Winding Down Paris

Yesterday was the strangest weather day I remember having here.  In fact, it was down right manic-depressive.  Bright sun one minute, pouring rain the next.  Repeat.  Weird.

We had a pre-graduation ceremony lunch here for Mlle Cordon-Bleu.

Then we walked down the street to a very swanky building  to watch the newest chefs receive their toques and diplomas.  The room was a tad warm and the ceremony a tad loooong, and I was glad I hadn’t gotten off of a plane from the US that morning, as most of our companions had done.  Yawn.

Our patience was rewarded with champagne in rooms that looked out at this.

The sun is out this morning and the air is crisp.  I got up early and made my final trip to the flea market until I return in September.

I love this market, which is called Porte de Vanves, because it is an easy metro ride from my apartment, and is not so large that it can’t be done in an hour.  There is a little of everything here.  Dishes, glasses, silver, crystal, paintings, jewelry, clothes, magazines, linens….you get the idea.  I love poking through it all at a leisurely pace.  Mark would rather drink battery acid.

I rarely buy much, but I have taken a shine to these old bottles.  I know some used to hold milk, and some might be canning  jars.  I love the color and the shape and the “La Lorraine” and the thistle on the top.

Sometimes I put flowers in them, and yesterday I used them for table decorations for Mlle’s lunch.

Now that I have whipped you all into a frenzy with my Martha Stewart channeling, I must go clean up the remnants of yesterday’s festivities and think about packing for my trip to Tuscany on Monday.  I return on Thursday, just in time to fly to Houston on Friday.  I will be taking Wonderchien home with me, and he is pretty pumped to be returning to Texas.  He’ll miss the random pieces of baguette on the sidewalks, but that ‘s about it.

If I am not able to post Mais Oui Tuscany from Italy, I will do it from Houston.  Because that’s just the kind of girl I am.

Ciao!