Marci and Steve Go Back to Europe

Paris, the city of lights and surprises Friday started out as a typical day for us in Paris.  Rewind. Did I really just say that because typical infers the ordinary, the commonplace, the things you do all the time and  I am still pinching myself everyday that I am here. Nonetheless, it did start out as a typical day. Friday   was  for the 18th, Montmarte. It wasn't my first or even second visit but the view from Sacre Couer never gets old. We started out with a walking tour, an adorable young French guide Olivier.  He was charming with impeccable English and a great sense of humor, which I think is triply hard in your non native tongue.  As we parted, him with a tip and a us with a lunch recommendation,  we gave him our card hoping to see him in the fall, when he is interning in NY at the Met, offering to show him the spectacular art in Philadelphia though he seemed reluctant to believe that the Barnes could rival the D'Orsay. His lunch rec was as...

FLOORS The floors of buildings are what fascinate me.  Every church or palace or old museum, floors of worn stone, floors of magnificent colored tiles smoothed and faded to glorious hues, making me want to photograph and capture and find the history in these floors.  Walls of paint and wallpaper are striped and redone,  facades of gargoyles decay into almost oblivion and buildings change from synagogues to churches through political history and then again to hip lofts or wine bars. But the floors remain leaving invisible footprints of time. Slowly traveling through France and it's centuries of history, gives us the time to see and photograph and share the romantic nature of these observations. Take a walk on these floors through time.

Settling into a more daily life as a part time Parisian, may not be much different from back home but since this also coincides with our retirement, life has swung very quickly into the slow lane and I must say so far it is not bad. In my prior hectic fifty hour work week life if I wasn't up by six, showered by  6:15 , dressed, coffeed and working by  6:30 , I was off schedule and out of kilter. Here there is no alarm clock, no clock even in the entire apartment which perfectly suits the pace of our days.  We have a long list of things we would like to do or see, they include grand sites such as the Louvre and small ones like the Marche d'Aligre.   Monday night  promises to bring spectacular fireworks over the Seine at I'le St Loius at our doorstep and more another night in the gardens of Versailles with dancing fountains and prancing horses.  Some days will be nothing more than washing and ironing and a visit to a lovely park to sit and read and others on ...

TDinner in the Marais....at 8 rue du Roi de Sicile, 1 etage Arose this morning and sent Steve to the Boulangerie to bring back a fresh baguette for breakfast. Then gathered our rolling shopping basket (yes everyone here really uses them, not just people over 70) and headed further into the Marais to the oldest covered market to shop for dinner.  Now we had already learned that all of the wonderful marches close by 1 pm but apparently we had not yet been clued in that our neighborhood marche did not really get going by 9:30 which is when we arrived. Determined to shop, we found a few lovely shops to purchased some white asparagus, fennel, and accouterments for a light meal. So in my miniscule kitchen this evening, we partook in a late and lovely meal. MENU Aperitifs of Pastis Omelette filled with sautéed leeks, sprinkled with fresh chives, accompanied by cornichons Salade of fresh lettuces, shaved white asparagus and fennel dressed simply with EVOO, lemon juice, salt and pepper Cote...

Marci  has the day off from writing.  I've been asked to pinch-hit for today. I will be doing my version of  Faith Popcorn / Bill Cunningham .....if you don't know who they are, then this will be lost on you.......Google it, or look at the inside of the Fashion section of the Sunday  NY Times. Ladies - The hot new thing in PARIS this season is ......French Blue!!!!! Without trying hard at all, I have assembled the pix below - quick shots just walking down rhe streets of several French cities......note the  trend? Rush out and try to beat the crowds to this Hot New Blue....since I've to Fashion Week twice , I know what I'm talking about.  Steve