My immune system got a booster today in the form of the H1N1 vaccine.  It felt okay I guess.  Some very good family friends brought it for me from America on ice.  Kind of a hassle but now I am safe which makes everyone happy.  I spent the rest of the day with them, exploring Le Marais.

We took a short Rick Steves walking tour of the area and visited some pretty interesting stores and museums.  We had lunch at a falafel place dubbed the best in France by many people including Rick Steves and our local travel guru, Toto.  L’as du Fallafel on Rue des Rosiers lived up to its rep.  I got the falafel platter: lots of falafel, pickled cabbage salad, regular cabbage salad, cucumber and tomatoes, tahini, humus, fries and eggplant.  It was a little too much food but my silly stomach knows no limits.  My stomach is obsessed with shattering glass ceilings.  Anyways, it was good and I’m adding myself to the list of recommenders.

We took a little walk around the rest of the tiny Jewish neighborhood and found a guy that reminded me of my childhood piano teacher playing piano in an intersection.  He was having a great time improvising and entertaining the people seated at the bars and restaurants around him.  He really was exactly like my piano teacher, Hurricane Sam.  Eerie.

Next we went to the Holocaust Museum and I’m glad we did it after eating because I would not have been hungry afterwards.  It was one of the most personal Holocaust museums I’ve been to, showing individual cases of thousands of children with pictures and timelines ending with death.  Disturbing, infuriating and motivating.  Definitely worth a visit, especially if you’re a Holocaust denier and need a good factual slap in the face.

After we went to the Pompidou and walked through the feminism exhibit and their permanent collection.  I’m not sure it was actually a feminism exhibit but it sure felt like one – I was uncomfortable.  There was also a weird breathing exhibit…. check it out below.  One woman expressed herself by wearing a crotchless leather jumpsuit and photographed herself with an Uzi in public.  Awesome work, dude.  My favorite parts of the Pompidou are the exposed escalators from where there is a spectacular view of the whole city, specifically, the sparkling Tour de Eiffel for the first five minutes of every hour after dark.

I went out with my family friends for dinner and had my first soufflé: spinach during dinner and chocolate and caramel for dessert.  So good.  Those are going on my list of things to learn to cook.  After I went out in the Bastille with a bunch of crazy Americans.