au revoir Paris!

My last day in Paris was relaxing. Frankly I didn't feel like being in crowds. July here is nice except when you stumble onto a major tourist attraction. Then, it's a swamp of people, some smell, some don't.  Ok. Most smell. Few are Parisians, for Paris is mostly on vacation now.

In case you ever wondered who made these paver perfect streets. 

I wandered around the neighborhood more and saw little of people-attracting sites but enjoyed the pleasant sunny breezy day. (Yeah, I'm still bragging about the  weather!)  Traveling alone is a freedom to do nothing without guilt of squandering a day in Paris. Of course, I just told on myself. Oops.

I did venture out a bit on the metro on mission to find a recommended exceptional cheese shop. When I exited the metro into a massive beehive of tourists, I looked up and realized I'd stepped onto the popular street at the base of the Sacre Coeur Basilica. 

The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris, commonly known as Sacré-Cœur, is a Roman Catholic church and minor basilica, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in Paris, France. A popular landmark, the basilica is located at the summit of the butte Montmartre, the highest point in the city. - Wikipedia. (I'm not that smrt.)

Then I found the cheese!

La Ferme Saint Hubert   is run by a popular fromager, Paulette. I was not fortunate enough to meet her; apparently it was her day off - or perhaps on vacation like the typical Parisian. There was a nice cheese monger behind the counter but his English was limited, yet far greater than my French. 

I chose a couple potential subjects to smuggle home (shhhhh) that are made with raw milk. I'll may paint them, or I may just eat them - it depends how they fare the flight. 

I also picked up a couple things for Federico. Some creamy raw milk cheese with herbs and a naturally cured French sausage. 

The light on my last evening in Paris was exceptional. Walking towards a dinner location, I  captured a few good scenes of a warm night out. 

The Canal Saint-Martin is a 4.5 km long canal in Paris. It connects the Canal de l' Ourcq to the river Seine  ...

 It seemed ten degrees cooler along the canal and for miles it was crowded with happy hour picnics. One group had 6 bottles of wine, several cheeses and crackers laid out on their blanket.  I didn't feel like it was appropriate to stop and photograph them - besides, I was late for dinner and starving! 

Dinner was at a really good vegetarian Indian restaurant  that Federico's friend Sampath, (a U. Penn faculty member and known genius for being able to complete the nyt crossword puzzle in 15 minutes) chose the restaurant. We shared some delicious appetizer courses before each getting our own variety curry dish (above). Sorry my thumb got in the photo- I had begun eating this before remembering I hadn't photographed any food- so I took this in a hurry. (Above)

After dinner Sampath showed me how to properly froth the Indian coffee I ordered. It's served in a metal cup placed in a metal dish. You pour the coffee into the other repeatedly - back and forth - to build a frothy head and to help cool it. It comes out piping hot and difficult to sip at first, so it was a good thing he knew to do it. 

On the walk home, Federico and I stumbled onto an open air opera show at  public square. 

It was pretty great to hear the concert in this very dramatic night setting - so Fench, I thought. 
-—-—-

And that is the final log of my vacation journal that all of you voyoures have been following!

 The trip was long and full of valuable experiences that remind me to travel more. I need to leave the country more than once a decade - that's my lesson learned.   Over 7 days in London was a great indulgence. Revisiting scotland was  absolutely wonderful. The wedding, though, was clearly the most fun part. It was perfect and everyone involved were people I deeply enjoyed meeting and getting to know. If Dana invited me to that wedding every year, I'd come. 

Paris was a surprisingly relaxing way to transition into the 95+ degree humid reality that I fly back to. The fun of all the people I met at each place is what made it a great trip. 

OK, I'll stop rambling now. 

(By the time any of you read this, I'll probably be in the air.)

Fin