Paris Journal 2008
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Last night, we had hoped to dine at Le Bistro de la B, the place on the rue de Bièvre that Jim and Maddy so highly recommended. But it turns out that the bistro closed for vacation on August 15th, just after Jim and Maddy were there. It does not open again until sometime in September. Darn. Over wine and snacks (thank you, Carol!) at the apartment in the 6th, Carol, Ron, Tom and I discussed where to dine. We decided to go back to Bouillon Racine on the rue Racine, not far from the national theater, the Odéon. I think Carol and Ron especially like the ultra-Paris ambiance at Bouillon Racine, with the over-the-top Art Nouveau décor. The place is also nice because the tables are not so crowded together. The food is correct, so what more could you ask in the middle of August? For a very interesting history of Bouillon Racine, click here. It is obviously written by a native French speaker, not a native speaker of English, but that just makes the narrative more charming. No complaints here about it being the middle of August. We love the slower, calmer pace, with fewer Parisian cars zipping around on the streets. With no heat wave this year, and with plenty of rain, everything is lush and green. The plane trees are so thick with big green leaves that they obscure views more than any other year that I remember here. Of course, all of these trees have grown taller in the past 11 years, and they had to recover from that great storm (was it in 1999?) that severely pruned some trees and uprooted others. Today, it has rained steadily all morning, nonstop. Now it is early afternoon, and the rain is not showing any signs of stopping. Last night, we just barely made it home before it started raining seriously. We had walked over to the 6th, without umbrellas, even though there were some dark clouds. What were we thinking? Anyway, the walk to the restaurant from the apartment over there wasn’t too far, and the walk from the restaurant to the metro at Odéon was marred only by a slight spitting of rain. By the time we came out of the ground at Émile Zola, it was definitely sprinkling, but we only had to deal with that for a half a block, then we were safely tucked away in our building. When I woke up this morning, it was raining steadily, as it is now. Tom was so desperate for white bread this morning that he actually got suited up, rainjacket, umbrella, and all, and went to the bakery before he started working at the computer. He brought home a superb couple of croissants and one nice, soft raison roll, as well as the standard baguette. I just made ravioli with bacon (or some French version of bacon), garlic, chopped tomatoes, and gorgonzola sauce, so we’ve had our Provençal comfort food and we are snug in the apartment for the day. Wendy arrives today, and will start the day with a nap in the apartment in the 6th. What a perfect day for recovering from jet lag. Sadly, Carol and Ron leave later today to go home to Oxfordshire, England. We’ve enjoyed spending time with them, as always. I hope they come to Sanibel in November. Tom is working on going over the galley proofs for the last chapter of his new book. He says he’ll finish that by Monday. Yesterday, he did a page count on the book. Just as I predicted, it is over 700 pages long. His editor entertained the sales force in New York last week by reading passages from the book, and then reading the corresponding parts of the competition’s book. As always, Tom’s writing makes the others look so dull . . . so dull, that the salespeople were thoroughly amused and delighted by the difference. |
Friday, August 22, 2008
The
Paris Bourse de Commerce, as seen from a typical little old street in the 1st
arrondissement.
A
crêperie in a very, very old little building near the great church
of St. Eustache. Saint Eustace was
a Roman general who, along with his family, was burned alive for having
converted to Christianity. |
