Week One - Day 4 - Le Marais

I down loaded this app called Poladroid which makes your digital pics looks like Polaroids. www.poladroid.net

 

It’s raining. Started last night. Now I wish I had brought my raincoat instead of my heavy coat! I just did the laundry in the building. How I hate doing laundry in a public place. Three washers and only one dryer. First I had to buy tokens at the desk and then take the elevator to another floor and take another elevator to the basement. I walked back up. The French do not appear to use the stairs. John finished off doing the laundry; the dryer is only the first step in drying, so we have clothes drying in our atelier. The rain became a drizzle so we went to the Bastille metro station buy a metro pass. It was 65,50 e each! I was expecting it to be 25e each. Well we just need to get our money’s worth and will try it out tomorrow. Also bought umbrellas. Walked around a bit and visited galleries. Once again John scored … he was given this book by an artist who makes welded sign art. My score was a dumpster sweater which had some plaster on it. It’s heavy gray wool with a turtleneck zipper … very French looking. I haven’t tried it on yet but it is a great find. I plan to do a lot of dumpster diving. Our Internet service is out. John called the Internet service and they are having problems.  After he signed up for WiFirst service I saw a sign outside the bursars office saying the service was slow, intermittent, and annoying. I do think that the Cite should provide that info in a more dispersed manner. In a way it is ok with me because that way we don’t spend so much time surfing. Diner with John was a discussion of conspiracy theory regarding the 911 bombing especially the pentagon. It makes my head hurt.

So I think that making this Poladroid B&W is even more interesting!

Dinner was reheated rice with parsley, leaks, asparagus, omlette, salad and cheese. Actually too much food for me. After dinner we took a walk. My intent was to walk Ille de Cite. However it is so easy to get misdirected. Eventually we realized that we were on the right bank. Again we walked until our feet hurt. I feel that I am really seeing Paris this time. Again it is that sense of time that allows for real discovery. The architecture is so awesome. I am definitely looking forward to exploring some of the less touristy arrondisements. The area outside the Cite is filled with homeless encampment. My memories of my first trip to Paris in 1970 contain visions of homeless sleeping on subway grates. It has not changed except for the homeless having computers and other electronics. Our plan for tomorrow is to explore with our Metro pass and go to the Musee D’Art Modern of the City of Paris. One of my favorite museums and where we bought the Niki de St Phalle print on our way back from Africa. The weather is misty with occasional drops but not enough to warrant an umbrella if you have a hat. It is warm also especially when you are walking.

Week One - Day 3 -Marche des Enfants Rouge

Some how I lost a day!  Still have not slept through the night. So I am a bit tired. Tonight I use the cough syrup! A bit of a late start today. We were ready to walk out the door when Peace Corps friend Steve Morello who lives in Lyon and works in Paris called from Athens. We scheduled dinner with Steve for next Tuesday night. Last time we had dinner with Steve in Paris, his hotel had to wake him up to leave, and he missed his train home. I was, at the time he called to tell us, just following John around St Germain with a sever cognac hangover. We had consumed 13 dozen oysters between the three of us in addition to de nombreux bottles of wine, Then hung out in a cafe where every time Steve asked if I wanted another cognac – I said yes. This is where and where we saw Karl Lagenfield in the Jacques Pouvee boutique where John got the details to build the $2Million table that resides chez nous.

Josh Margolis texted me from SF but I was on the phone with Steve and have not mastered texting on our tiny new phone yet. Before we left for the marche we had to stop in one of the offices of Cite to obtain our museum passes, which allow us reduced entry to many museums in Paris.

Anyway our goal today was the Marche des Enfants Rouge. This is the oldest covered marche in Paris originally created in 1615 by Louis the XIII. We got there a bit late but were able to buy wonderful tomatoes, awesome asparagus, gorgeous leaks, parsley, and cow cheese with mold on it. The fishmongers had already closed up but we had passed a god looking Fish store on the way to the Marche and went back there to buy two mackerel for dinner. The fresh scallops on the shells looked beautiful, the oysters made me think of both Josh and Steve. Lots more looked delicious but I went for the cheap mackerel for 3.76e. When Josh is here we will buy oysters to eat at home. After the marche we headed for BVH a large magasin, department store, in the Marais. I need paint brush soap, which I had forgotten to pack. My sense of direction is pretty good but after wandering around the department store looking for a razor for John I was totally disoriented. Fortunately this time John had a sense of direction.

We came home for lunch of ham and cheese but than makes it sound ordinary. It isn’t. When I was buying the fish the monger asked me if I preferred the US or France. I replied en ce moment la France en raison de la nourriture meaning at this moment France because of the food. We are resting a bit and then will head for the Centre Pompidou or the Beaubourg as it is called, tonight it is open until 9PM. But first we must buy razors for John, rice for dinner and more bread! Funny note now when I google anything ……  it is in French which is ok but unnerving that the google empire knows so much about what I am doing!

My feet hurt up to my but however I figure that I can eat more if I walk a lot.

Great show of Nancy Spero at the Beaubourg. We were able to get in for free after a bit of discussion. The woman at the info desk initially told me that we could get into the museum for free but not the special exhibit. So we stood in line for 20 minutes and then the cashier refused to give us tickets. So back to another person at the info desk who lent me a piece of paper, which said that, we were allowed in for free. Back to the cashier. He was désolé. (sorry) John says that my French has improved immensely in 3 days. Having to use it is great. I have the vocabulary but not the practice. It is a true luxury to be able to go the Centre Pompidou for an hour or so and know that you are able to return and it does not break the bank.

Now cooking dinner. Rice with fresh parsley, asparagus, leaks and mackerel, and a splurge a Sancerre for 9.50e. John is exploring the city bike rental for us. Now John is making me research the Velib bike site in French.

Week One - Day 2 - le Marais

 After petit-déjeuner chez nous we walked to the Bastille area and around le Marais for about 4 hours. The Bastille was closer than I thought that it would be to us. We got John a French cell phone and 100 minutes of sim card for 54 e. His phone number is 06 71 99 50 07. We only stopped to have a coffee in a very cool petite coffee shop 3 e and I bought a pain au chocolate 1e in a Jewish boulangerie. The Marais is a Jewish district and John looks like an old Jewish man in his hat. Lots of tourist abound in this area.

Before returning home we stopped at G20 supermarches. I used the loyalty card that Linda White had given me but my French was not good enough to understand the transaction exactly. The cashier was very nice but only spoke French. I did seem to get some kind of discount. It is good when the French don’t speak English so my French must improve. Bought more provisions for the atelier. Had lunch chez nous and are now working on getting Internet service and charging electronics. Our friend Stephanie Lerner called. We will probably go to her house this weekend. Got more food. The yummy pasta from last night was on sale so I got two more packages! We are in for the night at 5:30 PM! Time to work now.

Week One - Day 1- Our Arrival

 Did not sleep on plane at all. Movies did not have sound so I did not get to watch Eat Pray Love. Did read Sleeping with Schubert. A wonderful read. Thank you Teri Keller. Flight arrived at 10 AM, an hour late. Had to deplane on tarmac, walk down steps with heavy bags, take a bus to the terminal and then walk up stairs with heavy bags. CDG looks a bit run down. Spent and hour getting bags, finding toilets, and standing in line for taxi. Not unpleasant. Took a taxi 50 e to Cite. Not that much more than a shuttle for two people and very easy. 45.5 e for ride, three bags and 5 e tip. On the ride into the City Paris looked dirty and urban with lots of sterile architecture.

Checked into Cite. Unpacked and organized the room. Rather Spartan but good size. Nice bathroom and adequate kitchen. Fantastic views of the Seine. Three large windows almost floor to ceiling. 5 hour time loss so we are tired. Sky is gray but it is not too cold. Just wore my fur vest with leg and arm warmers. Hat, gloves and scarf also of course. Lots of young people on the street. I forget how old we are most times until I look in the mirror. Got some lunch 20 e. Had a potato and pea soup which I expected to be chunky but was pureed, it was good. John got café crème and a mushroom omelet. The mushrooms were delicious.

Got food for the room 28.5 e. Wine, coffee, tea, dish soap, eggs, cheeses, yogurt and cereal. Forgot to get bread so went out again to a boulangerie. Resisted getting pastries. Can’t describe how good the bread is here. Finished getting room arranged. Ate pasta stuffed with basil and pine nuts, cheese, bread and wine. Tap water is very good. Can’t get wifi until we have mobile phones. Bed at 10 PM. Woke at 4 AM and photographed out the window for an hour. Still can’t sleep so have started this blog. Computer time has not yet changed so it is almost midnight body time but 6 AM here. I am very happy to be here.