Day 11 in Paris

An evening walk in Montmatre

Today was the perfect day in Paris.

I know that I have been saying that almost everyday (except for the day that the waiter yelled at me) but today was particularly perfect. This didn’t stem from a particular event but was more of a overall feeling and both my Mom and I felt it.

Do you ever have those fleeting moments when you feel perfectly at home in the world?

They don’t happen everyday but today was a day where me, my Mom and Paris truly clicked. We didn’t do anything earth shattering, in fact we went and saw and did far less than on most of the other days of our visit.

I did get up early to have coffee with my friend Jack who moved to Paris, from Vancouver, a couple of years ago. In addition to his teaching and writing gigs he also oversees the sublet on an apartment his friends rent three months each summer when they head back to Canada. We were ostensibly meeting for me to check out the flat for a possible future stay but the highlight of our time together was having a cafe crème at his local café and talking for 45 minutes.

I came home to have a late breakfast with my Mom and then we headed down to the Rodin museum which is one of my very favourite spots in Paris. It seems an odd choice in many ways. In general I am not a big sculpture fan or even a huge Rodin fan but this museum with the display of works in his one-time temporary accommodations, surrounded by rose gardens and a large pond and a stunning view of the Eiffel Tower wins me over every time. It is a small collection of his works, some of which are displayed in the gardens, and so one always has enough time to thoughtfully appreciate each piece.

On our way to the Rodin Museum my Mom found the “Paris dress” that she has been coveting since our arrival. We stumbled upon a lovely dress shop with a patient and enthusiastic sales lady and voila, my Mom found a flattering cream coloured, scoop neck, sleeveless, light crepe material dress with small flecks of blue and green. The flecks look a bit like confetti and she is planning on wearing it to my cousin’s wedding so that made it all the more perfect.

Tonight we met up with my very, very dear and sweet friend Jeannot for dinner. Jeannot is a Parisian born film and television director who frequently visits us in Vancouver and he is truly one of my favourite people in the world. He is a man that always makes you feel like your best self.

Jeannot is spending a few months in Europe with his family before heading back to Los Angeles for work in August. His family is based in London and so it was sheer good luck that he happened to be in Paris during our stay. We planned to have dinner and he booked us a reservation at one of his favourite bistros just off the Champs Élysées.

Chez Savy is a traditional French bistro and we enjoyed everything from the charcuterie plate with the saucisson sec to the raw mushroom salad and the lamb shoulder main course to the cherry clafoutis, cheese course and a mirabelle eau de vie. The laughter and conversation were very good too.

After dinner we walked down Avenue Montaigne and saw the Eiffel Tower lit up in all of it’s glory. It was on my Mom’s list of things to see in Paris.

And then, on our walk home from the métro, we witnessed the lights in our neighbourhood that were quietly impressive and inspiring in their own way. The perfect ending to our very, very good day.