Extraordinary facade cannot leave a visitor or a stranger passing by, untouched! No! It catches your attention, it stands out! Ah, Paris, Paris! Ah, the Grand Palais!

This amazing staircase with its ornateness, cutouts and interweaving different parts of it, reminded me of the candles, that I saw in Croatia (about 10 years ago). The stairs was magical, even looking at it was a great pleasure.

And why to not take a nap in a museum?

So back to the exhibition by Ilya and Emilia Kabakov. Their installations, paintings and especially presentation of the art amazed me! I did feel like in a maze of incredible artistic plexus. I was losing and again finding myself among this unusual art as theirs.

The room shown on the following picture surprised me by its design. The paintings were presented in a kind of mosaic, puzzle (I think everyone can pick their own way of describing it).

The white space was only dividing the paintings, as if framing them, but at the same time connecting them with each other. This part of the exhibition was presenting, in my opinion, the line of Soviet life: the village people, the old huts, untouched nature and so on.

But it was not the room that amazed me the most. For example, one of the parts of the “Strange City” as the artists called the exposition themselves was the room with a subject “How to meet an angel?” Besides the fact that the paintings and installations were interesting, the artists have also written detailed explanations to their works, which were so beautiful and touching that I personally gained a great experience and inspiration while reading the descriptions. I’ll try to briefly convey what I admired most, having been in the Grand Palais, a “strange city” or precisely the universe of Kabakov.

The theme “How to meet an Angel” begins with the arguments that people do not believe in a such opportunity, it is considered insane and non-negotiable. But the authors of written assure that the facts say different, and that a very important part of the meeting with the angel is the level space “where such meetings can take a place.” Then they wrote (translated from Russian by me): “the probability and even better, the inevitability of such meetings is approximately at the height of 1200-1400 meters above sea level in the mountainous regions, respectively, in the mountains of a similar height…But there is one thing that is not always taken into account: encounter with an angel or angels – it is always an extreme case, happening in crisis, critical moments in human life, and the man himself, while being in this condition, needing such assistance, encourages it.” And then Kabakov explain that they are artificially creating such a situation, offering a project of building a “ladder to heaven”, with a height of 1200 meters. A man should climb up into the clouds to meet face to face with nature, its mighty force, and then comes the very moment of meeting an angel or angels.

Photo with the plan of the project and an explanation of it (though in Russian)

In another work of Kabakov the theme is taking a slightly different angle. There they are talking about “how to change yourself” in a better, more moral side. They mention some of the ways, and then present to the audience their own method of transforming a person in the better one. The way consists of creating their own wings of white tulle and leather straps (as pictured below), which must be put on and worn for a while, while being alone in a room or house and doing nothing at this time. They also recommend the repetition of this procedure every day for several weeks and then the result will come!

The things that were illustrated and described there impressed me very much indeed because it was in some ways similar to my point of view: wonderful, unusual, bright and joyful. What is more valuable in this situation is that the artists were not kids, Ilya Kabakov, for example, in his 80s now! I think his way of seeing things (and his wife (part-time colleague)) is to see the world bright, magical and experience life as children waiting for miracles. It’s so beautiful! Hardly and rarely you can meet a man 70-80 years old who are advising to wear wings, made ​​of tulle!

Many thanks to Ilya and Emilia Kabakov – for their amazing universe, Paris – for the wonderful exhibition at the Grand Palais, the first channel (Russian one) – so successfully reporting about the event, and my parents who knew about the exhibition from the first channel, before me, that was staying in Paris that time.

There was another discovery for me which was the exhibition of Dries Van Noten, held in the Musee de la Mode et du Textile (near the Louvre). In truth, before this solo exhibition of Dries Van Noten, his name was unfamiliar for me, and that’s why I was even more interested to get acquainted with his work. I am not an expert in the field of fashion but his creations were really marvelous. I enjoyed what I saw there.

Design and decor of the exhibition, presentation of the material, models themselves – everything was top notch! Each hall was carrying a certain sense, the concept of an echo of its time. In addition to that, in each room the visitor could read about the idea of the project represented directly in the room, to see the photo or artist’s inspiration next to the model itself, the creation of which was born on the soil of what he saw before. For instance, there was a dress, decorated with butterflies and a colorful art-piece with butterflies made by a very popular and well-known British artist Damien Hirst (I  remember visiting one of his exhibitions in London like it was yesterday. He is a very bright artist with his unusual creations) .

And here are some more photos from the exhibition. In my opinion, Dries Van Noten absolutely deserved such an honor to be presented in the mentioned above museum. His amazing collections are colorful, stylish, professional, harmonious, definitely made with love. How beautiful his world is!

There was another museum, which I found really extraordinary and it was called the Palais de Tokyo. It really doesn’t fit into the usual. Already on the museum’s threshold you “meet” with some sloppy dirt and sculpture of a woman painted badly.

The museum itself continues a chain of “oddities” and surprises along the way of “meeting with the beauty”. For example, one of the installations I have seen there was a band saw, mounted on the ceiling and breaking through the mattress (which it was destroying) motor fixed on the ceiling in the same place (the author: Vivien Roubaud). Of course, I stopped to look at this “miracle of art,” but to be honest I stopped mostly because of being surprised and perhaps even shocked, that I was still in the museum and experienced such strange art. However, I don’t consider myself as a conservative woman and I adore modern art but maybe not everything in it.

Although there were installations that impressed me in the good sense of the word. For example, in one of the rooms, I came across an installation that was necessary to start observing it from the second floor (while the works were on the first one), there were various stories / films shown using spotlights on the floor (the ground floor). It was very unusual, unpredictable and interesting. In addition, many subjects touched my soul, as they were illustrating the true human feelings, the needs of people, their behavior during periods of war and so on. I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that several spotlights showed subjects in Russian language (translated into French).

I also loved the picture devoted to the stunning city of New York. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you, my dears, who is the author of the work, but I can say that I really liked the collage, the choice of the presented objects there and the color combination. I think this picture shows the diversity of the city, where there are different parts of it are interwoven and connected into a harmonious creation.

There was another interesting work that caught my attention. (A very clever use of the subject and the light)

Moreover, while wandering through the maze of such mysterious contemporary art, I got into some absolutely strange world of tires, cardboard and styrofoam! Yes, it was a part of the museum as well! Although it’s more working part because there you can find “small offices”, built on the styrofoam and cardboard, sofas and TVs with different movies to choose from and so on.

And the last museum on stage is the Parisian museum of hunting and nature (Musee de la Chasse et de la nature)

On the day when I visited the museum (as far as I remember it was the first Sunday in May, as the entrance to the most of museums in Paris was free), there was an exhibition of Cosmic Dance. Of course, I fell in love with the things presented there as the works were made in black and white style that is close to me and in most cases I find it harmonious, pleasing the eye and soul. Also, I did enjoy the harmony of lines and spots, shapes, all merging together.

After the “Cosmic Dance” I came to the hall dedicated to hunting with some guns represented there, though they were a work of art rather than just guns; as well as a variety of stuffed animals, many of which were made ​​so realistic that I had shiver while passing nearby different species of wild beasts.

Interesting pointer/sign to one of the museum’s halls

But the most important discovery for me, a breath of fresh air were rooms that perfectly (in my opinion) combined realistic and contemporary art. I even had a thought of creating something similar like this in my future home, something unusual but harmonious.

And a little bit more, as a bonus for today’s article, I would like to share some photos of my last (though I am planning to come back to such a fantastic city as Paris is!)) days in the city (by saying “last” I mean this particular time). I was over the moon that Paris escorted me like I was real Cinderella, the author of colorful blog, a talented artist and a very positive friendly woman in love with the city and the most important thing in life! I was accompanied by the orchestra near the Notre Dame))), and an exhibition of grain products.

I hope that there were not too much of the art, creativity and photos in my post today and you will be back to the pages of my blog sometime (lets hope) soon. The next articles are going to be about travelling and discovering new countries!

Wishing you all the best, the most beautiful and stunning things, darlings!

With big love from Natasha.

Paris that you haven’t seen

 Hello beautiful world, a world of wonder and magical discoveries. Today my article will be unusual (most likely) as I am writing it in a cemetery now. Yes, yes, near “the people” who have left this world and will probably not be able to read my blog. I believe it is the right place for writing such a happy and positive blog like mine, isn’t it?  In my opinion, it is all very logical. Especially considering the fact that this cemetery is a famous landmark in Paris. I’m talking about Père Lachaise. It’s a land where rest Oscar Wilde, Honore de Balzac, Edith Piaf, Frederic Chopin, all the people I somehow love and admire)))

The grave of Honore de Balzac (French writer)

The grave of Oscar Wilde (an Irish writer and poet)

The grave of Jim Morrison (an American singer, songwriter and poet)

So today, my article will dazzle with different photographs which I hope will help me to show you MY PARIS, not the one that is usually represented in films, music, the Internet and so on. Paris – the way I feel it and I see it…

I began to create this fairy tale of love and light, on the 19th of March, the day of my arrival in Paris. Since that time I have visited several museums, parks, gardens, streets, stores and even a music conservatory (while being extremely lucky. Thanks to my new French friend!). Since I prefer walking around the city, rather than travelling with a metro, I think I managed to walk about a hundred miles while observing the capital of France. Here I would like to present to you, my lovelies, a photo report I made, various unrelated logically or historically photos, that I would call “A walk in Paris”.

It’s an amazing magical spring time here and someone still having Merry Christmas design. Perhaps this velo-taxi belongs to a descendant of Ernest Hemingway, who stated that “Paris is a moveable feast” Apparently, this feast was Christmas. (Although the image of a polar bear on this truck reminded me of home, where there are wild bears walking on the streets, ahaha). Home, sweet home.

My favorite place in the city is The Pyramid of Cheops. What do you mean it is in Egypt? Well then, my favorite place in Paris would be The Louvre Pyramid, as easy as that. Even before our long-awaited meeting, I knew that it meant a lot to me. It’s the fault of the film “The Da Vinci Code” (a 2003 mystery-detective novel written by Dan Brown), not the movie itself but more the final scene with a very powerful music and Tom Hanks, who reveals the truth and realizes that the Holy Grail is under it, under a glass construction (this is it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcfNpfaGejA). Apparently, I am also waiting for some discovery in this magical place. And here is the bird in the photo, heading away. It’s like a good symbol, sign to myself… soaring next to a place that is really special for me.

A little art, graffiti, creativity on the walls/fences of Paris

Here are some pigeons. I was a bit shocked to see such a feast here. And they had a few more of these large loaves probably just in case, for a rainy day. I made a conclusion that Parisian pigeons live way better than Russian ones. Their standard of living surprises me)))

A parade of the European flags. It was an entrance to one of the local schools I believe.

St. Petersburg store and Moscow Street (Rue de Moscou) – it warmed my heart a lot. However, it’s time  to find Rue De Omsk now)))

And here I came to an incomparable, charming, fantastic “Moulin Rouge”. I just really love the eponymous musical, starring Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor. I watched this bright, full of colors extravaganza 5 or 6 times and always cried my eyes out while watching. Therefore, it was the first time I saw “Moulin Rouge” and did not cry at all, but was just … really happy! Of course, I would like to see the show itself inside the building, but for this dream comes truth I will probably need to take all the pigeons’ loaves, sell them and maybe … someday … well, in any case, I think, the musical won’t disappear anywhere. Besides, if you wait for something for quite a long time, when it finally comes to you, you appreciate it even more. Everything has its pros and positive moments, I believe.

On the road to The Sacré-Cœur Basilica I saw the following sign on the pavement. I found this picture interesting. A sort of remodeling of Disney’s logo.

The Sacré-Cœur Basilica itself

And the view from the Sacré-Cœur (it’s really good that the blog does not convey my breath as I hardly could breath after a large number of stages that Cinderella passed… in this case I would not lose the shoe, but probably myself)))

A Lantern as a main hero of the photo.

Alice was not feeling well and Cinderella replaced her in the “Through the Looking-Glass”.

The shops in France are working up to a certain time here, usually they closed early evenings and on Sundays almost everything is closed… I think one of the romantic men was late to buy the flowers for his darling and found another, a very creative way of solving the problem)))

Simply lovely

People meet, fall in love and after…they buy the lockers))) (by the way, it is the famous Notre Dame de Paris in the photo’s background)

On the day I read the book by Victor Hugo “Notre Dame de Paris” I started to dream about seeing the Cathedral one day in real life! The wish came true.

And here is one of my fans. It is easy to prove since she has a bag with my name written on it. Yes, my name is very often written as «NataCHa» in France. Still cannot get used to it. But my love to the French language is really strong, and therefore, it’s not a big problem to be called differently as long as I’m in this incredible city – Paris!

While shopping at the grocery store (which, of course, does not work on Sundays and evenings))) I saw HIM! It is an incomparable feeling. For those who have not read one of my previous articles – (https://westminsterscinderella.wordpress.com/2014/02/13/when-i-met-such-a-wonderful-werewolf/). I’m just very impressionable and I rejoice even little things in my life.

A view from the 5th floor (I think) at the Centre Georges Pompidou.

I do not consider this street-art beautiful and worthy of Paris, but nevertheless, it seemed unusual

A funny story about the treasure and Natasha)). There is a Ukrainian TV program “Heads and Tails” (“Oryol&Ryeshka”) in which a man and a woman traveling together (when tossing a coin in the air, they decide their fate for the upcoming weekend: one of them will live like a king with a gold bank card, while the other one will make an economy on everything). And at the end of their journey, they leave $100 hidden in the form of treasure. So, seeing their adventures in Paris, I decided to find this cherished green piece of paper that they put in a bottle of wine and the bottle itself hung on the bridge near the Tour Eiffel, behind the red/white sign. It was such a fun to look for the money, walk around the bridge and so on. The people near were probably thinking I was mad. Unfortunately, I found nothing. The Parisian voyage was filmed and uploaded to Youtube about 2 years ago from now, so surely there were people before me, but my hope never left me until the very end and, in addition to that, it was some kind of adventures for me too.

Unusual perspective – UNDER the Eiffel Tower. And a rather unusual story.

I was enjoying the view but what others forgot there… (It’s like a joke: “Grandma was really surprised by the number of people at the railway station and asked herself a question: “How many people? Well, I came here to meet my son but what all those people doing here?”) and so I was staying, looking at this well-known sightseeing of Paris when a strange man reached me. He began by asking me to take a photo of him on his phone and afterwards asked where I was from (In English).

I said I was from Russia.

He: I do not understand. Russia ? Where is it? (and he looked like he really didn’t know this country)

Myself: I am Russian! It is the largest country in the world. And after Russia the USA goes (I think we would make a good couple with this man since I was also confused and mentioned the USA even though Canada is bigger by its territory)

He: Ah, from America? So you’re from Chile?

Indeed, where else I could be from, if not from Chile.

Just as I knew that I was going to meet HIM! (Curly hair, make-up) keep reading and you’ll understand who I met…

It was a sunny day when I went to meet my very good friend – a French girl who was travelling by Eurostar train from London. By a happy coincidence, and also my abnormal punctuality I came 10 minutes before the actual time, and surprisingly the train arrived earlier as well! Everything was at just right timing. I was one of the first in the crowd meeting the passengers. So…here I am staying, a girl from Chile (as you already know)), again not bothering anyone … and then I see HIM – Nicolas Sarkozy, himself. He goes straight in my direction. In the few seconds that I have time to see him and meet his gaze, I have so many thoughts (like my annual norm, ahaha). I was almost taking my phone as I really wanted to take a picture of the ex-president of France, but then I realized how exhausted he was (from his face expression or maybe he just wasn’t that much excited to see another Russian in Paris))). Then I was thinking about how strange it was that he was accompanied by only two policemen. I  was just waiting for my friend, and accidently meet Nicolas Sarkozy. Oh, I love those kind of accidents)) And this is after 3 weeks of me staying in Paris! Then some of my French friends complained:  “How is it possible?! I  have lived here, in Paris, all my life, I am French and never met Nicolas Sarkozy! And you… How is it possible?” And some of my friends who knew about this story, asked me the next day: ” So, have you seen  François Hollande today? No, you haven’t? Why Natasha, it’s not normal!” I think that those few seconds at Gare du Nord in Paris, I will remember for the rest of my life. Well, only If it doesn’t become a good tradition or a habit to meet with Nicolas Sarkozy))

And why not just to cross out the name of the street? Indeed, why not …

When historic Paris meets the modern one (advertising, poster, the century of the consumers)

I  get used to check different things on the internet with my phone and therefore, wherever I am, I try to connect to the internet in parks, museums… I try to find wi-fi anywhere. The museum D’Orsay wasn’t an exception. It was funny when the only available wi-fi that popped up at the museum was named “Barbara”.

This building seemed kind of unusual in terms of design and construction (especially for me, for a tourist from Omsk)

I was walking somewhere or simply wandering around when I saw this bright graffiti and decided to take a picture. I especially liked the eyes painted on the wall. I stood on the opposite side and the guy passing the wall saw me taking the photo…I think he became curious what I found interesting there. It’s funny he passed the wall and then turned his head to see what was there that made me taking a photo. It shows how a modern person runs, moves somewhere while not taking some time to see the surroundings, to be HERE and NOW, to LIVE…we are all running and thinking it’s life while not feeling the moment (at least I think it happens often with people of our century). Or, perhaps, I am analyzing it too much and exaggerating therefore.

Some kind of elections going on, campaigning, etc…where amount of the posters are more important than anything)))

On my way I met a group of roller skaters )))

Palais de la Porte Doree (Museum of immigration’s history). I think it is a very interesting building. It’s unusual and beautiful, creatively made. Also you can visit the aquarium inside it, which can be interesting if you have never bee in large aquariums because this one is kind of small.

A bit of sea theme or my visit in the aquarium mentioned above.

When wandering around the city, I discovered a park with a lake in the eastern part of Paris. It was Sunday, a lot of tourists and locals were having fun in the park: some guys were enjoying a picnic on the lawn, some boating, some people engaged in sports, having fun in the amusement park and so on. I found this place fabulous and alluring…and then I saw a man selling balloons. I felt sorry for him. On the one hand, it’s a great job to bring joy and happiness to the kids, to see their smiling faces! It’s like a magician work. But imagine that this man stands for days (and it’s often sunny in the park), sells the same product and see the happy faces of people having fun, relaxing, spending time with their families! His hunched back and lowered head just illustrates that it is not the most joyful work in the world…Well, I know there are much harder jobs. I really wish him a very good profit this season and a lot of interesting customers at least.

I noticed that each boat on the lake had its own name! Jules, Sarho, Carole, Cedric …

A lady is working while her man probably gives the instructions)))

The car was parked))

Unusual fountain

When I was (again) walking around the city I witnessed an interesting scene as Juliet appeared on the balcony waiting for her Romeo. Hopefully, they ‘ll be happier than two lovers in the book written by the great William Shakespeare.

The linear Paris

An unusual metro’s entrance (toy).

A shopwindow: The Three Little Pigs and the books they read) )

A road sign

For today my album of adventures, emotions and discoveries closes its “doors”. But I certainly will be back, dear friends! I think I’ll be very busy in the coming days and do not know when I can “contact” you again, therefore I just wish you beautiful weather, great mood and fabulous happenings! See you, dears!