April 26, 2023 to April 29, 2023
Dining with Friends and other Delights in Paris
I’ve settled back into life in Paris, feeling more like a resident than a visitor. Thanks to the online lessons, my French is improving and I’m growing more comfortable with complicated tasks – like going to the local HSBC branch to inquire why my Visa card was refused. The first week back in Paris was largely spent resting to rid myself of the persistent cold that nagged me during the last week in Spain – a task successfully completed in time for the big social events on my Paris calendar.
Wednesday, April 26
Christiane (a friend and the owner of “my” Paris apartment) and her friend Betty were scheduled to arrive from Bologna around 6 pm, so I spent much of the day cleaning the apartment and getting organized for my upcoming tour in the south of France. I’d asked them about dinner plans, offering to make reservations or wondering if they preferred dining at one of our neighborhood cafés. Christiane wrote back a somewhat cryptic message to the effect that “No thank you, we have something better planned.” I thought maybe Betty was bringing her famous lasagna, but instead they had made reservations for a late meal at La Café du Commerce, a classic Parisian brasserie established in 1921.
It was not a long walk to the restaurant, and on entering I felt transported to a scene from Midnight in Paris – three levels of seating surrounded a large central atria and each white-covered table was attended to by a bustle of servers garbed in white shirts, black vests, and long aprons. The menu also reflected the classic French style and I dove right in: an entrée of white asparagus and a main of roast duck and dauphine potatoes with orange sauce. Christiane and Betty’s main, a roasted lamb shoulder for two, was carved table-side and served with roasted potatoes and haricot verts. My meal was splendid, with a depth of flavor that was unexpected and utterly delicious. A thoroughly enjoyable evening, it was a great start to a busy weekend sharing food and company with my favorite Parisian friends.
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Thursday, April 27
The agenda today started with a trip to Musée d’Orsay to see a special exhibition on Manet and Degas. Born within two years of each other in the 1830s in Paris, they were childhood friends and were part of the Paris art scene in the last half of the 19th century. They had a contentious relationship as adults, but in fact harbored a mutual respect that resulted in Degas amassing a large and important collection of Manet’s painting. Manet died fairly early and unexpectedly in 1883 and the exhibit was confined to 1860s-1880s when both were active.
The big event of the day was dinner with my friend Carla and her family. Due to her busy travel schedule, Carla and I had not seen each other during my two earlier stays in Paris, though I did manage to twice have lunch with her partner Alex. I was especially keen for our dinner tonight as we would be joined by her parents, Amanda and Hassan, who were visiting from their home in Argentina. I’d gotten close to her parents during their previous visits to Paris, and in 2019 they welcomed me into their home in Cordoba where we rang in the New Year, prior to my tour in Patagonia.
Dinner was at Carla and Alex’s favorite neighborhood haunt near their place in the 13th, a place where Carla was viewed with such affection that a waiter gave Hassan his beret. The evening began and ended with big heartfelt hugs that bracketed 2.5 hours of great food and lively conversation in three, sometimes four languages. Amanda and Hassan will be gone by the time I’ve returned to Paris, but I departed knowing I’ll always have a home in Cordoba.
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Friday, April 28
Today was unremarkable day capped by another wonderful dinner at home with Sonja, one of Christiane’s dear Paris friends. Betty outdid herself with cooking – asparagus risotto, roast lamb and potatoes, salad, cheese, a modest desert of fresh strawberries and bananas – a true feast. I’ve not tasted such a fine risotto since I was in Tuscany five year ago, though I’ve been searching ever since. The conversation flowed freely as did the tears of laughter when Christiane and Sonja recalled, in unison, their favorite scenes from classic French comedies.
The French love of film was a topic in my French class yesterday, and was clearly evident in our visit the next day to Gibert Joseph, a store renowned for its vast and diverse collection of new and used CDs, DVDs - I could easily have spent hours looking through the collection of jazz and blues CDs while Christiane lost herself in the shelves of French cinema.
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Saturday, April 29
Sunday afternoon represented some of the best that Paris has to offer for residents and tourists alike. It started with a couple of hours spent wandering through Luxembourg Gardens followed by a leisurely stroll along the streets of Paris and a slow dip into the music and film collection at Gibert Joseph. We closed out the afternoon at a sidewalk café near the Odéon, sipping hot chocolate and spritzers and savoring the sights and sounds of a late afternoon in Paris.
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The final act of this three act tour opens tomorrow. I'll be spending the day on trains making my way to Arles where I will meet up with Suzanne and Janos for a week-long ride through Provence, part of their own grand tour through France and Italy. I'm most excited to see them again and share what no doubt will be another great multiple-Cycle Blazer adventure.
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