Deb's odds and ends comments:

*Paris has been responding to the terrorism with an assortment of mottos. One of the most common is the motto from the Paris blazon (coat of arms) Fluctuat nec mergitur (she is tossed on the waves but not sunk). We've seen this and the blazon on street art, but also on the complete huge end of a building near the music site. It was especially poignant with the smiling family pictures of victims put up on the park railings below.

There are other responses including Je Suis Paris, and Meme Pas Peur (Not Afraid). But my favorite still remains Je Suis En Terasse (I'm on the terrace) with
Parisians following their own words, defiantly drinking coffee and wine in the street side bistros in the neighborhoods where so many were murdered.

*Overheard conversations: at the Archeology Museum the other day, an older brother (maybe 10) holding the hand of a angelic-faced, curly-haired younger sister (maybe 4) and trying to explain the Iron Age to her. "Iron is very, very hard and makes great weapons and it changed man's whole history and has to be heated really hot in order to shape it." Sister response "How hot is really hot?" Silence.

Later, holding her up to look at a jewelry display far above her head, he informs "Those are iron earrings." Her response "Don't be silly. Who would wear iron earrings?" It's tough being a tour guide...

*One of the museums we found through the Louvre is the one we just visited, the National Archeological Museum. Besides  having a world-class collection archeology collection, it's housed in a renaissance castle which is just beautiful. Its magnificent chapel was a "Sainte Chapelle" designed to hold a fragment of the Crown of Thorns until the more famous (and derivative) Sainte Chapelle was completed in Paris. As usual, we had no clue about the delights of this museum before blundering off to see it. And it was only because of Warren's determination that we found a way into the chapel which was obscured by conservation scaffolding. The chapel is full of early medieval fragments of sarcophagi and statuary, probably much too recent to impress the archeologists. We had the chapel to ourselves...




*Our year-long Louvre memberships have been one of our best investments. Besides the undeniable luxury of being able to pop into the Louvre for an hour and then leave guilt-free, the memberships have saved us more than $800 above their cost so far on other exhibits and shows. Getting the beautiful glossy magazine each month is a delight and reading it in French keeps us on our toes a bit, plus informing us of many of the arts activities we wouldn't otherwise be aware of. It's also introduced us to a variety of museums we'd have missed. The membership we got to the Prado in our lovely Madrid stay inspire this investment in Paris and it's been a winner.

*Last night as we strolled over for our New Year's Eve dinner in the 'hood, we couldn't help but notice all the dressed-up young people carrying shopping bags and pastry shop boxes and bottles of champagne, all headed to parties on the night of Saint-Sylvestre as New Year's Eve is called here. Everywhere there were groups of laughing people, meeting in bistros or ringing up to be let into apartments. The streets were full as we were headed back at 11:30.

*Our celebration of New Year's Day included going out for a walk along the canals - our Ourcq canal and down to canal St. Martin. Warren is fascinated that they are prepping to drain the St. Martin canal and wanted to take some "before" pics. I wanted to find a boulangerie I've heard of (Du Pain et Des Idees) even though I knew it wouldn't be open. So we just strolled off, flaneuring, and meandering.

It was an especially quiet day. Think most of the young people are still recovering from last night's festivities. But others, older folk like us, or those with children, were out and about, walking and chatting along the canal in the cool, windy, overcast weather. Babies in strollers looked like mini-Charley Browns, all bundled up with just bright eyes showing. The dogs were all exhilarated at being out and getting to sniff all the neighborhood news.

Saw a pair of big waterbirds (cormorants) perched in some high trees. Didn't know they did or could do that. Obviously, no one had mentioned my concerns to them. We had seen a white-winged crow the other day at the Botanic Gardens and a funny, cute little pudgy, red-breasted bird in the park, so I need to do some bird researching on the web.

Got back and had leftovers: Veal Orloff in a fresh tomato sauce and sautéed potatoes. Boy, am I going to miss my butcher.

*Thomas Jefferson: "Every man has two countries - his own and France."