Paree Paree!

Oh Paris!  I miss you!  I haven’t written this post (or the postcards) because they are all in the past tense – and that would mean my trip to Paris has ended.  But now that I’ve written it, I see that it hasn’t made Paris a part of the past, it has taken me back to Paris.  

Paul and I are sitting on a shawl in Park Luxembourg.  We can hear other Americans around us, but mostly French.  I’m pretty sure we’ve blended in and – as long as they can’t hear us – they will all think we are French.  We’ve snagged a little spot on the green with an amazing view of the Mansion.  There are walking paths on 3 sides of us – but far enough away that we aren’t bothered by the passerbys…not that they would bother you because they are just strolling along in their perfectly fashionable and dressy outfits chatting about art and wine and great food! And I just want to replay this moment over and over and over again.

We happily discovered that when you buy a bottle of wine here they don’t mind opening it for you and leaving the cork 1/3 of the way in so it doesn’t spill in your bag on the way to the park.  Supposedly you aren’t allowed to drink in public, but our guidebook says “the French don’t obey laws that they think are senseless.”  Oh, I love this city!  Renting an apartment was a great idea!  It makes me feel like we are Parisians!  Every time I say this (when crossing the street on a red light, sipping coffee in a café, buying cheese, spinning around in my new dress!), Paul reminds me that I AM Parisian!  (More on this in the next post.)

(This is my favorite part!)  We leave our apartment early this morning, walk down the 5 flights of winding warped centuries-old stairs.  We pass the crepe place, the brasserie (bar and food), the boutique, the patisserie (pastries), and the fromagerie (cheese)!  Actually, we don't just pass any of them – we stop to look in the window at all of them, and get drawn into the fromagerie!  How could we resist?!?!  Cheese for our picnic!  Eventually we find a table in the sun at a café with a great view for people watching.  We order two coffees and two croissants.  This is so flaky and warm and gewy and delicious!  I didn’t know what a croissant was until this very moment.  Should I order another?

Eventually we move on and walk through the beautiful neighborhoods that lead us past the museums, over the river, past the Notre Dame…we walk as if we’ve seen them a million times – and yet every time we see them I light up with the excitement of a little kid!  This is Disney World for adults!  We stay longer than we normally would at the café and the store because that is how you do it in Paris, and because every moment is so enjoyable that you don’t want to move on.  We walk a little slower, smile a lot more, daydreaming along the way.  As we approach the park we pass through a small market and grab some meat, fruit, bread, and a bottle of wine. 

It didn’t take us long to find this most perfect spot to sit in the park, and I think we’ve got the Parisian thing down from the daily routine to the food – and my French is improving!  The city instantly feels like home.  I let out a long slow sigh as if I’ve finally arrived at the place which I’ve been in such a rush to get to.  The rest of the world becomes a quiet blur, circling around this very spot on this little shawl in this beautiful  garden in Paris.