Bones

I love old things.  I like the dirt where I am from.
It is about the only thing that is old.  We bulldoze every structure over 50.

In France, things are Old, with capital O.
They like their old, too. (Even if it is cold.)
And sometimes, so do I.

So here is some Parisian old.  Found while taking a different route home on a gray wintery day. 
Undressed and stripped down  to show its story in horizontal and vertical layers.

Modern, recognizable Paris on the right in white with gray metal roof, showing it's 2-toned, 2-era brick bones. Then a circular staircase (reminiscent of chateaus) next to tudor-style dark beams and oeil-de-boeuf, circular windows (eye of cow).
And then clear remenants of 2 roofs with the newest layer, cement, for this generation of Parisians. Who have also, so politely, painted their names on the base so no one forgets them.   

Parc Monceau

Parc Monceau is a beautifully designed, old park in a very nice part of Paris.

It is good for....

waiting for your buddies,

 

taking the baby out for a well-dressed stroll and then sitting quietly next to the carousel

 running

 random modern art

and pony rides with real live ponies!!

Chocolate hangover

Did anyone ever leave you free to consume something you LOVE as much as you want?  Like maybe your parents didn't know where you kept an entire bag of candy? Like you might have hidden yourself in a closet or in the basement to eat as much as you wanted?

B's Mom:  Do you want to go to the Salon du Chocolat?  (Chocolate expo?)

KB: What time do I need to be ready?!


6 hours later and 3000 people later

KB:  Let's not do this again.

So there is this Chocolate expo. Complete with 300 exhibitors.  300 chocolate exhibitors.
And b's mom wanted to do each aisle twice.  In order to hit both sides and spend the appropriate amount of time at each stand.
b's mom is slim.  And clearly lives on coffee, coffee and chocolate.  She and her friend did not eat anything but chocolate based items and coffee for 6 hours.  I, at 32, in near sugar shock, broke down and stopped for a sandwich.
Weak sauce.   



Other Salon du Chocolat commentary:


There was a big showing of Japanese chocolatiers (Chocolate makers).  Like every delicacy in the world the Japanese will study it, talk to the authorities, take it back to Japan and produce perfection. (check out Tokyo Chocolate or Sadaharo AOKI)

There were 3 chocolate mousse bars, being served like ice cream. In between every 100 samples of chocolate.

Clothes made of chocolate are never anything but ridiculous.

 There were live peace doves in that skirt.

B's mom told me (when I didn't buy these marshmallow bears covered in chocolate. and then she did) that someone had to be thinking of B.  ....Uh, did I just get reprimanded by my boyfriend's mother? 

Velib

Velib is the system of bikes placed around the city connected to electronic kiosks where anyone with a credit card can rent them. It looks like the bike rack at elementary school, only with all of the same bikes

French words of the day: bicycle = velo + libre = free

I like taking the bikes around the city on Sunday morning around 10 when all good Parisians are still asleep and there are no cars on the road. Then I do not have to worry about intersections with round-a-bouts or intersections that look like they should be round-a-bouts but instead have 17 different traffic lights in every imaginable direction but up.

But ,what I really love about velibs are the guys in suits with briefcases using velibs as a shortcut to bypass standstill traffic in order to get to their office after their 3 hour lunch.