Post by georgeleitch on Apr 28, 2012 18:23:30 GMT -5
I have been deep in the throes of PPD recently and am only now recovered enough to complete my report of March and April. I got up to the Saturday and now onto the Sunday. Once more off to the Bastille market as Stella had found a stall selling cute little Ecuadorian clothes. I think that is how you spell the country's name but they are white cotton baby clothes with wee patterns on them. To me baby clothes all look the same but women seem to think differently. Stella also picked up more of the wee circular things with which your purse stays undirtied by contact with the floor. I enjoyed the walk and the fliers pressed into my hand by earnest young politicos who asked for my vote. Rather than cause offence I smiled and nodded and moved on. I don't know too much about the election as it doesn't affect me or Canada but as long as they fix their Euro problems one way or the other and the majority are happy then good luck to whomever gets in.Of course any politician will promise you the kingdom of Heaven to get elected and promptly forget all the promises the day after he takes his seat.And this isn't just France but everywhere throughout the world. Back to Paris!
After the market we trotted off to the Rodin which is our favourite museum. It was a lovely day so we strolled around the garden, came to the Gates of Hell on which I knocked once again. An American lady asked if there was any reply but I said not yet, but if there was an answer I wasn't hanging around to have a chat. I left just in case someone came to the other side of the door and left the lady to take the blame if Auld Nick appeared in a cloud of sulphur fumes asking who woke him up.
After Rodin we went home to clean the apartment and pack as we were leaving on the Wednesday.At an alcoholic fueled evening in Scotland we asked our friends if they fancied a couple of days in Paris. To which they replied in the affirmative and after checking airlines and other things they found a flight on the Sunday from Prestwick to that wee airport 50 ks outside Paris Beauvais I think it is. We had supper at one of the few restaurants open and it was so enjoyable we booked for 4 the following night. The Monday was spent finishing off our shopping and souvenir hunting before we left to pick up John and Carol at the bus station I had to find Jean Paul Havin's chocolate shop where we spent a small fortune on chocs and macarons.
After some waiting at the bus station we found each other and took a cab back to our apartment where cases were dumped and we wandered down to the restaurant. The meal was good and the red wine flowed as plane were made for the following day. Eventually we staggered home and to bed.The place was a wee bit cramped with 4 of us but we managed and spent a pleasant night.
Next morning John and I went to the boulangerie to buy breakfast which was our usual except doubled and set off on the metro for L'Etoile so that J&C could see the Arc and even climb up it.After that we started off down the Champs and Carol was immediately drawn to Cartier and the two women window licked until told to move along. Of course the next place they stopped was Swarzowski (the crystal place)where C bought some wildly extravagant bijou for herself. John and I waited patiently but the scenery was splendid as always so we didn't really mind too much. Off we went again and stopped at Ladurie whose restaurant is still closed after the recent fire. The line up was awful so we left with me bumping into a wee waif of a girl dressed as a ballerina. After muttering at her to "gerootraway" I noticed her flattening herself against a window and getting her photo taken by some big guy with an even bigger camera. How did I know it was a photo shoot and I hope her wee toes have fully recovered.
We had lunch at a pizza place on the Champs and then wandered again down to Concorde, though the gardens and then home. We had booked at Le Grand Colbert as they had seen the movie and we had enjoyed the place last year so we walked up. Our reservation was for 4 people but they said it was for 2 and we would have to wait at the bar until a table became free. We weren't too happy but sat at the bar and ate them out of nuts and spiced olives as punishment. After a time a table was readied and we sat down to our meal. I ordered herring and warm potatoes fully expecting a couple of rolled herring and some wee spuds. Instead I got a bowl of warm potato salad and another bowl full of broth and about 7 fillets of herring. This was an appetizer but was far too much for one person. I wondered if it was because of that darn movie and all the trans Atlantic visitors with their bigger appetites who have flocked to the Colbert. It was the same with my veal which was again monstrous. Everyone else thought that it was too much food but we made a good try at finishing it all but failing miserably.And No, it wasn't the nuts and spiced olives either. Just too much. We staggered off once more and got a cab after getting lost and wandering about for half an hour.Home for the last night where Carol and Stella managed to finish their Champers and John and I had to get rid of the remains of a bottle of Dal more single malt. We managed it eventually and sort of collapsed in bed.
I had booked the shuttle for next morning to get us to the airport. J&C had decided on a double decked bus tour of Paris so they had to get up with us as David the owner of the apartment was coming for his final inspection. There was of course massive confusion with the shuttle as we had got two conflicting e-mails. One was for 6.45am and the other 10.15. Muggins (ME) had to get up at 6.30 in case the shuttle came. It didn't of course so we stood outside at 10.15. No shuttle. 10.30, no shuttle. David who had stayed with us called them and was told that the driver was stuck in traffic and would be a little late.10.45 we called again. This time the driver couldn't get up our street because of the one way system. They were told to cancel it and we would get a cab as we were running out of time. This caused the driver to get on the phone cursing and swearing and telling us to walk about half a kilometre to where he was. This kind offer was refused and the cab appeared and took us off to the airport.
After all that the flight home was uneventful and completely crash free which is what we all want.Will we go back to Paris? We don't honestly know. The holiday was not as good as we had expected being a little too long.Neither of us are getting any younger and maybe coming up to four weeks of being on the go is getting to be a bit much for our old bones. That, however was last week and we are feeling a little more positive this week so who knows what will happen in the future. Never say never again.
After the market we trotted off to the Rodin which is our favourite museum. It was a lovely day so we strolled around the garden, came to the Gates of Hell on which I knocked once again. An American lady asked if there was any reply but I said not yet, but if there was an answer I wasn't hanging around to have a chat. I left just in case someone came to the other side of the door and left the lady to take the blame if Auld Nick appeared in a cloud of sulphur fumes asking who woke him up.
After Rodin we went home to clean the apartment and pack as we were leaving on the Wednesday.At an alcoholic fueled evening in Scotland we asked our friends if they fancied a couple of days in Paris. To which they replied in the affirmative and after checking airlines and other things they found a flight on the Sunday from Prestwick to that wee airport 50 ks outside Paris Beauvais I think it is. We had supper at one of the few restaurants open and it was so enjoyable we booked for 4 the following night. The Monday was spent finishing off our shopping and souvenir hunting before we left to pick up John and Carol at the bus station I had to find Jean Paul Havin's chocolate shop where we spent a small fortune on chocs and macarons.
After some waiting at the bus station we found each other and took a cab back to our apartment where cases were dumped and we wandered down to the restaurant. The meal was good and the red wine flowed as plane were made for the following day. Eventually we staggered home and to bed.The place was a wee bit cramped with 4 of us but we managed and spent a pleasant night.
Next morning John and I went to the boulangerie to buy breakfast which was our usual except doubled and set off on the metro for L'Etoile so that J&C could see the Arc and even climb up it.After that we started off down the Champs and Carol was immediately drawn to Cartier and the two women window licked until told to move along. Of course the next place they stopped was Swarzowski (the crystal place)where C bought some wildly extravagant bijou for herself. John and I waited patiently but the scenery was splendid as always so we didn't really mind too much. Off we went again and stopped at Ladurie whose restaurant is still closed after the recent fire. The line up was awful so we left with me bumping into a wee waif of a girl dressed as a ballerina. After muttering at her to "gerootraway" I noticed her flattening herself against a window and getting her photo taken by some big guy with an even bigger camera. How did I know it was a photo shoot and I hope her wee toes have fully recovered.
We had lunch at a pizza place on the Champs and then wandered again down to Concorde, though the gardens and then home. We had booked at Le Grand Colbert as they had seen the movie and we had enjoyed the place last year so we walked up. Our reservation was for 4 people but they said it was for 2 and we would have to wait at the bar until a table became free. We weren't too happy but sat at the bar and ate them out of nuts and spiced olives as punishment. After a time a table was readied and we sat down to our meal. I ordered herring and warm potatoes fully expecting a couple of rolled herring and some wee spuds. Instead I got a bowl of warm potato salad and another bowl full of broth and about 7 fillets of herring. This was an appetizer but was far too much for one person. I wondered if it was because of that darn movie and all the trans Atlantic visitors with their bigger appetites who have flocked to the Colbert. It was the same with my veal which was again monstrous. Everyone else thought that it was too much food but we made a good try at finishing it all but failing miserably.And No, it wasn't the nuts and spiced olives either. Just too much. We staggered off once more and got a cab after getting lost and wandering about for half an hour.Home for the last night where Carol and Stella managed to finish their Champers and John and I had to get rid of the remains of a bottle of Dal more single malt. We managed it eventually and sort of collapsed in bed.
I had booked the shuttle for next morning to get us to the airport. J&C had decided on a double decked bus tour of Paris so they had to get up with us as David the owner of the apartment was coming for his final inspection. There was of course massive confusion with the shuttle as we had got two conflicting e-mails. One was for 6.45am and the other 10.15. Muggins (ME) had to get up at 6.30 in case the shuttle came. It didn't of course so we stood outside at 10.15. No shuttle. 10.30, no shuttle. David who had stayed with us called them and was told that the driver was stuck in traffic and would be a little late.10.45 we called again. This time the driver couldn't get up our street because of the one way system. They were told to cancel it and we would get a cab as we were running out of time. This caused the driver to get on the phone cursing and swearing and telling us to walk about half a kilometre to where he was. This kind offer was refused and the cab appeared and took us off to the airport.
After all that the flight home was uneventful and completely crash free which is what we all want.Will we go back to Paris? We don't honestly know. The holiday was not as good as we had expected being a little too long.Neither of us are getting any younger and maybe coming up to four weeks of being on the go is getting to be a bit much for our old bones. That, however was last week and we are feeling a little more positive this week so who knows what will happen in the future. Never say never again.
but I'm sure you soon will be longing for Paris...you've already got PPD!
Let the riot begin! LOL - 
hahahha