It’s Election Day here in Paris! 🇫🇷

I went for another run in my favorite park, Le Jardin du Luxembourg. It’s overcast today with random splashes of brilliant sunshine, so there were fewer sunners and runners. I don’t know why, but 65 degrees feels chillier here than it does at home. There is often a breeze (or wind!) making umbrellas worthless when it rains.

After my run, I made my way to a nearby market and scored some of my favorite yogurt (Yes!) and a few other necessities. Ok, so I can take this opportunity to practice some French with you:

J’ai acheté des yaourts aux myrtilles, des oeufs, des biscuits du thé, de la chantilly (pour mon café), des tomates, une éponge, et un wrap tomate, basilic et mozzarella pour déjeuner.

Since I’m planning a little excursion tomorrow, I needed to buy a Metro day pass, called a Mobilis. I made my way to my local Metro Station, Saint-Placide, but the gate was down C’était fermé, so I followed a local guy (unbeknownst to him) to the next nearest Metro station about two blocks away. Made my purchase at the machine. All set. It’s good for the whole day, and doesn’t count till you start using it – which activates it.

I just enjoyed half of my sandwich wrap, having added some of that marvelous French mayonnaise, and it was sublime. I looked up what the difference is between French and American mayo, and it seems it’s the Dijon. It’s perfect (to me), and I may never go back to Hellmann’s. The French brand is called, « Maille. » They’ve been around since 1747, and apparently, they « …are convinced that life is much tastier when we eat and cook with passion: the passion to carefully select ingredients, to create, to feel, to explore and to cook in order to live and convey our emotions, to taste tasty dishes. » Wow.

You can buy some of their mustard with chablis, or parmesan cheese, or with shredded white truffles from Alba. And you can get your very own « Maille » jar with your name imprinted/engraved on it. I’m there. I want my own pot of this stuff. There are also « tasting notes » to help you select the intensity level. I’ve had some that really clean your clocks!

Yesterday, I went searching for the very specific French sweater (le pull) called a mariner/marinière. Yes, they really do wear them here. They’re quite popular and you’d rarely see a caricature or French stereotype wearing something else. You see them a lot – and for every season and various colors. I couldn’t find the original one I’d spotted in a storefront some weeks ago, so I headed home empty-handed. And that’s when I spotted those familiar stripes in a shop window on my very street! In fact, I found the perfect Marnière pour moi. It even has a small embroidered red heart on the left side amidst the stripes, and, one of the stripes near the bottom of the sweater — just one — is a matching red. Je l’aime! It’s otherwise navy and cream. Interestingly enough, the name of the shop was « Maille M. » And once again, I had a lovely chat with the charming saleswoman.

There are apparently 5 such Statues of Liberty en France. I’ve now seen and photographed two of them.

Classes don’t start for me till Wednesday, so I’m doing some touristy things tomorrow, and will take Tuesday to prep for classes. My two classes are on the same days, back-to-back, so they’ll be LONGER days, but not 5 days a week.

À bientôt!