Joyeux anniversaire à ma « bestie » aux États-Unis – aujourd’hui – le 13 août ! XOXO 🎂 🎉 🥂 Love you, Lee! XOXO

It’s so quiet in the city.

After roasting all day yesterday, I decided to venture out and take advantage of the cooler temps today (cooler being relevant) and head to Montmartre.

Here at the Stalingrad métro station, en route to Montmartre – omg already with the stairs. I lost count.

I miss my partner in crime, Hélène, but I know she’s enjoying her vacation home in Normandie with family. Besides, I can get lost with a map just as well without her! We are just too alike. Blind leading the blind with maps. Thankfully, we are chill and go with the flow types. We are good to meander and discover.

Note: I have always been an excellent speller. I’ve noticed that that skill has slipped a bit as I become more proficient in French! And you know what? I’ll take it. I prefer knowing another language. 😉 I’m not giving in, just noticed I had to check my spelling of meander. I really thought it ended in « or. »

I did some shopping – bought two summer skirts – the light gauzy cotton types with shirts to go along. The ladies were great at selling their products, let me tell you. They threw in discounts and convinced me to buy the second skirt and top. They then gifted me with a necklace as I left, telling me I had the most beautiful smile, French, etc. Like I said, they were good at their jobs! lol! I was happy to buy from them.

Next, I went to the Paris Duck Shop, where you can find yellow rubber duckies of all sorts. All sorts. I purchased airline pilot duckies to gift to the crew for my flight home. It’s a kind of airline family tradition to acknowledge the crew – when you are part of the airline family.

As I collect lighters now – weird, I know – but I do so for myself and my son, Thomas. Neither of us smokes. It’s a long story, but my grandfather served in WWII in the Pacific Theatre and one of my treasured keepsakes from him (he raised me) is his US Army-issued Zippo lighter, in which he hand-scratched all the Pacific Islands he’d visited. His last engraving being « Home Sweet Home, » which kills me every time I read it or think of it. Thomas is his namesake, and so the lighter will go to him, and I tend to buy lighters now.

That said, I found a cool lighter in Montmartre for him, and whilst there, I engaged in conversation with the young men behind the counter. I haven’t said much lately, but the compliments on my French keep coming. And these two guys were shocked that I spoke French so well and « without an accent, » said one. They literally just stared at me in disbelief. I felt chill, blushed a bit, but I suppose it’s that uncommon. Hélène, my partner-in-crime who is usually with me on these trips to Montmartre, tells me the same thing. She is stunned by it. I don’t know any different, but I keep hearing it. And yes, I’m over-the-moon pleased as punch!

Next, I headed downhill (Montmartre!) and found a bakery, bought a slice of quiche for dinner and headed for the métro – which was PACKED!

Once home, I opened the windows and went on the terrasse with Luigi, who promptly hopped the rail. I poured myself a glass of rosé for what else can I do? At one point, when he started peering over the edge a little too often, I brought him in and close the windows. I stayed outside with my wine, cheese, baguette, hummus, and music. It was a heavenly evening, weather-wise, and I soaked up the sun. I even lit a cigarette. Not that I smoked it, because as you all know, I don’t smoke.

Avec du vin rosé – not posing!

Merci, Recto-Verso!