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jeudi 13 mars 2003 |
picture of margueritte beside an archaeology exhibit of yet another middle eastern empire from a thousand years b.c.
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cour khorsabad featured exhibits of grand civic sculpture from mesopotamia. leaving this courtyard we entered room after room of exibits from different millenia in antique iran. there were monumental replicas of massive temple columns with cross beams carved in the shape of bulls, there were carvings and replicas from palaces and throne rooms, and there were dense clusters of glass displays featuring intricate metalwork and pottery.
for me each successive room increased my sense of dread, and widened the scope of my appreciation for the endless corruption of the powerful reaching back to pre-historic times. each gallery displaying ornate sculptures and models of huge urban complexes only reinforced for me the misery inflicted on the weak and the enslaved by the powerful, who demanded then, as they demand today, to be lavished with self-centered wealth and opulence while millions live in conditions of misery and desperation. are my dreams of a fair, tolerant, multicultural and democratic future hopelessly idealistic?
by now we were back in the sully wing of the massive museum, where ancient iran gave way to ancient egypt. more monuments to the self-importance of rich and powerful rulers dead for thousands of years. it had been a long day. we descended to the sully access and took the escalator into the grand reception area beneath the pyramid main entrance. passing through the mall we got on the metro and rode back to st-paul. margueritte was exhausted after the long day of walking, topped by three flights of stairs to get to our new apartment. i put down the murphy bed so she could lay down and i went out to look for a store to buy supplies for dinner.
i thought a quick lap around the block would turn up some shopping options. i walked up rue vielle du temple and turned right on rue des rosiers, just as narrow but less crowded, like a side street. the intense young european crowds quickly gave way to a wider age range of straighter looking folks, along with orthodox jewish men in their beards and black brimmed hats. i walked past a jewish market and laundromat and turned right down rue des ecouffes. another jewish market and a temple.
i turned right at rue de roi du sicile, returning to a hot younger crowd on densely packed sidewalks. i passed a gay bar and a small internet cafe. i walked on for several blocks, finding no lack of cafes and bars but still no market. the streets were teeming with people. i ducked into a flower store to get a fresh bouquet for our new place. it was quite crowded with patrons and salespeople. a handsome young man approached me and asked if he could help. i asked, "parlez vous anglais?" he said, "non." then i asked, "habla ud. el espanol?" and he said, "si." whoa! this was cool. we discussed various types of flowers. i told him i was most interested in orange as a color. after looking at several items i settled on an orchid. he wrapped it for me, i paid for it and said, "muchas gracias."
i was getting hungry and had been gone for a bit so i was anxious to get back to our apartment. suddenly, right on the corner of rue vielle du temple i found a tiny store, no more than a stall open to the sidewalk. it had a small cooler with refrigerated produce and dairy products, plus shelves with an odd assortment of items. i bought six eggs, fruit juice and some vegetables.
back at the apartment i put our new flowers in the vase, and i cooked an egg scramble for dinner. margueritte was still tired from the long day. i went out to try the internet cafe. it was crowded and very very smokey. i checked my email and printed a couple of items. the price was nearly 10 euros. the smoke was really annoying. i was glad to get back to the apartment. i told margueritte the streets were packed and teeming with people, but we were both tired so we went to sleep.