An Evening with Good Friends 12-27-15

Today was another lovely December day and we didn't waste it.  We have friends coming over in the evening, Woody and Georgia Garnsey.  They are over in Paris with their family; children and grand-children, seeing the best that Paris has to offer at the Christmas season.  But tonight we get them all to ourselves.
We'd been shopping a couple days ago in preparation so Deb's menu didn't require her to go all out in the kitchen preparing something exotic.  Instead we decided that many small offerings would be more suited to the occasion.  A kind of Paris tapas buffet, with many of the treasures of the 19th that are not apparent to citizens of the other arrondissements.   Although, we were in a bicycle shop a few days ago and talking with a young floor person and he mentioned that he lives up here, quite close actually.  So he knew about our cheese shop and some of the other attractions of the area.
But I digress, earlier in the day we left the apartment and walked over to the Parc des Buttes Chaumont to get a little sunshine, fresh air, and exercise.  We took books and read for a while then finished up with a walk around the perimeter of the park.  We know our north end of the park pretty well and even the middle, but we'd never really walked all the way to the southern borders of the park.
  It was very interesting in that there are two buttes (amazing) in the southeastern corner that may actually be the highest points in the park.  They are hidden somewhat by the trees and the curvature of the eastern border.  From the tops there are some very nice views of the city between some of the high buildings, for example Sacre Coeur and the top of the Eiffel Tower.
On the way around we came across some wild parrots roosting in our trees, until today we've only seen them in the forest and down at the south edge of the city.

Getting back to the apartment around 3:00 we (read Deb) finished preparations for our guests, who were due at 5:00.   I walked over to the Metro entrance to meet them and within probably 3 minutes of my arrival they came popping out of the entrance, perfect timing.
We walked back to the apartment to a beautifully presented table thanks to Deb.  After a champagne aperitif and we set to work on the goodies.  Cheeses, escargot, sausages, foie gras, did I mentions champagne?, olives, pates, and cornichons it went on that way for a couple hours with great conversation and many laughs.  Great conversation about previous trials and triumphs in our various travels and towards the end some of the unassuming french dessert treats, macarons, and a frozen buche de noel.  We finished with just a drop of the Armagnac, Calvados, and Angelique (like green Chartreuse).  About 10:30 we all hit the wall, so I walked them back to the Metro and we made plans to meet again in Denver when we return.   Such a satisfying day for us, thanks Woody and Georgia you helped make our holiday season complete.