A quick return home to re calculate our attire and we hop on the Metro heading for Port de Clignioncourt, where the most famous Marche aux Puces (Flea Market) is located. The ride is 15 stops, and as we climb towards the street we begin to recall where we are. It's been many years since our last visit but we find our sea legs and head towards Marche Paul Bert, our favorite section.
Here is the Marche aux Puces at Porte de Clignoncourt...with some of the sights and wares just waiting to be bargained for. It's only open Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays, and it goes on forever...always SO MUCH FUN!!
The weather is spectacular and the market crowded with locals and a smattering of foreigners. It's 1:30pm and we locate bistro Paul Bert after some directions from shop owners. The restaurant has had a face lift over the years but remains a simple bistro with outdoor tables and tight indoor seating. Waitresses are working furiously but efficiently and we are seated at 2pm. This was a great nostalgic lunch and worth the effort. We strolled all over Paul Bert and walked back to the Metro for home to relax and get ready for our dinner at Jim's.
We arrive at the home of Jim Haynes promptly at 8pm. Jim is an American ex Pat who has lived in Paris for more than forty years. He was a professor, writer, theatre owner in London and more. He is a charming host, 78 years old now, and has this Sunday dinner thing (every week) down to a science. We are the first to arrive with two young women from Denver. Guests arrive constantly and Jim makes sure that each guest is announced to the growing crowd and one to one as he works the room. Shamus prepares dinner....it's moussaka, a Greek specialty, and well made. It's a stand up dinner in a crowded room with about forty guests and everyone is friendly. We chat up everyone but especially Shana Colbin, a lovely shop owner from Denver in Paris on a buying trip for her three stores. She brought along two employees and two friends and they will be in Paris for three days then fly to Istambul. We exchange contact info and continue chatting for a long time. We also meet a lovely London couple, Tim Johanson, a young theatre producer, and his girl friend, Charlotte Langely. They are charming and Tim is bringing an off-Broadway show, Brits Off Broadway, to New York in June and heard we were from NYC. We have much in common with these twenty-somethings and talk at length, as they are quite worldly and know American politics, as most Europeans do. We plan to see them in NY.
Throughout the evening we meet dozens of friendly strangers all brought together serendipitously by Jim Haynes. We speak mostly English all night and Jim recommends an English speaking dentist for Jill, as part of a tooth cracked off while eating a piece of cheese at lunch. At about 10:30 the party starts to break up and we end up walking to the Metro with Shana and her group. Six babes and Marty. What could be bad? We are charmed by these bright, intelligent women in their early forties and younger, in Paris for the first time and soaking it all in. We take pictures on the Metro, say our good-byes and leave them at our Metro stop St. Placide and walk home.
- Here's where we arrive at Jim Haynes' for dinner with many other expats and people passing through Paris who have learned of his weekly soirées...lots of fun and an interesting melange of people...we talk to everybody of course...
- Here's Shana and her group...
We close the evening with some FaceTime with our daughter Deana...just amazing how communications have changed over these past forty-five years!
Good night, Paris...sweet dreams...
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