But Dave hadn't had enough I guess. He sought to recapture that birthday, so many years ago, again this year. Last Saturday night, again he wisked me away to Paris for a weekend away and a big birthday celebration. We started the weekend with a beautiful walk through our old favorite places in Paris. We visited the Eifel Tower, the Champs du Mars, walked along the Seine, visited the large flea market and antiques market, and had dinner at Place St. Michel.
When we started our walk in the morning, we had no intention of taking any pictures. We had been to Paris so many times, surely we had plenty of pictures. But we realized that we hadn't been to Paris since we had digital cameras, so we didn't actually have any digital pictures of Paris. Wow! Had it been that long since we'd been here?
We'd stopped in Paris for an evening on our way to Africa a couple of years ago and hopped into Place St. Michel for some dinner. But we hadn't had the time to see much. And we'd done a bike ride through the Loire Valley a year before that, but that trip had included a stay in Tours, but we hadn't visited Paris. Hmmmmmmmm......so how long had it been. It turns out, we probably hadn't visited Paris for about 7 years. 7 years!!!! Wow how time flies. Anyways, so we took lots of pictures.
Paris was truly fascinating this visit. First, now that we are living in France and are much more comfortable with the language, Paris is much more familiar to us. Not quite as "exotic." And it has changed so much. We were absolutely amazed at how much English we heard everywhere. It was so rare to hear French conversations going on. That made sense in the tourist areas, but we did visit areas less trafficked by tourists, and even there we heard a lot of English. Also, I was a bit shocked at how sloppy everyone looked. In Lyon, everyday, everywhere you look, people are dressed up and look terrific. That's what I've always expected in France. But the Parisiens seem to have gotten a bit more "comfortable" than the Lyonaise, so it was hard to find someone looking "French." Both Dave and I were surprised by that. Dave even said something, without me asking him, and he never says stuff like that. But it used to be so fun to watch all the dapper looking people walking by as we sat at a cafe sipping our coffee. So we felt a bit cheated as people slouched by, looking sloppy, and speaking English with heavy French accents...but still smoking, of course. Hmmmm....people watching in Paris is a completely different thing now than it used to be.
But, on the other hand, everyone was much more kind than they used to be. We have always enjoyed the French people. As long as you are respectful to them, they are very kind. But this time, they were even kinder than they have ever been to us before. People smiled as we walked by, and not a single person was unhelpful or too busy to answer a question we may have. Again, another surprise. Wow! This trip has been full of surprises! Oh we love Paris!
The next day we visited Musee Pompidou, which I had visited in 1989, and Dave had visited in 1990. The building is really fascinating with it's inside out architecture, and huge wide open rooms. We began our visit with a stop at the current temporary exhibit, the videodanse area where, to our surprise, they were showing a full length old french film. It was a musical about a small town in France, where everyone is dancing and singing in the streets and all people live for is...of course...l'amour. There were hysterical songs about "I just painted my perfect woman. I don't know if she is chaste or fast and free, but she is the woman for me." Hmmmmm..........do you wonder about the priorities of the 50's :) The dancing was fabulously fun, and the songs cracked us up. It was a lovely way to spend an afternoon, as it rained outside. What an unexpected treat.
We then took a walk through the museum. In 1987 the Pompidou was my very first exposure to contemporary art, and I have to admit I absolutely hated it. It was too wierd and I couldn't relate to it at all. This time...well....I know I'm supposed to say something educated about it, but all I can say is, it hasn't really grown on me. Most of the stuff was just too strange for my blood. But this time, I did actually find some art I absolutely loved. There were several Matisses and Picasos that were beautiful. And many sculptures and displays that captivated me. So, although I can't say that I loved the Pompidou, this time I actually found plenty that I liked.
The next day was my birthday. It was a sunny gorgeous day, like Paris itself was giving me a birthday present. We slept in late and ambled to a local cafe for breakfast. Then we headed to the Musee Rodin. Ever since seeing the Rodin Garden at Stanford, I have wanted to visit this museum in Paris. But, we'd never had enough time before. It was beautiful. The museum was in a gorgeous old house with beautiful gardens outside. Most of the artwork was inside, but there were several pieces, like "The Thinker" and "The Gates of Hell" in the gardens, surrounded by blooming roses and views of gorgeous old French buildings behind them. Actually, here is a picture of "The Gates of Hell." Doesn't it look like it is leading you out to the city?
After our afternoon with Rodin, we relaxed at home for an hour and then headed out for dinner. And guess what Dave had done? He had called the Jules Verne restauarant again, but this time 6 months in advance so that we would get a window seat! OMG!!!! What a lovely evening it was. The food was dilectable, and the view from the restaurant was gorgeous. We watched the dinner cruises float down the Seine, and saw the sunset over the city. Also, it was pretty fun to watch all the flashes in the distance, as people took pictures of the Eifel Tower from afar. It was like a little light show. Another unexpected treat. The restaurant was very different this time too. The food was still fabulous, but the atmosphere was very different. First, of course, all the waitstaff spoke English, and very well too. We actually spoke to them in French most of the evening, because we wanted it to feel like a French meal, but us and two other French couples in the room seemed to be the only ones speaking French. Can you guess what was being spoken most the last time we were there? It wasn't French. It was actually Japanese. The last time we were there, the restaurant was filled with Japanese businessmen on the company tab. This time it was filled with lovers and tourists....much more romantic :) There was even a man who proposed to his girlfriend there. Ahhhhhhhhhhhh...............l'amour..................
When we left dinner, the blinking lights show on the Eiffel Tower was going on, so we ran out to the Champs du Mars and watched the tower glitter in the night. What a beautiful way to end the evening. Then, feeling completely content and satisfied, we stolled home in the gentle breeze and we said good-night to Paris.
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