Bonsoir - the weather is changing and days are getting shorter. It is now dark when I rise and by 8pm or so. We've had some days that required coats with highs below 70F. But this last weekend was Indian Summer - sunny and perfect t-shirt weather. Debbie and I had a final day before she returned to Tucson on Sunday. We had both lunch and dinner out!It is also a special weekend in Paris - not sure what the proper name is, but many government buildings are open to the public (ones that usually are not). Also, many museums are free - we took advantage going to the Musee de Cluny (museum of medieval art) on Saturday. This was different, as the building used to be a Roman bath house. It is supposed to be the northern-most remaining bath house. I did feel a bit like I was back in Rome - it is much more open and airy than most historic buildings here. There were also some good tapestries (the "Lady and the Unicorn" is the theme). There were pleasant gardens around the museum also.
We joined a colleague from work and his girlfriend for lunch. Olivier lives in the same area as us (the Marais) and we have met him and Joelle once before. Originally, Olivier provided us with info about where to eat and shop. Now, he is asking for our list! We went to a Salon de The' (tea) L'Ebouillante for lunch and had some North African crepe-like things filled with vegetables and cheese. Pretty good stuff.Sunday, I took Debbie to the airport (about my 4th trip there in the last few weeks). Basically, you must leave our apartment about 3 hours before the plane departs to get through everything. It really makes me miss the 1 hour I needed to plan on in Tucson. I had also made a short trip to London Luton airport last Thursday to get my passport stamped. Deb and my 3 months "tourist" period in France ended this weekend - hence Debbie's departure and my trip. You must leave France and return if you go beyond the 3 months (provided you don't have paperwork to allow you to stay longer). My trip was on EasyJet (a British discount airline). I have now flown on Ryan Air, EasyJet and Southwest - I must say that Southwest has their act together best of the 3 (of course limited experience on the other 2).
Anyway, after Debbie leaving, I was a bit depressed, so I kept busy with activities. Went to service at the American Church of Paris ("Praise and Glory" style at the late service). Then off to the Musee de la Marine at the Trocadero. I wasn't so impressed with the museum (unless you like models of ships - which are pretty elaborate), but the Trocadero is interesting. You have an excellent view of the Eiffel Tower from across the river. And there are fountains and gardens that are picturesque. Most interesting is the people-watching. I saw 3 different protests going on (against nuclear weapons, for the Tamil Tigers - which is interesting by itself, and against China for some human rights issue). I recommend going just to sit and watch. I hope to return in the evening to watch the tower light up!
From there, I went to Invalides to the Musee de L'Armee (Army). I have been before, and what I really wanted to see again was Napoleon's tomb. There was something new that I enjoyed also - a section on Charles de Gaule that covered his 
history (very modern with lots of special effects). And who doesn't get tired of seeing army stuff - guns, tanks, etc.? I do get a bit tired of the swords and uniforms from the olden days! In the end, I didn't get home until about 7pm, stopping at the boulangerie Vincent for a hot dog mutard (with mustard - this has 2 hot dogs inside a baked roll with mustard - a little different than at the ballpark), a pomme (apple) crumble, a half baguette, and an Orangina (orange soda that taste more like OJ than normal orange soda - a good thirst-quencher). I think my meals will be a bit different without a dinner partner!All for now. Cheers.
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