ited to see there was a new movie released out about her life. I have watched two documentaries about her and it always amazes me how film makers can take such an insanely interesting subject and make a film about said subject SO boring. Her real life is crazier than any novel. She was raised in a brothel and the circus only to be discovered singing on the streets of Paris. She sang with such incredible passion you can see how she became a national icon of France. I am happy to report that unlike the documentaries I have seen, La Vie En Rose was absolutely phenomenal! Marion Cotillard is perfect in the lead. Anyone who is even remotely an Edith Piaf fan should run out and see this movie. Almost as impressive as the movie was the movie theatre itself. We went to the Como Cinema
which shows mostly arthouse films. I have never been to a movie theatre that was so gussied up. Even the restrooms were flashy. Very Nice!!!After the movie we went just a few blocks away to t
he Como Historic House and Garden. Built in 1847 by barrister Edward Williams, Como was bought and sold by two other prominent Melbournians before being purchased by the Armytage family who lived in the house for over 95 years. The National Trust purchased Como and the interior furnishings from the Armytage family at a very reduced price with the intention of preserving a piece of Victorian life. This house would be any art director of a Victorian period movie's dream. It was fantastic to see all the art and furniture but even more interesting were the differences in daily life activities. For example, I never knew a drawing room was called as such because it was the room women would "withdraw
" to after dinner giving the men time to smoke cigars, drink brandy and do business. There were screens the women put in front of the fire because the make-up they wore at the time contained beeswax and would start to melt if they got too hot. While the family rooms were fantastic I was much more interested by the servants quarters. So much of the everyday tools they used have been preserved at Como including a coffee bean roaster, sewing machines, ice cream makers, laundry cranks and an 1860's stove. There was a line of 14 bells which w
ere operated by magnetic cranks and used to summon the servants to various rooms in the house. The gardens were beautiful in something called "gardenesque" style as opposed to "picturesque". All this means is the landscaper was trying for a more natural feel than the very organized feel of earlier English gardens. Not only are the flower gardens great but the vegetable garden was impressive with huge heads of cabbage and the weirdest looking chicken I have ever seen. It was a variety of Chinese Silkie Chicken but it looked like a fluff ball with chicken feet. Th
e trees were massive including this Bunya-Bunya pine that I am hugging. Am I becoming a hippie? I actually wanted to sit in the vine like a swing but i thought that might be frowned upon. Our guide told us that every few years the grounds keepers actually have to rope off this tree because it produces pine nuts as big as watermelons which could seriously injure someone if they got hit by one.
he Como Historic House and Garden. Built in 1847 by barrister Edward Williams, Como was bought and sold by two other prominent Melbournians before being purchased by the Armytage family who lived in the house for over 95 years. The National Trust purchased Como and the interior furnishings from the Armytage family at a very reduced price with the intention of preserving a piece of Victorian life. This house would be any art director of a Victorian period movie's dream. It was fantastic to see all the art and furniture but even more interesting were the differences in daily life activities. For example, I never knew a drawing room was called as such because it was the room women would "withdraw
" to after dinner giving the men time to smoke cigars, drink brandy and do business. There were screens the women put in front of the fire because the make-up they wore at the time contained beeswax and would start to melt if they got too hot. While the family rooms were fantastic I was much more interested by the servants quarters. So much of the everyday tools they used have been preserved at Como including a coffee bean roaster, sewing machines, ice cream makers, laundry cranks and an 1860's stove. There was a line of 14 bells which w
ere operated by magnetic cranks and used to summon the servants to various rooms in the house. The gardens were beautiful in something called "gardenesque" style as opposed to "picturesque". All this means is the landscaper was trying for a more natural feel than the very organized feel of earlier English gardens. Not only are the flower gardens great but the vegetable garden was impressive with huge heads of cabbage and the weirdest looking chicken I have ever seen. It was a variety of Chinese Silkie Chicken but it looked like a fluff ball with chicken feet. Th
e trees were massive including this Bunya-Bunya pine that I am hugging. Am I becoming a hippie? I actually wanted to sit in the vine like a swing but i thought that might be frowned upon. Our guide told us that every few years the grounds keepers actually have to rope off this tree because it produces pine nuts as big as watermelons which could seriously injure someone if they got hit by one.We decided to drive down to Fitzroy which is an arts
y area with lots of book shops, clothes stores and restaurants much like Wicker Park in Chicago or 5points in Jacksonville. There is even a small cluster of Spanish, Mexican and South American shops and restaurants. Mick and Bec (my house mates who just returned from Europe) came and met Matt and me for a Spanish dinner. We went to a restaurant called Kanela for paella. The food and decor was wonderful but the best thing was the band playing that night. String Theory (not to be confused with String Theory the New Jersey
cover band or String Theory the electronic band from Chicago) was formed in 2006 and preforms every Sunday at Kanela and other venues around the city. This band is in the same vein as Pink Martini but more raw and with a little pieces of Django Reinhardt, Louis Prima and Ceila Cruz thrown in. Mimi Zaetta-Thomas is intriguing to watch throwing herself into her performance both voice and body. I thought she might actually start a flamenco dance there for a second the way she was expressing the music with her arms. I thoroughly enjoyed this band and if you want to hear them check out their MySpace page. http://myspace.com/stringtheory01
y area with lots of book shops, clothes stores and restaurants much like Wicker Park in Chicago or 5points in Jacksonville. There is even a small cluster of Spanish, Mexican and South American shops and restaurants. Mick and Bec (my house mates who just returned from Europe) came and met Matt and me for a Spanish dinner. We went to a restaurant called Kanela for paella. The food and decor was wonderful but the best thing was the band playing that night. String Theory (not to be confused with String Theory the New Jersey
cover band or String Theory the electronic band from Chicago) was formed in 2006 and preforms every Sunday at Kanela and other venues around the city. This band is in the same vein as Pink Martini but more raw and with a little pieces of Django Reinhardt, Louis Prima and Ceila Cruz thrown in. Mimi Zaetta-Thomas is intriguing to watch throwing herself into her performance both voice and body. I thought she might actually start a flamenco dance there for a second the way she was expressing the music with her arms. I thoroughly enjoyed this band and if you want to hear them check out their MySpace page. http://myspace.com/stringtheory01 They even did a cover of Edith Piaf's, Padam Padam, bringing my day into a happy full circle.
