Marina and More Meridien

Friday, April 25. Another gorgeous day.

Meet Marina at the AF at 12:30 for our first "English lesson." As it is such a beautiful day, we decide to go to Luxembourg Gardens, have a crepe for lunch from the little stand in the park, and find a bench in the sun! Great working conditions. :) It's hard to see this as "work": I'm speaking my own language, asking her questions about herself so she has to reply in English (and of course learning about other people is one of my all-time favorite things to do!), correcting her mistakes, and giving her information ("all regular verbs add "s" in the third person singular").

On our way to the park, we pass by 27 rue de Fleurus, home for many years of Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas. As I'm telling Marina a little about her, a French woman stops to tell us that Gertrude actually lived in the smaller section of the building at the rear of the courtyard. Of course, there's a closed glass door but suddenly two people come out, Marina grabs the door, and we're in! So we get to walk around the courtyard (photo) and commune with the woman who summed up my feelings (even before I was born) with her statement, "America is my country, but Paris is my hometown. "

So listen to this: Another classmate, Fernanda, who I've written about in earlier posts has two sisters and all three girls are amazingly accomplished. So now we have Marina, who also has two sisters: she's the oldest, is a lawyer, has a master's in tax from the University of Paris, has worked in the French Prime Minister's office and, beginning in June, will be working for the President of the EU. Her middle sister is an economist (like her parents) and her younger sister is studying Economics of Theatre! Yikes. What are the chances that I would have two classmates, from opposite sides of the world, of such similar ages and similar family structure and all smart to boot!

After Marina departs, I head south through the park, heading toward l'Observatoire. I've decided to check out more of "The Meridien." The Jardin du Luxembourg is extended by two grassy esplanades, both filled with families and couples enjoying the beautiful day. Two young men are singing with guitar accompaniment, and I am suddenly filled with a feeling of such ineffable sweetness and happiness that it stops me in my tracks to listen.

Continue through Port Royal and down the avenue de l' Observatoire. Along the way, an interesting but hulking red brick structure turns out to be the Institute of Art and Archeology of the University of Paris. Pass Closerie des Lilas, the famous cafe in Montparnasse where so many literary and artistic people gathered for many years. Apparently, Hemingway wrote "The Sun Also Rises" sitting here.

Walk around the Observatory (which can be visited but not today), down rue Cassini which has a collection of lovely townhouse-type buildings, each quite distinct from its neighbors (photo). On one of the houses is a plaque to Alain-Fournier (1886-1914) who wrote: Je cherche quelque-chose de plus mysterieux encore (I'm looking for something even more mysterious). He disappeared on 22 September 1914 on Les Hauts de Meuse, says the plaque.

[Alain-Fournier is the pen-name of Henri-Alban Fournier who was a French author and soldier and the author of a single novel, Le Grand Meaulnes (1913), which has been twice filmed (1967 and 2006) and is considered a classic of French literature (available in an English translation by Frank Davison for Oxford University Press). He was working on a second novel when he joined the army in August 1914 and died one month later. His body remained unidentified until 1991.]

At the huge Place Denfert-Rochereau (intersection of 6 major avenues and a few smaller streets) is the enormous black Bartholdi lion and two small garden-squares containing the LeDoux pavillion (the only other one remaining that is still recognizable is the one at the Place de Stalingrad (Rotunde de la Villette). These pavillions (50 of them) were originally built as part of the Wall of the Farmers-General to collect customs duties.

As I'm crossing one of the streets around the Place D-R, I'm in a crosswalk, crossing seven (!) lanes of traffic and the "walk" light is green. Nonetheless, it's unnerving to see six or seven cars all heading toward you, even if you know they are going to stop and even if they are little cars!

I continue south down the Avenue du General Leclerc and pass the l'Hopital La Rochefoucault. It's a center for gerontology and the grounds and buildings are gorgeous. I'll have to let my kids know so they can send me here if need be!

Someone is exiting the closed gate to Villa Adrienne so I'm able to get in, but that's all. The gardien stops me to ask my business so I can't walk around the square. Too bad because it's quite nice. I gawk for a few minutes and then leave. I turn left onto the Rue Germain and wind around some small streets to reach the rue d'Alesia, then around a few more winding streets to reach the Villa Seurat. Fortunately, this one is still "open" and available for inspection! One house with lilac or wisteria that appears to be taking over. A motley collection of architecture: cubist next to Mediterranean next to cottage-style but it works.

I end my (very long) walk at the church of Saint-Pierre-de-Montrouge and the Metro Alesia. Home to rest and have a little dinner before heading out to Virgin Megastore to pick up ticket for l'Antichambre tomorrow evening.

Later: I have had quite the tour of Paris By Night this evening. I started off by going to the Virgin Megastore on the Blvd Montmartre, which (despite its name) is not in (or on) Montmartre but a relatively short metro ride from my apartment. The store is open, get this, until midnight, and I can see why. The whole neighborhood is out and about (a lot of tourists too, or maybe mostly tourists). But when I get inside, I am advised that the Billeterie is closed because they are having problems with their computer. As it is now after 10 p.m., I am not a happy camper. But there's hope, however. The Virgin Megastore on the Champs-Elysees is also open until midnight!

So back down into the Metro for another ride to the Franklin-Roosevelt station (fortunately a direct route requiring no change). And the Champs-Elysees is also jumping! It appears that most of the Virgin Megastores are located close to metro stations, and this one is no exception. Here, I am actually able to pick up my ticket with no additional difficulties, while listening to the Italian in Algiers DVD being broadcast on a giant-screen television (at the top of a gorgeous staircase) and a hundred other smaller screens. Metro back to Chatelet and walk home. This process may work well for the theatres who don't have to handle ticket sales and for Virgin who got me to walk through its doors twice tonight, but it's not a people-friendly way of doing things. Well, at least I got to see some Paris nightlife. :)

Noted on walk today:
-In Alesia: the shop of Lyon & Healy: Harpmakers to the World since 1889! Store windows filled with harps the likes of which I've never seen before.