At this point the plumber and I have become friends, as you know. He was here again Monday morning to check the shower temperature. It turns out, it’s set on a thermostat that cannot be changed. That’s honestly probably a good idea considering the sink temperatures could definitely cause injury they get so hot. So, I can deal. It’s not cold, it’s just not hot.

I love these exchanges more than any class because they’re real. They’re not following a syllabus or script, it’s literal communication in the real world with a native speaker. It’s the best practice I could ask for, and so I always endeavor to have discussions with the workers and people who live here.

Échafaudage = Scaffolding

I will learn that word. I have to use it a lot these days, and I keep mixing up the syllables.

Yesterday I met my friend Jennifer on Pont Neuf. We picnicked on the Seine, feet dangling above the water, swans passing by. Jennifer brought the wine (rosé), dishes, some snacks – tabouli, hummus, etc. – and I brought the baguette and brie. A fun and creative soul, she packed empty yogurt jars for us to use for the wine. We talked for hours, catching up. We’d met during my first trip here in the spring of 2022, and were thrilled that our paths were again crossing. She has lived here for a year and a half, and has travel from here to many other countries and enjoyed a nomadic life, which suits her, though you’d never guess it upon first meeting her.

We laughed about our crazy theatre class at Alliance Française, the museum trips, and nights we dined out together — especially the time the young diners at the next table asked me if they could taste my french fries because they looked so good. I not only obliged, I started a conversation and told them to pass them ‘round their table. Another night, or maybe it was that same night, when she realized I hadn’t yet seen the Eiffel Tower’s evening glitter performance, she checked her watch saying we have just enough time to catch the last one — told the cabbie to pull over and we hopped out of the cab and ran to the Champs de Mars to watch that night’s final spectacle. I will never forget it.

Champs de Mars = A Park at the foot of the Eiffel Tower (named for the Roman war God, Mars – as it was once used for military drills)