Paris Journal 2015 – Barbara Joy Cooley Home: barbarajoycooley.com
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A day that starts with a parade is an auspicious day. The day was full of promise. Importantly, the weather was such that those young men and women in uniform would not be sweltering in the name of France all morning. The Bastille Day military parade is a drawn-out affair. The television coverage for it lasts from 9 to noon. By then, temperatures were in the upper 70s F. We saw the horses again – the very same ones we saw practicing with the Republican Guard’s cavalry on Monday. They were at the very beginning and near the end of the parade. The very end of the parade was the precision landing of the parachutists, right in front of the bleachers where the President and VIPs were seated. The parachutists were spectacular enough to temporarily divert attention from the First Lady of Mexico, who was sitting amongst the VIPs, wearing a skin-tight bright red lace dress and matching bright red lipstick, in stark contrast to her pale bottle-blonde hair. All the other women around her were quite conservatively dressed. I bet she felt strange. The sights I enjoy the most from the parade coverage are the beautiful views of Paris taken from the channel 2 helicopters. Sigh. After the parade and before the afternoon coverage of the Tour de France, we went for a two-hour walk that included some shopping. We were amazed at the large number of shops that were open on this national holiday. Ten years ago, there was almost nothing open on Bastille day. Times have changed. When we finished walking down the rue du Commerce, where the businesses seem to be very organized and coordinated, I expected to see far fewer shops open. That was true, except that the unique boutique owned by an Italian-French man at the top of the avenue Felix Faure was open. How nice! We went inside. I love the clothes there. Most are made in Italy, and many are one-of-a-kind. Some of them actually fit my large shoulders and chest, without ballooning around my middle. That is to say, the clothes are comfortable yet shapely. Many are quite lacy, and the colors are sublime. I was tired of wearing Chicos T-shirts, nice as they are, and I wanted something more feminine. I would have settled for a single blouse, but Tom got involved in selecting more things for me to try on before I left the fitting room. One of the items he selected was a dress – a gorgeous, gray-blue dress with crocheted lace sleeves, an embroidered top, and a flouncy, two-layered skirt. It fit like a dream. Tom didn’t quit. As I was about to pay for that dress and a lovely, lacy, two-layered blouse, he brought a handbag to my attention. It was red, soft, supple cowhide, and of course, it was made in Italy. I bought it, too. This sounds pricey, I know. But I bought the dress, blouse, and gorgeous leather handbag for a total of 123 euros. Not bad. I don’t know the name of the shop because it has no sign, or if there is a sign, it is subtle. I just know the place from walking past it so many times. Last year, I bought a pair of city boots there. And we know the place from the soft-spoken Italian-French gentleman who owns it. He has a sweet smile. Tom said that we probably made his day. Only a couple other shoppers stopped in during the time we were there. I’m not sure why this place isn’t mobbed on a day like yesterday. And why are there so many shoppers at the chain stores on the rue du Commerce, where the clothes are overpriced, cheaply made, and boring? Go figure. We continued our walk down the avenue Felix Faure to the rue de la Convention, and then up the rue Saint Charles, where the market stalls had just been removed for the day. Tom decided to buy a baguette, so after a brief stop in the bakery just off of avenue Emile Zola, we were home again. It was time to watch the day’s stage of the Tour de France. The Tour was finally in the foothills of the Pyrenees, and it got more exciting as the afternoon went on. At the end, Christopher Froome seemed to have a lock on the yellow jersey. Good for him! The evening’s dinner reservation had been a little difficult to procure. About a week ago, I’d first reserved a table at Le Granite, a longtime favorite, via Lafourchette.com. Then I received an email saying that, unhappily, the restaurant was unable to honor the reservation. But I still got 100 points for having made it. I’m sure Le Granite simply forgot to tell Lafourchette.com that it would be closed for Bastille Day. I went back online and reserved a table at Alchimie, another favorite place, for the holiday dinner. Once again, I got an email saying that unhappily the restaurant was unable to honor the reservation. Eric at Alchimie must have also forgotten to register his holiday closing with Lafourchette. Another hundred points were tossed into my account. The third time was a charm. We got a reservation at Le Court Bouillon and it was honored! Happily! Even with the 20 percent discount offered on Lafourchette.com, Le Court Bouillon is pricey. I think it was our most expensive dinner yet this month. But it was fine. Le Court Bouillon is elegantly decorated and lighted. This was the perfect opportunity to wear my new dress. And so I did. We began dinner by sharing a slice of terrine de foie gras – smooth, velvety, and delicious! Tom had the excellent, tender lamb chops in a dark, flavorful reduction sauce, accompanied by superbly cooked and seasoned green beans. My dish was a filet of dorade royale, covered by a single layer of paper-thin slices of small potatoes. On top of that was a nice little salad. We shared a luscious moelleux au chocolat for dessert. A divine dinner like that would have been a great ending to the day, but there was more to come: the grand classical concert followed by the fireworks at the Eiffel Tower. We don’t do crowds anymore, so we watched the entire spectacle on TV. You can see much more of it that way. Channel 2 also gave us more great aerial views of Paris, at sunset, and after nightfall. The entire show – concert and fireworks – can be seen here for the next 5 days or so. The National Orchestra conducted by Daniele Gatti put on an awesome show. All the vocalists – including the Radio France choirs – were fabulous, too. The fireworks must be the best in the world, for where else do the pyro technicians have the Eiffel Tower from which to shoot? Illuminating, exciting, grand – I can’t think of enough adjectives to describe the show. And today? Just another beautiful day in Paris. |
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
This
year’s featured cat in the Paris Journal lives in a workshop/showroom that
specializes in bathroom and kitchen renovations. The lonely shop was closed, so she came up
to the door, plopped down, and was ready to watch passersby and to be
admired. We no longer see any feral
cats running loose in Paris.
Two
complimentary little bowls of gazpacho were given to us at Le Court Bouillon
– spicy, and nice.
The
elegant dining room at Le Court Bouillon, on the rue du Theatre.
Lamb
chops, above, and dorade royale, below,
at Le Court Bouillon.
A
glass of white wine from Bergerac, and a pink rose, by a mirrored wall. |
