On Wednesday I finally made it to the Hergé exhibit at the Pompidou, which--though my understanding of Tintin and Snowy and all that Hergé stands for in Europe is extremely shallow--I really did enjoy. I think that Charles Schultz might be a good American counterpart, except that Tintin's European and historical context seems to make it a different kind of artifact.
That night I had dinner with my London friend Matthew, who took me out with some of his Paris friends to a very American restaurant; I ordered a hamburger. My French may have improved a bit then amongst the natives. This was Valentine's day, and on my way to the Metro I had an excellent view of the Eiffel Tower all lit up and sparkling.
Thursday I had my hotly anticipated cooking class with Paule (www.promenadesgourmandes.com). I was mistaken thinking it would be a private course; there were three other middleaged American women also participating (some things in my life will never change: I know that I'll always get along famously with middleaged American women). This was a major highlight of my trip. Paule is a very, very smart, enigmatic, talented, and entertaining instructor--someone needs to let her do a cooking show in the US. She took us on a tour of the market at the Bastille and we then went to her kitchen to make a four course lunch (delicious cream of califlower soup, twice-baked savoury soufleé, "nage de poisson," which is a kind of poached fish dish that included the best scallops I've ever tasted, and then tarte au chocolat. We also had a cheese tasting to get things going. The second half of the afternoon was spent on a gourmet walking tour: to a spice shop, a chocolate wholesaler, a cookware wholesaler, an amazing wine shop, and then actually into the kitchen of the Poiâne bakery (there was also a bit of sightseeing along the way). Here's a photo of our motley crew:
My pal Andrew arrived that night and will be staying for a few more days. We've been lounging around a bit, usually heading out for some sightseeing in the afternoons, which is bookended by a late lunch and dinner. On Friday we explored les Hallles and other parts of the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 9th arrondissments--we stopped inside the Eglise de St-Eustache, a cathedral modeled after Notre Dame but which I found almost more affecting because it was empty, and then made way to Shakespeare & Co. Saturday was an absolutely beautiful day and we climbed to the Sacre-Coeur (photos below). (Andrew is to the left, considering the view.)
That night we met up with Dilys and Tass, my hosts in London, who were in Paris for the day to see the Tintin exhibit, and had a delicious bottle of champagne.
Today was another gorgeous spring day and we went to the Champs Elyseés and explored around a bit until it became unbearable--it was a mob scene.
And at some point we decided to eat a crèpe and go home. At some point we'll have to eat dinner.
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