Cafe and steak and frites (a weekend of vices)

So yesterday was Bastille Day! Yea!

I went to the parade on the Champs Elysees. It was pretty cool, the whole military marches in it. There were these fighter jets that spewed red, white and blue smoke behind them so you could see the French flag in the sky. It was pretty cool, just very crowded. Then, I went and got a picnic lunch from a patiserrie and ate on the Champs de Mar, the huge lawn in front of the Eiffel Tower. Very cool.

That night, Kathy and I went to this restaurant that was amazing. There is no menu, you just walk in and they ask how you want your meat cooked. Then they bring you unlimted steak and frites in this crazy good sauce. When you're done, they serve you more. I know you would love it, Mom, I thought of you when I went there. I got profiteroles for dessert, they were crazy good, with a hot chocolate sauce, but cold ice cream inside. Talk about a taste sensation.

We tried to go see the fireworks at the Eiffel Tower, but once we got there, they were over, and we had to walk home because there was a huge line for the metro that police were regulating. A fun day.

Today Kathy and I walked along the Seine and checked out all the cool booths there. These booths sell maps that are from the 1880s for like 10 euros, along with antique postcards, old books, postcards, art, etc. Just really cool and affordable.

Then we went to Les Deux Magots. This cafe used to have Hemingway, Sartre, Picasso and Camus frequent it. Subsequently, now it is very expensive. We went for drinks, to cut down on the price. I got a cafe creme, which they brought out on a fancy silver platter with little jugs of creme and coffee. I've never drunk coffee before I came here, and now I am always dying to try some coffee everywhere I go. It seems I am picking up all sorts of vices here. It was quite good. As we sat there, a mini parade went by. Basically, there is this car that is called something like a Mini 600 that is an Italian car, and they had new ones and old ones in a long procession going down this street. Some had Italian and French flags on them, some were bright pink or yellow, they were really cute. Everyone was getting a kick out of them. The guy next to us was French and he explained all of this to us. He asked if I was from the States, and I said yes, and he mentioned that he had just gone to Washington to give a lecture on human rights about the Christian minority in Jerusalem, and I thought, "Wow so this guy is someone important!" Then I mentioned that I was big on environmentalism and he talked about the environmental policy in France, and all about the ministers here who do work on the environment. He apologized for his poor English, which was actually fantastic, and I told him that my French was much worse. We talked for a while then he left, and wished us a good time in Paris. I love meeting nice people like this. When people say the French are rude, it is true for some of them, just like how some Americans are rude. In general, they are just more polite than Americans, so like the guide books say, when they're "rude" it is probably because you are doing something rude (which you may not even realize!). He was very nice, so if you want to meet fun new people, go to cafes like this and strike up a conversation!

Love to all!
Emily