Paris Journal 2014 – Barbara Joy Cooley Home: barbarajoycooley.com

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Let me step out of this journal for a moment, and step into my broader life. You see, I’m one of those people who can compartmentalize. That means that what you read in this journal is not necessarily representative of what is going on in my life, or even what is most important. So, if anyone in Sanibel is under the impression (from reading this journal) that I am not bothered by how long it is taking for us to get a development permit for Cooley Hammock, they are mistaken. We turned in the application for the permit exactly a month ago, and we have heard NOTHING from the city. This is not a building permit, mind you, this is just a development permit, and we were told on July 2 that our application was complete. We receive all of our phone messages here, and all of our emails. But we have heard NOTHING. This is frustrating. Thank heavens for Edgar the architect, who is there in Sanibel; maybe he can help. On va voir . . . . Compartmentalizing is useful. I use it to deal with arthritis pain, without having to take medication. I use it as a writer; otherwise, I would not be able to focus and compose. I use it for strategizing, but that is complicated. We use it for the textbook work, which is going to send us to San Antonio, Texas, in October – but that’s another story, and a good one. God bless Texas. So, let’s step back into the Paris compartment. Ah, that’s so much better, isn’t it? I know that’s why you’re here, reading this journal. Off we go, on a pre-dinner walk along tree-lined Parisian avenues. We began yesterday evening by strolling down the avenue Emile Zola, but the sun was so intense in our faces that I suggested we turn down the rue Saint Charles when we were almost through the crazily chaotic Place Charles Michels multi-pronged intersection. The Marché Saint Charles had happened earlier in the day, from 7AM to about 2PM. The market stalls were gone, but we could still sense a bit of the excitement in the air. (You can find an updated list of all the Paris markets at this City of Paris Marchés Alimentaires web page.) We thoroughly enjoyed strolling down one side of the street, until we reached the rue Lacordaire. Then it was time to turn back and enjoy the other side of the street. We looked at many, many shop windows. This street is not yet gentrified, and it has many very practical shops that sell the kinds of things we need in everyday life. The wide sidewalks and mature trees add to the comfort of the window shopping experience on the rue Saint Charles. Living near this street, on some quiet side street or cul-de-sac, would be pleasant, and practical. We took so much time exploring and gazing that we needed to turn in the direction of our restaurant reservation when we reached the grand rue de la Convention. The stretch of the rue de la Convention all the way from the rue Saint Charles to the rue de la Croix Nivert is also excellent for strolling and window shopping, in a real-life, non-gentrified, and non-touristy neighborhood. Beyond the rue de la Croix Nivert, the rue de la Convention is not so interesting. We turned south on Croix Nivert and soon discovered the other end of rue Duranton – the end we did not know so well. Our destination for dinner was Le Granite, at the corner of rue Duranton and the rue de Plélo, which is near the avenue Félix Faure – back in familiar territory. We love Le Granite for its traditional French food, which is always “correct,” as they say in French. This is important, for traditional fare to be “correct.” We started by sharing an order of outstandingly correct escargots. Tender, soft, flavorful, and perfectly cooked, these were served in the traditional ceramic escargot dish, with each concave depression filled with a snail floating in sizzling, bubbling melted butter, garlic and herbs -- so good, with slices of a flawless baguette de tradition to help with the extra melted butter. I don’t think I’d had magret de canard (roasted duck breast) yet this summer. Was that possible? I think so. So I corrected that deficiency last night. The magret de canard was just right, as were the country-style mashed potatoes and the fruity reduction sauce with its little berries. Tom went back to lamb -- rack of lamb, to be specific, and a dish of ratatouille that he said was delicious. We shared a crème brûlée that was so extraordinarily “correct” that it blew us away with its creaminess, its explosion of vanilla flavor, and its masterfully seared caramel crust on top. Oh la la! Thank you, Dalila and Eric Martinez for another fine experience in la cuisine Française. We are on such friendly terms with Dalila now that we exchange greetings by the double-cheek-air-kiss thing. She is adorable, and she’s doing such good work with Le Granite. Every time we go there, we notice some aesthetic improvement that she’s made in the simple and elegant dining room. On the way home, we stopped in the forgotten Monoprix on rue de la Convention to buy Lavazza espresso coffee, and found that, inexplicably, this Monoprix does not stock Lavazza. Well, it shall perhaps become forgotten once again. We left the Monoprix empty handed, and turned back up the avenue Félix Faure. There was a small Carrefour City which we’ve used before. We entered the tiny grocery, and voila, there was Lavazza just inside the door, in aisle 2. At home, we admired the sky from the apartment’s balcony once again. This summer has been full of evenings with remarkable, beautiful sunset and twilight skies. Then it was time to read and listen to jazz piano music of the Ramsey Lewis trio. Bonne nuit! Find me on Facebook

Saturday, August 2, 2014 Tom poses with his literary rodent friend in front of a bookstore on rue Saint Charles. I learned a new word: a braderie is like a rummage sale including mostly clothing and accessories. The building that houses Le Granite, at the corner of rue Duranton and rue de Plélo. Magret de canard (above) and rack of lamb with ratatouille (below) at Le Granite. Outstandingly « correct » crème brûlée. ← Previous Next →