#Paris: Tribute to Charlie Hebdo

 

#JeSuisCharlie ©thatgirlwithasketchbook

 After 7th of February 2015 and the massacre in the redaction of the satire magazine Charlie Hebdo, not only sketchers and journalists where shocked. Two weeks after the tragedy, I wondered whether the city still remembers ...

#NousSommesCharlie

Answer was obvious. Behind the glass windows of most of bookstores and many other places, the white letters on the black were visible from afar. In most of the newspaper stores, Charlie is sold out . Nonetheless, their books are quite easy to find. Limited editions. For a decent price. Of course.



Charlie Hebdo, bookstore vitrine next to Place de Clichy
©thatgirlwithasketchbook

©thatgirlwithasketchbook

# Saving Paris

It seems that the French took that warning really serious. The gendarmerie secured entrances to the flats, schools and synagogues in the area, where I stayed that is also popular within Jewish community. For such pacifist as me these views where none of pleasure. Soldiers in the black berets on their heads walked around the streets with the guns in their hands. Of course it was not an army, but such a distinct amount that you cannot simply ignore their existence.

I couldn't help some shiver, particularly when I entered subway station, accompanied by a group of about thirty young men with their rifles just on the level of my stomach! Or when I took a velib bike and saw another bunch of armed men in front of the entrance to Le Figaro.

I asked some French friends about their opinions about this, but they were not elaborative, as if there was nothing else to do than silently accept and mourn. Of course we do not like it, but what can we do.


Top left: Synagoge not far away from Saint Paul, Top right: Louvre, Down: subway.
©thatgirlwithasketchbook





# Freedom of speech, freedom to devastate

 On the last day, I decided to take a walk to the famous Place de la Republique where most of the demonstrations took place. On the huge pedestal stands a huge statue of Marianne - with that name is traditionally called French Republic, goddess of Liberty. Two accompanying her women - Equality and Fraternity - fulfil the metaphor of Republic, together with symbolic olive branch (peace) and tablet inscribed with Droits de l'Homme (Human Rights).

Quick look at the statue is enough to realise why exactly there, most of the demonstrations after the massacre took place. Liberty, Equality and Fraternity were devastated and abused by the freedom of speech of demonstrators. Plenty of doodles, scribbles and stickers add dubious splendour to the monument until the Paris will stop mourning. Will be the cleaning of the monument also a political statement or simple care of the urban aesthetics?

Under the monument people leave flowers, candles, caricatures. Voices are lowered, walk slowlier, sketchers enter the area of sacrum.

I sat on the bench next to the Republique meditating about these guys who died for their love for sketching cartoons and wicked sense of humour, that not many people actually cared about. Apart from those dangerous once. I wish there were more serious reasons to die.

While I was sketching, some passer-by looked behind my arm, someone else commented silently with some respect in his voice (another time I regretted my ignorance if it comes to speaking French).

And what struck me, is.... sitting in front of the monument of almost sacral virtue that is  Liberty, personalised as a woman, I kept thinking about male god, male picture of mahomet, followed by another group of male soldiers or terrorists on the streets, who kill or secure male sketchers and male satirists ... At the same moment all French-speaking women from the area nearby - Asian, Kaukasian, African or Arabic - take their kids to school and cook dinners for their husbands and do not want fathers or mothers of their son's colleagues to die. Guess how much people in France believe in islam? How many of them are kids and women?

Let me be cynical and feminist at this moment with my sketch of this.

-Farma, weźmy chłopców do zoo.
- Jeszcze nie nauczyli się jak się bawić ołówkami i  pistoletami.

[Answer: 7,5% of French society is muslim, around 4,5 mln people.

It is less than annual number of visitors in Paris Disneyland that is over 10 mln.]

 

 

#Paris within a week: Moulin Rouge

Who have not seen Moulin Rouge? Rise your hand! The movie, the music... or the building?

Surprisingly, I stayed for two nights just next to there. Street full of love. Literally. Love for sell. Shops with love equipment. Ladies who willingly share their love with everyone.

For a decent price of course.

I had single espresso (one of the most expensive I ever had in my life) and a bit of joy while sketching. It was freezing cold, but who could resist from doing that?

Put your gloves on and sketch!

On the way back, I found a piece of street art next to the Pigalle, where they do not sell chestnuts by the way. By Jef Aerosol. Quote of course from Moulin Rouge.

Surprisingly enough, in the street of sinners, one can easily seek for forgiveness too!

In the window glass, look for the lights of glamour Moulin Rouge and pray to Saint Rita in la Chapelle de Sainte Rita.

I was dying to check who is she saint patron of.

Saint patron of issues that are difficult and hopeless; mothers and woman in all situations (Polish Wikipedia).

Paris. Place where one can find his own liking.

Welcome to Moulin Rouge!

[Update:
Actually I cannot think about that evening without having Paraguayan friend in my hear, while we've been listening to the soundtrack of a Paraguayan independent short movie of her friend. Will be it too much advertising, if I share it here? Well, I do liked it - and no, they don't pay me for that ;-). Enjoy "La luna de cigarras" (Ciccads' moon)]

#Paris within a week: Let's go!

Capital of love, art and lights is just a perfect place to sketch! Particularly when one needs holiday as badly as me. 

Although I posted already some pictures from Paris some time ago(Tribute to Paris Eiffel Tower), let me call this week Parisian. Expect even more drawings this week - from the city, where it is worth to die for sense of humour, where the number of romantic streets is the highest and where the number of cultural migrants that used to spend their last days grows continuously since decades!

©thatgirlwithasketchbook

Motto of my trip landed in one of the fist pages of my notebook.


(by the Polish novel writer, poet and mason J.U.Niemcewicz)


Ten sobie ubliża, kto ma za co, a nie chce jechać do Paryża.

One insult himself, who can afford, though refuses to travel to Paris.

©thatgirlwithasketchbook

More tomorrow! :)

That girl w.a.s.


Ps. The watercolour postcard was a very quick goodbye gift for two great French/Russian boys, who offered me their fantastic hospitality in Paris. Merci beaucoup! 

Language Exchange Meeting in Sopot

In Sopot going out is quite easy. It even more exciting when you have a sketchbook and another sketcher with you.

Every Thursday in Instytut Spraw Wszelakich in Sopot there are language exchange aka. Couchsurfing events. The idea is quite well known.
1. Couchsurfing events gather members of the website www.couchsurfing.org  from here or visitors meet together for chip-chap
2. Language Exchange usually gathers people who want to practice foreign language.

In short. These people want to talk! In Sopot this is 2 in 1 event, but still not perfect. If you travels, you may know these kind of events from other cities. I happen to participate already in Łódź, Poznań, Berlin and Cologne or various cities where I traveled to.

My experience with CouchSurfing lasts for good 7 years already, so no wonder that I was looking forward to check out how these meetings look in Tricity. If you are new in town, that is often the place where you can find friends and insight into the city, that you are going to make your own.

Are we the same group? Really?

I must admit. I was disappointed for couple of reasons.

1. Too loud. Dear DJ - you were great! I have heard Bookashade couple of years ago, and it was there that night! I loved it! Nonetheless, how you can talk when it's loud?

2. Unfamiliar space - tables do not support conversations, because you cannot change your place. The puffs, however, were arranged like for some couples. And why couchsurfers come to these events? To talk, to sit with other people, to move their places in order to talk with one or the other person (not the same one for all the time). Well...impossible there.

3. Expensive. The most expensive beer I have had in Tricity! (8 zł for draught beer plus 1zl  if you want a juice). No discount at the bar. In all cities, organisers ensure discount at least for one brand of the beer. They give it even in Belgrade in Serbia (greets for that wonderful community in Belgrade. Felt like home there from the very first time)! Well, this is the case in Instytut Spraw Wszelakich. I have asked myself couple of times, why this event is in there, actually? In Poznan some years ago, I happened to organise several events like that and for people prices and loudness were the important qualities of the place.
- You want to earn on us? Well, give something in exchange!

4. No community. There were actually two separate groups that did not know that had join the very same meeting! There was even no paper or no hint at the bar  - Language Exchange people are sitting over there.  We put our own paper, but the idea is to recognise each other easily. Nothing like that there.

Probably my experience from Łódź Language Exchange Club is simply too amazing. If you happen to be in Łódź, do not omit Thursdays at 20:00 in Szósta Dzielnica. Wonderful people who are so easy to make friends with. I love also the idea, that everyone gets a sticker where s/he can put name and the spoken languages in it. Thanks to that, I met so many fantastic people including two wonderful boys from Ukraine who has been teaching me the whole month Russian in exchange for English! Once I got even a copy of Sigmund Freud's analysis with request for help for translation! Beautiful event if you are linguist (if you come to such events, you probably enjoy languages at least a bit).

I don't want to be only critical - so let us make it a bit more constructive.

Music was cool!

People who came were great!


I sketched a lot (loved red lights!)

Let's meet more often and get on well better!!!

I was quite happy to welcome for the second time that girl with a sketchbook (here more about that). Of course we had no choice than sketch! DJ  was a good subject - expressive characteristic hair and barely moving - perfect model! Niuta's version was really nice (I forgot to take picture, sorry). As for me - this is only this week when I started to try more often with drawing people. Very challenging, particularly if you sketched cathedrals and bridges, like me! For these reason sketching together with Niuta was very pleasant. She kept encouraging me to take those challenges - no wonder that there were couple of sketches from that evening that I can present.

DJ Ertel - my first sketch that night

Another challenge was time - Niuta's portrays are very quick. Less than 10 minutes each! Although we used different tools (crayons vs. ink), I did my best to keep up that pace. Crazy really, but also inspirational!. I usually give myself minimum 30-45 minutes for a sketch as  I love to make it slow and think about each line!


To sum up, event was really nice and I  hope it will continue to happen here or anywhere else.
If you were interested to join us, go to Couchsurfing Tricity group (www.couchsurfing.org) or join facebook group Language Exchange Trójmiasto- there are the most updated information.

Below some more sketches of me and Niuta!
Enjoy!

My sketch of Niuta while sketching

Niuta's portray of Leonardo from Brasil. Mobile phote, sorry for poor quality

In the end I got another portray of myself, sketched in my sketchbook. Thank you! :)

that girl WITHOUT sketchbook

Foto at the Parisian mosque tea house. Englishmen does not recognise gender of nouns.
In my language sketchbook is like a lover - it must be him.

Sometimes it happens. You leave home. You take everything you need. At least ...you think you have EVERYTHING. You close your door behind. You travel long way. You get to the place. You take out your pen. You want to sketch and.... it is not there! Drops of sweat come on your forehead, heart starts to beat faster, only one thing bothers you now...

How should I sketch now?

It happened to me so far only three times.

1# Coffee is always good 

Over a month ago in the plane - on the way from Gdańsk to Paris.

Thank you wizzair for white coffe cups!

The unexpected need to put on the paper what I see was stronger than anything. A paper cup of coffee, that you see above, did only well to me. My favourite rosa lipstick was actually accidental. Of course, I had to drink out my coffee before sketching! Stewardess gave me a weird look - cou-cou.

Lesson to learn: sketchbook is like lipstick - never take it out from your bag!
Or - at least - never refuse yourself a cup of tea or coffee! Vine, on contrary, is never good, because on plastic transparent glasses you cannot sketch.

 

2# Read'n'go or fill your book with inspirations

Last saturday my sister and her fiancé invited me over. Although we live in the same (Tri)city, it is still one hour of travel by public transport what successfully prevents me from frequent visits. Ultimately, I promised and off I went. Of course I planned to sketch in the tram, but my small moleskine sketchbook decided to stay home.

The only paper I had in my bag was a book of Jaume Cabre - Confessions (in Polish: "Wyznaję"). I rarely leave home without a book (you never know when it is going to save your life from boredom, when all stream goes down and you have nothing else to do). Luckily enough this one was my own book, not from a library.

I could start the process of destruction of the book.

Dear publishers! Never forget to leave empty pages for nasty sketchers! Not urban sketching this time but... I have probably read too big part of that book to not feel oblige to go deeper down into my thoughts and its content. 

Now, probably all book lovers, language teachers and librarians will shiver, I regret to admit - I have nothing against sketching in books... with ink... I hope that  Jaume Cabre, whose book I am bound to finish to read soon, will forgive me once this nasty profanation. Deep in my heart I hope he will give a thought one day to this idea and add some extra art to his works, namely illustrations. Those 750 pages full of music and beautiful verses would be even more pleasant with bunch of sketches every now and then.

I guess he would understand my emergency situation and forget me that addition of some extra lines on the first page that contained before just pure dedication to Margerida. Dear Margerida, you became part of my sketch. Please forgive me robbing you from that space.

3# Eiffel Tour is never enough

 This sketch was a sin against my sketchbook that I have committed quite deliberately. I have chosen a book again. As you know, I needed quite much of inner thinking to sketch the Eiffel Tour (read here). This one was only a tiny gift for a friend whose endless love to this building has never ceased to amaze me. If a sketch can bring a smile on someone's face, why not to doodle it? I sacrificed my aesthetic doubts and sketched the Eiffel Tour again.

Photo of poor quality, but as you can imagine, I do not own this sketch anymore.

As for place, it was done in a Parisian Mosque that is currently one of my top 10 location to go in Paris. Two-euro-mint-tea with a beautiful mosaics and stained-glass windows will satisfy not only photographers, sketchers, but simply anyone who is looking for a quite peaceful place with a beautiful surrounding. Delightful.

not taking any colours with you in this place it is another sin. Mosque in Paris.

4# real disaster


Have you realised that the third point was fake? I had my sketchbook with me!  I deliberately distroyed that book. Well... the real disaster happened some time after when I went to Amsterdam. I had tears in my eyes. But this story will be told another time.


5# dream place to sketch?

I have found one dream place with girls just this week! Unfortunately no picture this time as the camera in phone died. Hopefully I will improve this in the future.

If you could imagine perfect place for ANY sketcher or street art creator, it would be the pub  TABULA RASA in Gdynia in Tricity, Poland (Abraham street). What they did was - give people white walls and tell them - do whatever you like. For the results they did not have to wait too long. Walls soon started to be filled with various kind of doodles, scrawls ugly or and nice pieces of art. I felt in love with place from the first sight.

Why have I only forgot to take my pen?

grr.....

Tribute to Paris Eiffel Tower.

After years of rejecting the existence of Paris, finally did I commit the sin, that I am still ashamed of. Not only have I visited the city of light,s but I have also sketched the Tour Eiffel...

Oh but this is P-A-R-I-S!

Whenever I heard from my friends' mouths that sigh of visible elation, I could not resist a reactant
thought - it must be exaggeration. My sister who studied in France was the first one to say that. As a natural result of my rebellious mind, for a destination of my visit to France I have deliberately chosen Amiens that is not far away from Paris Beauvais (From now on is my love to cathedrals true and eternal. If you have never heard of that cathedral... well, believe me, Notre-Dame is just as impressive). What was much more important to me at that moment - I have NOT chosen Paris.

My conviction about Paris was undisturbed and stubborn. Wherever crowds of tourists build their own communities of mass touristic consumption, there is no place for magic, not to mention for a soul of the urban space. And without those, the city misses all its sex appeal.

Nonetheless, the life is an ironic creature, because I did visit Paris, although I avoided it for so long. During my trip to Sarajevo in September 2014 (read more here) I have met not only one, but three impressive Parisians, who kept repeating after my sister the very same sentence:

Oh but this is P-A-R-I-S!

The verdict on me and my stubborn avoidance of Paris was given - all three loved the city. Did I have any other choice than to visit? So I did already on October 2014, under only one condition: I will  do sketch - but please - I have promised myself - avoid kitsch, for God's sake - avoid the Eiffel Tower!

The sketch above proves my sins. Obviously I was far from avoiding the forbidden fruit.
Do I have any other explanation than a cheerful greeting of my friend: Welcome in Paris - I have to show you this! You will love it - Look! This is THE Tower! Isn't this view not beautiful?

A joyful child- I thought.

In that very moment I gave  up.

Hence, I was shown THE Tower from each side. From down, from far, from close. I was shown it even during a deep dark night, when the beautiful illuminations turns it to be some modern Christmas tree on the Parisian horizon. I was even made to observe it from the top of the Sacré-Cœr and from the banks of the river Seine with a bottle of red wine as accompaniment. Each of those occasion was filled with delightful comments...

Was that the wine or the constant flow of euphoria that has been reaching my ears? Even now, I am not sure what has brought me to that, but I have to publicly confess it -   I did it. I sketched THE Eiffel Tower. The compromise I made was- at least it is on the foreground!

In my inner quest for saving the magic of that iron creature, embedded so deeply in the Parisians' souls, I found the postcard below. Hopefully, this will save the rest of my dignity.

The photograph was taken from the very same point where I hid myself with a sketchbook (Pont du Alexandre III. - Bridge of Alexander III), however the time is much different - it was in 1900 during the universal exhibition. Back then - Paris had plenty of towers like the one of Gustave Eiffel. Back then - the intellectual debate about aesthetics rose up slowly. If I had lived then, I would have been an active part of it! Maybe then that building would have been deconstructed after the exhibition as well?

I found justification for myself. This is the Tower's charm that even Marcel Proust had to obey (in the end it was his friends who built it!). What else I can then admit than simply accept the fact - the Tower is not a thing to ignore - either you hate it, or love it.

PS. For Proust lovers I leave you reference to his description of it on that site or below - that refers to its important role in the defense of the capital during World War (1916):

In this Paris, whose beauty in 1914 I had seen awaiting almost defenseless the threat of the approaching enemy, there was certainly, as there had been then, the ancient unalterable splendor of a moon cruelly and mysteriously serene, which poured down its useless beauty upon the still untouched buildings of the capital; but as in 1914, and more now than in 1914, there was also something else, there were lights from a different source, intermittent beams which, whether they came from the aeroplanes or from the searchlights of the Eiffel Tower, one knew to be directed by an intelligent will, by a friendly vigilance which gave one the same kind of emotion, inspired the same sort of gratitude and calm that I had felt in Saint-Loup's room at Doncières, in the cell of that military cloister where so many fervent and disciplined hearts were exercising themselves in readiness for the day when, without hesitation, in the midst of their youth, they would consummate their sacrifice.
Time Regained 6: 161-62

[UPDATE -6-01-2014. I have found some precoloured photographs. Enjoy!]

New Year's resolutions

What is your New Year's resolution? - I asked my friend today. She said - I have so many.
 - Be young rich and beautiful again?

Magical date.

I believe first day of a new year that is just in our heads. How many times did you create a list and forgot about it the next day? Do you remember you NY resolutions from the last year?

My friend from Beograd posted on his facebook a photo of cat, obviously at the new years eve party. Ginger lazy hairy creature - peacefully slept on a tray in the bar; showing its disinterest about all that fuss that the others made about their funny NY celebrations. I love ignorant cats.


Nonetheless, I created a list this year again. Actually one shy NYE resolution.

If it comes for the other three? Well... am I not perfect already ;-)