Vlaminck-o (well known pink bird found on lawns)

Thursday, March 13. Here's today's forecast:

Morning: Very cloudy to overcast sky. Slight risk of showers.

Afternoon: Overcast sky. Drizzle becoming heavier and forming rain.

Evening: Dark overcast sky with low clouds. Light rain clearing gradually.

Night: Overcast sky. Risk of a few drops of rain.

I love the distinction between "overcast" and "dark overcast." :) Temperature is in the low 50s. You can pretty much assume that this is the weather every day; if there should happen to be sun, it will be such an event that I will remark upon it, j'en suis sure!

Errands. Out to G20, Ed, and Leroy Merlin to return all the things I bought in case my suitcase didn't arrive. (Actually, when I walk out the door of the apartment building, the sun is shining which it continues to do for about 30 seconds!) First time I've had to ask to be "rembourse." From Ed's, I follow my old route over to Ile de la Cite to hop on the metro. The tourist kiosk isn't up yet in Place Hotel de Ville but there is a carrousel - a double decker one. There's a little stairway one can take up to the horses on the deuxieme etage. The caisse isn't open, and it looks as though they may be setting up other things in the square.

There are blue and white flags with a Star of David in the center along with the French flags all over the Hotel de Ville. I notice them elsewhere on other government buildings too. (I find out later from Paris website that Shimon Peres, president of Israel, is making an official visit to France, and was received on Tuesday at the Hotel de Ville). Most of the trees are bare which gives the city an entirely different aspect, but along the river, some trees are already sporting their spring green! I can't help but note that I am back in tiny, tiny car-land !! And not just the Smart cars either; all the cars are small. The Marche aux Fleurs is going strong with brightly-colored primroses and all.

I take the metro from Cite to Odeon, then walk to Theatre de l'Odeon to pick up my ticket for l'Ecole des Femmes (by Moliere) with Daniel Auteuil. This theatre is in a gorgeous building so I'm glad to find an excuse to go there. Great little shops on rue de l'Odeon, including several used and rare bookstores, a shop that sells autographs of famous people, and a little boutique (Arts de la Table) that has literally hundreds of teapots (La Maison des Theieres!). It's closed but I will go back to look around sometime. Notice La Mediterranee on the corner across from the theatre. Must dine there one of these days.

As I'm walking along the rue de Vaugirard, I see a stone "bridge" (like the Bridge of Sighs in Venice) joining two adjacent buildings (arching over the rue Garanciere). Can't believe I've never noticed it before. There's even a niche in the middle with a statue. Yes, I take a picture, and maybe one of these days it will show up here!

Vlaminck: Un Instinct Fauve. On my way to the Alliance Francaise, I notice a poster for a Vlaminck exposition at the Musee du Luxembourg. As I still have plenty of time to register for classes and it's right on the way, I decide to check out the line for people without tickets. It's short, so I wait about 10 minutes to get in. The exhibit is quite good, and there's a lot about Vlaminck's relationship with Derain, which I didn't know. The exhibit is titled "Vlaminck: Un instinct fauve" but there are many paintings which show how he was influenced, progressively, by works of Van Gogh, Cezanne and Picasso. Quite interesting to see the development of his art though I prefer the earlier works with riotous color (natch!). The museum is quite crowded (the exhibit opened February 20 and runs until July 20); I would say 98% are French women, and there are several large groups of them, each with their little individual headsets, earnestly receiving commentary from a guide. Have to gently elbow my way around them at times. :)

When I leave the museum, I go into the Jardin du Luxembourg, and the line for people without tickets is now unbelievely long - it snakes all along the side of the museum. Wow. There are daffodils and forsythia blooming in the park!

Alliance Francaise. I arrive at the Alliance Francaise at about 3:30. Turns out I have to take the placement test again as it has been more than two months since my last class. Quelle drag. Anyway, I sign up for a grammar course (rather than the General French classes I took last time) which meets on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. I really need the review, so I'll see how it goes. I registered for two weeks, then may go back into the general classes after that.

I've arranged to meet Daniele Steiner at the AF at 5:00. He was one of my classmates last fall (the Italian architect). It's great to see him again; we catch up, have coffee and arrange to meet for lunch next week, hopefully with JingJing, another classmate. Next Thursday, Daniele is going to Milan for two weeks for Easter.

Walk to Saint Placide to get the metro, passing by one of my favorite traitteurs, Gilles Verot, to pick up a few things for dinner (celeri remoulade, bettraves, salade macedoine, salade piemontaise, et compote des fruits). Take the metro all the way to Etienne Marcel, a new stop for me, and walk down rue Pierre de Lescot to rue Rambuteau and home. It's a nice walk. I think I could have gotten off one stop earlier at Les Halles but it's about the same distance from the apartment. Even though I'm in the same "neighborhood" as before, the change in location is giving me a completely different orientation. (Richard and Jay: I'm right near the corner of "Rumbletoe.")

This evening I finish the journey with Ferruccio Francesco Frisone, and I'm happy to report he finally returns to Italy.