And it still hasn’t stopped raining. The worst fall since 1988 according to the papers. It is still Paris with lots to do, even in the rain.

This is the way I look almost everyday — prepared for rain and more rain. Even on the days when the weather forecast says, “No Rain”, I know there will be rain. And there is!! I’m standing in our little kitchen about to go to the market.

I headed out and started this time at the far end of the market where I encountered these enormous mushrooms. I’ve never seen any so big. I failed to ask what they are called. They are so big the vendeur has sliced them in half. Next week if these are still here I might try them. Right across from the mushroom stall was the rotisserie you see below. Whole chickens and ribs were being roasted. You can buy them whole or cut up. Along side were two 2-3 ft saucer-like pans where small potatoes and mushrooms were being roasted. We bought some and they were delicious. Imagine the work involved. These stalls will be taken down in about two hours when the market finishes at 1 p.,m. The venders pack everything up and go to another location.

This week we went to the Museé D”Orsay (the one that was a train station converted into a museum). This exhibit was of Van Gogh’s painting from the last year of his life. He spent that year in Auvers-sur-Oise 30 km a small village about 30 kg. northwest of Paris. It was really hard to get decent photos because there were so many people there. I’ve never seen anything like it. The museum is to fault for selling so many tickets – that’s what everyone is saying. There were group tours going through in addition to folks like us just trying to get a peek. It was hot, too, which is not a surprise given the numbers of humans. Nonetheless – the works stand up to any kind of trauma the viewer is experiencing. Van Gogh is Van Gogh — one suffers willingly just to get a view of these wonderful works – some of which we had never seen before.

Wheatfield under thunderclouds 1890

Wheatfield with Crows. 1890

Haystacks 1890

Below is the last painting Van Gogh did. It is called Tree Roots – 1890. Some people read it as a message of his inner turmoil, but there is no consensus by art historians on this.

There were 200 paintings and sketches in the exhibit. We did not see all of them as there came a point of saturation and fatigue. So — we headed to the restaurant for some refreshments. The big clock is from the old train station and can be seen from the street. We were lucky to get seating. The waiter was fun and spoke perfect English. He confessed that this father was from San Diego.

Taking things out of order I did want to show you the little brasserie – the Segur — which has become our local go to place for a quick good meal. The waiters are fun – especially one older guy who has a trick where he slips and tips over a coffee cup he is carrying onto a customer – but to everyone’s delight he catches it and the cup. The joke is – the cup is empty. There is generally a round of applause and much laughter. He has done it every time we’ve been there.

My favorite salad now– sliced leeks in a vinaigrette with a chunck of blue cheese on top. One portion if so big that we order one for ‘partager.’ which I’ve learned is perfectly acceptable.

This is the blackboard with today’s desserts. We ordered the chocolate gateau. served with ice cream and a vanilla sauce. The cake was yummy — and I think flourless.

Before signing off there is one other thing we did this past week which if you come to Paris you must see. The two exhibitions about Notre Dame and are located underground just in front for the cathedral. The first exhibit is called the Crypte Archeologique of the I’lle de la Cité – which is the island Notre Dame is on. The exhibit takes us from the earliest preserved foundations of the city to the present. The second, which is free, is about the fire and reconstruction – takes you through every aspect of the planning and reconstruction. December 2024 is the finish date. The exhibit is called: Notre Dame de Paris: at the worksite.

OK – OK — I can’t finish without showing you the pastries at the only Mori Yoshida shop in the world – which unfortunately is only a 10 minute walk from our place. At 11 a.m. when the shop opens on Sunday, I arrived to find a long line of people already waiting to scoop up these prize pastries.

The tall ones are not chocolate but a chestnut cream (not exactly whipped cream) with whole roasted chestnuts pieces inside.

The sign above says that there is milk, flour, eggs and alcohol in the pastry and that is costs about $8.00

This pastry comes in a cake form too, which we ate last night (and seen below) at our neighbors. Called Mont Blanc, the cake is a cream of whole chestnuts sitting on a flaky phyllo dough crust. I have to confess, we ate it after eating the Mont d’Or (pictured last) – which is a cheese from the region of Jura, baked in a crust with a touch of ham and potato. It was also soooo delicious. We all dieted today!

Mont d’Or — this served 4 of us for dinner, so how bad could it be?????