I had a lovely time in MN, and a largely hassle-free journey. I got caught out by the train strikes, so spent an extra night in Paris. I arrived at Gare de Montparnasse on Tues evening, and Lewis met me and took me to their rental flat. We grabbed a bite at a local restaurant where I had steak and he had scallops, plus a couple drinks each. We walked to the RER and I got the train to the airport. It was only 10:30pm, but due to the strikes, this was the last train of the evening, and also happened to be an express, so I had the whole carriage to myself. The rest of the journey was uneventful, and I got in to Mpls around 6:30pm local time. Mike picked me up, we collected Chuck and went to Jan’s for a brisket dinner. Mike and I spent a couple of hours at Ron’s and then I crashed around 11pm.
I got a haircut the next morning, and then Mom took me to Costco for an eye doctor appointment. Then Carolyn and I had lunch at Doolittle’s, where I had a cobb salad since I was feeling a bit beefed-out. I went to Mike’s in the afternoon and then Mom and I picked up Grammy and went to dinner at Crossroads where I had a full rack of ribs with all the trimmings. Mike came and got me and we went back to his place for a few hours. Mom gave me a ride over to Dad’s on Friday morning and we ran his weekly errands. Ben and Suzy have been alternating weeks, so I was happy to have a turn. One stop was at Target so I quickly did my shopping while Dad did his. We had lunch at Perkins afterwards where I had the all-day breakfast including pancakes.
The reason for my visit was Grace’s Bat Mitzvah, and the first event was that evening. Mom made dinner that night, brisket again because everyone eats it, with potato kugel, salad etc. Also there were Ben, Ione, Miles and Bradley, Dad, Uncle Steve and Grammy. Aunt Mimi was supposed to come, but put out her back at the last minute. We had an early dinner in time to drive to St Paul for the Friday night service. Grace didn’t have much to do that night, so Steve’s family didn’t come. We all went back to their place afterwards so we could catch-up for a bit. His whole family was there, except his twin nephews, and it was really nice to see everyone.
The main event was the next morning, starting at 10. Grace did an excellent job, and didn’t make a single mistake AFAIK. There was a lunch afterwards and as usual, I spent a good part of it catching-up with friends and family. Mom and I went home and then I went to Mike’s for a bit. There was a party that evening at an event-room at a park. It was a really nice setting and the theme was “picnic”, so we had buns with shredded meat, cole slaw, potato salad and root beer floats for dessert. I mainly sat with Car and Steve and their kids, right next to the open bar, which we visited frequently. Mom, Dad and I left around 9pm and they dropped me at Mike’s. I was fairly well-oiled, but had another couple of drinks there before he took me home.
I was feeling a little rough the next day, especially since I got up at 6am, so as not to get accustomed to the time zone. Mom and I had brunch at Grammy’s. It was in the communal dining room at her new place, and I over-ate yet again. Car’s mom Bonnie has recently moved in there, and we said hello but not much else. She has dementia, which is especially sad since she’s only in her mid-70s. Mom took me to get new glasses that afternoon, and I got two new pair: one for the computer, and one for distance. We returned home and I packed, then Mike picked me up and we went to his place where I stayed that evening. We had Mexican food from the taco truck that night, along with Kelly, Sam and Aaron. I had a few drinks starting in the afternoon, so was fairly tired and went to bed around 10pm.
Monday was my last day in the States. We had a lazy morning, then Mike and I went to meet Suzy for lunch. We had sushi at a place called Masu, which was excellent. Mike isn’t a fish eater, so he made do with noodles, while Suzy and I split a number of delicious dishes including a few rolls and sashimi. We lingered awhile until Suzy had to leave to pick up Maddie from school. Mike took me to pick up the one pair of glasses that was ready, and when I tried them, the right lens wasn’t right. They verified that they got the prescription wrong, and re-made the lens on the spot. I quickly checked them and they were better, so off we went to the airport. My flight back wasn’t too crowded and I got a row to myself, so managed to sleep for a bit.
We landed in Paris around 1pm and I got the RER into town. It was a strike day, so they weren’t running normally, but I eventually made it to my stop and then found my way to Lewis’ apartment where I slept for a few hours. He came and met me around 6:30 and we went out for drinks and dinner. Before I left, I had suggested having sushi since I wasn’t likely to get any in MN and he was up for it. His wife Pary is vegetarian so like me, he rarely gets to have it. So even though I’d had some the previous day, I agreed to double-down and we went to a place where he’d made a reservation. We got the metro to the right bank and stopped for a drink, then found our way to the restaurant. It was very authentic, with all-Japanese staff and all the plates etc. were traditional. We both ordered a combo platter, and then a few extra rolls and pieces of sushi. The waiter took it all down, but quietly shook his head. When the food arrived, we realised why: there was too much food to fit on the little table. We managed to finish it all, and washed it down with beer and sake.
After dinner, we strolled back towards the river, walking through the Louvre that was bathed in a golden light from the setting sun. We grabbed a drink at a cafe, then strolled some more and grabbed another drink. We crossed the river and then stopped to see the building where they’ve just bought an apartment. The one where I was staying is a rental property, and they’re currently renting a place in the suburbs. They will soon move into the new apartment, and split their time between there and their house in the Dordogne. The new place is in an incredible location, five min from St Michel and Notre Dame. We went our separate ways from there, and I made it back to the apartment and crashed. My train left from Montparnasse the next morning, and I got into Angouleme around 10:30am where Will was waiting to pick me up.
Andrew was still in France at that point, so we had meal together that night before he took off the following afternoon. It had been two weeks since I last mowed, so the grass had grown a lot. I mowed on Thurs and Fri afternoons, ahead of the rain that was forecast for the weekend. I did a bit of work that afternoon, and more the next few days. Most of this was to get the vineyards property feed live, and I’m happy to say that I finished it this morning. On Friday, I went to Nontron for supplies and to see the optician. When I got home and actually tried my new glasses in front of the computer, I realised they still weren’t right. I took them to an optician in Nontron and they verified that the prescription is correct, so there must be something else wrong with them. I’m going to call the place I bought them today and see what they say. I purchased a second pair that Mom collected and shipped, and I really hope they don’t have the same issue.
We had a few social events this weekend, starting with dinner at Rigit’s on Sat night. We had dips and nibbles to start, then cannelloni served with salad with pomegranate seeds, red onion and roasted lemon. Dessert was a banana walnut bread with ice cream. They’ve got six plants that are coming along nicely, and we’re looking after them for a few days. They’re leaving today to celebrate her 60th birthday with a few days in Paris, and few more in the UK. They’re both doing well, and enjoying their retirement here. Both of them are working on their French, and are making progress. They come to conversation on Thursdays and have also joined the Tuesday walks. We left around midnight and didn’t stay up too late after we got home.
Sunday turned out to be a busy day. Being the last Sunday in April meant it was the Salon de Printemps in Brantome. This is where we met our vineyard people all those years ago and to keep with tradition, we set off to buy wine. We had already arranged our order with them: four cases of 2015, the wine we wanted for our wedding but wasn’t ready. The Salon used to last three days, but it was only on the Sunday this year. We spoke to one of the organisers and he said this may be the last year. It has to be that weekend, and in recent years, it’s always raining. There were very few stands compared to previous years, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if they call it quits.
We got home and then immediately left for lunch at Gael and Corrine’s. They moved into their place a year ago, and they’ve made huge progress. Last time we ate there, there wasn’t a floor in the lounge, but there is now. Also in attendance were Francoise and Philippe, Ulysses and Odiele, Manu and Mathilde plus three of their girls and one boyfriend. It was a traditional French meal, starting with rum punch and nibbles, followed by couscous, with various meats and veggies. By the time we finished it was 3:30 so we wolfed down a piece of cake and hurried home in time for band practice. Christian was already there waiting and we set-up and got started. We’ve been rehearsing nearly 20 songs, and decided to pare it down and concentrate on half of them. We wrapped up a little early since my hernia was acting up, and then chatted for awhile before he left.
I’ll wrap up with a few thoughts about my trip. There was a blizzard Minneapolis the weekend before I arrived, leaving behind 15″ of snow. The roads and pavement were clean-up by that point so it didn’t affect travel, but it’s really not a welcome sight in mid-April. Temperatures climbed from 2C the day I arrived to 16C the day I left, so much of the snow had melted, except for the large drifts where it gets piled when they plow. I have fond memories of the great Spring melt, so at least I got to experience that along with the snow. I also enjoyed spending a bit of time in Paris, and it confirmed that I still don’t miss living in a city. The two meals were had were excellent, but each one costed €100, which to be fair, was reasonable for the amount of sushi we ate. However, we had drinks at a few bars and vodka tonics were €12 a piece and a “demi” of beer was €6. At both places, we sat at a table for two with the adjacent tables practically next to ours, making conversation difficult. It was fun to play tourist and walk through Paris at dusk, but it wasn’t enough that I’d want to move there any time soon.