Just Some "Stuff"

We just finished our walk that started along the canal and took us to our favorite bakery and market. Europeans live a much different life than we do in the U.S. Here in Paris:

• Almost all shops are closed on Sunday because the country wants to promote time with the family and not shopping
• At night many people sit by the canal and river with a tablecloth, food and wine and they have a picnic
• Even wealthy people who live in apartments only have about 800 square feet with a toilet room and a separate shower room, 2 bedrooms, kitchen and living room plus a front entry
  
• Many streets are closed on Sunday to encourage people to walk in the streets
• Many words in English are the same as in French but they most often have a different meaning. When we left we asked Afran if she needed anything from the Marche and she asked for raisins but she said that she didn't want the ones that were stuffed. I asked Roger to clarify this in Persian and we discovered that she wanted grapes with no seeds.
• The radio stations play Elton John, The Beatles, Elvis Presley and other American rock and roll in between French music.
• Many workers have a two hour lunch (and they take that long to eat) but they work later into the evening
• The train in Paris travels at 200 mph so it only takes one hour to go to Brussels
• At a dinner party, cocktail hour begins at 8:30 to 9:00 p.m. and dinner is served closer to midnight
• Pastries (or desserts) are a snack that is served with cafe in the afternoon - instead of eating sweets after dinner, either fresh fruit or cheese and salad are served (with baguette or some other variety of fabulous bread)
• Everyone that I have met speaks two to six different languages fluently, yet I often encounter people who do not speak English. It's not uncommon for young people to live and go to school in a different country for two years at a time to learn a specific language
  

Sunday Antique and Junk Market

After a late breakfast of raclette Afran and I went to the weekend antique and craft fair (a huge market with almost everything you can imagine).

The last photo is of a long alley that has shops on two sides so we walked a block down and then came back on the other side. This is where I found some lovely Victorian era antiques that I will sell when I return. I made a point to buy only things that originated from Paris and I managed to find an eclectic group of items. It was a lot of fun and the beautiful weather even made it nicer.

Now it's time for Roger and I are to take a walk around the neighborhood.

Another Great Party

The party last night was great fun. Our hosts, Farah and Parviz, live on the seventh floor of a high rise condo building in a lovely Paris neighborhood. We arrived about 9 p.m. for appetizers and cocktails followed by a delicious dinner. As we returned home at 2 p.m. we found it interesting that there is the same amount of traffic that time of the morning as there is during a week day. It is said that Paris never sleeps and I believe that may be true.

Saint Germain - Paris

After a late Friday night it was hard to be up and ready at 9 a.m. this morning but Roger had an appointment for his final blood test. Shortly after the test was completed we headed for an appointment with an ear specialist. After an extensive examination the doctor determined that Roger has an infection in his left ear and he prescribed four medications. He said that the malady would last approximately one month and, even though he'll experience some vertigo and tiredness, he should walk and exercise normally. He further stated that car and airplane transportation are OK so we're very pleased that we can still fly to Hamburg Wednesday afternoon.

When we returned to Paris we headed for the Saint Germain area which is near the Seine River. The streets are narrow and they are filled with many small cafes, shops, churches and apartment buildings. When we entered the Saint Germain Church we heard singing and pipe organ music and we discovered that they were rehearsing for a wedding. As we left the Bride was just coming out of the limo.

We had our choice of many different types of cafes and we finally decided to stick with French. The cafe we chose featured a three course lunch for 12 Euros and we were pleasantly surprised at the quality and quantity of delicious food that was served. After a leisurely late lunch we continued to walk until we were all tired so now, after a short nap, we're getting dressed and ready for a party at a friend's apartment. Yes, it will be a late night again................

Champs-Elysees

Tonight we drove to Champs-Elysees to take a short walk and enjoy the beautiful warm night weather. We were there around midnight and I'm writing this at 1:30 a.m. so tonight's blog will have to be a short one.

EXCITING NEWS !!!

I have wonderful news. Roger was just released from the hospital and tonight we are celebrating with Afran, his brother, Khosro and sister-in-law, Shahnaz, who drove to Paris from Brussels this morning. To make the celebration even more special, Shahnaz cooked dinner and they brought the food with them. They own a pastry shop in Brussels so the dessert will be fabulous. Yes, we are all celebrating and I suspect the celebration will go on for the rest of our trip. The physician misdiagnosed the problem. Iraj did not have a stroke. After an MRI and other tests today, they now believe that his dizziness, pain and weakness was caused by an inner ear problem. Tomorrow he will see a specialist for a firm diagnosis.

We may not have time to visit Brussels but if the doctor tomorrow says that it is OK for Iraj to fly to Hamburg, we'll still be able to make the trip.

Wednesday in Paris

It has been another busy day that started with us filling gasoline at a curbside station. We simply pulled up to the curb, stopped the car and had a man instantly filling the gas tank. It was interesting looking into the small office / shop because almost every shelf is stocked with an alcoholic beverage. I suppose it's so both you and the car can get gassed quickly?

We arrived at the hospital about 10:30 to find Roger watching CNN in English on the room's TV. He had his second night of sound sleep so he's gradually looking and feeling better. Late this afternoon he was given an EKG and tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. he's scheduled for one more test. The doctor said that if the test comes out well, he may be able to return to the apartment late tomorrow afternoon. He'll be ordered to have complete bed rest but at least he'll be in a comfortable home environment with both his sister and me to take care of him.

This afternoon Afran and I went to an elegant three story shopping center to do some browsing and I bought a new electrical connection for my computer and three French language musical CD s. Afterward we stopped at a lovely chocolate shop to buy a snack for Roger. Belgium is known for excellent chocolate but Paris is also known for some very inventive and interesting chocolates.

After shopping we stopped at a nearby sidewalk cafe and Afran ordered Lapin and I had Monk Fish with Lobster Sauce (with chunks of lobster meat). The sauces here are amazing and Afran knows how to make them all by scratch so guess who is going to be looking over her shoulder when she's making them. (Last night we had homemade Foie Gras Sauce on a Filet Steak).

Our weekend plans won't be formulated until we see how Roger is feeling but I know for sure that I'll be going to an outdoor Antique Fair on either Saturday or Sunday.