I have a recipe for anyone who just can't get up in the morning. It does entail first dragging your sorry ass out of bed...but after that I guarantee you will be awake. It is really easy. Drag aforementioned ass out of bed, crawl to fridge, open door, inhale STINKY CHEESE, olfactory explosion and voila -- AWAKE. Very easy. You don't ever have to eat the damn cheese. My God, Abe went crazy at the market yesterday and we have many ripe cheeses doing their bacterial thing in our fridge. I reached in to grab, yes, a COKE for those who don't know me and my head blew off. I am now very awake.
Yoga is going much better. A) I can find the damn studio. B) I can get the door to open to the courtyard. C) Manage to traverse the steep but itsy bitsy stairs to get upstairs and D) not nearly as afraid as I was. It just takes going a time or two to start to lose your self consciousness. Gerald is very nice and extremely helpful and Linda, his wife, is Canadian so how could I have a problem with her! She's lovely. Their two gorgeous children, Amaya and Jonathan are delightful and were enjoying a visit from "la cloche" the local steeple bell who had delivered chocolates to them for Easter.
Abe and I went to a fabulous market on Saturday. It was on a road that is part of the original Roman Empire roadways that spilled through all of Europe. They had everything. I swear that fruit is so much tastier here. For one they mustn't use gas to ripen everything. If you walk by someone smelling strawberries you can smell the most amazing scent of fresh strawberries, as though you were in a field of strawberries doing a "pick your own." (do they do that in the States?.....certainly a huge event in Canada.) All of the fruits and vegetables are stacked so beautifully. I stopped to stare at a beautiful display of meat -- I know who knew meat could look beautiful? A little tiny impeccably dressed French woman heard me talk to Abe and she said," yes, eet eees so beeyuuutifulllleeesn't eet? Usually when people talk to me in Engliesh when I can speak French really annoys me.....but it was obvious she was so happy to show her English, maybe learned during the war? that she didn't bother me a bit. I replied, "yes, it is beautiful."
Hoooweever, ees eeevin bayter zat eeeet tastes beeeeeyuuuutifulllll, no?" Yes, I replied, even more important! So sweet.
A very young boy was begging on the street with two of the tiniest little puppies. One puppy looked like it should not have left its mother yet. They were eating some tiny crumbs of a cookie that the young man had spread on his blanket. He had parked himself right near a vendor roasting about 50 chickens and tons of tiny new potatoes. It seemed like a cruelty to himself to be seated right where the scent of roasting chickens was overpowering. However, there he was. I couldn't help notice him because I was drawn to his puppies and his youth....plus he looked cold in his tough little hoodie pulled tightly over his face. However, we proceeded by and went to breakfast.
Our "Le Vitamine" breakfast meant vitamins only because you got about four ounces of freshly squeezed orange juice. Other than that we dug into the croissants, freshly baked country bread, jams, local honey and of course, it is France, a big pot of amazing chocolate. But the young boy was still in my head. Here I was eating my way through heaven and it wasn't cheap and he was looking for money. However, I don't give money but I will give food. I told Abe I was buying him chicken and Abe was all in agreement. I took our last bits of bread in the basket to give to the boy and told him that it was for the puppies. Next I bought us a chicken for our supper and a large portion of chicken to give to the boy.
He was just young and fresh eyed. He didn't look like a druggie as so often they do. IN fact I've had real druggies in Montreal refuse my offer of food...they want cash and a fix. (that was with David in Chinatown so we left our food on a bench and it quickly disappeared, we never saw who took it but when we looked back it was gone.) He accepted so graciously looking my straight in the eye with clear eyes and a firm acknowledgement of gratitude. I believe he truly was hungry. He was obviously a Muslim and I can't help but wonder what his circumstances were that put him on the street. The dogs were yipping and jumping all over the place when the smelled the chicken in the bag. I wonder if he has depression, did his family kick him out for not following the rules. I will never know but I know that that day he got something warm and wonderful to eat and that his little puppies didn't go hungry.
So onwards we go. Abe has had Easter Weekend free but real life beckons. I don't know how many other tourists are here going to yoga and to the gymn...but let's face it guys, I'm spoiled. I've been to Paris before and I love it but I can only tour churches and museums so many times. This time I feel so much more French, going to the bakery, bringing home pastries for supper, having a neighbourhood to which I can, for a short while, belong. Life is good.
And Sam....if you are reading this.....I know, responding was tough for me too. I read my son's blog but couldn't figure out how to give him my personal thoughts......couldn't get myself entered in as a respondant somehow. Oh well. Take care.
Oh....forgot. Half the world is teasing me and the other half doesn't make a peep but I think it is amazing that Benj went to mass at the Vatican, almost by accident. The plaza in front of the church was packed with people and Benj was inside. He was amazed and got wonderful photos which you can see in his blog, benjaminswords.blogspot.com. He said it took 40 minutes for all of the priests to leave the Vatican after the service was over. The pope stopped to bless a baby as he left down the aisle and Benj was right there and he managed to touch the Pope. I know, many of you think, who cares, but this is a powerful person in world history usually so surrouned by security that you couldn't get near him......but a personal touch happened. Benj even has photos of the security detail high up above the altars......so it is not like the guy isn't protected. Anyway, just thought I'd share that with you.
Happy Easter to all. Hope Passover was full of family and friends! Namaste everyone.
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