Paris is Misty Over Impending Departure

Here I sit listening to French music and blogging one last time for this trip.  

My usual boulanngerie was closed today, even bakers get a day off!. I had to go to another one and I was not thrilled.  I had an Almmond croissant and I learned on this trip they use day old croissants for those. 

On the way This girl was in front of me,

I wasn't sure I did not know her well. 

Until she turned around!

Last days are hard ( or at least in Paris!) but I had an agenda for at least part of the day, sauce class and Le Poste.  I researched locations and opening times for the post office, There was one at Hotel Du Ville and it opened at 8:30 AM according to the site.  I got there and did not see it and asked street workers for help and they had no idea where it was.  It was right behind them!  I was there by 9ish and the darned thing did not open until 10:00 AM.  So off to class and I was offered a opportunity to go get a coffee, why not?

I asked for a cafe au lait with cold milk and you would have thought I had asked for vinegar in my coffee and she was Australian, not French. It hit the spot though.  They also have bikes for rent or BIke tours out of this cafe,  Le Peloton.

Back at Le Cuisine, the location is in an excellent spot and it is air conditioned! We were in the basement too, which helped. As hot as it has been I was a bit concerned about melting into sauce myself. The Chef's name was Lise and she was great, She was smart, helpful and had a great sense of humor. 

We worked in pairs and I was paired with a lovely woman from  Fllorence, Italy, Valentina.

We made vinagarette

Mayonnaise

Bechamel

Port Wine Sauce

Red wine reduction sauce 

I am separating the eggs for the Bernaise by using my fingers.

And the Bernaise sauce, it was both of our favorite!

Then we ate our sauces!

As we ate the chef made the Carmel and chocolate sauce, no harm for me as I have done it in other classes.  Funny how each chef has such different techniques.  It was a great class and I would certainly recommend it to anyone,unless they really wanted to learn to make the sweet sauces.  In that case I would just say, hey, I want to learn this!

After we all finally parted they about had to throw us out. I went to the Poste and got that box in the mail!  I messed around the Hotel Du Ville - basically city hall.

It sure beats the City County Building!

More propaganda for the Olympics. Bah, Humbug!

Then back to the apartment and back to have one last look at my girlfriend.

I sat in the park for a while,  but I was sleepy. And moved around every so often to get the blood moving.  

With all the sketchy folks around there I did not want to fall asleep. I knitted, read, and people watched. 

I played some with the Selfie stick.  It's hard to get it all synced up and the kissy things Courtney and the other kids do, wellI looked like I had a lemon in my bouche if not somewhere else!

Time to go, no mistaking that emotion!  Bye Bye honey,  see you some time again........  

I left because of impending rain, you know that sensation that the barometer is falling.  But whenI got the the 6th it was clear and HOT.  So I went to get this lip stuff called Nuxe I had heard about on the Fordor board.  I bought some right away when I got here and love it. Never have my lips felt this good!  So I bought all of the nurses on the Center of Hope team some!   Then I still had plenty of time before my reservation so I went off in search of an adult beverage.  I found the place, cafe Bonaparte where I started my trip back in 2009 in Place St. Germain and had a glass of prosecco and watched folks.  

There was a lady in front of me who was water coloring St Germain, it was nice.  Made me think maybe I need to learn that sometime.

Then I wandered back to the restaurant.  

It was fun to watch theses kids playing this game.  It's part of the bus stop, what a great way to keep them entertained!

Bistro du Henri is probably my current favorite place to dine here, and I made reservations last week when I ate here. 

 I sure opened up the place and it was hoppin' by the time I left. Apparently the owner now has another restaurant near and when he did not have seats in this place, he would export them to #2! One guy asked if they have the same menu and he said I am the owner, if I say they do, they do.  I had to just have do overs.

Haricort Vert ( Greenbean) Salad, I think I can make this now!

Duck in honey sauce, I am thinking I can give this a good old fashioned try and it is also on the menu with pork filet. The house wine here is amazing and of course the duck was begging for it!

Pear Clafoutis, not the best. Should have had the mousse, but I can do that at home!

The couple behind me were a piece of work,  she was hateful to her husband and the stickey sweet when the wait staff was there! I felt sorry for him, though she was such a piece of work, it was allI could not to laugh out loud!

I couldn't get grumpy but in the picture, my big old fat head was on the way.  I am not sure I will ever get the hang of it.  Are there classes I wonder?

I don't know why but Paris did get a bit misty eyed over my leaving, ( the sprinkles were part of what the lady was bellyaching about to the hubs). My  last days are hard, I want to taste it all, to see it all, touch it all, even smell all the smells.  I want to take them all in the good and the bad.

Bye Metro, Bye Paris............ Au Bentoit.

Long Hot Sunday

I got up this morning intent on getting to the market and getting a couple more of those dresses.  I love them, but also I am seriously out of stuff to wear, in a 2017 middle class American sort of way.  Here is my view on the way down rue de Roquette, but really a picture doesn't really do it justice, you need the sounds &  smells too.

The last trip to the market is always bitter sweet, there are things I have been contemplating and I am eager to get them, but at the same time, I know it will be the last visist for a LONG while.  

I bought my dresses, and then wandered marveling at the tomatoes, 

the rhubarb,

and those stinkin herbs.

There is the pasta guy, 

and the "deli" guy, 

as well as the egg guy.  

 I went back to the apartment to admire my goodies, and then off to church. On time this week!

At the end of the service the organist really gave this old girl a work out.  It is a magnificent sound!

Off to my favorite little park, 

for a sit and to people watch.

This guy had this pigeon eating out of this hand!

As crazy as this picture looks, it was that hot!

I was not really feeling that snarky, I just don't have the hang of this selfie stick thing yet. Believe it or not I was trying to smile!

Lots of shots of my point of view today, but this is the view form Le Fleur en I'Ile.  Boy I sure wanted  steak tartare, but I was too big a chicken to have another go at it.  

So I settled for fois gras and a glass of wine, and LOTS of water!

The love locks are all gone!  A wise young woman, today,said that the keys are still in the Siene and that's what matters!

So I got tickeled at messing with this selfie stick some more.

I went back to the apartment, took a cool bath, and finished packing my box to send.  And then headed out to the concert, the one that was about not to happen.

I went to the church and I had the time wrong, so darn, good thing I did not get reservations for dinner. I had 2 hours to kill and wandered untilI found some Italian. I thought a caperese salad would be good.  

And it was, I also had some Lasagna to go with it. And of course the ubiquitous glass of wine!

After dinner I went back to the church to get tickets and get seated and there were people locking up the building.  What?  I thought there was a concert.  "No, not tonight."  Really?  Now I am feeling pretty irritated, hot and stickey! 

So I walked to the Siene where I thought I could catch a breeze, but no.  

I wandered near our first apartment on Rue Daupihne ( Actually rue de Nesle) , and there was a new store,  it looked great,

but later when I tried it, let's just say bite 1  was not worth the calories and there was not bite 2.

So back to the river and saw reconstruction on Le Sanmartine,  

that brought joy, and more love locks, I am telling you they are  all over Pont Neuf now, and it irritates me as they have stuck those darn locks anywhere there is a place to do it!  GRRR. down to Le Pointe Vert maybe a breeze here?

And then I saw the boats.  Nothing so touristy as a river boat ride,but maybe a breeze????

There is a new church and I had read about it, but really forgotten.  It is a looker.  May have to go in sometime.

There was a breeze, it was worth every penny!

Paris is beautiful at dusk!

Latin music and Tango on the Siene,

So I moseyed up on Pont Neuf and sat in one of the little pockets and watched for my girlfriend to wink at me. 

Which she did!

And I blinked back a tear.