Day 2

As a person whose family moved around a lot (my mother was known for not having a house more than five years even in the same city), outside of Washington DC, the only other place I feel at home is Paris. I know its streets, its ambiance, its vibe so to speak, how to navigate it, its history and language and its cuisine. Coming here is coming home. Coming with Judy and newlyweds Margot and Ben is very special indeed.

What a day! Margot and Ben arrive at 8:30 am and fly through the new biometrics to arrive at 9:40. Letting Ben rest a bit we off to the gardens of the Palais Royal (after picking up out 4 day museum passes), then along the Seine and back to pick up Ben at our place on the Ile de Saint Louis. Then off to lunch at my favorite spot, Ma Bourgogne at the Place des Vosages (another secret garden). It was a long, relaxing French lunch with a few glasses of Sancerre. We stopped for a visit to Victor Hugo’s house (hotel in French terms) the author of the famous Hunchback of Notre Dame and Les Mis.

A little rest, happy hour with champagne and cheese and duck salami. Then off to dinner at C’est Comme a la Maison (ie home cooking), a restaurant with five tables, a chef and a waitress. Great escargots.

A walk back takes us to the Hotel de Guise, the duke made famous by Dumas in the trilogy starting with Queen Margot. Finally, after regaling Margot and Ben about the old key bridge and how we added ours and how the mean authorities took it down on a pretext, brave Margot discoverers a rebellious band of locks - perhaps soon to be joined by another.Read more