« Tales from a Great City | Main | From the Land of Kings »

September 4, 2007

The Not So Secret Life of the Seine

Sue wanted to see some pictures so here are a few before I get to some of what we've been doing this past few days.

The Tuileries. Perfect Light.

From the river, on our night cruise on the Seine.

A have a gazillion pictures like this one; I suppose everyone who's ever been here does.

They don't have this one though - Colleen with her metrosexual boyfriend, Moliere (I think.)

The past couple of days have been jam-packed. Sunday I did make it to the Cluny, where, because it was the first Sunday of the month, it was free (SWEET). I spent some time checking out the Unicorn tapestries and some really trippy stained glass from the middle ages depicting religious events. One of the stained glass pieces had a devil carrying a young woman off to do whatever. Colorful, trippy stuff.

Hooked up then with Kim and Colleen and we headed off to the Bastille food market. Lots of fruit and veggie stands heaving with figs, berries, melons, and trippy fruits like "mirabelles." We bought cheese, pork rillettes, bread, salad stuff, and grapes to take over to Dave and Aralynn's apartment. Dave is a member of our slowtrav community and they invited us for lunch. We had a fantastic, long Sunday lunch of all the things we brought, PLUS a fantastic dish Aralynn prepared of chicken and mushrooms with a hard cider cream sauce.

They also had pate and cheese, and we had a couple of bottles of wine and cookies. It was a wonderful way to spend a Sunday afternoon, and we waddled out of there and walked all the way home because we were too full to get on the metro, even.

After that we had a little get together with friends here, as I wrote in my previous entry. More wine, more food, then off to take a boat ride on the Seine. As we cruised up the river, the Eiffel Tower started it's hourly twinkling. I wonder if the people that live here have to pinch themselves once in a while to make sure they are not dreaming, or if they are used to this kind of beauty, and don't see it anymore.

Another very interesting part of the boat cruise was checking out the life on the Seine - people eating dinner in their moored boats, bored tourists on dinner cruises, and, on the quay, kids drinking, people making out (and not just straight couples, either), a party of salsa dancers, picnickers with candles and, probably, pork rillettes... at one point we passed a couple of guys who got up when we passed, did a little strip tease, mooned us and waved their dicks, much to the amusement of everyone on the boat.

Somehow we even managed a meal after that, at the brasserie on the corner. Yet another bottle of Bordeaux, yet another plate of frites.

Yesterday was another long, full day; I'll just add on to what Kim already wrote. After our walking tour and our lunch of hummus, falafel and schwarma (plus a kosher Rose from Provence) at L' As Falafel we waddled around the Marais for a while, then hit two upscale bars. The first was Georges at the top of the George Pompidou museum - fabulous view, more metrosexual waiters (ours had bedhead a la "Eraserhead") and strange metal objects in the dining room. Then we headed towards Kong (we meander around, don't think we go from bar to bar, I don't want you all to think Colleen and Kim are alchies or anything) which we though had a view, but did not. Still, it was pretty cool in there though I had a hard time taking my eyes off a weird video showing directly in front of me. Welcome to Tokyo! I got a very interesting (and funny) shot of Kim which I will try to post later.

We were so exhausted after our long day, we took the metro home and got take-out Chinese food, came back here to our apartment and ate it with half a bottle of cheap Burgundy and a couple of Sapporos.

Today we are off on a day trip; Kim leaves tomorrow, and her computer with her. But I should be able to get one more entry in before we take off for the countryside.

A bientot.

Posted by Shannon at September 4, 2007 12:12 AM
Posted to Tales from a Strange Land

Comments

Posted by: Marcia at September 4, 2007 1:50 PM

Posted by: Sue at September 4, 2007 6:00 PM

Posted by: lisaddoucette at September 5, 2007 2:56 AM

Post a comment