Monday: I take the metro out to Cafe Kleber to meet Elena, a friend of Nick and Ivan’s. In our text to set up the meeting, she says, “ I may come with my little darling”. “Daughter”, I say? “Sausage dog”, she replies. They arrive via e-bike with Rita, her cute dog, in the front in a custom made carrier. We have coffee and get to know each other, all the while Elena instructing the men at the table next to us to send their smoke in the opposite direction. Elena works at Insead, a prestigious global business school that is part of the grandé école, which is similar to the Ivy League in the US and Oxbridge in the UK. Elena is wonderful and after coffee and conversation we decide we are going to spend much more time together while I am in Paris. She rides off with Rita.

I wander over to the Trocadéro just across the street. Named in honor of the Battle of Trocadéro in 1823, it is now most famously known as the ideal place to take pictures of the Eiffel Tower without being at the Eiffel Tower. I snap a few myself before walking across the Seine to Le Bon Marché, one of the world’s first department store.

Le Bon Marché is now owned by the luxury brand LVMH. I browse the store, but what I am really interested in is the Food Hall occupying the entire floor of one of the buildings. It is similar to Harrod’s Food Hall and just as crazy, with people stocking up on food to take on the plane and also enjoying the restaurants or buying things to eat at home.

After I try a few of the food items myself, I see that I’m not too far from the 13th century Church of Saint-Sulpice, so I walk there. Along the way I stop in at Le Chocolat Alain Ducasse, as well an interesting shop called Popelini that sells cream puffs of all variety.

I enjoy the splendor of the third largest church in Paris. It is the church that baptized the Marquis de Sade, where Victor Hugo got married and where the funeral mass for Jacques Chirac, the former President of France took place.

What’s a few more steps when I’ve been wanting to see Rue Cler. It is touted as one of the best market streets in Paris. I try to see that, and it does have a nice cheese shop, but honestly I like my neighborhood in the 11th much better.

Back in my neighborhood, I opt for Louie Louie, another Laura great find. It’s Neopolitan style pizza and owned by a family from Naples. I sit at the bar and talk to the bartender who is named…Louie (he quickly points out he is not an owner).

Tuesday: Elena and I are meeting at the Musée d’ Art Moderne de Paris in the 16th. I love modern art and this museum is excellent. There is a mural by Raoul Duffy installed in an oval room that is breathtaking. It is called The Spirit of Electricity. He researched everything related to electricity: technical and historical works, biographies of scientists, correspondence with scientists of the time to update his knowledge. The mural includes 108 scientists from Antiquity to the present day.

The museum also has a sculpture by one of my favorite French artists, Louise Bourgeois.

We decide to have lunch on the patio at the restaurant Bambino after seeing the rest of the museum. Our table has a view of the Eiffel Tower of course.

We ate so healthy at lunch that Elena takes me to her favorite patisserie, Cyril Lignac, for a treat. Incredible.

Elena bikes off and I make a brief stop at the Musee de la Mode de la Ville (Fashion Museum) before walking down the Avenue des Champs-Élysées to the Petit Palais.

There I find more beautiful art, including an antique book sculpture.

I’m meeting more new friends tonight so I must head home. First I stop at a local patisserie to buy a hostess gift for my new friends to be. I’m going to the home of Benoit and Michelle. They are the parents of Mathias who I met a few months ago when I was on a walking tour in London. He will be there as well. It is just a short walk from my apartment. They live on a cute quiet street and as I approach they call to me from the their balcony.

Up I go and we have the best time. Michele works for the non-profit associated with Patagonia and Benoit works in strategy for French national transportation. They are curious about me and I them and we get along very well. We enjoy champagne to toast Mathias’ graduation from college a month ago.

Wednesday: Elena and I were going to meet today but she is concerned about the demonstrations that are called for all over the city so she asks to postpone our meeting. Of course I agree. It gives me the opportunity to go to Canal Saint-Martin. I jump on the Metro and get off at Place de la Republique. There is a bakery there that I must go to near the Canal.

I start walking from the metro stop and see I have a text from Elena. “If you go out don’t go anywhere near Place de la Republique as that is the heart of the demonstrations.” Oops. I’m already here and I don’t see much going on. I love the shops in the area as I walk towards the bakery, Du Pain Et Des Idees. It is in a shop from the 1800’s with a gorgeous ceiling.

I arrive and it is amazing. I choose two things: The Tarte Fine Aux Figues and the Boeuf Fume Chèvre Frais Piment d’Esplette. One sweet and one savory. I love the spice Piment d’Esplette and it is hard to find in the US.

These are so so good. Still warm. I get a cafe allongé to have with the pastries and I am in heaven. I walk back to the metro at Place de la Republique and I can see more of the demonstrators’ action. But to be fair, these are French food-loving people, so I also see two men pushing a cart to make crepes for the demonstrators.

I head to the Church of Saint Mary Magdalene (also called la Madeleine). It was planned by Louis XV as the focal point to the new Place Louis XV, the present Place de la Concorde. It has an exterior design that looks like a Greek temple. Inside it is magnificent. There is a dome that depicts the History of Christianity. As I am looking around I see daily mass is about to start so I stay for mass and it is lovely.

After church I stop by the Ritz hotel (trés chic) for a coffee. Less chic but more tasty is the special sandwich I have at Le Petit Vendôme.

I have a special dinner reservation tonight at a new restaurant in the 20th called Dandelion. It is the creation of two famous chefs that left their big name places to collaborate on this new venture. I walk there in the rain and find tidy white walls, opaline suspension lamps and a buffed cement floor. A sophisticated menu is presented by very friendly staff. The sommelier helps me choose a wine as I contemplate my choices. I choose a starter of corn and crab in a harissa sauce. It is amazing.

Before the next course a couple with their college age son sits next to me. The husband gets up and takes the menu to the window squinting mightily. I’ve been there. He’s forgotten his readers. He seems frustrated as he goes to sit back down. I hold up my readers (3.0!) and offer them to him. He is so happy! I tell him I have ordered so he can take them to his table. He couldn’t thank me enough.

Here comes my main course. It is trout with stracciatella and charred cabbage in a tomato butter broth. Again…amazing!!!

I walk home with my umbrella very happy.

Thursday: I am meeting another Parisian today. He is Louis who used to live in Palo Alto. Our daughters, Laura and Ines, were born 10 days apart. I haven’t seen Louis in over 15 years. We meet in the Marais and have a lovely lunch. It is like we saw each other yesterday. I forgot to take a picture of us together so here is a picture of our two girls the year they were born. Obviously the one with the Louis XIV collar is French.

After leaving Louis, I go to Place des Vosages to view some art galleries.

Then I head home, as tonight I am going the Paris Philharmonic. The Paris Philharmonic is in the Greater Paris Metropolis, founded a decade ago by the French Parliament. The project to build up this far eastern area of Paris stalled for a while, but was revitalized with the coming of the Olympics and has brought development, vitality and housing to this area. The Paris Philharmonic was designed by architect Jean Nouvel and is a 2,400 seat concert hall. 1.5 million people attend the Philharmonic annually. Compare that to Davis Symphony Hall in San Francisco with a 2,700 seat capacity and an annual attendance of 300,000. Parisians love the arts!

I leave home with enough time before the performance for a bite at Café de las Musique.

I’m siting at a communal table when two ladies join. They are from Vienna and they fly to wherever the conductor we are seeing tonight presents. They are in awe of him. He is pretty amazing actually. Klaus Mäkelä, from Finland. Twenty nine years old. At twenty-one he conducted the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and by twenty four he was the chief conductor of the Oslo Symphony. He is the director of the Orchestre de Paris. In 2027 he will become the music director of the Chicago Symphony. I ask these ladies if they will fly to Chicago to see him, “But of Course”!

It is a beautiful building and I find that I have a front row seat overlooking the percussion group as well as a clear view of Klaus conducting. I am so lucky!

The program is wonderful. The featured piece is “An American in Paris” by George Gershwin. I tell everyone how nice it is that this big organization has welcomed me to Paris with this choice.

I enjoy myself so much. I take the metro home and it is after midnight.

Friday: I have to get up early as I have secured a spot on the tour of the Paris Opera House (Palais Garnier). Virginia is our guide and she is funny and knowledgeable. She tells us the main auditorium is closed for some repairs and that is too bad. But…as we start up the beautiful staircase a man comes and whispers in her ear. She smiles and said she has permission to take us in. So glad, as it is beautiful.

It opened in 1875 and it is huge. 450 dancers can be on stage at once. Virginia shows us where ladies had to sit because they all wore large hats and no one wanted them to sit and block their views.

Now I must get across town to the Neuilly-sur-Seine area as I am meeting Elena at the Fondation Louis Vuitton. But first, I want to get a crepe at the well regarded Cafe Breizh. The crepe is square with a pat of butter and I devour it.

The Fondation Louis Vuitton is in an extraordinary building designed by Frank Gehry. It opened in 2014 as an art center and is sponsored by LVMH. It cost 800 million euros to build, an overrun of 700 million euros.

We take a tour of the building and then we are invited to do an immersive VR experience. We are game so we put the glasses on and find ourselves all over the building, on the roof, leaning over the edges and in general inhabiting this amazing a structure.

Tonight I will try the restaurant Camille. I walk there about 30 minutes and I’m glad I reserved ahead because it’s packed. The waiters are very sweet and explain a few of the choices. I go with the sea bass cooked in an olive and tomato sauce accompanied by a cold glass of Chablis.

Saturday: I have read about the best boeuf bourguignon being at Chez Réne. I have been wanting to have this dish for two weeks. Today is the day. I walk there to get exercise as it is across the Seine. I am seated at a nice table and I notice every person in the busy restaurant is French. This is a good sign. People are ordering so many things: Beef tartare, sardines, onion soup, frisée salads. But I want what I came for so I stick to my plan. The very professional waiter first brings me a little crock of a cheese dip and crackers.

I say I want the boeuf bourguignon and he says then you must have a glass of red wine. Well ok if you insist. It comes to a side table and the waiter scoops a lot of it into a bowl and then brings me the bowl and the rest of the crock. Oh my!

I pass on dessert. C’est tout! I meet the man having lunch on my right. He is French and has just gotten off a plane from Brazil. This is where he comes first. I see why.

I leave quite satisfied and stroll through this lovely neighborhood. I know from my research that the best baguettes in Paris are sold nearby as well as a well regarded cheese shop. I visit both and make purchases thinking I will eat in tonight.

As I cross the river, I decide to pay a visit to La Samaritain. This is another luxury department store located right on the Seine and you guessed it—-it is also owned by LVMH. The one smart thing I do is go to the perfume department and have then spray some fragrances I like on business card size paper. I keep those in my purse as they come in handy sometimes on a crowded Metro ride where personal hygiene is not uniform.

It is starting to rain so I head home. At 6:13 I realize there is a 6:30 mass at Church of Saint-Germain de Charonne. It is a mile away but if Iget out the door immediately I will make it. I do! The church bells are ringing as I run up the steps. It is a beautiful small mass.

Afterwards I stop in a bookstore on my way home and then a wine shop. After all, I have that cheese waiting for me and it needs some good wine.

Sunday: It is a rainy day so it is perfect for the museums I still want to see. I start with the Picasso museum. The audio guide is very helpful. The museum is three floors and has an enormous collection. It is not crowded at all which I am surprised at given the weather.

I know that between the Picasso and my next museum is supposedly a fantastic falafel place. It is called L’As Du Fallafel . I go by and there is a long line to eat in the crowded little place. But they have a take away window and the All Saints store across the street has a little covered patio and a bench. So I order to go at the outside window. It is delicious.

My next museum is the European Phtography Museum. They are having an exhibit of Marie-Laure de Decker. She is one of my favorites as she photographed in dangerous situations, but from a human level. The room of her Vietnam photos is particularly captivating. She has a series of portraits from Chad that I love as well. It is all just so compelling.

I am all museumed out so I head home as I am having a coffee with Mathias shortly.

We meet at Au Cadron Voltaire, a local cafe.

We sit outside at a little table. I really enjoy getting the perspective over a coffee of new friends in my host country and we have such a wide ranging conversation. I am really going to miss this terrace culture when I leave. Every block in Paris is full of cafes with outdoor tables. It’s Paris’ version of a pub, but outdoors. People are just having a coffee, drinking a glass of wine and some are eating. I do not understand why we don’t have this in San Francisco. In SF there are a few tables out in a few neighborhoods, but by and large those are restaurants and you don’t sit and have a coffee. We have just as a good a climate as Paris. It puzzles me.

Mathias is off to his parent’s home in Lille tomorrow so I hope to see him when he returns. He starts a new job in the UK in October and he will be a huge success.

Tomorrow I am taking my first day trip…to Chartres. Stay tuned!