Culture, tramps and crazy French deals

Ok, it's been a lot longer since my last post than I meant to leave it.
Last weekend was quite busy. I didn't do everything I'd planned but that's probably a good thing as I tend to find museums/galleries quite tiring. I think it's the slow pace you have to walk at.

Friday night I went out to Bastille with the guy from uni who lives on my corridor, a girl form upstairs and her friend. We had quite a good night, went to a couple of bars, but I think it might have been better with more people to be honest.
Saturday I went to the Centre Georges Pompidou. It's a big building not far from Les Halles and Chatelet. All the pipes, lifts and the main escalator are on the outside of the building so it's quite unusual to look at. The view from the main escalator up to the 5th floor is incredible. You're above the roofline of Paris but because you're not too high, you can really get a feel for the different heights of the city. Inside there are several exhibitions which change throughout the year. In many ways it is similar to the Tate Modern. The temporary exhibition was on Dada, an art movement that started in Zurich in 1916. There was also another small exhibition to do with shadows. Click here for a picture (and the website).

On Sunday I went to Père Lachaise. This is, essentially, a big cemetery where lots of famous people are buried. Although touristy, it's still quite peaceful and it's not over-run with people. I saw the tombs of Oscar Wilde, Jimmy Morrisson and 2 hot air balloonists who went too high and ran out of air.
Afterwards I walked to Chatelet where I'd planned to meet a friend from uni and we were going to watch Corpse Bride (in English). I decided to walk because A. I was running out of Metro tickets, and B. I wanted to see what sort of life there was in the area, whether there were lots of bars or other places to come to at night. When I got to Place de la Republique I stopped for a McDonalds (very French I know). It was only about 5 or 6 but it was getting dark. On my way out some homeless man started asking me for a cigarette (in English). I told him I didn't smoke and carried on. He then started asking me for some change but I said no and carried on (I'm all for helping the poor but don't see the point if the first thing they ask for is a cigarette, plus I had no change anyway). At that point he said he was going to follow me. Great, just what I need; I'm alone, in an area I don't know in Paris and it's getting dark. I stopped and told him I wasn't going to give him anything as he was hassling me. He went away but it was pretty annoying.
Corpse Bride was quite good, after we'd managed to find each other. Les Halles, where the cinema is, is a big place with a lot of entrances.

Monday I didn't do anything really. I didn't go to the Social Security as I wanted to wait until I got my payslip which has a temporary number on it.

Tuesday I spent the day at the Musée D'Orsay. I'm definitely not an art expert but I did enjoy going round. It is very long though and there's a lot to see. That's also partly why I didn't go to the Louvre.

The rest of the week went quite well, I got some work done and am going to be involved with organising a convention which is in the new year.
Yesterday I went shopping and bought a mobile phone (well 2 actually; they had a deal on where you could buy one pay as you go phone on Orange for €59 or pay €10 more and get another one. it seemed silly not to get 2, I can always sell the 2nd) and a load of food. In the evening I went to see "Combien tu m'aimes?".

Right, it's Sunday which unforunately means washing so I'd better go now :-/