Segment 18- Cousins in Paris!
On the heels of my dad’s trip to France, I was supremely blessed by a short weekend visit from my cousin, Joanna, and then this past weekend, several days in Paris with Joanna and her sister, Susanna, who is currently living and teaching in Normandy. I don’t think it could have been a more delightful weekend! We ate very well, enjoyed sights and shopping, and most of all, enjoyed those special bonds that one has from knowing someone for your entire life. I feel very thankful to my mother for always valuing our trips to visit her family, far away in Kansas at the time, because now I feel so blessed by the sister-like relationships I have with my cousins.
Joanna and I are the same age, so growing up, we always knew each other well, but as adults, it has been such a gift to see how our friendship grows and continues and has led us to wonderful visits in various places: New York, Vienna, Peoria, Toledo, Kansas and now, Paris. It has been a gift to get to know Susanna more as an adult because she is five years younger and would have always been cast away to the youngin’s table at family gatherings growing up. But her study of French and her interest in travel and an international career has bonded us together in adulthood. We also both have a way of chatting non-stop and losing our trains of thought and the direction of the conversation along the way, thus inciting a backtrack somewhere along the line to return to the original subject of conversation.
Joanna came first to Paris from a work trip in Munich and Milan, and spent a night with me at the dorm. We had a wonderful Saturday together, walking all around and trying some little cookies and things here and there before ending up at a restaurant not too far from my home for dinner. Poor Joanna had to deal with a Marie that had only had 4 hours of sleep the night before, had run 3 miles that morning and subsequently walked 20,000 steps walking and talking (with Joanna) AND who was singing a solo at church the next morning. I did pretty well, but I was exhausted! After church the next day, where the solo went very well (feel free to look on the American Church in Paris’ website to see some of my performing work during the services!), we met at a Crêperie (crepe restaurant) not far from the station, from where she would be traveling to spend a few days in Normandy with Susanna. The crêpes were wonderful and the ambience of the restaurant was fun- chock full, thanks to its good reputation on a long street of Crêperies, and bustling with energy on one of the warmest, most beautiful days of the year- the year since I arrived in October.
I miscalculated Jo and Sus’ arrival in Paris by a day, so I missed the fun on Wednesday night and Thursday during the day before I got to join them at the AirBnB. But as soon as I did, we had a blast! They came to get Joanna’s suitcase from my dorm room on Wednesday afternoon, and I could tell already how much fun we were going to have. The energy was so good, so positive, despite the forecasts of rain, snow and some of the coldest weather of the year (since I arrived in October…) for the weekend.
The airBnB was awesome- fabulous location, great view and a really chic little apartment. There were lots of great little bakeries and restaurants nearby and Seine and center fo the city was easily accessible by foot (certainly easier in fair weather, but you take what you get… April in Paris…). We set out on foot for a perfume shop, where Jo had agreed to pick something up for a friend. Along the way, we stopped at one of my favorite little bakeries, where they have this wonderful apple tarte. We slipped inside just as big chunks of hail started spewing from the sky. We waited long enough for the ice to pass over before continuing on our way, stopping in some cute shops along the way and finally picking up the fancy perfume for Joanna’s friend. By the time we got to the Seine, the sun was peeking out and the sky was in all of its glory. We took a bunch of amazing pictures along a bridge and continued on our way to the Marais before circling back to find a cafe for dinner near the AirBnB. We feasted on great fries, appetizers, salad, bread and a café gourmande: an espresso with three or four bite-sized desserts to sample. Joanna fell in love with post-meal espresso in Italy, so it was the perfect thing for all of us to share and get to try some sweet treats without overindulging. We made this a habit :-)
On Friday, we slept in (mostly Jo and Sus, but hey, I love a slow morning!) before hitting a café to get some coffee before making our way to a restaurant I wanted to try for lunch, Le Pantruche. They had been full when Dad and I tried to go, so I made sure to make a reservation with Jo and Sus. It was perfect- we got three formule-midi (lunch specials)- two with appetizers and one with a dessert. So we all at the same main course, a yummy pollock with delicious side items, and got to share the adventurous appetizers: a sea-snail concoction with a yummy sauce and cheese and a ball of pulled pork (and smoked eel??) in a cabbage leaf. Oh my goodness- this kind of French cuisine is out of this world. It is so imaginative!! Then the desert was a tarragon ice cream over rhubarb! So, so tasty!!
We walked down a wonderful street, Rue des Martyrs (not exactly an encouraging name, but a lovely, fun street!), full of great pâtisseries and shops, and we went in and out of many of them. What a delight this was with these two women- delighting in the beauty or tasty-looking-ness of things. We only ended up with three pastries by the end ;-)
From there, we made our way to the Centre Pompidou, the modern art museum in Paris that I had been wanting to see for months, but hadn’t made it there yet. We were very cold by this point, as the temperatures were nearly freezing, it was windy and there was no sunshine whatsoever. We started by heading to the top and enjoying the views of Paris before descending to the permanent exhibits. I so enjoyed the Chagall, the Miró, the Picasso and the Kandinsky- of course. I seem to love most art created around the time after the turn of the 20th century. I love that it isn’t perfect, that it includes ugliness and fantasy, and that it reflects real life from a fresh perspective: now forms and colors and angles. The three of us started by going separate ways at our own pace, but after a little break and some good cousin-girl-talk, Joanna and I went through most of the rest of the museum together. At one point, an American man in his 40s decided to give me an extensive art history lesson and at another, an old French man caught me yawning and said, “Il faut dormir bien,” (It’s necessary to sleep well), with a smile. Not sure how I merited all this attention, but alas- apparently ‘twas the day for it!
After this lovely tour, we made our way home, picked up some cheese and bread (and fig jam!!) and enjoyed a wonderful dinner in the salon (living room).
Day 3 commenced with a lovely Parisian breakfast with Joanna at a café around the corner. We had a wonderful couple of hours of wonderful, meaningful conversation before rejoining Susanna and starting our day of escapades. “Champs-Élysées” was stuck in our heads ALL day long, thanks to it being our first stop of the day. We walked along, stopping in my favorite shop there: a Pierre Hermé pâtisserie PLUS a L’Occitane en Provence. We got a couple of the legendary macarons and the sales women were very effective at selling the hand creams… We got our “fast-food” lunch at a chain boulangerie, Paul, before continuing on our way, shopping along. After a while, we headed towards one of Joanna’s other shopping goals for the trip: La Maison du Whisky. That was a totally new experience for me. It was fascinating to see all the bottles and hear the sales-people talk about them.
Then we headed towards the Opéra area for more shopping: some Lindt ice cream, some Nespresso pods and a fancy éclair later, we had filled most of the day with shopping adventures and made our way home before our evening restaurant reservation.
I took a little time to enjoy the beautiful sunny weather by people watching from our beautiful balcony view, and was struck by the joy I felt- getting to have this amazing experience and getting to share it with these people I love. You too, reader, are a part of that- sharing in the experience by reading this far. I am thankful for all of the lovely people we encountered along our trip who were so lovely and helpful and generous and not at all the negative Nancys that Americans have been led to believe populate Paris. I feel truly blessed.
Our final meal was an amazing Italian feast: a whole bottle of red, bruschetta, gnocchi in gorgonzola sauce, spinach ravioli, lasagna, and a seafood risotto, followed by a cafe gourmande. And the most wonderful, warm service! My opera singer friends may giggle knowing that I was accused of speaking French with an Italian accent when I ordered our food! Ha!
This morning, I sleepily hugged Joanna at 5am as she left for the airport. Then the same to Sus, when she left at 8am for her train. I sat and felt sad in the wonderful AirBnB, the one left behind… but it was such a wonderful time, with such dear people and I am thankful to carry this feeling of fullness with me now and for the next two months, as my time in Paris starts to near its end.
Marie in Paris
