We met one of my co-workers and her husband for dinner at Chez Janou. We enjoyed a long meal with entertaining waiter, multiple courses, and all you can eat chocolate mousse! At the end of the meal, the waiter coerced us from the table with after dinner drinks at the bar. All in all, a fine evening. We met Martin and Caroline at Place Delphine on Il de Citi, one of my favorite spots. We sat at one of the cafes and had a beer, talked and watched the activity in the small park. It was as busy as I've ever seen it - usually its pretty quiet.
After the drinks, we set off for the Marais and the restaurant. It was very busy in the city this night - Gay Pride parade and festivities. We stayed on the islands as long as possible, but once off we were in the thick of it! We saw some pretty interesting things! One in particular outfit (a man wearing a cardboard leaf strategically placed instead of pants) brought a fit of laughter to a passing woman. I don't know which was funnier - the outfit or her reaction! As long as we were on the main streets, we were with the crowds, but once we turned up into Place de Vosges, all became quiet. The road Chez Janou was on was positively peaceful... until you got inside. Inside it is a lively place and always jammed. We had made a reservation - but for some reason, the bartender didn't want me to look at the list and show him my name. We waited briefly but were seated at exactly the same table we sat at 3 years ago with Debbie's cousin Eliza. I ordered what I thought were fried smelt for the entre' - turned out to be fried calamari (which I wouldn't have gotten, but was excellent). The waiter teased Debbie about not finishing her goat cheese that came with the salad - very friendly guy - talked to us as though we could understand what he said! No Confit de Canard on the menu tonight - desolay! Had a few bottles of house red and 3 hours later were ready to go.
We walked Martin and Caroline to their room near Les Halles, which took us back into the festivities. They are staying in a small apartment directly above the Banana Cafe, a gay bar. I'll be curious if they got any sleep! The Les Halles area is always one of the busiest areas - and also seems pretty sketchy. I used to walk through it every day returning from work in 2009. But I didn't usually go through it at night. After saying good night, Deb and I returned home on the #1, getting in about midnight (late for us!).
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