- Breakfast today at Au Petit Fer A Cheval (my regular haunt in 2007) and finding that the same waiter is there, and learning that his name is Didier (well, of course!)
- Dogs, dogs, dogs! We stopped for coffee and a shaggy white terrier in a pink harness jumped onto the seat next to me and then onto my knee. I don't know who was happier, me or le chien!
- Lunch at Le Preau so that we could say au revoir to the staff. Even when we were just walking down rue Birague they would call out, "Bonjour". In the mornings we would sit at an outside table and from behind the bar someone would call out, "Un cafe, un cafe creme, deux croissants?" Oui, merci!
- Baguettes and fromage - every day!
- The waiters who are never in a hurry and the retail shops that open more or less on time. This morning we had a stop to make. The shop was due to open at 10.30 am. At 10.45 one of the staff was outside with his coffee, cigarette and scooter. He smiled, shrugged and said, "We're a little bit late today". It makes you smile - their attitude to life is contagious.
- The grumpy ticket staff at the metro stations - reminds us that some things are the same the world over! At least now I am able to stand my ground in French and make sure I get what we need.
- The fabulous salads, the great value "formule" menus, and the way the waiter just dashes to the boulangerie if they have run out of croissants or pain au chocolate and that's what you ordered.
- Most of all we have loved (as before) the bonjours, merci, bonsoir, au revoir, bonne journee, bonne soiree exchanged with whoever you run into - whether you're in a shop, ordering coffee, just passing other apartment dwellers in the courtyard.
A bientot, Paris xoxo
1 comment:
Great 'photo, sitting at your table, tres, tres, francais. Like the idea of the little dog with the pink harness (perhaps a pink one for Pearl). Enjoy your last day. A bientot L&G
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