We were back in Paris on Saturday and had a day to spend with a dear friend and her family. As much as I didn’t want to bring our adventure to a fall circle, I had been looking forward to returning to Paris and spending a day seeing it through Anne’s eyes.
We hadn’t arrived at the Fajon’s house until the early hours of the morning on Saturday, so we decided to take our time and sleep in that morning. It was relaxing for us to approach a day without a plan. I had already told Anne that we were “done” with sightseeing – but would definitely like to spend the day absorbing Paris and the French life. So that’s exactly what we did.
It was lovely to see Anne’s family that morning. Anne’s mom, dad and brother Steven joined us as we finished breakfast. We shared a few stories from our adventure, with the promise of more to come over dinner. We also gave Anne and her mom some small gifts from Provence as a thank you for all of their kindness as hosts. They really helped make this trip perfect.
Dave and I cleaned out our little rental car from 4000 kms of travel, looking under seats and in the trunk to make sure we got everything out. Then we piled into the car with Anne and headed to Paris for the day.
It was definitely cooler than when we left the city two weeks before and the sun was out, which was a nice change from the dreary weather in the Pyrenees. We dropped off the car and headed out on foot for a day of aimless exploring.
Our first stop was one of Anne’s favorite locations in the city – The Shakespeare & Co book store near Notre Dame. The quaint bookstore had been in business for more than 50 years and has become a Parisian icon. We walked along the Seine until we reached the corner shop. And then we spent some time browsing the books in the little store. The place was teaming with books on every table and every crowded nook. It was the kind of book store where you are bound to happen upon little treasures that remind you of the joy of reading. I found Dave tucked in a back corner of the store examining a 1962 paperback on the science of thunderstorms, while I was flipping through a Keats poetry anthology looking up a favorite sonnet I memorized in high school.
Next we decided to enjoy another famous Paris icon (which Anne hadn’t known about, and so was new and fun for all of us): Angelina’s Patisserie, famous for its hot chocolate rich enough to keep a spoon upright. We metroed and walked down to the famous tea shop along Rue de Rivoli. It was a beautiful place in the ground floor of a luxurious hotel. The three of us treated ourselves to a wonderful lunch. I had a croque madame, a yummy hot ham and cheese sandwich with a fried egg on top. Dave had an omelet with mixed greens and Anne had a tomato gazpacho over a thin layer of avocado cream.
After lunch we treated ourselves to a chocolate, raspberry, cream tartlet and the three of us shared one of the hot chocolates with whipped cream. It was so rich, wonderful and thick that the three of us could barely get through one.
After our decadent lunch, we metroed over to Gare de L’Est to walk around the Canal Saint-Martin and browse some quirky shops. Anne thought it would be a fun, and different, neighborhood for us to explore. We wandered in and out of some colorful stores and some design and photography book stores. And we just took in the feeling of the neighborhood, the music, cafes and young people sitting along the canal enjoying the afternoon sun. It was a wonderful way to enjoy our last full, free day in the city.
In the early evening, we met up with Anne’s father in the city (he had to go into work that day) and he drove us back to the house. Anne’s mom and brother had already started the aperitifs, and we joined in. I had my second kir of the trip. And then we all sat outside in their back garden and were treated to a yummy dinner of grilled pork, fresh bread and a light potato and cucumber salad. The meal was followed by fresh cheeses, a blueberry tart and café.
The conversation with family was great and the whole day was lovely. It was a good relaxing precursor for the whirlwind of a day that we had ahead of us on Sunday watching the Tour de France roll into Paris.
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