Greetings from the sunny Balkan Peninsula! Today I got up early to catch my flight to Podgorica from Charleroi Airport. They call it Brussels South, but it’s definitely not Brussels any more, the shuttle bus from Brussels midi station to the airport took about one hour.
When I landed in Podgorica, it was so sunny and not as cold as Belgium. I feel I haven’t had a proper sunny day for a while. Well it is not that hot but warm enough to just wear a trench coat, instead of the winter clothes.
I stayed with Hossein’s family in Shiraz, thanks to my friend @liflorence. Li met Hossein and made friends with him and the whole family. The family is so friendly and welcoming. Hossein and friends told me a lot about Iranian culture, we had the amazing Iranian dish dizi. I was so fascinated to see how well his sister could dance Zumba and how his friends are atheists and anarchists in a country where “most of the fun things that younger generation like to do (such as dancing, party, etc) are illegal”.
Although located in Paris’s high-street shopping district Rue de Rivoli, this artist collective of six floors can be easily overlooked with its very small entrance.
59 Rivoli used to be an old building abandoned by a bank. In 1999, a group of artists occupied it for their exhibitions and performances. It became one of the city’s popular illegal artist squats and also attracts a lot of visitors ever since. Years later, Paris city decided to legalise it and allow many artists to host their studios here at minimum rent.
I remember in the summer, when I posted about a trip to Claude Monet’s house and garden in Giverny, many Steemians told me how much they loved Monet’s paintings. If you are a big fan of Monet, Paris is a paradise for you. You can find many of his artworks in the city. If you’re a Monet fan there are three places you must see In Paris: Musee D’Orsay, Musee Marmottan and l’Orangerie.
I felt so lucky to visit the actual water lilies in Giverny and since then I’ve been wanting to visit the famous water lilies paintings in Musee de l’Orangerie. Paris is known as a city full of museums, l’Orangerie wasn’t the biggest among them but it houses Monet’s water lilies paintings in a large format, which are beautifully displayed larger than life in two rooms.