Paroissien’s in Paris

It’s just a week since we arrived back in Paris –  and what is quite miraculous is the ease of our arrival at Charles de Gaulle airport – plane touched down at 6.00am and within 30 minutes we were through Immigration, had collected our luggage and were in a taxi rolling towards Passy on a quiet Saturday morning, when the French are still only thinking about waking, the cleaners have already been around washing the streets, and the Boulangeries are getting ready for the Saturday morning onslaught as everyone strolls down to pick up their baguettes and croissants for their late morning petit dejeuner.

Our apartment is just as we left it  and even the geraniums are still blooming despite all the hot and dry weather.

Weather has been glorious – late summer with a few very hot days when everyone swelters and makes for the department stores or the river – very little airconditioning in apartments in Paris and certainly the Metro does not run to such luxury – just a few open windows – and imagine a crowded train and you can imagine how stifling it can get.   

But now it’s autumn although officially it doesn’t start in Paris until 22 September -  or maybe it’s the Northern Hemisphere but already the leaves are beginning to fall from the glorious Horse Chestnut trees which line many of the avenues, the cemeteries and the River Seine, clogging up the drains and making the paths  gloriously squishy, albeit slippery and messy.  Still, along will come some of the special green clothed street cleaners with their brooms, ready to clean up after nature and the Parissiens.

A quick update on the boys.

David is enjoying his work with Asialink (attached to University of Melbourne), working specifically in their Leadership course and the Mental Health areas.    Has just had a big conference with reps from many of the Asian countries – amazing what projects are carried out by so many different organisations which we really never hear about.

Andrew and his girlfriend Beth are in Central America – on a BIG adventure.    If you are interested his blog site is http://journals.worldnomads.com/para .     They have so far travelled around Panama, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Honduras and are now in Guatemala – learning Spanish in the mornings and teaching English to underprivileged children in the afternoons.    They have had many adventures, especially their experience with a school in Honduras.   Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately!) we only hear intemittantly when they either find an internet cafe or the phone card ‘works’!!    My biggest challenge is not saying anything about the difference between ‘quite’ and quiet’ on his Comment blog.!!

Jill and Bob McDonald have hit Paris with daughter Fee – they have a great apartment in the Place de la Madeleine – so central to everything, and especially the shops – they are in all directions!!!

Jill and I have just had a very pleasant morning in Le Bon Marche checking out all the fab winter fashions.     We have enjoyed a great Italian meal together and explored around my favourite spots in St Germaine.

Ian is off to Sweden next week so I have opted for a few days in London – and have bought a ticket for “A Royal Day Out’ at Buckingham Palace – I know, groan groan, but having been bought up surrounded by books of the Royals, I am looking forward to exploring the State Apartments, the Royal Mews and the new exhibition of The Royal Tours.    Some of you may remember when the Queen came to Melb. In 1954 – my family waited for hours outside the Prince Henry’s hospital in St Kilda Road – and how exciting it was when she waved to us from her car – yes, we were quite sure she actually waved at US!!!   They are having a special Exhibition of all her tours – with the clothes she wore and the gifts she received.  Shall also catch up with Amy King and Martin, and stay with my friend of many years Yvonne – we will ‘do the shops’ in Regent Street for a few hours!!!

Then the week after I am off to Berlin to meet up with Diana Wolowski for a few days exploring that city – Andrew and Ian spent time there just before we came to Paris last year, and really loved the city and its history – so looking forward to that.

Otherwise, life goes on – we have just been to the fabulous market in Avenue President Wilson – grapes, strawberries and raspberries were high on the list plus Ian’s ingredients for Sunday night’s risotto.    Ian has also discovered the secret to cooking our favourite magret canard – duck, and I have found a recipe for a delicious sauce to complement it – stock, vinegar, sugar and ginger honey – easy, simple and tasty.

 Then over to the American Library for a book sale – and walked back under the Eiffel Tower where the crowds are  lined up for hundreds of metres – high tourist season here.

We are off to explore some art galleries in the Avenue Matignon – however found them all closed on this Saturday afternoon so back to the Champs Elysee and discovered a terrific Cashmere shop – an another scarf for Ian’s collection!!

It’s now Sunday and it was such a beautiful sunny and warm day, we opted to explore the Parc de Villette – in the north east of Paris.    Well, what a find.    It has the most incredible Music Museum with 5 floors of a purpose built building showing instruments starting from the 16^th century – the audio system gives both dialogue and music – it was an unexpected find, although we shouldn’t have been surprised - when the French do their museums quite brilliantly.    The Parc Vilette is at the top of the Canal St Martin so we opted to take the boat back to the Musee D’Orsay down the Canal – through 8 sets of locks and then into the River Seine – a bit slow but well worth the trip.    At one point the canal goes underground – in the middle of the 19^th centure, the Parisians living along the canal didn’t want to look at it, so they ‘just built over it’ – including the whole of the Place de Bastille.

Walked back along the river and now ‘watching’ the cricket on the computer.    Aust. need to get 2  more wickets to win this second one day international.    It’s quite odd how one is really out of the news loop – we have only just got the footy scores but as Melbourne and now Essendon are well and truly out, who cares!!!

Au revoir