I awoke early today, the ground still wet with the night’s rain, when I received a phone call from my dear friend Terry Netter. I had planned to catch a train at around 9:00 to St. Pierre des Corps, a small village near the Loire Valley. There I was to meet Terry and head to Pontlevoy the visit the Abbaye de Pontlevoy which is an over-1,000-year-old Abbey turned educational facility used today by the University of Southern Mississippi and a catholic boy’s school as well as a venue for artistic programs. Unfortunately, the strikes that I had chronicled yesterday had once again created disturbances in the train schedules and there was no guarantee that I would get a train to St. Pierre des Corps, nor a return train. Thus, the trip was cancelled and I returned to bed only to sleep through my alarm and wake up around 2:00 pm! The jet lag had finally gotten the best of me!
Determined to make the most of my day, I headed out to the Rue du Rivoli which lines the Louvre’s Tuileries gardens, and turned on a small side street in search of a hidden treasure where I could get something to eat. Walking by a small cheese shop I found my treasure. For only 8.50 euros, the cheese shop/restaurant was offering a salad, drink and slices of six different kinds of cheese. In the US, I rarely eat much cheese unless it is A) on a pizza, B) inside or on a burrito, chile relleno or enchilada, or C) on an hors d’oeuvre tray at a conference when all the big money items have already been eaten. However, every trip to Paris kicks off a cheese eating binge. All six types of cheese were incredibly smelly and equally delicious. My favorite was an aged cheese rolled in small marinated cherries. Accompanied by freshly cut baguette, this meal was a real gem.
After a belly full of cheese and bread, I decided to scope out some of the stores at Place Vendome. The streets surrounding Place Vendome create the epicenter of Paris haute-coutoure. Gucci, Dior, Hermes, Gaultier etc. etc. not mention an array of jewelry stores with watches that cost more than my car and necklaces that cost more than my condo beckon the rich and famous. When not peering into the window at the exquisite merchandise you can be treated to a parade of trophy wives and black mercedes limos pulling up to 4 star hotels to drop off their guests.
Place Vendome
Proceeding from Place Vendome I walked to Place de la Madeline, home of a Parthenon looking building with monumental mass. Although many come to visit the pillars of the building, I came for mustard. Before leaving Colorado, I had promised my friend Amy that I would bring back some grape seed mustard and no other place sells more varieties of mustard (that I know of) than Maille. Unfortunately stores close at around 7:00pm in this area and they were closed by the time I got there. I will have to come back to fulfill my promise to Amy, however, even when closed, Maille still attracts visitors curious to see the selection through the store’s windows.
Place de la Madeline
After my adventures near Place de la Madeline, I headed back to Montparnasse to catch a movie at the Gaumont. Unfortunately, there was only one VO “version original” movie, meaning it is in english – Eat Pray Love or Mange Prie Aime. I actually wanted to see this movie despite its target at the female market after watching several of Elizabeth Gilbert’s presentations at Ted. Also, the movie featured French subtitles which are a great way for me to refresh my vocabulary and learn conjugation since I am a visual learner. The Guamont has a certain feature that has added charm to the movie-going experience that I could never find in Denver. You can hear and feel the subtle rumbling of the Metro below you feet from inside the theater.
To cap off the night, I walked a couple of blocks to Amorino Gelato, a chain of stores that can be seen throughout Paris. Their gelato is delicious and by far my favorite provider of pistachio and noisette (hazelnut) gelato. At around 12:00am, the place was still bustling. Feeling much more rested than other nights, I walked home with gelato in hand and with only about 5 drip marks on my once spotless black shirt. 
pistachio+hazelnut= the best
Drew Domoto Design 
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