Day 12,13 A brush with fame

The weather continues to be cold which means our activities are a little restricted. Saturday morning was spent in the snow at our local food markets, which appear near the metro station twice a week. Some of the stallholders are even getting to know us- one refers to us as the ‘wallabies’ referring to Australia’s national rugby team. This week we bought fresh ravioli, apricots, mandarins, veal cordon bleu, fresh farm eggs and a loaf of champagne bread. Next week we hope to buy a small rabbit to roast, some freshly minced meat and some roasted chestnuts. We are planning ahead!!

The afternoon was cold and drizzly so we walked down to our local cinema and watched a VO movie, version original. We sat in a rather small cinema with no more than 10 other people and watched a movie in English called It’s Complicated, in French it’s called Pas si Simple. We have long enjoyed watching French movies with English subtitles, so it was fun to watch an English-speaking movie with French subtitles.

Sunday was a busy day as we attended two different church services, the most impressive being the one at the American Protestant Church of Paris. A great sermon, some great modern hymns, an incredible building and a very friendly group made it a very pleasant experience. In the afternoon we returned to Trinity International Church, which we had visited last Sunday. After the second service we went for a wonderful late afternoon, wander through the Latin Quarter. We were feeling cold and in need of sustenance so we ventured into a café called La Rhumerie. We enjoyed a hot chocolate but noticed some women near us were eating something that looked and smelt delicious. We asked the waiter if ‘we could have what they are having?’ The women overheard our request and nodded and encouraged us in limited English that we had made the right choice. They then watched with eager anticipation as we tried some delicious little deep fried fish cakes. They did not disappoint!

Finally we had an amazing brush with fame – yes real fame. Richard wandered to les toilettes des messieurs and on the way back was sure that he had seen someone at a nearby table who he recognised. He came back to our table amazed to have seen this person in such an ordinary cafe. We decided to wait a while to see if it really was the person he thought it was. After awhile a well dress guy (who looked a lot like a secret service agent) appeared, paid the bill, and surveyed the restaurant before an older man followed him out. Other restaurant patrons also recognized him and one even jumped up and had his picture taken with the great man. As he passed us we said hello, and he nodded an acknowledgement to us. Richard had to restrain himself from challenging him about nuclear testing in the Pacific…yes it was Jacques Chirac the President of France from 1995-2007. Wow!