Paris QuickPics: When it rains…

Even the cafe terraces are deserted from the wind and rain. We'll call upon St. Genvieve to vanquish the storms.

The Experienced Travelers like to think we can cope.  But today, the driving wind and rain in Paris made us long for a cozy table in a warm corner with an attentive waiter.  We’ve never had such inclement weather.  It’s a wet, bone-chilling cold that sent us puddle-jumping from café crème to chocolat chaud to stay dry in between errands.

A touch of domesticity. Nurse gives her knee a rest between outings

Our studio apartment bears no resemblance to the palatial embassies nearby, but it’s comfortable and the ground floor location is ideal for Nurse’s bad knee.  While her “hotwheels” do double-duty as a bedside table,  they got me into a bit of trouble with a stern Train Man on the TGV to Paris from Rennes, but that’s another story.

Julie, Barbara, Christine and Nurse expand their appreciation of fine wine and French culture.

Our friends Barbara and Christine arrived this morning and it didn’t take them long to get their priorities in order – errands, food shopping then some well-deserved refreshment to build fortitude for more shopping.

Barbara and Chris working their way up to more well-earned refreshment and a better understanding of French vintages.

To ease our jetlagged Associate ETs into Paris time, we composed an early dinner from the bounteous fare in the market – white asparagus, fingerling potatoes, shallots and three outstanding deserts.  For  the main course, the delightful man behind the counter directed the full, unequivocal force of his French charm at Barbara and promptly sold us a most excellent roast chicken.  It just goes to show that flirtation pays!