Starting to get into the groove of living here.
Saturday began with the husband of the woman who first
"lectured" us, and then welcomed us (when she realized that we were
good neighbors). He was coming in,
greeted us briefly, and crouched down to pet Emmy spending more time with her
than us! Probably in his 70's. He wasn't surprised to see Emmy -- probably
had been briefed by his wife.
Saturday we went to a new neighborhood, in the 14th
arrondissement. I wanted to buy some
comfortable shoes. There's a French
manufacturer, Mephisto, that makes ones that work pretty well for me (Maxine – have to interject – he’s understating
how much he likes Mephisto shoes!).
I’d been to their LA store, which is tiny, smaller than our living room,
and was entranced by the idea that they had a store here that was over 3000
square feet. So, Maxine humored me and
we trekked over there. Two different
metro lines and around 40 minutes later, we made it.
Great choices for me, and prices around 20% less than in
LA. The sales clerk was the most helpful
we've ever had in Paris. Untypically,
she made suggestions. Pulled out
additional choices. Expressed preferences
and told us when she thought shoes didn't fit well. And then finally, brought the pair Maxine had
been interested in up to the counter when I went to pay for my shoes, on the
thought that Maxine wanted a pair too.
Once we discovered that we were walking in the direction back
to our apartment (on General LeClerc, whoever he was), we decided to explore
the area. Ended up on yet another market
street. They're always fun, as I
mentioned in another post. A combination
of fresh food stands (mostly ingredients, but some prepared foods like roasted
chickens too) and store fronts (cheeses, bakeries, chocolates!), there are
several that are on the radar in tour guides.
We don't think this one was. Much
more local. Maxine set a goal that we
find lunch for less than 15E each (trust me, that's not easy to do!) and so we
ended up at a couscous place. From the
looks of things, there were 3 people working there to serve 40 diners. Someone in the kitchen who we never saw. A woman who took orders and delivered
food. And a guy who stood at the door
and smoked cigarettes, the smoke from which wafted back into the
restaurant... Despite this, it was a
good meal. And very filling. In the Paris scheme of things quite a value
too. And we left delighted that we'd
gotten so far off the normal sightseeing route.
Sunday we went shopping yet one more time... The thing I need to communicate here is
this. When we go to the grocery store or
Costco at home, we fill up the trunk of my car.
In addition, like everyone else, we have a certain quantity of
"staples" at home to start with.
Here, we have none of that. And,
we have to get everything home w/out a car.
The apartment came with one of those NYC-type carts, and we each have a
bag/backpack. But, all in, it's no more
than 1/6th the volume we get into our car trunk. And, (it bears repeating), we have to get it
home on our backs and with the cart, then carry it up 65 steps to the
apartment...
We've been fairly unhappy with the local Monoprix/Franprix
selections. The stores are small. They're mazes. And to be honest, a lot of the
products we don't even understand (we're reminded of a friend who spent time in
Europe years ago and mostly ate junk food for the first couple months because it
was the only packaging she could understand).
Anyway, on our walk Saturday we'd discovered Carrefour (another chain)
and it turns out they have a good-size store nearby. So, we stocked up! I even bought a 1/2 bottle of Absinthe. No, I'm not drinking it now....
We also stopped at the Picard store. They're a food store, but a French
oddity. Imagine a store which is filled
with freezers of frozen food– in French, surgeles. Nothing on shelves. Nothing at room temperature. Yet, they've got everything! Entrees.
Main courses. Desserts. Chopped vegetables. Appetizers if you're having a party. Not just ice cream but everything else to
make up a meal. So, we did some stocking
up there too.
Sunday night, we did what we'll probably do most Sunday nights
while we're here. There are two different
people who run group dinners, mostly for English speakers, at their homes,
"Patricia" and "Jim Haynes". This night we went to Jim's. This is probably the 4th time over the years
we've been to his, ever since we'd seen a write up about him in the United
Airlines flight magazine two decades ago.
He's an expat American who runs a “salon” at his apartment every
Sunday. What makes it fun is that
everyone who comes is there to meet/talk to people. You never know who you'll end up talking
to. A French Architecture student. An art dealer in town for the contemporary
art faire. Visitors from NYC. It's completely random and usually very
interesting. Patricia's and Jim's are
probably NOT the sort of thing you'd do if you were in Paris for a short visit,
but with any amount of time, they can be a very interesting option.
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