I will write a bit about being in Paris, then must go back and finish the stories about Nice. It is Monday afternoon and I am sitting in a well-known tea room that is directly across the street from my apartment, Bread and Roses. I have just ordered afternoon tea and a piece of chocolate cake. One never knows just what will arrive when ordering from le menu without seeing the goods. But I love surprises.

Each time I have come in the tiny little elevator from the 6th floor to the ground floor I say a little prayer of thanks to those two guys who carried my luggage upstairs and with key in hand, put it in my apartment. They were a gift. The elevator floor is about the size of a COSTCO size package of toilet paper. There was room in it for me and my two sacks of groceries this afternoon, c’est toute!! And about those two sacks (my sacks) of groceries. The nearest grocery store is two and a half blocks from my apartment. Whatever I purchase I must carry. So, this was all I could carry today: 1 liter of water, 1 liter of fizzy water, 1 quart of fruit juice, 1 quart of milk (another entire story), 1/2 pound of coffee, six eggs, TP, “filme” (Saran Wrap), a box of Kleenex, a four-pack of yoghurt, a jar of jam, two bananas, and something else that I have already forgotten. I very carefully balanced the weight…as I packaged up my own groceries. Those were long blocks. The apartment people had advertised that they have a “trolley” for pulling groceries home, but it is no longer there. Later today as I was returning from the Luxembourg Gardens, one of the guys who carried my luggage up the stairs walked up behind me and we walked together back to the apartment. I told him I gave a prayer of thanks each time I got in the elevator for his and his friend’s kindness. Turns out he lives on the same floor as me.

Yesterday I finally was dressed and ready to go to St. Sulpice church by 11:30 AM. Do you remember the book, The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown? St. Sulpice, a huge Baroque church that was completed in 1745, is the church where the Rose Line was mentioned as a “big clue” as the mystery unfolded. Dan Brown took quite a leap of imagination about that purported line, but it certainly put the church on the world map in the early 2000’s. Not that Dan Brown needed to put it on the map. Such notables as the Marquis de Sade and Charles Baudelaire were christened there as babies, and Victor Hugo’s marriage took place in that church. For the past ten years, the church has been covered with scaffolding as it was cleaned and the exterior repaired. I hardly recognized it in its clean and scaffold-free splendor on Sunday morning. The organ concert, normally performed by Daniel Roth, begins at noon or close to noon. It has always been one of the first things I do when I arrive in Paris. As a former church organist, I have always been thrilled to hear Daniel Roth bring the church and the organ to life with his magnificent musical artistry. Unfortunately, Mr. Roth was not at the organ yesterday, but a very wonderful younger female organist rocked the roof of the ‘eglise’ with two of the four numbers she performed after the Mass. A friend of mine from college is also in Paris and she presented herself while I was conversing with two women who were seated in front of me during the concert and after concluding the church conversation, the two of us went to Lauderée for brunch after church. Lauderée is an eponymous old tea room in Paris…famous for it’s macaroons in every imaginable color and flavor. There are some photos of the windows in the gallery section of this post. Then we walked through the Luxembourg Gardens to watch the harvesting of honey from the beehives that are in one section of the Gardens. Unfortunately, all the jars of honey had been sold, and I have just a photo of the poster that advertised the event. It was well attended.

Grocery shopping, unpacking and organizing this apartment, lunch out at a familiar cafe and a bit of Parisian shopping for holiday presents….followed by a very short walk in the Luxembourg Gardens and tea at Bread and Roses…and I am done for today. I hope my walking legs do better tomorrow because I have a mission to accomplish that involves a longer walk. Ah, but there is always a taxi.

My reflections during tea this afternoon. Contrary to the reputed behavior of Parisians, I find people to be polite, kind, helpful, thoughtful. There are a few exceptions of course. But here is just one example. The young lady who has served me both times I have been in Bread and Roses has, without being overbearing or too present, made sure that all was well each time. On Saturday evening I wanted something chocolate and she said with true disappointment, I am sorry, Madame, but we have nothing chocolate left this evening.” OK, I will pass on dessert. Then in a couple of minutes she returned and said, “Would you like some “chocolat chaud” (hot chocolate)? We make very delicious chocolat chaud here.” And I knew immediately I was in for an unctuous treat. Hot chocolate, good hot chocolate here is so thick it must be eaten with a spoon. It is not as thick as chocolate mousse, but more like crême anglais made from very fine chocolate and topped with a bit of whipped cream and is very hot. It was the best….and tired as I was…I was also awake until after midnight following that hit of caffeine and sugar! The young lady wanted to be sure I had a very satisfying experience in the tea room and her demeanor and creativity made it happen. It is the genteelness and politesse that is French decorum at its finest.

One other small note about this afternoon’s tea experience. The tables are along a banquette and are very close together…maybe three inches apart. There was a lovely young woman, perhaps the same age as my daughter seated next to me, waiting for a friend to appear. The friend was quite late, so this lady and I had a bit of a conversation. When her friend arrived, their conversation was rapid, animated with hand motions and lyrical changes in timbre. I could not understand them but picked up a word here and there, including Noël, “cookie party”…their words, not mine. I so wanted to join in and ask about a French cookie party…but that would not have been considered at all polite. I’ll just have to imagine what that might be all about.

The change from Nice to Paris is a dramatic change…in weather, in pace, in complexity, and certainly in the character and quality of my apartment. I am comfortable, but not cozy here. I have some issues with lighting and cleanliness of the apartment. The owners were not forthcoming about correcting deficiencies. BUT, I am in Paris, it is not raining, I am not on a boat fleeing for my life…I am noting differences but not complaining!!! And I have some fun adventures in store during the next ten days.

Remember that you can double click on each of these photos to enlarge them for better viewing.

Interior of St. Sulpice Church Because of the music, this is my favorite church in Paris.

The pipe organ at St. Sulpice.

Autumn window at Lauderée tea room.

Typical Lauderée decor…the mint green and pink are their signature colors.

Something used for bees in Le Jardin du Luxembourg

Beehives in the Jardin.

The lady is holding beeswax.

This is the setting for the apicultuer….beehives in the Luxembourg Gardens.

Poster advertising the harvest of honey (miel).

A favorite afternoon pastime in the Luxembourg Gardens which are a short block from my apartment.

Bread and Roses Tea Room

Bread and Roses Tea Room with a large bouquet of pink roses in the window….always.