Paroissien’s in Paris

Top:  Canova’s famous sculpture - Persephone and Cupid in the Louvre
Top right:   chimneys in Paris - this is how they used to build the chimneys in apartment blocks -
Bottom:    Autumn in the Bois de Bologne
Bottom right:  One of the sculpture galleries in the Louvre

You can tell I am still experimenting with photos on this blog site!!!

 

Daylight saving time – the clocks went back an hour last night and hooray, it was light at 7am – yesterday it was still dark at 8 in the morning!!

 

Well I have discovered where all the French go jogging – Ian has often commented how one never sees people running anywhere in P
aris.    Well, they are here at the Bois de Bologne – a huge park, a 30 minute walk from our apartment.

 

It is criss-crossed with roads, and holds the famous Longchamps racecourse, also Roland Garros of French Open fame, and the equestrian centre made famous by that song  –

“As he walked along the Bois de Bologne with an independent air,

You could hear the girls declare, he must be a millionaire…..”

Well, this is where it was…

 

And the park  is looking wonderfully autumnal at the moment – as you can see from the photo above.  There is a little ferry which takes people across to the island for coffee and lunch so I will wait until Ian comes back from Melbourne before we try that one.

 

Yesterday I went to the L’Orangerie to buy a book, then strolled through the Tuillerie gardens – still looking lovely and lots of people about looking at the outdoor artwork.     Took the opportunity to go into the Louvre – my aunt had suggested that I shouldn’t miss the sculpture by Antoine Canova of Persephone and Cupid – see photo.   It is stunning – such purity – popping into the Louvre when passing is one of the many things I will miss when I am back in Melbourne.

 

Chocolat au chaud on the way back home and then settled in for a bit of reading of John Baxter’s book ‘An Immoveable Feast’, mentioned in last blog.

 
I am just back from meeting a friend Diana, in the Latin Quarter, near the Pantheon (which is a most magnificent basilica where people like Victor Hugo and Marie Curie are buried )- a long lunch at a small family run Russian restaurant with half a bottle of Bordeaux - a great way to spend an afternoon.

Au revoir

Barbxxx

Daylight saving stops tonight – we put our clocks back so I guess that makes us 10 hours behind
Melbourne now.

 

There is an American lass, Belinda, just moved into our apartments – she is a pastry chef and working at Pierre Hermes – they make the most delectable macaroons – probably on a par with Laduree’s.     I haven’t actually met her yet, but I have  met her two friends, who accidentally knocked on my door looking for her apartment – so with not another soul in this block who speaks English, I wasn’t about to let them go, and have invited them all for drinks on Tuesday night – Julie Levine will be here and I will put my best foot forward for nibbles etc. – am going to try Ian’s new entrée recipe – fresh figs sliced in half, very lightly sautéed in a tiny bit of olive oil, and then crumbled feta on the top – it is delicious.

 

This weekend is a big one for the Arts with 2 huge exhibitions.     It entails all the top art gallery owners in both Europe and Paris and America, taking stalls and putting out their best art – which varies of course from very large modern, to really way out sculpture.

 

I went to have a squizz – mainly because I wanted to get inside the Grand Palais in the Champs Elysee.   Both the art and the building were fantastic.     The palais is really like a giant glass house and probably double the size of our Royal Exhibition building.

There is also an exhibition called Arts Elysee - with marquees all the way down the Champs Elysee from the Petit Palace to the Place de la Concorde (but I will leave that for Sunday)

After the Grand Palais, I  walked across the road to the Petit Palace – which is certainly not small by any stretch of the imagination.   To me, it is even more grand than the Grand Palais as it has the most wonderful wall and ceiling paintings.     It houses a fabulous collection of paintings, sculptures and objets d’art, and is organized along chronological lines – and is now on my list of ‘must sees’ in Paris . And it is free – wow!!!

 

It’s still Saurday – and I have just returned from my favourite market street – rue L’Anunciation.  I was buying my usual fruit and vegies and was most intrigued to actually look at where their fruit comes from.   Whilst the vast majority comes from France itself, including an amazing range of mushrooms,  the more exotics were:

Mangoes from Brazil, grapes and pears from Italy, the tiny Clementine oranges from Spain, blackberries from Holland, melons from Morocco, asparagus from Peru, pink grapefruit from Florida, kiwi fruit from NZ (where else), bananas from Martinique, pineapples from the Cameroons,  passionfruit from Africa, limes from Mexico and cumquats from Argentina.   And, most surprisingly, the tiny little beans, Haricot Vert come from Kenya.    Such exotic places – many being former French colonial outposts such as Martinique and the Cameroons.

 

Lunch time so decided to indulge with a plat de jour (plate of the day)  at my local delicatessen.    Penne sauce cepes et truffes – penne pasta with a sauce of mushrooms and truffle – served with the customary basket of bread, a tiny salad, and  shaved parmesan; sitting on a stool watching the world pass by, it was a lovely hour of indulgence.

 

Off to L’Orangerie to buy a book for Karen, then I think the Louvre for an hour – there are some sculptures I would like to see and must make the most of my last few weeks here.

 

Au revoir

Barb

 

 

 

    

 

I have been to my first “Christmas’ dinner  – called An Immoveable Feast – based on Hemingway’s wonderful book about his time in Paris “A Moveable Feast’.

 Terrance Gelentar and his group Paris through Expatriate Eyes,  organized this ‘feast’ with John Baxter, an Australian who has lived in Paris for many many years (20 I think) and is married to a French woman.     John developed his cooking expertise when he married into a family of French intellectuals who couldn’t cook – so he started with preparing Christmas dinner for 18 and has continued ever since.  John’s book Immoveable Feast ‘is the charming, funny, and improbable tale of how a man who was raised on white bread – and didn’t speak a word of French – unexpectedly ended up with the sacred duty of preparing the annual Christmas dinner for a venerable Parisian family’.

 

Held at the Restaurant Mesturet in rue
Richelieu, in the 2^nd arrondisement, about 20 guests, members and friends of Terrances’ Expat group,  started with an  aperitif  of Pineau  de Charente – smooth and soft and very sweet, and totally unexpected – and certainly unusual for an Australian dinner party.  I am going to try it sometimes – maybe at Christmas – not sure if it goes with barbeques at Blairgowrie!

 

After an entrée of oysters,  from Marennes d’Oleron in the south of France, the suckling pig, complete with apple in mouth, was bought into to much cheering and clapping – and then served with tiny fried potatoes – delicious.  - 

I met some interesting people – including John Agee, a young American who has a boutique jewellery store in Rue Jacob in the St Germain area and designs and makes contemporary jewellery – mostly silver although some gold.  He was telling me that he loves Australian customers – they don’t dilly dally, they either like it or they don’t and they make up their mind quickly – this obviously contrasts with the French and Americans!!   I wandered past his store on Wednesday - it is so interesting and will go in next week when my friend Julie Levine arrives from London.

 

Through this group, Terrance and John Baxter run, among other things, specialist tours of Paris – these are tailor made and are not the usual run of the mill tours – you get lots of history and little stories about the areas you are wandering through.

The website is:    www.paris-expat.com and it is well worthwhile having a browse if you are coming to Paris.

 

Well, that was Monday night.     It has got colder and colder as the week progresses – into winter  and all the girls are wearing their scarves and  boots and looking very chic – as always!

 

Whilst Ian is in Melbourne I have been watching a few videos (I can nearly put on the video without resorting to my copious notes!!) – and have just finished Michael Palin’s “Hemingway Adventure”.     Divided into 4 parts it covers Hemingway’s life in Africa, Chicago, Spain (it opens with the running of the bulls in Pamplona), Paris and Cuba and in true Palin style, is a great story, full of humour and excitement.

And I’m thoroughly enjoying West Wing – only about 76 episodes to go!!!    I also have Gone with the Wind on the shelf – it’s 4 hours long!!! But I feel I will have to watch it – last time I saw it was in a cinema in Auckland when I was 19!!!

 

Weekend tomorrow – what shall I put on my list.    I am going to meet the daughter of a friend from my golf club, Diana so looking forward to some English conversation.

 

Au revoir
Barb 

 

 

 

 

I am heading out today to walk along the Viaduc Des Arts – one of my Walking Paris cards – it sounds very interesting.

Metro to the Bastille, a very big ‘roundabout’ and the place of the barricades in Les Miserables.

I walk along the avenue Daumesnil – with its brick arcades of galleries and studios built underneath an old railway line, which is now the Promenade Plantee – more later.   

 

There are shops specializing in leatherwork, needlepoint accessories, weaving looms and an old paper press.    It was Sunday so people weren’t working, but there was the shop where they paint porcelaine and fabulous copper pots further along.

 

Lunchtime – so I stopped at the Café de L’Arrosoir – for Millefeuille (which I find utterly unpronounceable) with mozarello and tomato – like a sandwich of tomato slices wedged between two thick slices of mozarello, with pesto on the top.     The traditional millefeuille is actually a custard slice (vanilla slice!) – and delicious also.   And of course a glass of vin rouge to accompany it.

 

Back on the road, and I climb the stairs to the Promenade Plantee – the old railway line.   The effect is brilliant – trees and plants along both sides of the path, with lots of garden seats where people are sunning themselves, while I saunter along and peer over the top to where people are living their lives.   It is a great use of an old railway line. 

 

Down the stairs to ground level, I walk over to a market at the place d’Aligre – nearly finished for the day and just around the corner the Baron Aligre, a traditional wine bar that still sells wine by the barrel and a degustation menu – young people were spilling onto the street – wine glasses sitting on top of the parked cars while everyone was enjoying a very social time – I would have joined them 40 years ago!!!

Back to the Bastille –and another coffee while I decided whether I  would  take the metro back to Passy, or… a walk along the Canal St Martin to the Batobus on the River Seine.   Weather too good to go home yet, so walked along the canal lined with boats of all descriptions – yachts, houseboats, cabin cruisers – and people everywhere enjoying the sunshine.   

At the end of the canal is a very large lock, to allow entry and exit to the
Seine.   And as luck would have it, there was a very long barge, filled with gravel, waiting for the water to rise and a crowd gathered to watch.

I eventually found the bridge to cross the river, and caught the batobus (like a taxi)  back up the Seine – it’s a lovely (albeit more expensive than the metro)  way to travel – slowly past the Hotel de Ville, (Town Hall)  then the Louvre,  the Tuilleries and Place de Concorde to the Champs Elysee, before I left the boat at the Eiffel Tower.    

And back home for a cup of tea …    I wonder how far I walked today –

 

Sunday night – salmon for dinner cooked with Jenny’s recipe of lemon juice (marinated) then poached in white wine.    Mmm…

 

Au revoir

Barbara

And I have just been up to my market street - I call it that because I have trouble pronouncing rue L’Annonciation!!   It is a hive of industry - everyone out with their children and their shopping trolleys, the man outside his cafe shucking fresh oysters for you to take home;  a long line at the boucherie for the freshly cooked chickens or their fresh meat, and even a band of wind instruments at the corner, playing oom pa pa music - the smells and the atmosphere are so Paris - so I sit at the cafe having my ‘cafe longer avec le lait a par’ (long black with milk on the side) and dream away a few minutes of my life here.

But to yesterday…    I went to the 5th arrondisement…

 

 I set off in the morning with the express intent of buying a photo album  - one with the plastic sheet which covers the whole page.    The photos here are larger than my
Melbourne ones, so slip in folders do not work, and I don’t think sticking the photos in with glue stick or stickers works so well.  .   However, notwithstanding a huge department store, there are none of these to be seen – so it shall have to wait for January – and all that spare time down at the beach!!!

 

So, with the sky a brilliant blue, no clouds to be seen and not too cold – 14 degrees today, I set off to have a look at the 5^th arr.   

I firstly had a look at the Memorial de la Deportation set on the eastern tip of the Il de la Cite (at the back of  Notre Dame ) – a very moving memorial to the thousands of French  Jews deported during the second world war.

Strolled across the Seine, with tourists milling everywhere, and down along the Quai de la Tournelle where it’s a bit quieter, to the Institut du Monde Arabe – built by Francois Mitterrand to create links and understanding between the Western and Islamic worlds   – it is an interesting building of pure glass and steel, its claim to fame being the light sensitive steel and glass prisms which open and close according to the movement of the sun.    And it does have a fabulous rooftop terrace and café, overlooking the Seine and Notre Dame and serving delicious mint tea – a must for my afternoon tea.

 

So, energy restored,  I walked further along the river through the Musee de Sculpture en Plein Air (outdoor sculpture) – to the Jardin des Plantes, a botanical garden established in 1626.   I found it a little disappointing, maybe it’s the time of the year, autumn,  and the plants are dying back, and I was probably expecting something a little more like Melbourne’s botanical gardens;  however  it does have a small menagerie (zoo) with amongst other animals, a few wallabies nibbling the grass, and two enormous glass houses filled with exotic trees.

 

Next stop – the Mosquee de Paris.   This was built in 1922 in the Hispano-Moorish style, to commemorate North African participation in World War 1.  Mosaic tiles cover the walls and floors,  and there is a most lovely central courtyard garden.

 

And last stop, and just around the corner from the Mosque, is the Arenes de Lutece, a stadium dating back to the second century AD, that once held 10 000 people.     But now it was filled with teenagers kicking the inevitable soccer ball.    What history it must have seen over the years.

 

And having walked in the wrong direction to my metro station, I stopped at the corner café on Rue Monge for a restorative pastis before heading off home on the metro.

 

Saturday night, Ian is in Blairgowrie and I am about to watch a bit of Rosemary and Thyme – I know, pretty old but easy to watch and only an hour long.    Last night I watched an episode of Prime Suspect with Helen Miren – it lasted for 3-1/4 hours and she continually smoked throughout – a bit off putting for me.

 

A bientot

 

Barbara 

 

 

Top:   Cartier foundation                           Bottom:  Montparness cemetery                

The Catacombs of
Paris, the Cartier Foundation of Contemporary

 Art, theCimetiere Montparnasse, and lunch in the market street,

 Rue Daguerre in the 14^th arr.

 

 This morning my goal was to start putting some of the photos in the album – it’s a challenge!!! But decided that I could not leave the apartment for my morning coffee at the cafe on the corner of the Place de la Costa Rica until I have at least done Scandinavia…phew.  So at least I have started…

 

So, that job started, I set off to see The Catacombs of Paris this morning.      The Catacombs ossuary was created at the end of the 18^th century due to the closure in 1780 of the largest cemetery in Paris, the Saints Innocents, in the Halles district, which the local inhabitants believed was a danger to public health.

Former Roman quarries  in the Place de Denfert Rochereau area were chosen and bones from every cemetery in Paris were transferred to the site until 1860   There are some six million neatly stacked skulls, femurs and tibias of departed souls lining the long passageways.  There are many plaques detailing the cemeteries and churchyards from which  the bones have been transferred and all in all it was very interesting, and not too macabre although the sign at the entrance is inscribed “Halt, for this is the empire of the dead” !!     The passageways cover several kilometres so my  coffee was well earned afterwards..

 

Then strolled down the rue Daguerre, another market street of fresh fruit and veggies, fishmongers opening their scallops and oysters, and the wonderful fromage shops.    Sat outside a lovely little bistrot, and enjoyed a most delicious lunch of ravioli chevre (goats cheese), with sundried tomatoes in a creamy sauce,  and a glass of vin rouge .    It’s a tough lifem here in Paris…?

 

Energy restored, I headed for the Cartier Foundation of Contemporary  Art  -  amazing glass building with a special exhibition of a sculptor called Cesar – he compacted cars, and used amazing quantities of polyester resin to sculpt hands, and a huge thumb, (see photo above) etc.   Fascinating.  And in the garden is a ‘sculpture’ of compacted paper – see photo.   There is 375 tonnes of paper in these bales – amazing!!!

 

On my way back to the metro, I wandered through the Cimetiere Montparnasse – the leaves are falling quickly and it was lovely to swish through them along the many paths.     There are many famous people buried here – Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone Beauvoir, Cesar (the sculptor referred to above), Andre Citroen of car fame, Baudelaire the poet, Charles Garnier, architect of The Opera Garnier, and many others.   The cemetery actually has a guide to the resting places of all its famous Parisians – and in the autumn sunshine, with the last of the flowers slowly fading, it was a very peaceful place to be.

So, back home, more photos in the album and then a well earned Friday night pastis at my local cafe …

Au revoir
barb

Top left:    Kitchen at Musee Nissim de Camondo      Top:    Gates to Parc Monceau
Bottom left:   Russian Orthodox Cathedral                  Bottom:    Market in rue Poncelet

 Ian left this morning for a couple of weeks in Melbourne – we decided that he should take as much stuff back as possible as we may be a bit overloaded in December, what with the Christmas shopping, etc.  So with 5 bags of varying dimensions, the summer clothes and all those books…..

 

He just sent a text to say that when he checked in he had 55kgs  -  and he wasn’t charged!!!  Hope they are as kind when we leave in December!!!

 

I then set off on one of the
Paris walks – to the Parc Monceau area in the 8^th arrondisement.   Started near the Arc de Triomphe – and found a little market in rue Poncelet – a small and bustling market bursting with fresh seafood, scallops in their shells, heaps of wild mushrooms, delicious strawberries and raspberries and other wonderful goodies – plus of course the fromage shop. 

Stopped for a coffee and croissant, then off to the heart of  Little Russia with its astonishing Russian Orthodox Cathedrale St Alexandre Nevsky.

 Unfortunately it is only open in the afternoon so shall have to go back to wander through its interior, apparently painted in rich colours and an ornate dome in striking contrast to Paris’ stone churches.     

And further along the rue de Courcelles  there is a red Chinese Pagoda – again an incronguity amongst the Haussman apartments of Paris.     I

 

Back to the imposing gates of Parc Monceau  – autumn is in full swing with golden leaves swirling in the wind – and the children out in the park playing elastics – just like our children did in primary school – children are the same the world over.  (how to describe elastics for the uninitiated – two long parallel pieces of elastic, joined at each end, held by two children about 12 inches off the ground – and the idea is that the other kids jump in and out with patterns) – perhaps I should google this for a better description!!)

 

At the end of this park is the Musee Cernuschi – another Paris ‘find’.  It houses wonderful Chinese art and artefacts, gathered from 1050 BC onwards and the most huge Buddha I have ever seen in bronze – stunning.  Buddhism came to China as early as  the 1^st century AD.   And another little bit of trivia - did you know that the potters wheel had been invented by the 4^th millennium BC!!   There was also a special exhibition of Japanese paintings from the 18^th and 19^th centuries – so exquisite.

 

Ate my baguette in the park and then strolled around to the Musee Nissim de Camondo (thank you Sally S).     It belonged to the Camondos, a Jewish family who had established banks in the Ottoman Empire.    In particular Moise de Camondo  was a  great collector of art and beautiful furniture, and built his house with every mod-con known at the time.    The bathrooms were tiled with ceramic baths, bidets etc. and of course all the drawing rooms and bedrooms had luxurious furniture.   However I really loved the kitchen – (see photo) – the biggest stove I have ever seen, polished copper saucepans and a huge roasting oven for the spit roasts etc. – amazing.  

His home overlooked the Parc Monceau and was filled with exquisite treasures. And Paris was fortunate that he left his house and its contents to the State when he died in 1935, not knowing of the tragedy that was to befall his  family during the 2^nd world war, when many Jews were deported to Germany.

 

So I am sitting here, enjoying a cup of tea, and full of wonder for this magical city.   And there is still more to see…

Au revoir
Barb 

 

a birthday in Paris - Ian is away again - was he in Milan, Dublin or Zurich!!!   But I was fortunate to have Linda Speddy and Sue Meltonhill staying with me - we all met in Lae, Papua New Guinea in 1983.  

We strolled around Paris, including the fabulous Opera Garnier which is at present on top of our  ‘must see’ list, did a little shopping here and there, enjoyed lunch and a glass of champagne under the stained glass dome at Printemps, and celebrated in the evening with dinner at Settebello, our favourite Italian restaurant.

Then Win and Russell Meares arrived in Paris and joined us for dinner after our Champagne trip - Win and Russell also ex PNG.    -   see photo above.

Ian is back in town, for a few days!!    We have just tried a new restaurant - La Maree Passy - a seafood restaurant around the corner.
And at the next table sits a couple with a white (west highland terrier) Scotty dog - who decides that the fish Ian is eating smells pretty good and needs his attention - big brown eyes looking up at Ian - I couldn’t stop laughing.    And it certainly breaks the ice with the couple sitting next to us.   And whilst it is certainly not acceptable in Australia, we have got very used to it here in Paris - all the dogs are small, and so well behaved - in fact we think they have all been to French Finishing School!!!
And whilst the Sole and Scallops were delicious, we will try the bouillabaisse next time - as recommended by the Scotty dog’s ‘parents’.

So the McPhersons and Speddy’s have gone back to the UK, Sue is back in Brisbane and Win and Russell have completed their few days in paris and are winging their way to  Tokyo and then Aust.

It was terrific to have so many of our ‘old’ friends with us in paris.

Au revoir
Barb

With Frances & Finlay McPherson and Linda & Roger Speddy, friends from our time in
Lae, Papua New Guinea in 1983, we set off to enjoy a few days of exploring, tasting, eating, talking and driving around the Champagne area.

 

We caught the train from Paris to Epernay –  about 1-1/4 hours due east of Paris, where we hired a car

 

Found a small supermarket and stocked up supplies, and then drove to a small, in fact very tiny, village called Oyes to our villa, Aupres de Eglise. (beside the Church).   See photo above                 

 

It is a lovely old farm house with blue shutters, a huge living area and two bedrooms on the ground floor, then a huge bedroom and smaller bedroom on the 2^nd floor – together with a very ultra modern bathroom with a huge free-standing bath  and toilet and washbasin  in the centre of the room – very swish although with the ‘cemented walls’ we couldn’t decide whether it was finished or not!!!  We actually decided it was ‘modern architecture’!!   The big bedroom downstairs had its own fireplace - which the boys being boys, decided had to be lit - Frances and Finlay were very warm that night!!!

 The living area encompassed the kitchen and dining area and a wonderful open fireplace with a couple of sofas.  A long wooden table and chairs was the centrepiece of the room, with lots of  shelves full of all the necessities of living – plates, oodles of glasses, breakfast cereals, candles, etc. etc. etc.   Whilst slightly rustic, it was very comfortable and warm, lots of hot water and a wonderful atmosphere.

 

Outside, just past a grove of what looked like silver birches, there is a ménage – what we would call a rotunda, complete with bbq  and piles of cut wood – irrisistible to Roger and the boys.  And with a herb garden out in the back area, we were well and truly set up for a gourmet feast to go with the champagne.

 

First day, after a very late breakfast,  we decided to follow  the Champagne Trail –  through very pretty countryside of sugar beet, corn, sunflowers, etc.    Moet et Chandon is of course the most well known in this area, but with the tour buses all parked in a row, we decided to give this a miss and headed for a small champagne house – where the owner kindly opened up his tasting room for us after we rang his doorbell.    Well, a great find – Champagne Derouillat was its name – and after copious tastings, we bought a few, quite a few in fact, bottles – the challenge will be to get them back to Paris on the train, but hey, where there’s a will, there’s a way!!! – and maybe we will have consumed some of it too!!

 

A bit more shopping for dinner – including a giant saucisson –a big fat sausage shaped in

a horseshoe and weighing at least a kilo – and it cost E11 (A$19) so it had better be good!! (see photo).

One description from our Scottish friends was that it might be a bit like a French haggis – the mind boggles!!

 

Well, the guys got the fire going in the bbg dish – only took an hour or so, but we did eventually eat a very delicious meal –especially the saucisson – every scrap consumed and was well worth all the effort of lighting fires etc.

 

Next day, our driver decided that driving south was the go.  First stop was Troyes – a medieval village, 11-12^th century.     Did wonder if we had come to the right place – it’s only the centre which is medieval, the rest is normal, industrial, commercial, suburbs!!   But the centre is a real gem – a smallish area with tudor style buildings and a beautiful old cathedral with a ‘rood’ – a structure built across the cathedral, this one in stone, which separates the clergy in the choir from the lay people in the nave.    There are very few left in France as they were mostly built in wood and during the Revolution (1790 approx. in case you’ve forgotten)  they were burnt – churches were seen as part of the bourgeoisie.

 

After a lovely lunch at the local brasserie soaking up the sun and the wine, we headed for Sezanne.   Again a lovely village with interesting shops and patisseries etc.  – it’s amazing how much effort is put into eating and drinking when on holiday!!

 

Our last evening – a scratch meal of a potato dish (thanks Linda) and some chicken (thanks Roger) after we found that the restaurant to which we had decided to eat, was actually not open on a Friday night!!!  

All in all a great fun few days with good friends, good food and great wine and champagne.   And the quote of the day was from Linda, when driving through the countryside – “it’s just like an amphitheatre of vines” – very  poetic Linda.

And many thanks Roger, for doing all the driving – was much appreciated by us all.

 

And if you are looking for somewhere to stay in this region, we very much recommend Aupres de L’Eglise.   Website    www.aupresdeleglise.com

 

So next day, back to Paris, and dinner that night – Win and Russell Meares, also ex PNG, joined us.   More talking and drinking!!!

 

Sunday, McPhersons returned to Scotland, and after a bit of Paris exploring,  the Meares and Speddy’s came for dinner at the apartment – we have the most terrific fish market so salmon was the order of the day.

Monday, and a quieter day – and catching up on emails, etc.

 

And so…..   another day….