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Got up early this morning to attend a ballet class at the Centre de Danse du Marais that my friend, Celine, recommended. She told me to take from Patrick and try to avoid Kasati since he can be sort of gruff, so of course I landed in Kasati's class. And apparently I can't do an petit jete en dedans au derriere properly, so he called me out, in French, in front of the 25 or so other ladies- all of varying abilities and I was definitely not the worst. A lovely Australian woman told me what he was trying to say and the next time, I got it right. Plus, he praised my turns, so I felt a little vindicated. I just love taking ballet classes from older gentlemen - I channeled Valeri right then and there - all Kasati had to do was push his eyebrows together and he would have been Valeri. Nothing really mattered anyway...I am in Paris and I'm taking a ballet class in a studio that Degas himself would have painted - worn,creaky wood floors, huge windows full of light, resin box for my shoes, and a real life pianist. Not only did I fulfill another
wish from my 50 after 50 list, but Degas was right there with me.
Lee and I met up for a quick look for locks at Bazar de Hotel del Ville, but couldn't find any that caught our eye. A cafe au lait got me going again and we walked to La Maras to look around. The Marais is the old Jewish quarter and is also very hip and trendy. Gorgeous shops and interesting people and competing lines for the best falafel in town. We wandered down one street after another and stumbled upon a crowd of people waiting for the bride in front of the shul (synagogue). We waited for a while, too, but finally left. We did see her car coming down the alley. We also made a pit stop in Monoprix and made what we are sure will be the best purchase of the trip - a yellow pull cart for shopping. Yes...just like all the old ladies in every city you've ever seen, but its already come in very handy!
July 6. We are quietly being consumed by mosquitos, Will and I seem to be the worst off.California doesn't have a lot of bugs
Commemoration of deported Jews during WWII
All over the city, especially in la Maraisand definitely no mosquitos and we forget it sometimes. We sleep year round with windows open and never think twice. Imagine our surprise when we tried to do that here. All of us are counting bites and we all commented how we could hear them buzzing by in the middle of the night. Lee's personal mission is to seek and kill and last night we kept the fan on us the entire time. We are also not opening up the windows, which is killing me because I want the fresh air. I guess my only consolation is they are French mosquitoes! Hmmm.
I got up early to take a run on very quiet streets- nothing happens much before 930 or so. I passed by the Hotel Sens and saw the cannonball still lodged by the arch. Wikipedia tells me that the hotel was originally owned by the archbishops of Sens. The building is in between late Gothic and early Renaissance style, and now houses the Forney art library. This mansion is one of three medieval private residences remaining in Paris. It was built between 1475 and 1507 and there is a cannonball lodged in the building right under an
arch. The plaque says 1830. Pretty cool.
Later, We took a walk through the botanical gardens on the way to the Rue Mouffetard market. Gorgeous plants of every kind and many beautiful flowers all in perfectly symmetric and impeccably maintained beds. An outdoor pianist serenaded us as we strolled out the gate. At the market we found the tiniest ofstrawberries, perfect for popping in your mouth, and the reddest little tomatoes clustered in rows still on the vine. We bought delicious goat cheese and huge heads of lettuce- ours special with a lady bug still perched. The Clevengers decided to cram as much Paris into their last day, so we ate without them. Ry had a small issue with his ATM card but luckily got it cleared up, so off will and Ry go to an all night music concert/ festival event. Lee and i decided to metro down to the Champs Élysées at 11 pm to walk around. Thousands of people were out with traffic stopped on both sides of the street. We walked back down the street and caught a glimpse of the sparkling Tour Eiffel in the distance...just right there.
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jeanie
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lovely blog