Brad met me after class yesterday and we tried to go the Maillol Museum which is having an exhibit of Gustav Klimt etchings. There was an enormous line waiting to get in, which we don’t really do, so we walked across the Seine, through the Tuilieres and to the Librairie Galignani which is a bookstore that sells both French and English books. I picked up a copy of the scintillating best seller Conjugations of 12,000 French Verbs by Bescherelle. Yippee. I also bought some trashy detective thriller books, which I love; but in French. Juste un Regard by Harlan Coben and Celui qui a peur de loup (Who’s afraid of the wolf?) by Karin Fossum. I also bought a French copy of The Memory of Running by Ron McLarty (J’ai reve de courir longtemps (I dreamt of running a long time)) which should keep me busy for the next year or so.
We then had late lunch/tea at the Park Hyatt Paris where we stayed for a week last April before our massage appointments which Brad had very kindly made as a surprise. Tea was perfect little salmon roulades covered in fresh herbs, La Maison du The Earl Grey, a side of green beans, and a side of mashed potatoes that must have had a pound of butter mashed in. For dessert we chose from a beautiful dessert cart with several chocolate options. We shared an orange infused chocolate mousse that was dense and creamy and wonderful, with a candied orange peel slice as an accent. The public areas of the Park Hyatt are serene and beautifully lit and have an Asian feel instead of the French gold brocade fabrics and tassels everywhere. It’s one of my favorite hotels.
We both loved our much needed massages, followed by another sushi dinner at Lo Sushi, followed by another long stroll home down the Champs Elysee, through the Place de la Concorde and across the Seine to our neighborhood. We woke up relatively early (8:30) this morning and had breakfast of baguette and black cherry jam and French press coffee, then went back to bed until 2:00. We’re both pretty tired. Two hours of French class with only two other students in basically like taking an oral exam every day. No possibility of hiding in the back row and hoping the teacher doesn’t call on you. I’m learning a lot, but it’s very demanding. This afternoon we explored our neighborhood for a couple of hours, and then did some major grocery shopping at Le Bon Marche. As long as I have Brad here to be my sherpa, I’m buying heavy things like humous and cheese and eggs and olive oil and things that come in glass bottles. I can’t get over the incredible range of foodstuffs available at Le Bon Marche. Everything is beautiful there. We had fresh olive foccacia and humous for dinner.
I took a couple of pictures from the balcony of the apartment, and then had my usual temper tantrum when the technology to transfer the digital images from my camera to my laptop didn’t work on the first try. I hate it when I choose an option called “transfer pictures dated today” after I just took several photos and the computer says that no images fit that description. ARGH! ARGH! Brad eventually had to resort to transferring all 217 images off my camera just to get the ones that you see below. I think it was worth his efforts. I really am fortunate to have Brad here to be my grocery delivery boy, computer/camera technician, and moral support.
The Eiffel Tower at sunset from the apartment balcony
The view across our courtyard 
It sounds like you are settling in and enjoying your dream. I hope you got all the heavy stuff before Brad went home to blog!
Posted by: Jenny Lawton | Sunday, March 20, 2005 at 06:24 PM