Yep, still sort of sans internet, I am posting what I wrote right before I left.
XO,
JM
The temperature was 32 degrees at 9:45 p.m. when I was leaving my flat last Friday night. Anglaise was having a house party/birthday party, and by the time I hit the second metro stop on my way there, I was already glistening. As I walked up to the more modern apartment building in the 19th arrondisement, I heard voices echoing off the balcony and classic Michael Jackson. This party had a theme: Obama’s America and interpretations included White Gangsters, Cowboys, George Washington, and the Statue of Liberty. I felt like a little bit of an underachiever in my Obama T-shirt, but the standard group of non-costumed partiers showed up (as they do at every theme party) and it was easy to get lost in the crowd.
And maybe it was because of this crowd, the deejay, the dancing, the costumes, and the lack of fridge space, that we were all boiling. Cold drinks were at a minimum but the party roared on regardless.
The next day I met up with Rida. She and I worked together in Calgary for awhile, and she was passing through town on her way to meet her family in Lebanon. Rida En Route, waiting for me near my office, was a great companion for the weekend. We started by heading over to the Marais to investigate the boutiques and see if we could find some cute stuff on sale. We did fairly well for ourselves, but I think the real find of the day was Rue des Rosiers. I had heard about THE falafel street in the Marais, and was ridiculously excited when we just happened upon it. Located in the Jewish quarter, there were a few spots to choose from, so RER and I grabbed some pitas and parked it for a mid-shopping snack. The ingredients were so fresh and the ambience was perfect – I was in heaven – savouring the roasted eggplant, garlic and fresh hummous.
After a little bit more poking around here and there, we finally pulled over for a nap in the park. We both felt a little vaped, and I couldn’t figure out why until we got to back to Rivoli and I saw a city billboard that read ‘37 degrees.’
Apparently walking around and shopping all day in the heat had rendered us practically nonsensical, so we both retreated to our respective flats for quiet nights in. We caught up with each other on Sunday afternoon to check out the FondationCartier, an art and design exhibit space in the 7th arrondisement supported by the jewelers/watchmakers of France. However, when we arrived we learned that the space had no permanent collections, and it was closed for the private opening of an international graffiti exhibit. Both RER and I wanted to see it, but it wasn’t open to the public until Tuesday.
Just when we started considering other options for the afternoon, a fabulously glamorous French woman stopped us on her way out of the centre and said “Here,” as she passed us a glossy cardboard invitation.
“Uh – Merci!” I blurted out – turning to RER in amazement.
“Have fun.” She said, continuing on her way.
Hardly believing our luck, we waited for the exhibit to open and exchanged several hypotheses on who exactly that woman could have been…Whoever she was, we owed her more than my simple Merci – the exhibit was an outstanding collection of graffiti, exploring everything from styles seen on skyscrapers in Sao Paolo to subway cars that circulate the suburbs of Paris.
We wound down the weekend with another park break, and a failed attempt at getting out hands on a planche of cheese and charcuterie. When I got home, I settled for Babybel and embraced the cool air in my flat while making a list of stuff to pack.
I pulled out my suitcase and it was half full by the end of the night. Making lists and checking train times to the airport got me so excited I couldn’t sleep. I started going through all of my important papers, folding up old Calgary work clothes, and wrapped up some souvenirs.
I looked around the flat, and everything that I had accumulated in the months since I arrived.
It was surreal to think that I now had less than 72 hours to go until I could hug my friends and family.
Not even Paris can contend with that.
