LO Writing: My Paris Pilgrimage #5

Holy Hailstones! I didn't realize it had been since 28 August that I'd blogged! Sorry to all of you who do NOT have FB or Instagram. I actually have been posting in those spots fairly often, so if you worry about me (e.g., Jim), check with someone who does connect to those social media (e.g., Connie R) if you're concerned about me. Nonetheless, I really didn't intend for so much time to go by sans posting...so let me start from the present and work backwards. Just stop reading if you get too bored, this one is LONG!

TODAY: 6 September 2018. It's only 1612 here in the City of Lights (that's 4:12 pm for most of you), and I've had a full day that I would consider a huge success.

Got up before 0800 and warmed up yesterday's coffee (which was still OK to me!) and decided to go through a drawer in the living room that was filled with pamphlets, maps, magazines, etc, just to see what was there. Found info on a few spots that I added to my bucket list and threw a lot of stuff away that was dated. Then, I tackled something a bit scary--I made two phone calls where I had to speak in French! Sacre bleu! One was to a delightful woman named Sylviane who has invited me to lunch at her home next week and the other was to Guy Cercley, my dear friend who lived next door to me in Maroc when I was 5! Guy is checking with his wife and brother, Alain, to figure out a good time for a rendezvous, and Sylviane and I set Wednesday as the day for me to try to find her house up near Montparnasse! Both calls went well and I just knew the rest of the day would be delightful.

Ready to get out of the apartment, I showered and dressed and headed to the local market area called rue Mouffetard. Hemingway talks about this crooked, uphill street in his book, A Moveable Feast! Seems the rue was a bit more unsanitary in the 20s; I'll share what he says: "The Cafe des Amateurs was the cesspool of the rue Mouffetard, that wonderful narrow crowded market street which led into the Place Contrescarpe." I didn't see the cafe, but I did walk through the Place Contrescarpe today. Hemingway lived on rue Cardinal Lemoine, a local street that I have traipsed across many a time already!

My landlord, Axel, suggested I use that street as my marketplace, and I'm glad he did. It's not listed in all the guidebooks, yet it should be. I had to move over to let many tour groups walk by today...most were speaking English. (I felt so French moving over to let them pass with my new shopping cart!)

So, as I left the apartment, I stopped at my favorite nearby patisserie for a croissant to eat while I walked. As I approached rue Mouffetard, I decided to stop at the local Monoprix. Monoprix is like a mini Target. It has a little of everything--but not food. I had been reading about writing and realized that I didn't have the perfect "cahier" (notebook) for writing while sitting in cafes (dang! I really want to put the accent on that e, but this crazy blog system won't let me!). I went in and not only found the perfect cahier, but I bought two fountain pens! Now, you might not know this, but I have a mini fountain pen collection. Most are rather expensive, and I haven't bought any in years--I think I bought my first Waterman when I was in London in 1978, and it was a big deal then. Today, not so much--these were only about $5 each! They use the little cartridges and they are almost throw-away quality--one was a Bic, the other a Waterman (I think my first Waterman cost more than $100 back in '78!). And, the little notebook has crazy ruling that one can only find in Europe. It brought me back to my childhood in Maroc, so I'm a truly happy camper. Here's a pic:

Mon cahier et plume

So, armed with new pen and notebook, I continued to rue Mouffetard and rather than buy things as I first saw them, I walked up to the top of the street, window shopping, skirting around tourists, and dodging cars, bikes, and motorcycles that insist on driving up this little street!

rue Mouffetard

As I walked up the street, I realized that a shop was open where I had seen a shopping cart that was priced reasonably. So, I went in and bought it (a few other things landed in the bag that I couldn't resist as well, but c'est la vie).

My shopping cart--Paris Version

As I walked up the rue, I eyed various stores that I thought I'd revisit on my way back home...a fromagerie, a fruit/veggie stand, and various shops that were equally filled with delicious things I probably needed to put into my fridge!

So, I pulled my little empty bag and after only one or two wrong turns, I completed the uphill walk and began back down the rue. Meanwhile, despite no notice of it on the weather app, it began to rain, so I ducked into a little souvenir shop that had inexpensive umbrellas and bought one--along with a few other things! The proprietor was quite persuasive! (My bag began to fill...)

By now, it was about 1300, so I stopped at Ile de Crete for a Greek salad and hummus for lunch--as you can see in the pic, I decided on Coke Zero rather than wine today!

View of the view from my table and a view of my little lunch!

I sat at a table that could hold 4 easily, so a few minutes after I sat down, a lovely older woman (my age, probably) asked if she could share the table. Of course, I said yes. Her name is Miriam and we managed to chat while having our lunches. She let me know that the rue has a Sunday event every week--music, singing, dancing and that I should check it out! (I certainly will.)

Lunch complete, I continued my walk home--stopping at a fruit/veggie seller, a fromagerie (cheese shop), a couple of shops where I got some prepared foods (cucumber salad, marinated mushrooms, and spinach cannelloni). Here's a pic of the fruit seller (he was delightful!)

My fruit/veggie seller at the front of his shop--he's a keeper!

I bought so much stuff--but tried to keep portions small! (My bag continued to fill.) It all is lovely. Reddest strawberries I've ever seen, a new fruit to me called a mirabelle that is delicious, a weird cucumber that I've decided to try, and regular things like mushrooms and figs (!). When I got it all home, I took a picture!

Fruit, cheese, and veggie bounty from today's foraging

Well, by now, I've completed my journey up and down the rue and I still need other things along the Boulevard Saint Marcel--so I stopped at La Poste for some timbres (stamps) so I can mail a few postcards, then I went to the local grocer called Carrefour that I've been using since we got here. Needed weird things like salt and pepper and trash bags, so I did that. The final stop before home was to get a baguette at the same boulangerie that I stopped at for my morning croissant. Armed with all my purchases, my new rolling cart, and another bag over my shoulder (I didn't want to put heavy things like Diet Coke on top of my veggies), I returned to 38 bis Boulevard Saint Marcel where I pulled myself and all my groceries up the 68 stairs to my apartment. (Sometimes I wonder what in the world I was thinking when I rented this spot!)

And that, my friends, was today. Naturally, I had lots of other adventures between 28 August and today. Here's a quick recap:

--29 August is a blur, but it's the day Linda Palomino should have arrived (she was a day late). Barb, Sheila, and I did Giverny on a tour on the 30th and it was spectacular. Poor Linda missed the tour that day, but was able to make it on her own a day later. The 31st is the day that Barbara and Sheila headed home and Donna arrived. Donna and I did a little exploring of the neighborhood, but kept the day quiet. Sept 1 was the day Donna and I walked to the Picasso Museum and and other places, clocking about 7 miles of walking. We never once got on a public conveyance! Walked and shopped and ate and talked all through Ile de la Cite and Ile Saint Louis to the Marais where the museum is. The day was divine and EXHAUSTING. We ended the day with a HUGE dinner of the best antipasti ever and a delicious, although frustrating and way-too-big, seafood linguine!

Sunday, the 2nd, we joined up with Linda and walked the Tuileries Gardens, fought the bees during lunch (bees are everywhere in Paris) in the park, went to the l'Orangerie Museum to see the BIG Monet water lilies, and took a second boat ride on the Seine. Donna left on Monday the 3rd, and Linda and I did laundry! Didn't do much else that day except eat and talk and rest up for the next day. We needed the rest, because on the 4th, Linda and I did Disneyland Paris! Oh my. What a crazy day. Linda is gimping around on a bad knee, but she was a trooper. We did several simple, easy rides--and we had obviously picked a great day--most rides had only a 10- to 15-minute wait! Train ride to the park and figuring out how to get there and get back was a challenge, but I persevered!

Linda left yesterday morning early (Sept 5). I did NOTHING all day long. The only time I went downstairs was to help Linda with her bags at 0645. I watched DVDs, read, slept, and ate leftovers. Seemed a bit of a waste, but I've decided to give myself permission to do nothing once in awhile!

Here are a few pics of the times I noted above. Not as good as having several individual blogs, but it's all you're gonna get: So, here you go: Enjoy!