Category: Summer 2013

We’ve not had easy Internet access for the last couple of days, hence the lack of blog posts. Thursday was our last day in Paris and we wanted to make the most of it. We went out for a Thai lunch at a restaurant recommended by Christine. It was really good. But it was far enough away from our apartment (one Métro transfer) and we had to check out by 2pm so time was tight.

We were able to stash our bags for a few hours, time enough to do some final sight-seeing. But then we had about 3 hours to kill with our bags before our train left. We managed to do that in a wonderful little bar. It’s really not difficult to bide one’s time in a Parisian bar while on vacation. I recommend you try it some time.

We did such a good job of biding our time that we had to hustle to the train station (one Métro transfer and a packed, packed subway). But we arrived with plenty of time to spare (10 minutes), according to Melinda.

We are back in Nantes and all is well. More soon…

So yesterday we visited several museums of modern art, all of them having clothes for sale. Galleries Lafayette, Uniqlo, Antoine and Lily, and other places I’ve worked to forget.

Today we went to THE Museum of Modern Art and it is one I will remember. The featured exhibit was the work of Keith Haring and it really was interesting. The way he presented his humanistic views really appealed to me.

Melinda is a big Keith Haring fan so she took a lot of pictures. I got a kick out of how this one turned out. It’s the same photo here. The first version is what Melinda intended to shoot. The second is our reflection in the glass, cropped and enhanced.

More modern art.

If you’re in Paris and want to find us, that’s our address. Melinda, in one of her marathon Internet sessions that usually take place while Cinderella’s coach is turning back into a pumpkin, found this apartment. In a word, it’s perfect.

It’s got all the charm of an old Parsian place, which it is, but it’s been tastefully updated by an architect with an eye for design.

In other words, it’s Melinda’s dream place.

Also, being in the 4th arrondissement it’s easy to get everywhere. Heck, our street even has its own Wikipedia page. See that falafel place? We’re above that.

The first photo is of me hitching up my trousers while waiting for the apartment owner to arrive. See the number 26? The second photo is of Melinda and me inside the tiny 4 person elevator. That would be 4 small persons. Good thing I qualify.

We’re on the top floor which in the 80 degree heat may be off-putting. But get this. We have air conditioning.

We hustled out of our apartment this morning to make it to Rose Bakery, one of our favorite Paris lunch spots, before the lunch rush we anticipated. Arriving at 10am, we were a little before the lunch rush… In fact, we were too early for lunch! Most items on their lunch menu weren’t even ready yet.

So much for the early bird getting the eggs benedict, as the old saying goes.

Still, I managed to satisfy myself on a bacon quiche and Melinda was more than happy with her granola and soy milk. I think her satisfaction also came from the Japanese slippers she bought on our way to Rose’s.

After lunch or brunch or whatever it was we ate, we spent the day wandering around.

That is, if wandering around includes hours inside Uniqlo and Galleries Lafayette.