Saturday in the Park

Bonjour,
Well, I finally went for a run today (first time since arriving).  First, I consulted the map to make sure I wouldn't end up somewhere totally different than expected.  It was only about a 5 minute run to get from the apartment to Bois de Boulogne, the big park to the west of Paris.  Once there, I spent most of the time circling around a lake in the park.  It was a nice cool morning, even if a bit humid, and it seemed like I was going downhill most of the time.  Not sure how that works, but I've been looking for that trail since I started running.  There were quite a few runners out.  It is a bit different here - in the US, when you pass people running, frequently you acknowledge each other - especially if you're out in a park or on a trail.  Here, no one makes eye contact.  Maybe it's a French thing, maybe it's a big city thing.  But Debbie met a couple yesterday helping with the meal for the homeless who are French and lived in Washington DC for 25 years.  They say the same thing about the French!  When you have some connection with someone, they are usually very gracious.  But, if you don't have some specific connection, then it's like you aren't there.  Ce' bon - whatever! 

It was such a nice day that Debbie and I both walked the same route after I returned home.  It took us a new direction on Victor Hugo, so we found some interesting new restaurants along the way also!  Before the big park, there are a couple small garden parks - those may be nice for Debbie during the day.  She can walk over and read or knit in the park.  The big park is much larger - we only covered a small part of it.  Roland Garros is at the far south end.  I noticed that Musee Mamottan-Monet is not too far (one of my favorites), so we will have to walk over to it sometime also.  After our walk around the lake, we took a little break in the gardens and then had a good lunch at Le Pain Quotidien.  It's a brunch and lunch place that offers lots of organic stuff.  In spite of that, it was very good (Debbie said it was her best Paris meal so far!).  The organic beer was cold and tasted great also.  Lots of salad choices that we haven't even tried yet!