My son slept in--nothing like being 17 for being able to sleep--a lot! I went out for a walk with only my small, portable camera. It made walking easier and made me less conspicuous as a tourist. Most of the stores were still closed and some were closed for the entire month of August--a French holiday tradition. Parisians flee to more comfortable spots leaving Paris to the tourists.
I discovered for myself a lovely Cafe, La Cafeotheque. The shop is not entirely traditional in that it served many gourmet coffees but it still had a distinctly French touch.
Here is what I recorded in French: "Je commence avec un cafe creme a un tres bon petit cafe pres de la Seine, La Cafeotheque. Le cafe d'auhourd'hui vient de Brazil. On le donne avec un petit Madeleine et un tout petit verre et une carafe d'eau. On joue un peu de jazz. Ma chaise porte un coussin fait de sacs de cafe."
(I began with a coffee with milk at a very good little cafe near the Seine, La Cafeotheque. The coffee of the day comes from Brazil. It is served with a little Madeleine cake and a small glass and carafe of water. Jazz is playing and my chair has on it a cushion made of coffee sacks.) It was such a treat that I wished I could have stayed and read a novel for a few hours but I knew that I had to return to my son who eventually would awaken, bored and hungry.
On the way back to the hotel, I window shopped. Browsing Parisian windows is almost as good as sipping Parisian coffee. I passed an antique music store, unfortunately closed for the season.
Orphee (French for Orpheus, a shop specializing in antique musical instruments
The street I was on seemed to specialize in printing and paper goods. Unfortunately there was no time to shop and all the stores were closed anyway. Store closings save my family a lot of money!
Last of all, here I am:
1 comment:
Isn't Paris wonderful. I came within a hair of taking a job there, but my rudimentary knowledge of French scared me off.
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