Oh la la. I give up sweets and take up vennoiserie. To be fair - I am extremely proud of moi for not caving while in Paris and going on a macaron binge! I have had two trips to Laudree to spoil my clients and have left empty-stomached both times.
I had another lovely breakfast at le85 and another lovely afternoon! I had a few hours break in between meetings in which I went to my favorite boulangerie in the Marais, bought demi baguette and slowly chewed my way through the entire thing as I wandered through le place des vosges, down Rue Francs Borgeois, past l'hotel de ville, across the pont and up the right bank.
I stopped to say hello to some old friends along the way to le Rue de Bac: like le Marche aux fleurs, la conciegerie, l'academie des beaux arts, and of course le pont des arts.
I noticed as I twirled towards it (I never walk in Paris, I twirl) that
thousands of little locks were hanging from both sides of the bridge, like jewelry. All shapes and sizes, from ancient looking padlocks to the very lock I had on my locker freshmen year of high school, hanging on every visible inch of the links that make up the sides of the bridge. Just like the pont vecchio, but cooler - because it's in Paris.
On all the locks were names of two lovers, like "Yves et Marie" or "Pierre aime Agnes." The lock is locked by the lovers and the key thrown into the Seine, so that it can never been undone. So, one can only do this for love that they know will last forever.
I think you know what I did next....
Of the thousands of love declaration locks I looked at, I didn't see any other like mine. I locked it in in the middle of the pont, on the side facing the little island that sticks out into the Seine, which is one of my favorite places to sit in Paris.
Everytime I come back, I will visit my lock on the pont des arts, which commemorates the great love story of my life: La Tour Eiffel et Moi.
My last meeting of the day dropped me in St. Germain, so I wandered down the Boulevard until I found myself in the Quartier Latin, and then continued past the Jardin du Luxembourg and the Sorbonne until I hit le Pantheon - one of my favorite buildings in Paris. And behind le Pantheon is one of my favorite Rues in Paris - le Rue Mouffetard. Or as I call it - la rue du fondue!
Since I can't have a birthday cake in Paris I can have birthday cheese!
The cutest Fondue and raclette restaurants you can imagine line the narrow, cobblestone street from top to bottom. After deciding on the cutest of the cute places, I sat down to le fondue charcuterie - a massive feast of potatoes, cured meats, bread, cornichons, and salade verte. Plus du vin rouge, of course. Every dip into the bubbling fromage made me want to stop time in live in the moment forever.
My waitor did not recognize I was Parisienne and asked in french where I was from. When I said New York, he replied in English with raised eyebrows "oh exotic!"
When he asked why I was here and I said business, he replied in English "oh exotic!" When I explained I live in London at the moment - you can probably guess his reply.
"oh exotic!"
I was beginning to think "exotic" was the only English word he knew. But when I asked for l'addition he said,
"Don't go please - you are pretty, please don't go."
FYI this is a frenchmen's reaction to any blonde female below the age of 70
- so I didn't let it go to my head.
When I paid with my metal, Chase preferred card he went nuts.
"oh la la, are you the daughter of a minister or something? I have never seen a card like this..."
My card also gave him my name, which he kept repeating for no apparent reason until I left. "Anna....Anna...Anna"
He was totally convinced I was a secret billionaire. Which if I was - why would I be eating here? Alone? I could buy myself French Friends and my own restaurant.
Après Fondueing myself silly, I walked it off with a long walk to the champs de mars to see la tour - since no evening in Paris is compete without watching la tour sparkle, and I believe wholeheartedly that when I am here, it sparkles just for me.
If my fondue was my birthday cake, then the tour was my birthday candle. So I made a wish as i watched it sparkle, and sang happy birthday to myself in French.
The first week of being twenty three has been pretty bon so far! Hopefully I can spend the first week of twenty four here too. And twenty five, twenty six, twenty seven, twenty eight....
I noticed as I twirled towards it (I never walk in Paris, I twirl) that
thousands of little locks were hanging from both sides of the bridge, like jewelry. All shapes and sizes, from ancient looking padlocks to the very lock I had on my locker freshmen year of high school, hanging on every visible inch of the links that make up the sides of the bridge. Just like the pont vecchio, but cooler - because it's in Paris.
On all the locks were names of two lovers, like "Yves et Marie" or "Pierre aime Agnes." The lock is locked by the lovers and the key thrown into the Seine, so that it can never been undone. So, one can only do this for love that they know will last forever.
I think you know what I did next....
Of the thousands of love declaration locks I looked at, I didn't see any other like mine. I locked it in in the middle of the pont, on the side facing the little island that sticks out into the Seine, which is one of my favorite places to sit in Paris.
Everytime I come back, I will visit my lock on the pont des arts, which commemorates the great love story of my life: La Tour Eiffel et Moi.
My last meeting of the day dropped me in St. Germain, so I wandered down the Boulevard until I found myself in the Quartier Latin, and then continued past the Jardin du Luxembourg and the Sorbonne until I hit le Pantheon - one of my favorite buildings in Paris. And behind le Pantheon is one of my favorite Rues in Paris - le Rue Mouffetard. Or as I call it - la rue du fondue!
Since I can't have a birthday cake in Paris I can have birthday cheese!
The cutest Fondue and raclette restaurants you can imagine line the narrow, cobblestone street from top to bottom. After deciding on the cutest of the cute places, I sat down to le fondue charcuterie - a massive feast of potatoes, cured meats, bread, cornichons, and salade verte. Plus du vin rouge, of course. Every dip into the bubbling fromage made me want to stop time in live in the moment forever.
My waitor did not recognize I was Parisienne and asked in french where I was from. When I said New York, he replied in English with raised eyebrows "oh exotic!"
When he asked why I was here and I said business, he replied in English "oh exotic!" When I explained I live in London at the moment - you can probably guess his reply.
"oh exotic!"
I was beginning to think "exotic" was the only English word he knew. But when I asked for l'addition he said,
"Don't go please - you are pretty, please don't go."
FYI this is a frenchmen's reaction to any blonde female below the age of 70
- so I didn't let it go to my head.
When I paid with my metal, Chase preferred card he went nuts.
"oh la la, are you the daughter of a minister or something? I have never seen a card like this..."
My card also gave him my name, which he kept repeating for no apparent reason until I left. "Anna....Anna...Anna"
He was totally convinced I was a secret billionaire. Which if I was - why would I be eating here? Alone? I could buy myself French Friends and my own restaurant.
Après Fondueing myself silly, I walked it off with a long walk to the champs de mars to see la tour - since no evening in Paris is compete without watching la tour sparkle, and I believe wholeheartedly that when I am here, it sparkles just for me.
If my fondue was my birthday cake, then the tour was my birthday candle. So I made a wish as i watched it sparkle, and sang happy birthday to myself in French.
The first week of being twenty three has been pretty bon so far! Hopefully I can spend the first week of twenty four here too. And twenty five, twenty six, twenty seven, twenty eight....
No comments:
Post a Comment