6-1-07 Paris

While we were at the Louvre we saw a troupe of performers signing. I would guess that it was a dress rehearsal because they kept starting and stopping, but since I didn't know what they were saying, I can't say for sure. I've taken some sign language, and I had hoped that I might understand some of it since American Sign Language was developed by a man who spoke French Sign Language. Unfortunately, I couldn't get enough to confirm that what I did get was right. Something about the whole scene struck me though. I wouldn't be surprised to see community performances at a museum in the states, but I was surprised to see it there. I kind of felt like, "This isn't just a museum: this is the Louvre for goodness sake." It's hard to explain why I felt they shouldn't be there. I think it had more to do with the Louvre than the performers. It just seems like this great entity that is stoic and static; not a lively changing place where something as fleeting as a performance takes place.

I have a confession to make. After everyone left us in Paris, Mike and I had an American indulgence. We went to a theater on the Champs-Elysees and saw Pirates of the Carribean (in English to boot). I decided it was ok because if we were to move to Europe and fully immerse ourselves in a foreign culture, I would still want to see Disney movies.