Goings and Comings

Okay, last time I wrote, I had just picked up J & E at the airport, dropped them off at their apartment and was watching the Tour de France on TV. What I enjoy about the Tour de France is the helicopter view of the sights to see along the route. The Tour ended yesterday and went very close by, in Fontenay sous Bois. I could have walked over to see it go by as we did several years ago when it went by just down the street. But, on the last day, they don't really race until they get to Paris, so it's more like a friendly parade of bicycles, not very exciting. After lunch, I just sat down and started knitting. The clouds started to build up again, so that by the time the Tour got under way in Créteil, I didn't feel like hiking up the hill to the nearest viewpoint. I watched on TV as they wound their way along a very zig-zagging route, crossing the Seine and the Marne several times, so that you would think we live in a zone with five or six rivers. They finally crossed into Le Perreux, went through the center  of town, down to the big intersection that leads to Nogent, but took the avenue into Fontenay, up the hill and then along the crest until they headed back down into Vincennes, around the Chateau de Vincennes, the zoo, and along the edge of the Bois in Charenton into Paris. They crossed over to the left bank and then back to the right bank at the Louvre, where they finally started racing for their 8 loops on the Champs-Elysées. It's nice recognizing all the landmarks of home along the way, via the helicopter.
Last week, on Sunday, I met up with other Girls High classmates and their husbands. First, I met with A² (That's for A and A) at the Museum of Jewish Art and History. A's family is related to the Dreyfus family, so she was particularly interested in Dreyfus affair exhibit and in the family photo album they had on display. I got her the email address of the person in charge of the that exhibit for her to contact. Then, J and E joined us for a nice walk back to their place via the rue des Rosiers (jam-packed with tourists), a bit of the Ile Saint-Louis, Ile de la Cité, Rue de Seine with the art galleries, and then rue Jacob. J and A were tempted by the Ladurée macarons, but came quickly out of the shop, struck with ticker shock. (Here's a recipe, in French!).
J & E are in a fifth floor attic walk-up. It's delightful -- lots of light and intelligent use of space. We rested and chatted for about an hour and then headed, on foot to Firmin le Barbier. I had been there with the Ps in June and can confirm that it is a very good place to eat. However, I will now give it a rest.

in the Yitzhak Rabin Park, across from the BNF,
before the movie

Starting Monday, I went out to Verrières to spend some time in English with Eléonore and Maxime. We played Monopoly, conversing in English, Go Fish, and other games. P-F was just in from Shanghai and took us all out to eat for lunch. I got to talk to Nadine a bit. Tuesday, I took the kids into Paris. The idea was to go to the Musée d'Orsay, but, in spite of the downpour and cold, the line serpentined in front of the museum (that's already an hour's wait) and continued around the block all the way back to the Seine on the rue Solferino! Crazy! So, we went to the Musée du Quai Branly, where we saw the Maya exhibit and the "Americas" section of the permanent exhibit. On Wednesday, we played scabble and did a little grammar review on verbs. We also watched To Kill a Mockingbird. I missed an appointment in Paris and was late for the second appointment! I guess I was just tired, so Thursday, I took the day off and on Friday, I took them back into Paris to see the new Harry Potter movie, V.O. and 3D! I drove them back home and once back in Nogent it was almost time to turn around to go to Louis and Gwen's for dinner with her parents and niece, Lya.
A lazy weekend and Emma arrived for an undetermined length of stay on Sunday evening. As usual, it's great to see her.