shacked up at the chateau: 3/7/10

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Paris to San Francisco Today

In a few hours the taxi will pick *Alex and I up from our hotel where we are busy packing, or rather I am blogging and he is packing for both of us. What a truly wonderful sweet friend he is, anyway, he is much neater than I am and my clothes and new purchases hot off the runway will arrive uncreased and in perfect condition.

Unfortunately for me, Paris do things a little differently than London FW, they seem to be a lot stricter so *Alex was not able to blag me into the shows the same way he was able to in London "stick close to me, act nonchalent, act natural". However I did get to see Balmain, Isabel Marant, Chloe and Miu Miu and since these are amongst my favourites anyway, I really did not mind missing out on Chanel, Stella McCartney, John Galliano, Givenchy et al. It's OK, there will always be another time. Don't be sad for me. I am not sad at all. Really. Promise.

While *Alex was at the shows I got to re-introduce myself to the streets of Paris. Ah, Paris my darling how I missed you! I always miss London with a pain in my heart each and everytime I think of my home but I was not prepared for such feelings of nostalgia for a place I frequented only when there were sales on eurostar tickets. Just goes to show, you don't miss your water until your well has run dry. What's this? Two references to blues songs in the same paragraph! Oh my. Maybe I am little sad afterall.

I had a superb organic lunch at Breizh Café on 109 Rue Vieille du Temple in the middle of the bustling marais. They quite simply make the best crêpes and galettes I have ever tasted, clean and flavourful. They were very accomodating to me once I explained in my halting french about my strict vegan/low GI/gluten free diet. If museums are your past time of choice, as they are mine, then this area is terrifically loaded. From here, you can spit in any direction and hit one...so long as the wind is at your back. There is the Musee Picasso and the Musee de la Chasse et de la Nature where I browsed for ages loosing track of time and light. I enjoyed stopping and buying postcards to take back home and frame.

A La Petit Chaise at 36, rue de Grenelle has the distinction I believe of being the oldest restaurant in Paris. This is no small feat and their standards are reflective of this honour. The waiters are impeccably attired and very dashing. I allowed myself to swoon just once at afternoon tea. I am married afterall and like to save all my swooning for my gorgeous husband but sometimes, you know, the swoons they escape, little buggers have a mind of their own.

I cannot wait to get back home to my family. This is possibly the first time I have ever referred to the Unites States as my home...very strange...however, I feel my home could be the arctic circle so long as my son and my husband lived there. Oh, mercy, taxi time already! Must dash. This has been a most exciting trip for me and a very expensive one. I still cannot understand why designer clothes insist on being overly priced. Pictures to come soon.

Homeward bound. Onwards, driver.