Monique et Vittorio (Sixth Sunday in Paris)

Sunday, October 14. So much for the theory that I never have a migraine in Paris. It's been coming on for a day or so despite my best attempts to keep it at bay but still annoying. Actually, beyond annoying. In the afternoon, I take the RER C from St Michel to St-Quentin-en-Yvelines to see friends, Monique and Vittorio. Here's the back story:

Searching for Paul Collomb. In 1967, I came to France for the first time with a group of young women from South Carolina. After spending six weeks at the Alliance Francaise in Paris (and staying at the apartment of an older woman on Rue du Renard), we had a three-week tour of France by mini-bus, complete with guide (wish I could remember her name -she was fabulous - taught us so much about France and French history and even French songs, the only one of which I remember well is "Chevaliers de la Table Ronde," a great drinking song). Among many other places, we visited Annecy, and there was an exhibition at the Chateau of the paintings of Paul Collomb. I was captivated, and bought a poster that I later had framed and which hung in various places either in my house or my office for more than 30 years.

In the summer of 2000, a painter friend admired the poster. I said I wish I could find out more about the artist, and he said "google him." So I did, and found what turned out to be a "virtual gallery" on-line run by Monique and Vittorio. After an exchange of emails, it turned out that Paul Collomb was still very much alive and well and working in Paris. So when Lyn and I went to Paris that fall, we arranged to meet. I have some wonderful photographs of that afternoon spent in the atelier with Paul, Monique and Vittorio, and we have been friends ever since. I also ended up buying a real, honest-to-god painting by Monsieur Collomb.

Back to the present. Monique meets me at the train, takes me home, gives me something to rub on my temples to ease my headache, and makes lotus flower tea. It is an experience to watch it steep. There's a pod about an inch across that slowly opens up in hot water, revealing the lotus flower inside. Then Vittorio, Monique and I have a long walk around the park across the street from them. "Park" is in fact misleading. There is a series of parks, beginning with the Jardins de l'Universite (the University of Versailles is also across the street from them). This leads into the Parc des Sources de la Bievre which is adjacent to the Bois des Roussieres and the Etang de Roussieres, a 40 hectare lake. Obviously we don't cover the entire park and forest, but we see a lot of it! M and V live in Montigny le Bretonneux, which is part of St Quentin en Yvelines, which is just west of Versailles so there are many extensive parks, lakes and forests in this area.

Later, while Monique makes dinner, Vito and I look through one of 20 reproductions of watercolors that Paul painted in 1952 during the Semaine Sante in Seville, a week-long religious celebration. He did many of them right "on-the-spot" as the processionals went by so they have a "instantaneous" and "alive" feeling. There must be at least a hundred of them, all fabulous. The reproductions were done on the 50th anniversary of the original watercolors.

We have a wonderful dinner (beets with onions, veal stew with peas and carrots and flavored with cumin and cardamon, salad, cheese (including Roquefort!), grapes and a fabulous bottle of wine (St Emillon).

Before dinner is over, the rugby match (South Africa v. Argentina) has started and by the time I leave, South Africa is leading 23 to 6 and appears to be dominating the game. In fact, South Africa wins 37 to 13. This means that France will have a re-match with Argentina for the bronze (remember France lost to Argentina in the first round), and England v. South Africa in the final .

I take the RER back to St Michel and walk home. While I'm on the computer, Jed sends me an instant message so we talk for a few minutes! Pedometer: 8,928. Weather: beautiful and warm in the sun, high 66.