Changes

I read until 1 AM, which allowed me to interrupt Mom and Jodi at dinner.  Of course I was up late today, but not so bad because I am on vacation!  

Breakfast was a lovely orange, juicy and sweet I bought at the market yesterday., a croissant I slipped out to buy, a piece of ham, Emmentaler and Comte.  An of course a bit of yogurt.  

I headed to the 6th to buy my glasses.  Several years ago I bought a glass with the Eiffel Tower on the side for my bathroom, then the next time we returned I bought 5 more. I had my desires set on the stemmed ones for a while, but had just not done it with either Kathy and Dean , or with Joe and Austin.  It was time! I got there, she still carried them, but alas there were only 5, I was a considering 8 and 2 more small ones..  So now some lucky person (or unlucky however you want to look at it) will  get the Bee glass rather than the Eiffel Tower!  I am a thinking of purchasing some  trinkets and the person who gets the "bee" glass can have a goodie. A new tradition!  Next stop was the Poste and buying a box to ship them home.  

So, I am contemplating that racial profiling thing.  I sat waiting on my train, watching a middle eastern man, about the shape and size, even bearing of my daddy when he was young.  He was clearly middle eastern though, even dressed in western garb.  As I watched he took a panorama shot of the Odeon station below, and I wondered at it. It made me fearful, I even contemplated calling security.   I did just sit there and rested until I was fairly sure his train would have reached its destination.   Then at the station where I had to change I watched a white man take a photo and thought nothing of it.  So here is my delima , how do we stay safe without profiling when we know who is the problem, right now ISSIS.  I wonder if I had watched a white guy take panorama shot in the same manner would I have become so fearful?  I don't think so.  And the thing is this guy is probably on vacation use like me and wanted a pic of the Metro, shoot I have done similar things many times.  Hmmm.....      

As I write I am back at the ranch enjoying a glass of ICE water and a fan, resting, or rather cooling  to head back out in the heat.  

Back out I went back to the 6th to Luxembourg gardens, my intent was to hit up a favorite shot, maybe cool off in church and then head to the gardens.  I moseyed along and to my horror the shop is closed.  Seriously?   So I had to go to church and contemplate change, how I don't always like it ( especially when it is a shop or restaurant that closes) and how inevitable it it.  Again it was blessedly cool in St Severin.

There is a beautiful nave behind the alter.

  St Severin is famous in Ammerica for Dan Brown's DaVanci Code.

This is the obelisk he  mentioned in the book. The last time we were in this church there were big hand written signs up indicating that this church has nothing to do with the occult.  Not really what Dan Brown  implied, but you could tell they had thier priests robes in a bind! NO signs now, though he has a new book coming out.  I hope he leaves this church alone!  

The on to Luxembourg gardens but stuff was crapped ups there too.  Lots of visible police, they carry machine guns here!  The place was packed, but it was blessedly cool in the shade, I sat on a double sided bench for a while knitting and watching these folks play this game. 

It reminded of bowling and stone skipping combined.  There were these pegs  and they would stand them up and someone would sort of wing a 10 inch  one of the pegs at those standing up.  A person keeping score would document and set them back up where they fell, and the next person would go.  It looked sort of fun. I was enjoying watching the until some big hot lug came up and cosied right up to my back.  It was too hot for that crap!  So I said "Au Revoir" to my bench partner and moved on.  I wandered back near the Medici fountain and found this wedding photo session going on, it as charming to watch.

She had on the most interesting dress, and no, Mother I do not mean "different"!  It was beautiful!

The train appeared to be square, but lay beautifully.  I wish you could see the photos I took on my phone, they are live and you can see the train fluttering in the wind.

She wasn't quite light as a feather, and he let her know when the photographer told him to pick her up.  They were sweet together.  

I hope they have a long happy marriage, whoever they are. 

There was another knit shop near and a restaurant I had heard about, so I called for reservations, and headed to the kint shop.  It was interesting clothing  and yarn.  But the years was pretty boring, all solid colors, though they had every variation of blends you can imagine.  

They also seemed to have their own line of patterns.  I didn't look too hard as I definitely don't think my French is up to reading a knitting pattern!

The restaurant, L'Estrapade,  was a mixed bag.  

The appetizer was amazing. A pear, with chorizo and Roquefort baked until the pear was done and the cheese bubbling. Again it was amazing.  

The Main was Gambas, (Remember those big things from my the market?  Well these were not).   I asked if they were shelled and he said they had thier tails on, OK, I can handle that.  There is just something about the eyes looking at me!...... SO they arrived and what he said was true, except the chef culdn't resist putting the eyes on the plate.  The sauce was not to my liking and finally I figured out it was ginger, I am just not fond of too much ginger.  But the veged accompanying were a new spin,  zucchini, pears, tomatoes and peppers, an interesting mix.  For dessert, 

I had a Molleux, aka molten lava cake, but mine is better.  The ride and walk back was uneventful, for which I am grateful.    

I use love the roof lines here, Bon Soir.