Springtime in Paris
One of the best parts of life in Paris is dinning alfresco. We truly enjoy it. Pierre works at home on Wednesdays. This week it was a gorgeous spring day, so we decided to have lunch at a local bistro. We waited until about 1:30 in the afternoon so as to miss the work crowd rush. We found a spot outside mostly in the shade. Our waiter brought us a couple of menus and the water glasses for our carafe d’eau. The waiters here are usually the only ones taking care of all of the tables both inside and outdoors. If its a particularly busy location there may be up to 3. They do the bussing as well. Thus the carafe of water. There is no dedicated water person.
We always take the carafe of water. It’s free. The water quality in Paris is some of the best in the world. Zac Efron talked about it in his documentary series. There are even sparkling water fountains located around the city its so good! There’s no need to purchase water at a Parisien restaurant.
We had found a seat next to an elderly woman who was dressed to the nines. She reluctantly removed her Louis Vuitton handbag from the seat that I was waiting to occupy. The waiter dragged over the blackboard of specials and took our drink orders. Pierre decided on the special of dorade with sautéed vegetables. I took the salade chèvre chaude… warm goat cheese salad… one of my favorites and a classic. Pierre took a glass of chenin blanc and i a glass of Minuty. Rose wine in the spring is a must in France. Minuty is a favorite. It’s not sweet or fruity like American rose wines can be. Just Refreshing .
As we sipped our drinks and waited for our lunch to arrive, our table neighbor began engaging us in conversation. She was probably in her mid 80s if i were to guess. I am always amused at the senior people around Paris. They are out and about daily. They have their favorite places to visit, but they also enjoy having conversations with all of the local shop keepers as well. Everyone in the neighborhood knows them. I talked all about that in my “Art of Conversation” blog. Our neighbor also had the fish with a basket of bread and entire carafe of wine to wash it down. She also had the apple tart for desert. She chatted with us the whole time that we were there beside her. It was such a pleasure to see her enjoying the lovely day and her lovely meal.
We ran a couple errands before heading back home and saw her wondering slowly down the avenue in her fancy outfit, designer handbag and trendy sunglasses. French people know how to enjoy life as long as they can. I love that!
