Sept 14 Sunday - We are social!

Up with the sun and off to Starbucks. We were meeting Pascale Kramer. She is an author who meets us at Starbucks when she visits the USA. Since we always walk to “the bucks” on Sunday morning and visit with friends, meeting Pascale seemed very appropriate. The plan got more and more complicated. The Starbucks was closed and Pascale wasn’t there. A worker came out and told us that there was another one down the street. We tried to call P’s cell but it went straight to messages. Just then, it opened – we have no idea why we were told to go down the street, instead of “just 5 minutes!” We ordered our drink. (We had brought our own pain au chocolate with raspberry – another custom from L. A. We always take our own goodies to the bucks because theirs are bad.) Pascale never came. She suffers from migraines, so we just wait to hear from her again.

After a pit stop at M&S’s we dropped a baby present off at the Brasserie Ile St. Louis and continued on to our lunch date in the Marais. We had met Paul and Dany Bougat at their pastry shop the first time we came to Paris together. It was so good that we always went there for breakfast. (Café au lait & pastry) Through the years Marie became very friendly with them. We were invited for lunch and to meet their granddaughter, Enora.
She is a large 10 months. We arrived just after her bath. We played for awhile and went onto the terrace to eat.
We started with little goat cheese morsels, tomatoes and Champagne. Nesx came a delicious melon. Enora looked longingly at our food, but she had salmon and vegetable baby food.

Paul brought out a Tagine (one of those middle eastern pottery cone things) with chicken, preserved lemons, couscous and other vegetables all cooked together. We were very impressed that they owned such a thing. He confessed that the Moroccan shop prepares the food for takeout and loans the pottery dish as well.
We were having a beautiful day and their apartment really has a lovely terrace. I’m standing in the middle of the lawn part taking a picture back to the table.
Turning around – the courtyard:
Now you know what is behind those blank walls that you see all over Paris.

For dessert we had an éclair type thing. It had whipped cream and raspberries in the middle.

Through the meal we laughed, talked (mostly in French, but they both speak English if I fall behind) and showed pictures of our grandchildren. I had taken some of mine and Dany remembered Alec and Jef from before they were married. I had taken them into the shop to introduce them and have breakfast.

Paul was leaving that afternoon for their country house. Enora’s parents were picking her up after attending a wedding. Dany was going to spend the rest of the week helping an elderly family retainer move into a retirement home. (This is the only description of this woman. She worked for Dany’s parents, then for Dany and Paul. When Dany and Paul retired, she still was their responsibility. She really doesn’t have anyone else.) We wished them well on their endeavors and left for home. Of course we walked home with a pit stop at M&S’s. We need to walk off as many calories as possible.

That night we just had toast with cheese and tea. We sat with our feet up and watched Kiss Me Kate until bedtime.