Catching Up

 Sorry about the rant. Thanks for listening. We've been busy since our guests left, so there's a lot of catch up on.

On Saturday we decided to go to the flea market (Marché aux Puces). When we first got there, it looked a lot like a Western souk (the market we went to in Tangiers) - meaning a lot of junk. Fortunately, Chris had the presence of mind to nudge me to ask a vendor where the antiques (les choses anciens) were. Once we found that market, we happily roamed the labyrinth of stores window shopping antiques.


Chris found this rug shop and enjoyed looking at the rugs from a fairly honest dealer. I looked around the shop and found a nice gift for my daughter-in-law T [Are you reading, T? A little shoutout to you!].

Sunday we went to mass at the church I found when I Googled "most progressive church in Paris": St. Merry. It is in the area of The Hotel de Ville and the Pompidou Center. Chris and I are trying to learn the Our Father in French, so we can at least minimally participate.

Here are some pictures of the church and some murals we saw on our way to the Pompidou Center.



After mass we went to the Pompidou Center. We bought tickets for an exhibition there that we didn't really think much of. I'm sure it was well done, just not our cup of tea. What was cool was to take the escalator to the 6th level and get a terrific panorama view of the city. 

Yet another picture of the Eiffel Tower



Sacré Coeur way off in the distance


That brings us to today. Today we were ready for some time in nature and quiet. So we went to the Bois de Bologne on the bus. We're really enjoying taking the bus around the city and seeing Paris above ground as we travel.

The Bois de Bologne has a reputation. It used to be a hangout for prostitutes and drug addicts and really wasn't safe. We saw a few working women today. It's safe during the day now, but there are warnings to get out of the park by nightfall - which these days is 10:00 p.m.

Chris and I are impressed with the way the French congregate in public places. We saw a lot of families picnicking at the park as well as kids playing soccer, adults playing volleyball and badminton, and kids and adults playing Ping-Pong.

Ping-Pong seems to be especially popular. Our Airbnb is on a boulevard divided by a broad promenade, where there are gardens, playgrounds, and Ping-Pong tables. We regularly see Parisian families enjoying the warmth of the afternoon playing Ping-Pong and hanging out in these promenades.

I know this is getting long, but I want to make some other observations. On both the bus and the Métro, younger people immediately yield their seats to those who are older. They also look out for one another. In a particularly bone-headed move on my part, I was on the Métro with my purse hanging open. Two men on the subway noticed it and pointed it out to me. We've also seen women with shopping carts and baby carriages who were immediately helped up the stairs of the Métro. So regardless of what stories you hear, Parisians are kind.

Tomorrow will be a quiet day. Chris has some clients and I need to do some planning of our circuit around France in July and August.

I hope you all are well!

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