Paris Journal 2009 – Barbara Joy Cooley Home: barbarajoycooley.com
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We’re faced with the Big
Holiday Weekend when most places are closed in Paris, either because it is
the Feast of the Assumption or because it is vacation time or both. I love it because Paris is so
calm now. Yesterday late afternoon we
walked through the calm streets over to the apartment in the 6th
to greet Wendy and her daughter Cassie as they arrived from England via the
Eurostar and the metro. After showing
Cassie around the apartment (Wendy knows it already), we went for a drink at
the Bistrot de la Grille Saint Germain on rue Mabillon. I ordered a kir royal, Tom had
two bottles of San Pellegrino, Wendy had a pastis, and I ordered a glass of
Pouilly Fuisse for Cassie. We ended up
staying there at the Bistrot for dinner as well. The prices of the items on the blackboard
have all been lowered. Tom and I had the lamb chops
which were served with lovely green beans and sautéed potatoes (13
euros). Cassie had penne pasta with
tomatoes and goat cheese (11 or 12 euros) and Wendy had a fish (tacaud, which
is whiting pout, a member of the cod family) with andalouse
sauce (same price). We asked the
server about the sauce. I thought it
involved tomatoes, and so did Tom, but we weren’t positive. The server didn’t know at all. He had to go into the kitchen to ask the
staff what kind of sauce it is. Tomatoes and mayonnaise are the
essential ingredients. The lamb chop dinners were
very, very good, and the other two main courses looked good, too, but we were
so wrapped up in conversation that we didn’t really talk about the food. We talked Cassie into trying
the crème brulée for dessert. I think it was a life-changing experience
for her. She seemed to love it. The Bistrot is a good place to order this
dessert; they make it especially well. Tom had the dessert of the day,
a mirabelle tart,
and he said it was excellent.
Mirabelles are a small, dark yellow plum. They’re grown in the Lorraine region of France. The U.S. must not have good conditions for
mirabelles because we almost never see them at home. Before we sauntered over to the
6th, Tom went out to get a haircut at his favorite French
barbershop, Look Coiffure on the rue de la Croix Nivert. I think it only costs 13 euros there (plus
Tom gives a 2 euro tip) -- a bargain
in Paris. The rue de la Croix Nivert
is a bit gritty, but the barbershop is neat and clean. Like the Telephone pas cher shop across the street, it is run by people
from North Africa. Tom was lucky to have his hair
cut by the most experienced barber. He
learned that layering or feathering or tapering is called “degradée” in
French. This was amusing to us. On his way home, Tom stopped in
the discount grocery Ed to get one item we still needed to replace in the
apartment in the 6th. He
saw beautiful roses for sale there, so he bought be a dozen. They’re gorgeous. Aesthetics matter to me. I find myself unable to stop being outraged
by this idea of seeing an ugly temporary building under the Eiffel Tower for
the next five years. I’ve started
trying to drum up so interest in fighting it.
I have no idea how to do this in Paris, but community activism was something
I was good at in Columbus. On va voir. |
Friday, August 14, 2009 NEW: Click here for
the Berlin Journal Aug. 2009
This lion on the Place Saint Sulpice accurately conveys
how I feel about an ugly temporary building being placed under the Eiffel
Tower.
The roses that Tom gave to me yesterday. |
