Picnicking on the Seine
Second to None of Them
Your taste of life in Paris and France
ParlerParis.com
Monday, July 11, 2011 • Paris, France
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It happens all the time. For one reason or another, I find myself in the same area of Paris several times in the course of a short period of time, even if I haven't been there at all in the last year. And so it was since last Wednesday's newsletter, landing very often on the streets of the 2nd arrondissement.
In Thursday's French Property Insider I wrote about the changes taking place there from a lifestyle and property perspective, but at the time, I had no idea there would be so many returns to the same narrow, stone-paved pedestrian streets in such a short amount of time. Of course, the events of the last five days included much more than JUST the 2nd, but always in the adjacent districts...one through six.
Eye Prefer Paris' 5th anniversary party, hosted by owner Richard Nahem, was held Tuesday evening atOlivier Magny's Ô-Château on rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau on the edge of the 2nd in the 1st arrondissement. The attendees were a cast of important Americans-in-Paris characters -- the writers and bloggers who behind the scenes influence your experience in Paris in a bigger way than you might think.
Olivier just launched his own book -- "Stuff Parisians Like: Discovering the Quoi in the Je Ne Sais Quoi" that is hilariously funny from the point of view of a non-native-Parisian learning how real Parisians think. It's one of those cross-cultural commentaries like Polly Platt's "French or Foe" that make us laugh while teaching us a thing or two. Be sure to get your copy and drop in to Ô-Château for a glass of wine and to get it signed by the author.
Not far from there is our Notaire's office on rue du Louvre where on Thursday I signed the "Promesse de Vente" on behalf of clients purchasing an apartment on the edge of the 2nd in the northwest quadrant of the 3rd. This part of the district is moving up quickly in the ranks -- just about as fast as the 2nd.
That was just prior to meeting up with the subjects of the next House Hunters International episode to visit their newly renovated apartment off rue Montorgueil (the oldest shopping street in Paris in the 2nd). Interior Architect Martine di Mattéo was just putting the finishing touches on the apartment in time for the filming over the weekend. The two-bedroom, two-bath 82 square-meter "pied-à-terre" was transformed from a poorly proportioned contemporary design space into a spacious and luxurious "shabby chic" oasis that is sure to make for a successful episode for HGTV -- and a another great apartment to add to our 'bouquet' of offerings onParler Paris Apartments.
With Les Halles under construction, crossing to the 6th district was easier by bus than by foot, to attend a cooking course that same evening given by chef extraordinaire, Susan Herrmann, in Patricia Wells' kitchen on rue Jacob. Susan is the author of almost a dozen cookbooks and memoirs and makes her courses in Paris and Normandy experiences to treasure.
We had a group of six students following her lead to create a six-course dinner including "Caviar d'Aubergines sur Toasts" for which I was partly responsible for creating -- that meant making the toast, spreading the eggplant, topping it with sliced tomato and adding basil leaves to top them off. Since this is as close as I get to cooking these days, it was an apropos assignment. We left the "Magret de Canard aux Cerises" to those more adept, but the eating of it was left to all of us who savored every delightful morsel of the French dinner "à la Susan."
Saturday evening, I had the pleasure of witnessing my first PACS ceremony of two men, one of whom has been a friend for almost ten years. A "pacte civil de solidarité" is a "form of civil union between two adults (same-sex or opposite-sex) for organizing their joint life. It brings rights and responsibilities, but less so than marriage." (Wikipedia.org)
They chose to hold the event in a converted cellar in the 2nd arrondissement on rue Saint-Sauveur under vaulted stone arches -- a formal dinner complete with engraved champagne glasses and bottles of wine with their names on the labels. Atop the cake were two figurines, both grooms! Only three women were present, among a sea of handsome men, and while on the surface it seemed the 'odds' were good, we women knew better than to think we'd meet our next lover at this particular wedding!
Strolling home from the wedding, rue de Bretagne was closed off to traffic to allow for the concert in the front of the Mairie de 3éme as part of the annual "Soirs d'Eté." There were so many people in the street that I barely recognized my own "quartier." Even when my daughter arrived at 1:30 a.m. after a 14-hour flight delay due to the plane's mechanical failure, the taxi couldn't take a normal route. There is so much activity now that the district is getting too "branché" 'for it own britches' -- what happened to the quiet little Marais neighborhood we once lived in?
Fortunately, Sunday was quieter. We lunched at a café near the Canal Saint-Martin then headed back down to the Centre Pompidou (in the 1st) to see artist and Erica's friend, JR's, "Inside Out" exhibition. It's a giant photo booth in the lobby of the museum, operating free to have your giant photo taken and it's the perfect opportunity to discover his work. He's a young street artist of genius talent not to be missed.
The weekend came to a beautiful close at sundown on the western point of the Ile Saint-Louis where the attendees of the Paris Summer Institute picnicked. It's part of program to provide "Modeling Certification and International NLP Practitioner Certification." Participants from all over come to Paris to attend the 10-day workshop -- and to enjoy all that Paris has to offer.
By sheer coincidence, my daughter and her Paris pals had the same idea...so I cavorted between the two picnicking parties over glasses of rosé wine. It was then, looking out over the Seine, with the red glow of the sunset, that I realized how very lucky it is to be in Paris where one can partake of so many fascinating things, no matter what arrondissement you're in at the time.
A la prochaine...
Adrian Leeds
Editor, Parler Paris
(with Richard Nahem)
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P.S. Get ready for a fun-filled week: Parler Paris Après Midi on Tuesday (scroll down for more information), the Bals des Pompiers on Wednesday and Bastille Day on Thursday! Whoa!
