My Paris Pilgrimage #9

Sylviane 

Meet Sylviane Blanchet:

I met Sylviane at the cafe across the street one afternoon while sitting with Linda P. Not sure how the conversation began, but we introduced ourselves to one another and she suggested that I allow her to prepare me a French meal. Of course, I agreed! Well, the day of that lunch was yesterday, 12 September. And, what a lovely day & meal it was!

I had never been to her area of Paris (Montparnasse--the 15th), so she told me the name of the Metro near her (Convention) and she met me there at 1300. We walked to her lovely apartment where she has lived for 14 years. Here are a few photos I took on the sly. (Seemed a little rude, to photograph her home, yet it was so delightful, I wanted to share some of it with all of you!)

Dining table (with our cheese course showing) and her view to the building across her street

A lovely sideboard she brought back from Spain--notice the Moroccan brass samovar (in the corner, you can see the blue chair signed Alberto Rodriguez)

Her lovely sitting room

A tiny Salles de Bains--note that the commode is NOT in this room--it's located all by itself in a minuscule closet!

When we arrived, we sat on a couch just to the left of the fireplace, where she had already set out two types of melon, olives, potato chips, and salami. We washed it down with a lovely Muscat (although it was a little sweet for my taste).

Aperitif and entrees

After our appetizers and a little conversation (all in French--with me understanding maybe 50-60% and doing a lot of nodding and smiling), we moved to the lovely dining table. (A quick aside:  I don't think you can tell by these photos, but the coffee table, the dining table, the chairs, and several other pieces of furniture throughout her apartment, including her headboard, were all made of some sort of metal that had the loveliest blue pigment!  Turns out an old boyfriend had made all the pieces for her. He signed them all Alberto Rodriquez, although that wasn't his name!  I wasn't able to follow the full story of why he signed all pieces with a name other than his own...I googled him to no avail. So, until I learn how to understand more French, the story is Sylviane's and not for me to share. Just know that they were all quite beautiful and gorgeously crafted.)

Sylviane's next course was a lovely Caprese with multicolored, organic heirloom tomatoes, fresh basil from her window garden, and lovely fresh mozzarella.  You can see what my plate looked like after that course (also note the lovely plates!):

Apres Cabrese!

Well, the main course was about to be served:  Duck legs confit and steamed potatoes (from her garden in Fountainbleu!).  Holy moley.  By now, I'm stuffed, so I am afraid that I wasn't a proper guest--I could only eat about half of what she put on my plate. (Luckily, she sent me home with the rest, and I plan to have it for dinner tonight!)

Keep in mind that we are CONVERSING throughout the meal. Or she is. I did share what little I could manage to discuss...but with her smattering of English, a little Spanish (she speaks Spanish, and would occasionally mistakenly begin speaking it--to the amusement of us both!), and French, we did manage to discuss our work, our families, some of our ailments, our travels, and a little about our marriages!  Don't ask me how...it just happened...I wish I could say I had understood everything she shared...but I certainly didn't. Nonetheless, I did learn a lot about her. But, let me get to that after I finish this meal!  Yes. There's more.

After the duck & potatoes, we had the cheeses! 

A brie, two small rounds of chevre, a round of something I didn't catch, but it was cow's milk, not sheep, an INCREDIBLE Comte, and I don't remember the name of the long, rectangular one, either (sorry)

Unfortunately, I didn't try them all, just the chevre, the other round cheese, and the Comte!  And, I am in love--the Comte (should have an accent and is pronounced Cohm-Tay) is my new favorite-in-all-the-world cheese!  I had Sylviane write the name for me so I wouldn't forget it!

Continuing conversation and Sylviane's delightful hostessing, we were not yet quite through. Her final food course was a framboise cobbler...raspberry, for those who don't know what framboise are (I didn't).  It was tart and sweet (the cobbler part was sweet) and delicious--I also have some of it to eat tonight with my duck!!

Framboise cobbler

After the cobbler, a petite cup of quite strong coffee, and that was my lunch!  I was overwhelmed, full, exhausted, and delighted all at the same time. Listening and translating for almost 4 hours--it was now almost 5 pm and she had met me at the Metro at 1! Four hours of eating and talking really wore me out!  I had no idea being a pampered guest could be so much work.

So, that was my yesterday.  I still managed to walk 3 miles (amazing that I'm considering a day of 3 miles as a light day!) just getting on/off metros and walking to her apartment from the stop in her neighborhood. Now that the meal discussion is done, let me tell you a little about this charming woman.

She has two grown children--one lives in Singapore, one here in Paris. She has lived in Maroc (Rabat), Argentina (Buenos Aires), Spain, and various areas of France. She is a writer and public speaker--giving talks about her research!  She currently is writing a history of Benjamin Franklin's years in Paris and the affect he had on the French culture and technology of the late 1700s. She has some ailment that precludes her from flying and she's saddened by that because she has a grandchild in Singapore and misses not being able to fly there. As far as I can tell, it's something to do with blood and circulation, but discussing medical histories is WAY beyond my abilities in French. I did let her know that I had two man-made knees...I tried to explain my gastric bypass because I just couldn't eat as much as she would have liked--I have no idea if she understood me or not! She also told me this lovely tale about her Russian grandmother. I asked if she had ever been to Russia, and the tale of her countess grandmother came out...apparently, the g'ma was in the Czar's court and had to flee from Russia. Therefore, Sylviane was forbidden to go to Russia and she has followed that advice even into her adulthood and long after her grandmother's passing. Darn--I wish I could have understood more of the story!  It went on for quite some time...but I did get the main points and loved every moment of it.

Anyway, that's Sylviane. I'm enchanted. AND, we have a date next week. She's taking me with her to her garden in Fountainbleu on Thursday the 20th!  That is, if is doesn't rain. (!)

I begged off from taking a promenade with her yesterday--it was pretty hot (about 86 deg F) and I really WAS exhausted from the afternoon and knowing I had a lot of walking to do to get back home.

So, she walked me back to the Metro station--we did the cheek-kissing thing which is still pretty alien to me--and I began the 2-metros and long walk home.  On my way, I saw this delightful restaurant sign:

They are truly an international stop:  Greek, French, Mexican, and Islamic all in one place!

She called me a little while ago...not sure why!  I think she was just testing the cell phone to ensure we could connect next week.  She has a car and is picking me up near the Gare d'Austerlitz, a nearby train station.

NOTE: For those of you who might be thinking I'm visiting museums and parks and sights most days, rethink. I'm living in Paris and I'm doing my best to take one day at a time. Days like yesterday are treasures that I will always have--so much better than a cursory visit to a museum--even if this city has the best museums in the world.

Today (Thursday) is rainy and a little cold. I'm reading, eating, writing, listening to music, and enjoying my little apartment.  Might not venture down the stairs at all...and that's OK. So, be well, my dear readers, I'm pleased you stopped by.

#lloparispilgrimage