Paris

15.3.17: Time to Go

Well, the time came to pack up ready to be picked up by Jacques, Pierre and Agnès for a  last bit of sightseeing. We headed off to Montmartre where we wandered around, went to look at the small patch of grapevines still growing there and had lunch at the "Au Clarion des Chasseurs". I'm glad that I hadn't read the Tripadvisor reviews before we went; it was a lot better than I would have thought and would have given it a miss. In fact it was simple but good for an honest price and the waiter was amusing and pleasant.
From here we went down to the Sorbonne, St Michel area and gazed on Notre Dame from the bridge over the Seine. Spotted a very tempting Art Nouveau restaurant, "Boullion de Racine" which will definitely be on my list of visits whenever I come back http://www.bouillonracine.com/fr/bienvenue/
Got to the station with plenty of time to spare so sat chatting over a cuppa until Pierre and Agnès had to head off. I bought a banana to have on the train and paid 1€ for it! Often you can get at least 500g for the same price in the supermarket!
Unsurprisingly, the train left on time for an uneventful journey. Jacques dozed and I watched the"Queen of Kitwe", the true story of a young Ugandan chess champion on my tablet. Another one to watch if you have the chance.
Jacques friend David was at the station to meet us when we arrived at 11.30pm. Once home, I had a quick look around and saw that the electrician hadn't been in to finish off and then it was off to bed for a good sleep.
Weather:
16°, overcast with a little sun a times

14.3.17:  Another day, Another Museum

Took the same metro route as I did yesterday albeit for a few stops more to the Monet Museum.
http://www.marmottan.fr/uk/
As an exhibition of Pissarro's work had newly opened, there was a bit of a queue of about 20 minutes to get in. The Monet stuff was a pleasure to look at, so tranquil and as most folkk were looking at the Pissarros, I could take my time. Sadly, I couldn't give his colleague so much attention; there were far too many people.
Came out of the expo and sat for a while in the park eating chocolate and writing postcards. Also in the 16th Arrondissement, the appartment buildings were the stuff of dreams and the restaurants a bit out of my price range. Came home and had a late sandwich lunch sitting out on the pavement up the road from the house. Once again finished the afternoon off on the patio.
Weather:
16°, sun and blue sky; 21°, cloudy in the south

13.3.17: Eastern Delight

Took the metro to the Museum of Asian art in the 16th Arrondissement as it was one of the few open on a Monday. http://www.guimet.fr/en/ Of course, there was far too much to take in but I did a quick trip around to get an idea of the place. I lingered longer over the temporary exhibition of kimonos and that of photos depicting the travels of Alexandra David-Néel in Tibet
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandra_David-N%C3%A9el
Had a quick pasta lunch and wandered around this upmarket area of Paris admiring the buildings and gasping at the price of the appartments in the Estate Agents' windows.
On the journey back, I was entertained by onboard buskers and a bit of theatre, forced to ignore the beggars and wonder at the proliferation of mobile devices, all the while taking care to pay attention to my bag.
Was home in time to catch the last of the sunshine on the patio with a pot of tea and "Bridge of Spies" on the tablet. A cold war thriller based on a true story, it starred the very talented Mark Rylance (Wolf Hall) which was well worth watching.
Weather:
16°, sun, a little cloud and light breeze; 19]in the south, rain


12.3.17: What a difference a day makes!

Sun yesterday and today it was a foggy and chilly start to the day. Christophe and Valérie put me on the train to Paris. I easily found a comfortable single seat then settled down to pass the 2 hour journey. Of course, it was too good to be true; I was in 1st class but luckily realised it before the conductor came along. No matter, the journey passed just as quickly in 2nd class if with less leg room.  Frank was at the station to meet me and lo and behold, the sun was shining.
It was warm enough to sit out for an apéritif but there were only two  rather than three sharing the cava they'd bought in for me. Had a pleasnt walk along the Canal St Martin not far from the house, with Stéphanie. The area is in the process of being gentrified with a renovated promenade, new appartments, offices  and soon-to-be bistros.
Had dinner at home and watched the film "Merci Patron" on the tv, a film about the outsourcing by the luxury goods group LVMH of  production to Polish workers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merci_patron!
Went to bed in Elsa's room under the eves and slept well
Weather:
16°/19°, foggy, sunny, rain at home