Quatre jours en Paris, un jour en Maastricht. May 14, 2010. PHOTOS TO COME

Friday, 14 Mai, 2010

Bonjours/ Guten Tag/ Goedendag –

Well, this will be short and encompass my four days in Paris and today in Maastricht, Netherlands; I’m off to London tomorrow and back at the office on Monday.. Short, intense, not exotic.

Arrived in Paris on Monday (about 4.5 hours late due to the volcanic ash which is apparently still migrating around the continent) having been up about 26 hours; worked on project on the plane and didn’t really sleep… Got to my hotel in the 7th Arrondisement at about 10 am but couldn’t get into my room until 2 pm, so I decided to walk to Lara’s apartment (god-daughter) which was just a few blocks away.. to shower and change..

Lara’s apartment is about 280 sq ft, is on the top floor (5th floor dormers) of a spectacular building that borders on a huge park that surrounds the Eiffel Tower. It’s an amazing location. Apparently the building is owned by a family with two married children who each have an apartment on the fourth floor (I am imagining that their apartments are about 2,800 sq ft or maybe more.. Then the family (parents) have the entire third floor — probably about 5,600 sq ft.. maybe more.. with ceilings of about 20′; a family friend has the entire second floor; a “concierge” has an apartment on part of the first floor; there’s a big lobby.. and on Lara’s floor there are a series of very small apartments that are used by all the au peres for the children … So Lara is really the only “outsider”.. Her unit has been renovated so it’s rather sweet.

Anyway, we walked the neighborhood — it was raining and freezing cold. In all the five days I was there, it never got about 50 degrees and it rained daily.. at some times really pouring.. and windy. So weather certainly wasn’t helpful.

At about 2:30 I checked into the hotel, and then Lara and I took off to stroll (in the rain) some neighborhoods; Lara had a doctor’s appointment so I tagged along and strolled Saint Germaine while she was seeing the doctor (who it turns out is “doctor to the stars” with lots of very very famous patients — all hush hush).. we then walked back to the 7th through the Marais, over to some exhibit Lara had heard about — in a building purchased by a Harvard science professor who is interested in science and art (hope his science is better than the art he thinks is tied to science)… He also has a little shop next door where he’s been selling products that somehow come out of the collaboration of art and science; the best was some kind of asthma like inhaler that gave you a dose of chocolate, without the calories.. you actually breathe it in… I was going to get a bunch as gifts but the shop was closed by the time we finished seeing the exhibit (mostly because the very cute “guide” at the museum felt the need to really explain the gallery to Lara.. At about 9:30 had dinner in a small neighborhood restaurant near her apartment.. it was described as a little neighborhood jaunt.. I’d give it about 4+ stars (Les Anges), and certainly not describe it that way. I eventually hit the sack at about 1 a.m.

On Tuesday, I woke up early (actually didn’t sleep too much as I was burning the candle at both ends, trying to work on office stuff during California’s day time hours and then living a life in Paris during the European day hours)… and headed for the cafe next door to the hotel and then walked to the Musee Quai Branly where I eventually caught up with Lara who was trying to prepare for a meeting with her adviser.. the Branly is a really interesting museum with a strange mix between the exterior and interior.. I think it’s a really good building and the exhibits inside are quite spectacular — anthropology… Frankly, it was good to just be somewhere that was warm and dry. From the Branly — and in the rain — we hiked around town some more, eventually hopping a taxi when the rain got to be too much; had tea at Place de Voges and then walked to dinner which was at Temps au Temps — one of those totally fantastic tiny French restaurants that have gone beyond the classics to be innovative and super special. Mike and I ate there soon after it opened about two years ago and it hasn’t changed.. about 8 table for two.. daily changing menu on the blackboard on the wall; tiny staff.. and everything perfect. I think we finished dinner at about midnight and took the metro back to the hotel and her apartment.

On Wednesday, I worked most of the morning.. and then headed out, eventually catching up with Lara mid afternoon at the Centre Pompidou which has a big show called Dreamland — about fantasy type developments including Coney Island (which the translation says is “outside of NY”), and Disneyland, and Dubai, and Las Vegas among others… So we got to Pompidou and the ticket guy (who also seemed to want to strike up an intense conversation with Lara) said the we only had about 30 minutes before closing and that the show was really large and it wouldn’t be worthwhile to buy tickets.. Lara proceeded to explain that the person she was with (me) hates museums and thinks they are very elitist so we’d probably get through in the 30 minutes. He seemed to like this conversation and proceeded to tell us how Centre Pompidou is doing a renovation to add yet another restaurant and to expand the store, while cutting back on shows and gallery space.. so he thinks it’s becoming a shopping center… we all chatted and laughed (good think no one else was on line to get a ticket).. so we agreed and decided to get a glass of wine and then head.. where else.. but to eat dinner! We went to Restaurant 404 (the famous cous cous restaurant). Food was great — best Moroccan food this side of Fes and Marrakesh..

On Thursday, my last day in Paris, I went to the cheese shop, and the boulangerie, and the market, and brought breakfast to Lara’s place so that we could settle in to discuss her dissertation (my main reason for going to Paris), and a schedule to ensure completion. Turns out it was “Ascension Day” so a lot of shops were closed, but I managed to find the goodies. After about four or five hours we headed out again, eventually winding up back at the Pompidou by about 3:00.. Waited on line for tickets (this time the place was packed).. and you guessed it.. when our turn came to go to the ticket window.. there amid the 7 or 8 ticket windows was our friend (or Lara’s friend)… and he laughed.. and gave us free tickets. Eventually we meandered to dinner — a fairly new place that has been written up all over Paris because the young chef is not French and he’s emerged as a big star chef very quickly – complete with Michelin star… It’s not possible to get a reservation, but they said on the phone to come around 9:30 and wait at the bar.. which we did.. and at about 10:15 we got in.. WOW! It was one of the best meals I’ve had.. It’s a pris fix.. about 5 courses (small) and it’s a different meal every night. The place is small, maybe 15 tables literally on top of one another…

As we stood by the bar nursing some wine, Lara noticed that there was a group of about 8 people.. and she recognized them as a rock band — LCD SoundSystem… Turns out the other night another rock group — Sonic Youth — ate there as well. So, I’ll tell you that these rockers have excellent taste in food. Oh – the restaurant’s name is Chateaubriand. When you eat there you are literally sharing your table with strangers because there is no space between tables. We sat next to and became fast friends with a couple (probably in their fifties) — both journalists in Paris (working with AP).. she does “French life”.. he’s a sports reporter. We talked the entire dinner; good politics; and in fact ended with complementary champagne to celebrate his birthday.. and we closed the place down at about 1 am… after which I headed back to pack to be able to get to the train station by around 9 am to take the train to Maastricht, which is where I am now.

OK.. way too long. Won’t do that again.

Hope all is well. It’s even colder here than it was in Paris. Tomorrow I’m taking Eurostar to London for just about 36 hours and then I’m home.

Best — Fern