Tuesday, April 12, 2011 3:01 PM
Dear Family and Friends,
Yesterday was what Isa called "a completely Parisian day..." After a lazy morning, we drove into Paris through the nearly ever-present traffic -- although, honestly, it's no different from the type we've seen every day going into San Francisco. Getting used to the gauges on the car takes some work, however -- kilometers per hour vs. miles per hour made it look as if Isa was hovering between 90 and 120 mph...(yikes) But, in fact, she's an excellent driver, and can park in a space the size of our closet without batting an eye :-))
We left the car in just such a space in the Latin Quarter and walked for the rest of the day. And Paris is, as we've always heard, a "walking" city. So much to see...and hear. We're trying very hard to speak as much French as possible, but we fall back on our English often -- so the cacophony of languages we hear as we pass people on the street is comforting. It makes us feel like we're not the only ones learning French. And speaking of which...
FRENCH PHRASES OF THE DAY:
Robert's phrase: "Cornichon" - the word literally means pickle, but it's used as well to describe a person who is "a bit dumb"...or as Isa says "il n'ya pas de lumiere au plafond" (there is no light on the ceiling)...This would correspond to our "not the sharpest tool in the shed" or "the elevator doesn't go to the top floor"...:-) This lesson came up as we were actually eating pickles!
Susan's phrase: "ateliers de peintres" - painter's lofts -- generally found in the Latin Quarter and Montparnasse. If you look up at the buildings in these areas, you'll see that the windows on the top floors are huge, and very different from the other windows in the building. They're the high-ceilinged, light-filled apartments of painters. They cost millions of Euros to purchase in Paris -- consequently, they belong to the successful ones! :-)
And finally, after a very illuminating trip to the Intermarche (the equivalent to Safeway, but with more and different types of cheese than you could ever imagine), Isa made us a "very French" dinner..."Saute de Veau," an amazingly delicious savory stew of veal, carrots, potatoes, and peas served with French bread (of course)...
Quelle journee...which translates to "What a day!"...although it sounds to us like "What a Journey," which is also true...
Much love,
xxxxx
Susan and Robert
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