This week end, everyone is preparing for Christmas and I did not see one artificial tree yet; traditions die hard. Here is a bundle of freshly cuts pine trees ready to be taken home by any means, even in a stroller, which forced the toddler to walk along ... my morning sight.
Christmas decorations are not always PC!
My area is now getting a Christmas Tree! (small budget for Christmas decorations this year)
I loved this statue displayed in the window of a Home Decoration Shop. It reminds me how as a child we sometimes had to fight sleep and ourselves to remain awake throughout Christmas eve dinner in order to wait for Midnight.
Here is another Christmas time delight. These are «marrons chauds» (roasted chestnuts), so nice to hold when you have cold hands in winter. This is one of the tastes I revisited. This week, I also revisited the taste of a French Hot Dog with tons of mustard making their way to ones' nostrils, almost making you cry.
I like the fact that the body of the woman represented should be opening like a door ... not sure at all it was done in purpose but it makes you think.
ah, a philosopher ...
One street to be avoided
Then, the BIG CLIMB to Butte Montmartre. As its name suggests, Montmartre in on a Mount, and here is the start of the BIG climb, good for your cardio.
First, we went to La Place du Tertre down from the Church parvis, then we had a portrait of each of us done for 35 euros. One artist said jokingly it was the cheapest way to get a lifting! ... then, we meandered around ...
... until we finally took a sunny glimpse of le Sacré Choeur where I did my Communion solennelle when I was 12 years old
Later, I had dinner at some friends' place and they cooked 'fricassé de canard' (duck) with 'pommes sautées' (potatoes on side).
Then, we had 'Magic Potion' - a mixture of Rum, Sugar cane syrup, Vanilla (you can see it sticking out in the jar) and some mysterious flower no one could tell me which one they were; anyway, here it is, and I am still alive
In the early morning, when I opened the shutters, this is what I saw
In the meanwhile, life at home goes on. Josie borrowed a white blouse for her biology class. This week, she saw brain stem cells in a microscope. She is now very happy at school.
One day, after school, she brought me back an 'éclair' (name of this pastry) filled with pistachio cream (below). I was delighted by this nice attention. Note I only knew éclairs filled with chocolate, this is a novelty to me, like an update!
And miracle, miracle, she stumbled into an Australian friend this week end (how can that happen!!!). She collected him from his hotel, had moules-frites in Rue Mouffetard with him and endeavoured to go all by herself with him to the Grand Palais to see the buildings (because she liked its architecture). After she came back, she said 'Mum, it was great fun, I was a tourist for a day'
