One of my first chores this morning was to do a small load of wash. Many of my friends had wondered (as had I) if I would be able to pack 14-days worth of clothes in a 7-day suitcase and carry it all on the plane. (Lloyd has an aversion to checking luggage.) I accepted the challenge and studied several web-sites to gather some packing tips. It was good that I did, since our Newark-Paris flight was nearly three hours late and waiting for checked baggage would have caused additional headaches.
Fortunately I knew that our apartment was equipped with a washer and dryer, so after a very short time, my laundry is done and my clothes are clean, fresh, and ready for another week of wear.
Today we had arranged to meet one of Lloyd's volunteer colleagues from the Maritime Museum. Nancy's husband is an active pilot with United so she has the opportunity to fly to Europe frequently. Currently one of her daughters is serving as an au pair in Strasbourg, France, so Nancy flew over to Paris to meet her for the weekend. After checking in to her hotel, which is in our neighborhood, Nancy came over to our apartment for a cup of coffee and to plan our day together.
Nancy is a quilter. Since we've both been to Le Rouvray, a lovely shop near Notre Dame, we decided to trek (and I mean TREK!) over to another shop called "Ines" to shop for new quilting fabrics. Fortunately we had Lloyd along to chart the way, since it is a little off the regular tourist paths. But with only one wrong turn, we were soon in a quilting mecca.
It was so much fun doing something like this and having the saleswoman cut a 'demi-meter" (1/2 yard) of fabric. We also had fun chatting about quilting in French!
On the way back to our neighborhood, we discovered that the buses were having a "mini-manifestation", so we took a little break by the National Assembly, stopped for a sandwich from a street vendor, and enjoyed a break in the sunshine while sitting on a park bench. Any quilter knows that those hours of fabric shopping deserve a break.
Since Nancy had been awake for over 24 hours we decided to try to find a spot for an early dinner. She mentioned that we should try a spot that is frequently enjoyed by airline crews that happens to be quite near our apartment. Philippe, the owner/chef/entertainer, is lively and friendly. The restaurant, La Varangue on rue Augereau, is casual and cozy (less than 20 seats) and his food is fresh and made to order. It feels like you are eating in someone's home. I highly recommend it if you are looking for very good food at a very reasonable price.
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