Les Flâneurs: Diane

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Grocery shopping on Place Monge and the Mouff, meeting an old friend for tea and BIG NEWS

10 June 2022.

We started our last bit of grocery shopping at the Place Monge open-air market. Located just around the corner from Pascal Pinaud's pastry shop where Susie did her two stages 15 years ago, this market is small but compact and with wonderful vendors.

As the pastry shop gofer Susie would have to go to the market and stand in this same line at the same vendor. And there was always a line because they had the best produce.

Leaving the market we made our way a couple of short blocks over to rue Mouffetard to finish our grocery shopping.

As we were about to turn a corner Susie grabbed my arm and pointed to a nearby street sign: rue Pestalozzi. Now for those of you who have followed our travels so far, you might recall our very first apartment was in Munich on Pestalozzistrasse. . . A coincidence? I think not. . .

On the Mouff we stopped by our favorite produce vendor from so many years ago where Susie bought -- that's right -- strawberries. We also stopped and bought wine at another vendor that had been a favorite as well. To finish things off Susie popped into a nearby Franprix grocery store to pick up a few basic items for our larder. With several large bags and four bottles of wine we took the metro home. I know, the walk wasn't that far but I was feeling lazy. . .

After unpacking our purchases we hung around the apartment relaxing until it was time to go back out to the metro. This time we had a very specific goal in mind: we were off to meet an old friend, Diane, for afternoon tea at the Hôtel de Crillon.

While the conversation was warm and the three of us spent the afternoon catching up, the food was underwhelming. Indeed, when compared to other afternoon teas we'd experienced in the UK back in 2019, this one left us unimpressed.

But the really BIG NEWS, for us at any rate was during our tea Diane's husband called her from Oregon saying he had just sent a link through her email to a breaking news story. The US government had that day decided to remove its mandatory negative test requirement for international travelers entering the US! It would go into effect this coming Sunday morning!

Since I had tested positive three times (two home and one official tests) I was almost certainly going to test positive on Monday when we had to test for our flight on Tuesday. The options for me staying behind were not terribly appealing and were in fact going to prove complicating to say the least.

But all that gone with one quick signature on a dotted line. The stress we had both been feeling for some days evaporated in the blink of an eye. We ordered two glasses of champagne (Diane doesn't drink alcohol) to toast the moment.

top to bottom: scone/brioche, sweets, savories

Diane and Susie

From the Crillon we all got on the no. 12, Diane heading north and Susie and I heading south to catch the no. 6 back home.

We were back "home" and relieved knowing that we would both be traveling HOME together on Tuesday.

First day in Paris 24 September

It was a gorgeously warm day, our first full day in Paris. After making coffee I headed off for our neighborhood open-air market along rue de la Chine and rue Belgrand, about a ten-minute walk. I picked up a few fresh vegetables and a rotisserie chicken for later in the weekend. Mostly I just savored the wonders of open air shopping -- reminding me of what a treasure we have in the Fulton Street Farmer's Market back in Grand Rapids.

Susie and I went to our nearby Franprix to pickup a few items for the apartment and then off to Père-Lachaise for an hour or two stroll. . . It’s a short 10-minute walk from our home.

We returned home, changed clothes and about 2pm left the apartment and headed for the right bank of the city and the Musee Rodin. Our objective was two-fold: first, to see the remodeled museum and second, to meet up with a friend, Diane T. from Oregon. We first met Diane perhaps 10 years ago, in Paris while we were all traveling, and have met up a couple of times since, always in Paris.

Arriving at the museum a bit later than we had planned Diane was already inside. Although there was a bit of a queue before long we were found Diane. It was as if we had just seen each other the day before. What a wonderful thing to renew friendships, eh?

Strolling around the interior of the museum – stifling hot and full of lots of bits and pieces and I mean “bits and pieces” of sculpture, most by Rodin and a very few by Camille Claudel. In fact, the museum itself was a major disappointment. Aside from the heat inside the building – no air conditioning was part of the refurbishment apparently – the entire central garden outside was completely covered, as were numerous statues. What they were doing is impossible to say although the museum had posted signs at the entrance apologizing for the “embarrassing installation” in the garden.

But people were still queuing up in the hot sun as we left.

The three of us strolled for a bit just enjoying chatting and catching up on our lives. Eventually we stopped for an aperitif at a small café just across from Sainte-Clothilde Church. We sat outside, of course, and while Susie and Diane chatted I ran across to the small park in front of the church soon after the church bells started ringing. There were two sculptures that interested me, one was a young woman reading to a young girl (by Delaplanche) and the other was Cesar Franck playing the organ. In fact Franck, who is buried in Montparnasse Cemetery, was for many years the organist at Sainte-Clothilde.

The bells kept on ringing and ringing and I soon discovered why: there was a wedding in the final stages. I peeked through the crowd in front and caught a few glimpses of the bride and groom. What a gorgeous day to be married.

After leaving Le Square Café we heded off to stroll the trendy rue Cler before dinner.

That evening the three of us dined at a wonderful little restaurant, La Billebaud. Waited on by a charming man working the front in this cozy space all by himself, we all three thought his attitude professional and yet very amiable. It turned out that the three of us ordered the same dish: sea bass on a bed of potato puree with cream of morel mushrooms. For dessert I had chestnut ice cream with Armagnac and prunes. (No, I don’t know I ordered it, either, but it was good if too sweet for my taste.) Delicious food.

After dinner we made our way to the Metro and bid Diane adieu and au revoir. She returns home in two days but will be back in Paris next September. Maybe we’ll meet up again – let’s hope so.