Paris to London

I am writing this as my Eurostar train races from France to England underneath the English Channel (i.e. the Chunnel).

Wednesday and Thursday mark my last two days on my own in France. At this point, I’ve seen and done just about everything on my agenda. When Nino arrives next week, I have a 2-3 things I’d like to do but few things I need to do.

On Wednesday, I took the Metro to the Montparnasse section of Paris. Montparnasse borders St. Germain des Pres and the neighborhood that my school is in. I’ve been meaning to get to this section of town just to explore. I noticed that it looked interesting on one of my wandering walks after school and then again when I took the Metro here to see Duplicity last week. My plan was to see two Museums (The Bordelle Museum and the Zadkine museum), eat lunch at a spot recommended by Eat Shop Portland called L’Enclos du Temps, eat oysters for dinner, see Rachel Getting Married, and then visit Montparnasse 360. Montparnasse 360 is a tourist attraction in the city where you can see the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, from way up high.

Like normal it seems, I got a late start on Wednesday. I started with lunch at L’Enclos du Temps. The server was extremely amused when I asked for a menu in French. She then brought over (on dishes) the three specials of the day just in case my French was so terrible I couldn’t read the menu or the board. But, what she brought looked great. So, I had falling-off-the-bone roasted chicken with couscous and a mojito. I’m not usually a couscous fan, but this was excellent. Dessert was a baked apple with just a little bit of caramel and a tiny scoop of vanilla ice cream (Berthillon, I think).

After lunch I did visit the Bordelle Museum. Bordelle was a sculptor who lived at the turn of the century, about the time Auguste Rodin did. Although some of the sculptures were impressive in size and mastery, he seemed to sculpt the same 4 pieces over and over again. And I wasn’t nearly as enthralled with him as I am with Rodin.

Instead of going to another museum, I realized that Paris’s designer “liquidation” street (Rue du Cherche Midi) was a very short walk away. So, I shopped to my heart’s content at bargain prices. I bought a pink leather purse with a large pink flower from French fashion designer Andre for a mere 9 euros. And I found something I will treasure forever: a handheld black leather clutch from Christian Dior. It was made by hand in Italy and I got it for about 1/3 of what you’d pay for it in a department store.

After shopping, I headed back to the apartment fully satisfied. I talked to Nino and the Mingus family and then my mother and youngest sister, Andrea, on Skype. I went back again to Planet Sushi for dinner and to the Majestic Bastille theater to see Rachel Getting Married. Good movie; totally screwed up but realistic family.

On Thursday, I went back to class. Sean, the American fashion student from Los Angeles, joined us one last time. Class today was about how to order correctly in restaurants, something I’ve already mastered. And Jean Charles taught us that it’s okay to drink the tap water on the Right Bank of Paris, but not the Left Bank. I will definitely miss Jean Charles when I head back to Portland.

After class on Thursday, I ran errands and got ready for the trip to London. I also had an amazing oil massage at a highly recommended Thai massage spa (Ban Sabai) near my apartment. I was admittedly a little nervous getting a massage, wondering if I’d be able to communicate with the therapist. I’m glad I took the initiative though because the massage was incredibly relaxing and I understood most of what she said. It was more about understanding proper etiquette and routine in a French spa environment than really communicating.

Undaunted now, I also found a place to get my nails done. The esthetician and I chatted for about 30 minutes while she made my hands look and feel presentable. This was a good test of my skills and she complimented my accent at the end of the treatment. That felt great.

I spent a quiet evening at home on Thursday. I grilled a steak, cooked some polenta, and cut up a baguette. Natural, baked flan for dessert. And I finished off the second bottle of wine (not counting the half bottle of champagne on Easter). Since I now have an insatiable crush on Gene Kelly, I downloaded Anchors Aweigh and watched Kelly and Frank Sinatra dance their way through post World War 2 Los Angeles/Hollywood. It was a fun movie, but didn’t capture my heart the way Singin’ In the Rain and American in Paris did. Frank Sinatra had an amazing voice, but I just don’t understand why he was such a heartthrob. He does nothing for me.

I caught the 8am train to London. I opted for Business Class, which turned out to be a great idea. The seats are plush, the service is unbeatable, and they brought me breakfast and coffee.