Progressive weekend

I call it a "progressive weekend" because it has been getting progressively slower - thank goodness! 5 o'clock Friday couldn't have come soon enough and Kevin, Marissa and I took the bus from work to begin yet another trip down Kevin's memory lane. (Every one of these starts off like a bad joke : an Irishman, a Trini and I were walking through the streets of Paris when...)

Kevin lived in Paris a few summers during university and either worked at or spent a lot of time at many Irish Pubs, so we've been checking up on all these places. We started out in the Chatelet area at McBride's Pub on rue St Denis - a great pedestrian zone full of food stalls, bars, restaurants, etc. We then walked south across Pont au Change, past the entrance to Sainte-Chapelle, hooked a left onto Quai du Marche Neuf and came right upon Notre Dame which looks stunning now that it is fully cleaned, in the nighttime, lights shining, and not full of tourists. We crossed Petit Pont to the Left Bank (Rive Gauche) and continued on rue Saint-Jacques (which has a long history as a major thoroughfare from Roman times to present ; it even was the start of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage walk). Kevin filled us in on all the history, symbolism, legends, etc. - it was great!!!

The whole time on rue Saint Jacques we were walking up a steady incline. When we got to rue Soufflot it was breath-taking! To our left was the Pantheon (which I had never seen before) and to the right was a perfect direct view of the Eiffel Tower. (Since I live close to it, it always seems so big ; from just the other side of town it is smaller, yet stands out wonderfully.)

We walked around the Pantheon and continued down to rue Mouffetard and Place de la Contrescarpe, entering the Latin Quarter. We stopped for rehydration and then meandered down rue Mouffetard and found a fondue restaurant (Assiette aux Fromages) and after a great wine bar just up the street (au Doux Raisin). By this point it was 1 a.m. so we all found our ways home.

Saturday morning had a later start (it had to have been the fondue and bread that made me lethargic, it couldn't have been the apertif, 3 bottles of wine, and digestif that the three of us had!). I met Marissa and we ventured into what no person should have to put up with - running errands and shopping in Paris on a Saturday. Since everything closes by about 8 p.m. (and people work late, so no shopping then) and is closed on Sundays, it leaves Saturday.

We went examining appliances for me (I'll have to buy all for the kitchen in my new flat), then to Decathlon sports to get winter stuff for our Norway vacation in 10 days, then to BHV which is a ginormous store that has everything. By this point, 6 hours after starting our day, I was ready to go home. I was sick of shopping and I was really sick of people. I relished my quiet night at "home" Saturday, especially since the last time I was home before 10 p.m. was Monday night.

Today (Sunday) I am staying in my pj's all day. I've spent several hours online shopping for furniture for my new place and soon will tackle the piles of paper on the floor, and will relax by reading more Duma Key (Stephen King).

Of course, through all the walking this weekend, I didn't have my camera. Figures!