Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Paris sous la pluie

 She's still there.
The tall spire is still there too. You'll be happy to know.
 And so is the whole city, a symphony of ivory and grey and brick red.
The view from my balcony of the construction site.
The view I'd rather have - a nearby oasis.

Today was a real test. The other day there was a polite little note in the elevator of the apartment, warning of impending renovations on the 4th floor, two floors above me - and sure enough, this morning, not only was the construction site next door exploding with noise, but there was drilling overhead. Amazing that I did not weep. I almost laughed instead.

But I did go out asap to wander, went to Shakespeare and Company to try to sell them my book, saw Our Lady, of course, jammed with people, walked along Boul. St. Germain, went to the top of the Tour Montparnasse for the great views - well, it was raining, which meant there was no line-up if a less than spectacular view. The rain got heavier so I went to get the metro home - only there was an abandoned package on a line somewhere and the entire metro was closed down. Chaos. I managed to find a bus and get home in the pouring rain - but the noise of drilling was infernal. Even listening to Paul McCartney on my computer did not help. So out in the rain to email and post at my favourite cafe. Just drank a divine very rich dark hot chocolate. Am going out for dinner tonight with friends. Paris is dark and cold and wet. But it's still Paris. This too shall pass.

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