Deb - Petit Points 3-11-15

***Getting back into speaking French and trying to remember French words. Result? Now I can’t remember either French or English words. Brain-lock. It happens every trip, but dumbfounds me each trip. Hopefully, it’ll soon wear off.

 

***English conversations overheard:

• At the Louvre: a frustrated husband “Mary, you never told me this place was so BIG…”
• At the Foire de Chatou antique fair: An antique dealer standing with an American couple who were strategizing furiously and audibly in English about what to offer the dealer for a small sculpture. “Tell him our highest offer is 2000 euros, but you know I’m willing to pay 3000.”  The dealer maintained an admirably straight face, despite the fact that he speaks perfect English…

 ***Meanwhile, I wander around reading advertisements in the Metro and on the busses, trying to understand what they mean and often wildly misconstruing them. Oh, those idioms! Trying to cope with a different language is such a salutary exercise in humility and frustration. So good for empathy.

 

***Speaking of reading, Warren took at French class at Metro State last spring and really improved his French reading and writing skills. Nevertheless, I was dazzled yesterday when he read aloud an informational sign outside a museum and his translation of the vocabulary and tenses were truly masterful. Turned out he was reading an English sign while I struggled with the French.

 

***Not only do we have severe language problems, but we’re both getting deaf as posts. We’re at the antique fair, and an announcement comes over the loudspeaker, and Warren asks me what they said. I translate that (I think) they said that some house keys had been found left in the toilet. Warren says “Poor guy…” I’m confused and say “What guy?” Warren responds “The poor Husky somebody left in the restroom.” I go off into gales of laughter while Warren worries about an abandoned Malamute.

ed. note - For those of you who have asked, an earlier post (3-9-15) showed the purported "Angel of the Pushpin", it is actually half of a set of candle holders for church candles sitting in front of, or on an altar - Msr. LeMond

Another trip to the Louvre 3-9-15

Cloudy day no rain, but a trip to the Louvre just in case.   Deb bought a book recently titled 'Angels of Paris' which has photos of architecture and sculpture throughout Paris whereon Angels have been portrayed.  It has been fun for us to come upon many of these angels in person.

Yesterday at the Louvre I found another one.  I titled it 'Angel of the Pushpin' .  I must acknowledge Della Robbia for this beautiful piece.


This just in, per several requests to Madame, this is actually the base for a set of candles that would have been in front of, or on an altar

We're on a roll, weatherwise, for now 3-8-15

Today was even better than yesterday, both sunny and warm with no wind!   After yesterday's walk we just lazed away the morning on the little deck outside our kitchen, did a little shopping at the Sunday market two blocks away, and finally joined what seemed to be the rest of the arrondisement at the park along the canal.   I think people were really ready for a nice day because they were out in great force just sitting in the park and soaking up the sun.  I loved seeing this little girl playing with a busker in the park

I had my first extended conversation with a wine merchant wherein he would say things and I would nod and gesture and then likely say something ignorant or foolish and he would very courteously agree.  I did end up with an extremely good bottle of wind at a very reasonable price so all in all it seemed to work out.   I still have a fair ways to go trying to really get better at French.

What a beautiful Samedi 3-7-15

Today dawned bright and sunny and as everyday is Tuesday to us, it just happened that this was a Saturday-Tuesday (a tip of the hat to nephew Duncan).  Anyway one of our true goals for being in Paris is to see neighborhoods a pied, we decided to go and tour the 15th.   There was a very famous building called La Ruche which was the home to many of the starving artists in the 20's and 30's, like Kandinsky, Leger, Lipschitz among others.  Our route took us past the Musee Bordelle, sculptor student of Rodin, and the Pasteur Institute then over by the restoration of the Bal Negre which was a very early place to hear jazz and beguine (west indies) tunes.

BTW, we had lunch at a fantastic little seafood restaurant called, le Cabanon de l'Ecailler.  They serve oysters from David Herve, who is known throughout France for his oysters. Um Um Um

We also stopped in a local park in which was located a wonderful Miro sculpture donated by the artist to commemorate a place he once lived.  A short time later we passed through the location of the former slaughterhouses for Vaugirard, which is now a park where the auction office still stands. 








Finally we reached the gateway into La Ruche which is closed to the public without making preplanning.  It was a chance to see a part of Paris that was unknown to us in spite of our many previous visits. 

Vignettes from Deb, just some short topics: 3/5/2015

*** We’re sitting on “our” bus down by the Louvre, while our driver takes a break. Outside the window, a beautifully dressed woman pushing a stroller with a little girl, maybe a two-year-old, dressed in a puffy red polka-dot raincoat and shiny red galoshes. They pull up next to a puddle and the woman gets the little one out of the stroller and puts her down in the puddle, and then starts showing her how to splash the water with her galoshes. The two of them stomped and danced and splashed until all the water was gone. Then, back into the stroller, and off down the street.

 

*** Tiny bright yellow miniature daffodils in a group at the base of one of our olive trees on the little terrace outside our kitchen. Like a patch of spilled sunshine. And two pale pink ruffled camellias blooming on the large terrace.

 

***Bus images: Little old people with walkers, tottering onto the busses to go to the huge hospital we pass on our route. Young mothers with strollers and shopping bags. People of all sorts hauling cumbersome packages. Everyone endlessly patient and accommodating, knowing that everyone needs to get around in the city as best they can. Every bus stop has a digital sign giving the estimated time of the next bus.

 

***A predicted clear day, and then a burst of tiny hail and rain causing everyone at the bus stop to huddle closer under the roof. People grimacing and making sarcastic comments about weathermen. Some things universal.

 

***Parents and grandparents meeting kids to walk them home from school. Each child gets a highly anticipated afterschool snack, usually on the walk home. Some moms obviously take turns bringing home several children to the same apartment building. Spotted one such, with a group of hungry little boys gathered around her, waiting for her to get their snacks out of her huge purse. Looked a lot like a bunch of baby birds in a nest, clamoring for attention.

 

***Well behaved dogs everywhere, padding along by their owners, loftily ignoring strangers and for the most part, other dogs. Any barking outburst shushed immediately, and the perpetrator shamed. Dogs so quiet in restaurants you have no idea that they are there, lying under chairs or in laps. Still dog messes on the street but so much less than years ago that I’m amazed. And grateful.

 

***Parisians still live in neighborhoods, often not straying far from home. And little “all in one” stores help make that easy. In Madrid, they were called Chinese stores for the usual owners. Don’t know who owns them here, but each one has a truly amazing variety from purses to frypans, flowerpots to toys, all sorts of plastic goods, inexpensive jewelry, screwdrivers, doormats and flower seeds, all in about 12 square feet, stacked to the ceiling and hanging from it. I’m pretty sure that if they don’t have it, you don’t really need it.

A Flaneur's jaunt 3-5-15

Today I got out to ramble around by myself.  Yesterday Deb had a couple issues after a lunch in one of the markets.  Don't know for certain what may have been the cause so names will remain obscured.  Anyway today's jaunt started at the Port de Plaisance de Paris Arsenal (the beginning of the Canal St. Martin).  I got off the subway at Bastille and walked along all the houseboats and yachts moored along the canal until I reached the Seine. 

Then I turned west along the quai until I reached the Ile St Louis at which point I crossed onto the island.  There are many little galleries showing some very interesting art and shops selling souvenirs and food.  From there I crossed over to the Ile de la Cite and walked the streets flanking Notre Dame.  Of note was the site where Pierre Abelard and Heloise lived before they were discovered and Abelard was gelded.  This was by far the most spring-like day we've had since we arrived, I was sorry Deb could not be there to enjoy it. 


Having read two books on Notre Dame it was fun to look at the exterior and find all the interesting architectural bits that were noted in the books.  And of course to be able to interpret (a little) the iconography of the carvings in the main doors.  A masked mime out on the Parvis was performing by striding around and surprising everyone by tapping on shoulders and popping up in front of them.  A few people responded in less amused manners which added to the amusement of the crowd.  I ended the day with a bus ride back to the apartment and a nice quiet dinner with the convalescent Deb who is by now fully recovered.

Moving into spring 3-2-15

Ah, spring is in the air, Ave. John Jaures near us.   It's still windy and raining at least part of the time here but you can see it's coming, plum blossoms and daffodils.  Surely a harbinger of spring