A gray and rainy Sunday in Paris. Luckily we were invited to brunch at Alisa's new place in Saint Denis. Just outside Paris proper but still on the metro line, Saint Denis is a mixed bag. Around the corner from a temporary residence for undocumented African immigrant men is the Stade de France, the huge stadium that houses football games and rock concerts in one direction and a tiny street with big houses behind forbidding walls in the other direction. Alisa's family is in one of the houses.
Floor to ceiling glass walls, a garden, huge volumes, a mix of Danish and French antiques and decoration, and a long table ready for brunch. These are some of our favorite people and we don't get to see them, particularly the children, enough. A lovely way to spend a lazy Sunday.
A long metro ride back home and we got ready to have drinks at the temporary home of a friend from French classes back in Berkeley, along with another friend from that class, along with spouses and traveling companions. A large and comfortable apartment, champagne and getting acquainted, and we were off to dinner around the corner.
La Ferme Saint Simon has been there for years and years but we've never tried it. With two new young chefs, a husband from Argentina and a wife from Japan, the food is excellent and inventive, the wine list wide-ranging and not too pricey, the service warm if a bit disorganized, and the experience very pleasant. Dining par hazard in Paris with a group of folks from Berkeley...who would have thought it?
We realized yesterday that we have exactly one more month here and there are things to do, other than our usual hanging around. Lots of museum expos, for one thing. This afternoon we go to the Musée Luxembourg, just up the street. Gotta get me some culture, you know. Bracketed by café sitting of course.
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