Thursday in Paris
Thursday, Nov. 27, 2008
Paris, France
And now for what we DID, besides shopping and eating, on Thanksgiving Day.
At 9 am Kirk rang the entry buzzer of the lovely apartment we're enjoying, thanks to Karen Fawcett. I eagerly met him at the door, so thankful for yet another safe flight and meeting in a far-away city, and as soon as he dropped off his suitcase, we were out the door, enjoying a gorgeous sunny-but-chilly November day.
Our destination is the Louvre, where we'll meet Jack and Anne for a noontime concert.
No metro for us - we want to stay above ground and get our eyes full all the way.
We love walking through the Luxembourg Gardens, just down the block from Karen's apartment, and this morning the gardens are
quiet, no miniature sailboats on the pond, just a few pigeons considering a sip, a jogger or two, and a group of Tai Chi enthusiasts warming up by a new-to-us golden statue. Unlike the usual graceful feminine forms scattered along the paths, this is a masculine head - handsomely looking out over the pond.Down Boulevard St. Michel, across a Seine island, left down Rue de Rivoli, and we arrive at the Louvre.
The plan is to meet our friends under the I. M. Pei pyramid - so I go to buy tickets for the concert and then get in line to enter the auditorium while Kirk waits for Anne and Jack.Where to start about this concert??
The ornate golden harp, sadly, is to us the most beautiful thing about the hour. We were not fans of the contemporary compositions for solo viola and a trio of viola, flute and harp - it was almost painful to hear such harsh and discordant sounds from such beautiful instruments.But we persevered through the first three selections (some of us got a good nap) and enjoyed the final Debussy sonata. I felt like taking a deep, relieved breath...finally, I can stop working to listen, and can smile and enjoy. It rather reminded me of my California childhood and the pleasure of getting a treat of an Orange Julius after going to the doctor for a shot.
Anne had reserved a 2:00 table for us at Le Epouvantail (the scarecrow -the waiter explained that it keeps the bad vibes out and lets the people with good vibes in) and we enjoyed a delicious lunch before strolling the streets of the Marais.
We both found some pretty silver pieces at Argenterie,on rue de Turenne, an old favorite of ours.
BHV, a department store near the Hotel de Ville (Paris Town Hall) is all aglitter with Christmas lights as we walk to catch the metro back to the apt. So festive!
The four of us relaxed at the apartment for a while, then Anne and I decided to check out the boutiques on Rue Vavin, a nearby shopping street.Both of us found a super winter jacket and came home ready to show the clothes off to the guys.
Then a Thanksgiving champagne toast (thank you, Karen!) and we read our traditional Thanksgiving scriptures before walking to dinner on Boulevard Montparnasse.
A day full of special moments and SO much for which to give thanks!
posted by Anne and Kirk @ 10:09 AM
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