FINAL POST FROM MY PARIS TRIP

I'm behind in my blogging.  My last week in Paris was busy, so very busy.  Not only was French school kicking my *&!, but I got to be so very close to the new group that we were on the streets until late! Oh yeah,  I guess that means that the verdict is in!!!  My class rocked.  I'm on Facebook with each and everyone of them.  They are fabulous!!!

Having said all of that, on Thursday I decided to get a "good" lunch in a local restaurant.  For that particular pleasure, I went back to my old hood, rue Cherche-Midi.  I happened upon this little joint and the outdoor menu board looked interesting, not to mention the white table cloths and starched waiters.  I ordered the prix fix lunch including a cold chick pea soup with mascapone and lemon.  After that I enjoyed the salmon with sesame seeds and seasonal vegetables.  Delicieux!  Finished up with coffee and lot's of conversation with a truly cool waiter who had spent a year in London.  And so, . . . his English was great, but he appreciated my need to speak French.  His boss gave me French and English menus so that I could compare and translate any food items that I didn't understand.  I would go there again, AND AGAIN.  No tourists.  At least not any without a backbone.

After class on Thursday most of us headed to Luxembourg Gardens.  We had gelato, coffee, sorbet, and most important, CONVERSATION, . . . in FRENCH!!!  Crazy, I know!  Anyway, a few of us hung out late and grabbed some food.  Just fun with great folks.

On Friday I decided that I should have a party, a petit fete, if you will.  I had this great apartment, and I thought that my class should come over and hang.  They did.  It was memorable and a blast, at the very least.

There are several people who touched me in a very important way.  Carmen, the instructor for my three weeks at Alliance Francaise  made all the difference in my school experience.  She taught me not only about language, but about culture, and, in my particular case, patience!   Hsiang Chieh Lo (pronounced "Chantier" in English) an AMAZING translator from Taiwan and Gianluca Musatti, a young chef  from Italy became my very closest friends.   Hsiang Chieh is just plain special.  Not sure.  Just special.  That's all.  Gianluca is the same age as my Graydon.  Sometimes you just connect with people on a level that is hard to explain.  I hope to have them in my life, . . . .ALWAYS!!!  On our last day of class Gianluca couldn't be there because he was taking a patisserie class at le Condon Bleu.  He showed up at my apartment with a box of homemade macaroons (yes, he made them) and an apron that said, "le Cordon Bleu Paris".  The macaroons were too good to be true, and the apron was FOR ME.  I'll cherish it always.   Afterward, Maria (beauty from Valencia, Spain), Martin (some kind of genius physicist from London), Martina (cute girl from Norway), Gianluca, Hsiang Chieh, (coolest people ever!) and I ran around Paris trying to find GOOD CHEAP food.  Oh, did I mention that it was raining cats and dogs?  Ended up at some dive, but steak frites is always a good bet.  We were so hungry that it didn't really matter.  ALTHOUGH, I did see that they had "horse steak" on the menu.  Didn't really work for me.  Not at all!

I got homesick, although I absolutely appreciate the opportunity and don't regret the choice for a minute.  I gained some cherished memories and lifelong friends.

The trip home was okay other than about six hours of delays.   I was pleasantly surprised by American Airlines.  They were polite and helpful at every turn.  However,  I can't say that for all of the travelers.  Sorry to say that all of the rude folks were AMERICANS!!!  Not sure what that was about.

All that said, I was smiling so big when I got to Chicago that the customs agents were kinda laughing.  When they asked what was up, I said, "just glad to be back in the US".  That's true.  At the end of my second week of French class, we had a little Q and A from all of the students to each student, taking turns.  They asked if I preferred Paris or Austin.  I said (in French),  I LOVE PARIS, but AUSTIN IS MY HOME, and I can't wait to get there!!!

Loved Paris, loved the experience, love my new friends.

Glad to be home ya'll!!!

Getting ready to tear up my kitchen, a little.  I'll blog about that.  I'll need an outlet.  Before that, however, going to NYC to see the kids and then the Cape to  . . .?????  Afterwards, heading to Marietta, Ohio for the Sternwheel Festival with my folks for some family time, and working on my pickle recipe.  Stay tuned.

ST.- SULPICE

I took a little walk through my neighborhood.  Jardin Catherine Laboure is a sweet little spot down the street from my apartment.  Inside the walls is a community vegetable garden.  Although there are signs posted everywhere saying "no dogs allowed", I spotted this little fellow at the entrance gate with his owner.  Seems to me that a common thread between Texans and Parisians is that they LOVE their dogs.

Since the weather has cleared up, as well as my allergies, a stroll to St. Sulpice seemed like a good idea.  The square, well all of Paris for that matter, was bustling. 

St.-Sulpice is a Late Baroque parish church.  It's now more popular than ever with tourists because of its prominent role in the novel  The Da Vinci Code.  The Church of St.-Sulpice was founded to replace a small Gothic church.  Various architects contributed to the design of St. Sulpice over a century (1646-1745) which explains the different design styles within the same structure.

What a sacred place.  I lit a candle and said a prayer for Graydon and Raquel in one of the small chapels of the cathedral.  

Since most grocery stores aren't open in Paris on Sunday, I decided to stop at La Grande Epecerie.  That place is heaven for anyone who likes good food.  I go there EVERY DAY.

Each and every section of the store is a visual feast.  They have such a rockin' wine section that I wanted to send you a shot or two of it.  When the manager saw me taking pictures, he said, "Madame, you can take a picture of me, but not of my wine!"  I apologized, and he was very nice about it.  Don't know what the rule is exactly, but I had already taken a few shots.


Outside of my apartment windows there is a gorgeous courtyard.  I'll post a pic, but I'm waiting until I can get a shot of Stella.  That's the name that I gave her.  She's this groovy bird that lives in a nest nearby, but it appears that there's a nest under construction on my bedroom window.  I never open that window.  I don't want to disturb her work, but more than anything, a visit from Stella while I'm asleep would give me a heart attack.  She won't hold still for a picture, but I'm not giving up.