A hot day in Paris

Jardin de Plantes

It must have been 24C yesterday.  The sun shone out of a blue sky and all of Paris was out picnicing and sauntering about!   We went out for some shopping and bought (at great expense) two wild turbot which I'm cooking on Sunday.  Lunch was scraps from the fridge whipped up into a healthy salad and then we walked to the Jardin des Plantes where the sauntering and picnicing was taking place.  We ambled about and sat in the shade and then found a kiosk where Peter optimistically ordered two lemon teas. Paper cup, tepid water and a tea bag already lemonified.  Well, as we say, it was warm and wet!  It wasn't really the season to admire the plants, most had finished.  But the dhalias were putting on a good show.

Mad!

From there we hopped on a bus and went to Place Madeleine and then along the length of the Rue du Faubour St. Honoré admiring the shops and gasping at the prices.    There were long queues outside the shop of Christian Louboutin.  Peter couldn't believe you had to queue for a shoe shop, and it looked empty.  There's mystique for you.  I of course did not get in line to buy a pair of these.  Just not me somehow, and at €995.50.  Well you could buy a lot of turbot for that money.

The view from our perch

By the time we got to the end of the road it was a respectable time to eat before our concert at the Sal Playel.  We were spoiled for choice on the brasserie front and settle on one and ordered steak frites.  Steak tasty but a bit tough - as usual.  Peter shared my coffee ice-cream and we both had coffee afterwards to keep us awake.  Not entirely successful in my case as I nodded off during the Emperor Concerto, to my annoyance as the painist was excellent and the Paris Ile de France Symphony were also wonderful.   I perked up for the pianist's encore though and the rest of the programme was also very lively.  Hary Janos suite by Zoltan Kodaly and Tchaikovski's 1812.   Interesting cultural differences.  In the States we noticed the tendency to give standing ovations to everyone at the drop of a hat.  Here nobody stood despite the enthusiasm and obvious appreciation, but the clapping went on and on and then everyone clapped in unison and there were cries of 'bravo'.   In the end the conductor had to wave us away.   Our seats, by the way, were in the 2nd balcony which was perched up very high.  There was a small lift, clogged with the very elderly, so we walked up all 115 steps!    On the way back to the metro we had a good view of the Arc de Triomphe with the Eiffel Tower in the background.  Another tourist attraction ticked off the list!