— Audrey Hepburn
We answered the tug on our heartstrings with a five-week hiatus in the US celebrating grandson Charlie’s 4th birthday and reuniting with family and friends in LR, KC, California, and Idaho. Long-stay visas required by France finally materialized and we returned to Paris on August 1 to resume our year of living french-ly.
August is a great time to be in Paris unless one has his heart set on dining at a particular restaurant or munching on goodies from a preferred bakery. Sure, it can be hot — almost as hot as Little Rock — and there are long lines waiting at the Louvre and Orsay museums. But about half the residents are on vacation since french proprietors don’t worry that patrons will desert them if they close their doors for a month. Everyone understands. Recently, Diane’s nephew started a new job in Paris that came with five weeks of paid vacation from the get-go. Leisure time is a priority and essential to the french way of life.
The city feels tranquil and easy. “Beaches” created on canals and quays along the Seine try to fool Mother Nature. In the evenings, they are full of folks lounging and sipping icy drinks and eating the ice cream, gelato, and sorbet that frenchmen adore.
Luckily, we remember most of our learning and pretend that we blend in with the native speakers in our 7th arrondissement neighborhood. Our rented studio lives large with its view of the Eiffel Tower as its centerpiece. From our balcony, we gaze over rooftops dotted with smokestacks and leafy terraces at the iconic structure made ever more evident at night by its cloak of 20,000 silvery bulbs and 336 golden spotlights. From dusk until 1 or 2 am, depending on the season, the Iron Lady is transformed into a golden torch topped by a rotating beam. On the hour, she twinkles brilliantly for 5 minutes and for her final performance each night, the golden lights go off leaving just the sparkling lights to transform her for ten minutes into a giant silver sparkler waving her spits of light over the sleeping city.
We have no agenda and pride ourselves on being roamers who love to wander at our own pace. The funicular at the base of Montmartre carried us to the foot of the Basilica Sacré Cœur where we began our stroll through the tiny cobblestoned streets of the village that evolved from the 10th century. At the base of the mountain, we witnessed the gentrification of Pigalle, the site of the Moulin Rouge and the area of Paris long considered the official red-light district.
After we returned to the Left Bank, Renie visited his favorite Paris museum, the Cluny, while I went to the former home of 19th-century painter Eugène Delacroix, now a museum housing tools from the artist’s studio and some of his paintings.
One evening, near the center of Paris, inside the intimacy of Saint-Ephrem-le-Syriaque, a church known for its outstanding acoustics, we enjoyed a candlelit concert of six Bach suites for solo cello. One afternoon, we sought out a movie theater showing “Elvis” dubbed in French. We had almost as much fun hearing Elvis the King speak French as we did years ago when we watched John Wayne do the same in “The Longest Day.”
As always, our favorite moments were those we spent with friends: dinner at Bistro du Dome with Diane’s brother, Richard; lunch with Parisian friends in a flower bedecked restaurant perched above a shady oasis not far from the Pantheon in the 5th; and cocktails with Renie’s partner, Dr. Ray Parker, and his wife Wendy.
We plan to come back to Paris in mid November just before our flight home for Thanksgiving and Christmas. But now we’re off to seek a cooler clime— in the Alps.
Renie & Diane
Travel in Le Troisième Âge 
Another great summary of your adventures in Paris. You are living a dream come true! I love seeing your smiles, and it made me happy to see you took the time to see the movie, “Elvis”. It must have been strange to hear his songs in French! Keep having a wonderful time and sending updates!
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Good to read back from you…as there was no news I feared something important might have happened !
Now you know Paris better than I do..
It seems your compass steers to the east as you are heading to the Alps…let me know when you ll be bending to the west.
I hope we manage to spend some time before November.
Good journey.
Olivier
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Sounds like you are having a blast. Keep it up
and keep in touch!
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Grand report of new August adventures … 🇫🇷🇫🇷 You are doing the most wonderful mix of things … love you FC and FCS.
In Dallas airport … just back from Canada which was spectacular .. ❤️❤️❤️
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Loved reading this. So beautifully written. ❤️😍❤️
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Another brilliant commentary! Love the pics . You two are in your element , and smart to go in August to have it all to yourself! Enjoy and be safe! Love, Vicki
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After your trip you need to build a map that shows where all you went. That museum looked very crowded. You both look very relaxed.
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Love your posts. Just the right length, but detailed enough to make me envious. Enjoy!
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Love your posts! We will be in Paris in October for 2 weeks. Seems like you all will be elsewhere? We are there the middle 2 weeks. Know you are enjoying your improved French! We are spending a lot of time in Highlands, NC- beating the Atlanta heat and traffic! Laura’s third child will be one Oct 1 and we are really enjoying spending the ime with her. She is chatty and on the move! We willl be in LR in Nov for a few nights for his checkup. Every 6 months now. Miss having my cosmos at Treetops!
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Je viens de passer un bon moment a Paris en lisant le compte-rendu de votre sejour.
Vous profitez bien de votre annee “Frenchy”, c’est magnifique…..
Je quitterai KC pour la France le 7 septembre. Si vous visitez la Nouvelle Aquitaine n’oubliez pas de passer a Jarnac et a Cognac.
Bien amicalement,
Jackie
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You sound so happy to be back! Love the pics. You look like the attractive Parisian residents I remember who gather in cafes on every boulevard. Enjoy! Know you are missed . Lee and Burton
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Diane. What a wonderful journey back to Paris for me! You write so well and make me feel like I am there. Thanks for sharing. Love to you and Renie. Brendan
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What fabulous time y’all are obviously having. It was so good talking to you while you were home, still enjoying the wonderful “goodie bag” you gave me! never been to Europe but following your wonderful writings and pictures makes me feel as if I was there.
Thanks so much for the great updates. About the same here, Tom still angry about his situation. So will just take it one day at a time.
Continue to have a wonderful journey,
Pegie
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Lovely descriptions of Paris! Beautiful photos of Eiffel tower!
The Cloisters in NYC have Lady and the Unicorn tapestry. Will check to see when and where they were created.
Looking forward to your next entry!
Love you both,
Kathleen
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Paris was waiting for you!
So happy you are back and continuing your very special year. Sounds like you are off and running – or leisurely strolling – and exploring every nook & cranny. You and Renie look very at home.
Enjoy every minute and have fun!
Love,
Sandra & Bob
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