Beautiful day here. Il fait beau

I did my morning exercise, showered, went to the grocery store, bought flowers and got a text from my friend inviting me to an event at Alliance Française.

Au debut de chaque nouvelle semestre, il y a un événement pour les étudiants et nous prenons un verre ensemble en campus. I am not currently a student, but you are always considered part of AF, or an alum, so of course I could go. It’s funny because this event happens every month, yet this was my first time going.

I met some new people, but didn’t get attached since I’m leaving in 8 days. We all shared our stories and backgrounds and toasted one another. It was a lovely event on a lovely afternoon, and I saw 5 or more guides from the Cultural Office while there, which was wonderful. Every time I turned around, one of them was saying, « Lisa, ça va? » My new friends looked at me like, are you a celebrity? Lol! No, I’ve just been coming to classes here for 5 months, so they all know me because I took advantage of all the cultural trips/tours/films, etc.

From here, my friend and I enjoyed a quick coffee at my boulangerie, and then I dashed home to freshen up and head over to the Bon Marché area, which is where Irene and I always meet.

David was on the bench, so I gave him the rest of my baguette. He was grateful. I sat and chatted for about an hour, and asked if I could take a selfie of the two of us. Souvenir, he said? YES!

I freshened up and headed to see Irene. It was so good to see her again. We took a table à l’extérieur as usual, and had a front-row view of the passers-by. We enjoyed our wine, toasted each other, and caught up once more. She’d stayed longer in Spain than she’d originally planned, so we took our time sharing stories. And we laughed a lot — a whole lot — mostly over my stories because I’m her crazy American friend who has coffee with homeless people on the bench, and she finds me very funny with all the situations I get myself into.

I grew serious for a moment though, because I realized it would be the last timeI was seeing her. I told her how grateful I was for her friendship. She was my first friend here. She prepared a special Basque meal for me in her home. And we shared so many coffees, wines, lunches, and classes together. I thanked her and told her how much I would miss our meetings.

In return, she said the same. She doesn’t have a lot of friends here, and was grateful, too. She’s happier because she will be returning to Spain more often, so she had a glow. She’s not a city bird, like me. And then she said, I have a picture I took from my balcony here in Paris. I want you to paint it for me, and I’ll pay you. I’m honored she asked. And I would love do that for her as a gift.

It was time to check in with my Bestie from the U.S. She and her family had quite a delay leaving Philadelphia (probably due to NY weather and air traffic), so they were exhausted. I asked if she was up to my coming over for a bit, and she said YES!!! So, Irene and I parted, and I took two Métros to Le Marais, where she’s staying with her husband and adult daughter.

I couldn’t believe we were seeing each other in Paris. We laughed at how we dreamed of such things when playing with our Barbie dolls, but it was real now. And it was the most normal feeling ever, which really made us laugh. We walked around her quartier, chatting and had to pull out CityMapper to go back to her hotel. Then we all went to dinner together, and I taught Harry how to ask for the check, and he nailed it.

They bought some groceries for their rooms and it was time to say goodnight. We’d be seeing each other the next day.

It was late, and I vacillated between taking the Métro or the bus and erred in choosing the bus. The stop was too far – so I backtracked to the Métro. I caught the train, but as I headed for my second connection — I just missed it — and watched it pull away. I didn’t think much of it. However, a woman came and said, « Madame, c’était la dernier train pour la nuit. »

Uh-oh.

She told me the best exit to take for the bus I needed, and I thanked her and proceeded to walk to the bus stop. I’d had a FULL day with wonderful friends, but I was tired. The bus was showing a 19-minute wait. Le sigh. I decided to look for a cab, and worst case scenario, call an Uber. About 100 taxis drove by — but all of them were red/occupied. The bus was still my backup. Finally, I saw a green light on a cab and flagged him.

As we rode to my street, the cabbie and I chatted a lot. His name was Leo. I have used all of these opportunities to practice my French. It’s so much fun! We had a long ride, so the conversation was lively. When we got to my place, he plugged his phone number into my phone and told me to call him if I needed a ride to the airport on the 10th. Sweet. I may just give Leo a call. But, if you’ve been following me, I had another cabbie give me his card way back in February, and I owe him one! So we shall see. My flight is early, and they may not be interested in the fare.

It was a full day of friendships, old and new, and my heart was full.