Time with Peggy

On Tuesday, Peggy took the train from Amsterdam to Paris, and arrived at about 1pm.
Just in time for us to walk to Cafe de Flore for lunch with the lovely Victoria Tang. Peggy met
Victoria during her time living here.

Cafe de Flore was terrific. The conversation was marvelous. We continued talking during the drive over to Musee Marmisot (sp?). An old, very large apartment in another area of Paris, it houses many of Monet's works. Apparently, Monet's son offered the works to the Louvre upon the artist's death, but the offer was declined.  The museum was also hosting an exhibit of expressionists.  That art is marked by strong colors and bold strokes/lines. 

Victoria was kind enough to drive Peggy and I to Peggy's former neighborhood, near avenue de terne.  We shopped for a bit, then headed up avenue wagram toward the arc du triumph.  We were lucky enough to arrive at the arc in time for a daily ritual - a parade of veterans who march to the arc and lay a wreath. 

Peggy and I then walked down the Champs, admiring the incredible storefronts.  We dropped into Louis Vitton to view the merchandise and the store's incredible decor.  We decided that we liked the intricate gold rings on the windows better than the traditional LV bag designs.

We made our way over to a restaurant called laduree (sp?).  It is famous for breakfast and the ultra-sweet macaroon cookies.  We wanted neither of those, but wandered into their bar to sit for a glass of wine.  The bar was unusual.  It was as if we were immersed in an aqua spider web with butterflies clinging to the walls.  After enjoying a lovely break, we made our way back to the hotel to drop our things and head out for dinner.  It is a short walk from the hotel to Blvd. St. Germain.  We chose a nice restaurant there.  We shared a vegetable plate and a salad.  Both were delightful.  We turned in for the night.

Following another nice breakfast in the hotel lobby, Peggy and I traveled to Pont Nouilly (sp?), to visit the Mary Mont school her kids attended for several years.  Rumor is that this school is the house that inspired the Madeleine books.  We took a tour of the schools new gym, science facilities and classrooms.  It seems like a wonderful haven for children from around the world. 

We made a return trip to Peggy's neighborhood to retrieve some goodies for Brian, Shannon and Steve.  We stopped for lunch at Chez Clement (Brian's favorite restaurant, and the place where Kathy and I enjoyed an incredible lunch several years ago).  At Monoprix, Peggy purchased some baked goods for the family. 

Unfortunately, our time together was winding down and we had to return to the hotel to get her suitcase.  She left for the train station at about 4:15.  I then waited for Mark to return from his meeting. 

Mark got here at 6:15.  We sat in the lobby, chatting about this and that, for about an hour.  The lobby is decorated with many gold suns (Hotel Louis II - the sun king) and wonderful artwork, all backed by lovely tan velvet wallpaper, giving a soft cozy feeling to the room.

We dined with Mark's client group at a neighborhood restaurant near Pont Nouilly, ironically enough.  It was a wonderful evening.

Here is a slideshow: